Recent content by Luke42

This is not a PEBKAC problem. Activating the wipers isn't the problem. These problems interact: Enabling cruise control ("autopilot") enables auto-wipers. Auto wipers always seem to be enabled. Getting the auto-wipers to stop in situations where running the wipers generates self-inflicted...

As a Tesla owner, I'm familiar with this argument - but I don't believe it. I've rented FSD for a month in my car and I found it to have a long way to go. It's been nearly a year and the windshield wipers still react incorrectly to self-induced streaks. It's been a year and autopilot still...

That's not the question. The question is: why is the new interface better than the standard interface cars have had for most of the last century? One you answer that question, then the question you answered (about adaptation) becomes relevant. I'm adaptable. What I'm not convinced of is that...

If I remember automotive lore correctly, push button shifters were considered problematic because they were error-prone. I haven't driven a stalkless Tesla yet, but this could be a dealbreaker for me. (I'll test drive one to be sure before I make any big moves.) my Model Y is missing several...

It's a self-selected group. The people who bought the Model 3 generally like it, the peoe who don't like it generally don't buy it. Assuming, of course, that we're only looking at the subset of people who have the means, the motive, and the opportunity to buy a Tesla.

The weather & climate issues don't need to break the insurance market, but TPTB in Florida need to be able adapt & mitigate when nature throws them a curveball. Palm trees bend instead of breaking.

Large homeowners insurance providers are leaving Florida. This isn't a murmer, it's a fully-developed trend in the insurance industry. As with any major industry trend, it has multiple causes: Floridian laws, Floridian politics, Floridian weather, Floridian hurricanes, and Floridian effects of...

Being a major stockholder on a mine is great work, of you have a few million dollars to buy your way in. Same with owning farmland. Actually doing the work that farming & mining enterprises requires isn't particularly profitable (at the personal level) if you're a rank-and-file employee...

The ridiculous markup is why that truck is still on the lot. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias Standard business advice for car dealers is to turn over their inventory and keep it turning over. Every vehicle that doesn't sell is taking the place of a vehicle that will. This...

HCOL = high cost of living area, like San Francisco or New York City. The cost of living is high because the jobs picture is great and everyone wants to live there. LCOL = low cost of living area, like the rural backwater where I grew up. The cost of living is low because there's no economy...

I'm not going back to an ICE car either. My MYLR is the best car I've ever owned. But she makes a six figure salary, likes living in an MCOL, and can't stand Elon Musk. She can do what she likes, automtively speaking. If her automotive hill to die on is a paid-off Honda Civic then, yes...

Musk's tweets are why my wife will not accept a Tesla as an upgrade for her Honda Civic. When you have a product to sell, cutting your market in half by taking sides in political fights is an unforced error. We are exactly the Tesla owners that the interviewer was asking about. The only...

It's likely that Harley is doing the same thing my employer does: pricing things based on what sells. Our demand-planners know the market well enough to have a pretty good feeling for how price-sensitive each major SKU is - and they adjust the price to reflect our business goals. Our...

I've been using a Prusa i3 to print the missing parts for my car. It's a good printer, and handles a variety of materials. There are better ones out there, and I bought mine from a guy who was upgrading - but it's fully featured and very capable. I'm using ASA filament for car stuff, since...

I'm all for making Cyber-platforms in different sizes and shapes.