The Boring Company


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That looks really, really dumb.

 

So basically he wants to build large networks of tunnels under cities to aid transit less than 30-40 miles. That sounds incredibly expensive and terrible.

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Why is this a bad idea? The tech used to make these tunnels will be to proof the technology used on Mars, and possibly elsewhere. We'll need this stuff. Even if it doesn't make it to Mars, it's still incredibly useful. I don't see the problem here.

 

And I might add that Tunnel Boring machines are already incredibly expensive, time-consuming and frequently break down. If Elon & Co. have a better way, I'd like to see what they've got in mind before dismissing it.

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24 minutes ago, Zagadka said:

That looks really, really dumb.

 

So basically he wants to build large networks of tunnels under cities to aid transit less than 30-40 miles. That sounds incredibly expensive and terrible.

Norway disagrees.

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There was a series of tests done by the US military with regards to tunnelling/drilling and they discovered it could be sped up considerably by using microwaves or circulating liquified metals to melt the rock. It also left behind a hard, vitreous crust on the bore holes inner wall. 

 

Another effort was a nuclear powered 'subterrene' - an underground submarine.

 

Look up patent number  3,693,731

 

"Method and apparatus for tunneling by melting"

 

https://www.google.com/patents/US3693731

 

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The LA subway was designed to be good to an earthquake of 7.5R.

 

In the 1985 Mexico quake (8.1R) there were power disruptions, but the tunnels held and people evacuated by hoofing it.

 

In the 2010 Chilean quake (8.8R) the subway was running the next day.

 

Taipei, Kobe, Northridge and Loma Prieta (San Francisco 1989) - no damage.

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3 hours ago, FloatingFatMan said:

Or just don't build them in earthquake zones! :p

 

Not many of those, and most subways in the US are in quake zones. 

 

U.S.-Seismic-Zones-Map.jpg

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Between mass transit and self-driving cars (the latter of which will take a while to become widespread, but so would mazes of giant tunnels under every city), this is pointless.

 

And the problem with the tunnels isn't just earthquakes. That isn't the main problem the LA subway construction had. The problem was that drilling under a large modern city is dangerous as hell. The LA subway ran billions upon billions over cost and caused tons of sinkholes. Look at the Big Dig in Boston. These things are complex and expensive. I simply don't see the cost-benefit for balancing out. Maybe if they were traveling hundreds of miles, but not for in-city travel.

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1 hour ago, Beittil said:

I am still wondering how real this is on a scale of 1..10 :p

 

I mean, how can Elon even do yet more? :D Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, Boring Company... thats a lot on his plate!

About this real,

 

screen-shot-2017-04-27-at-6-57-24-pm.thumb.png.fb23a91ca12c620d01316ac3ca3c82c7.png

 

He bought a TBM and he has permits to start drilling under LA.  The first tunnel will be from SpaceX HQ to a new parking structure built for the folks at Hawthorne. After that, there's been talk of another tunnel. He also plans to mod the TBM to speed up its drilling rate.

 

And he's also "drilling" Amber Heard. A busy boy indeed :punk:

 

IMG_20170423_202811.thumb.jpg.43403ea1cf555fd5f3e50754b2676ac7.jpg

Edited by DocM
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Not a bad life. You get to figure out interesting ways to get above and below ... and into things. And the only thing stopping ya is your own imagination and Science. And if the Science stops you, you laugh at it and tell it "we'll see what's possible and what isn't".

 

Real-life Tony Stark. :yes: 

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When they made Iron Man they based the characterization on Musk, and filmed scenes in the SpaceX factory.  He even has a full size Iron Man suit and a Cylon near the entrance to the SpaceX factory.

 

1280px-Ironman_in_SpaceX.jpg

Edited by DocM
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2 hours ago, DocM said:

And he's also "drilling" Amber Heard. A busy boy indeed :punk:

 

IMG_20170423_202811.thumb.jpg.43403ea1cf555fd5f3e50754b2676ac7.jpg

He's  welcome to her – these days I don't really like anything Johnny Depp has been in....

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1 hour ago, Shiranui said:

He's  welcome to her – these days I don't really like anything Johnny Depp has been in....

Considering that Depp was allegedly abusive, I'm not sure what you're implying here.

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5 hours ago, DocM said:

When they made Iron Man they based the characterization on Musk, and filmed scenes in the SpaceX factory.  He even has a full size Iron Man suit and a Cylon near the entrance to the SpaceX factory.

Pretty sure they based it on the Iron Man comics actually...

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9 minutes ago, FloatingFatMan said:

Pretty sure they based it on the Iron Man comics actually...

That info was from Robert Downey Jr.

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Just now, DocM said:

That info was from Robert Downey Jr.

Try reading the comics sometime.  Downey might have based some of the characterisation on Musk, but most of it is clearly based on the original source.

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8 hours ago, DocM said:

About this real,

 

screen-shot-2017-04-27-at-6-57-24-pm.thumb.png.fb23a91ca12c620d01316ac3ca3c82c7.png

 

He bought a TBM and he has permits to start drilling under LA.  The first tunnel will be from SpaceX HQ to a new parking structure built for the folks at Hawthorne. After that, there's been talk of another tunnel. He also plans to mod the TBM to speed up its drilling rate.

 

And he's also "drilling" Amber Heard. A busy boy indeed :punk:

 

IMG_20170423_202811.thumb.jpg.43403ea1cf555fd5f3e50754b2676ac7.jpg

He's got my respect then, :p 

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