Transit Revolutionary: How Morrell Foreshadowed Elon Musk

Tesla is named after the wrong guy. Its CEO clearly sounds just like the infamous Morrell.

About a year after opening up shop, federal investigators came banging on Morrell’s door in February 1908 to arrest him for using the U.S. mail to defraud; after being tipped off by disgruntled investors, investigators determined Morrell was running a massive airship racket. As he was hauled off to jail, Morrell shouted to a San Francisco Examiner reporter he was going to “revolutionize the methods of transportation of the universe.”

The inside of a courtroom became a familiar place for Morrell as he was hit again and again with fraud charges. But each time, he wriggled out of them and returned to his beloved airship.

Doesn’t “revolutionize the methods of transportation of the universe” sound familiar?

In spite of his massive failure, Morrell was undeterred. “I still believe that I had solved the problem of aerial navigation,” he said.

He hadn’t.

Ouch. So familiar.

And what about those fools now dumping money into a Cybertruck fiasco?

Morrell’s fiance rushed to his defense. Only identified as Miss A. Kern from San Francisco, the Tribune said she blamed “disobedience to the orders of Morrell” for the crash. According to National Airship Company employees, the woman had been quietly bankrolling Morrell’s folly for the past two years. In fact, she’d blown through $70,000 of her inheritance on his passion project and fell in love with the charismatic inventor along the way.

They demand obedience to charisma, even after catastrophic failure.

Morrell, just like Elon Musk, grossly exaggerated high-speed cross-country travel technology that couldn’t even launch without disaster. Source: Berkeley Plaque

Lawsuits Flying After PA Tesla Kills One

The wife of a man killed by Tesla is now suing the pizza place that served the car’s owner.

Wendy Rockacy, the widow of former UPMC doctor Douglas Rockacy, blames Joseph Yanta, who was behind the wheel that July night in the crash that killed Douglas Rockacy. But she is also suing Cenci’s Pizzeria and Restaurant, along with its owner.

Joseph Yanta, meanwhile, pled guilty and then started suing a country club as well as the pizza place.

In February this year, Yanta pleaded guilty to homicide by vehicle and DUI. Investigators said data from his Tesla showed he was going over 120 miles per hour and his blood alcohol content was more than double the limit.

A few months later, Yanta filed his own lawsuit against Cenci’s and the country club for the injuries he suffered in the crash.

I haven’t read the court filings but I hope they say something like…

Bartender should have asked if I came in a Tesla, therefore establishing I am unable to make good decisions about safety and must not be trusted to drink.

Liability really rests with Tesla, however, as they repeatedly and shamelessly promote the fraud that their car is safe to drive intoxicated.

UK Tesla Kills Two in “Veered” Head-On Crash Into Double-Decker Bus

Update November 7: the Tesla passenger has now died.

The bus looks intact, its driver suffering only minor injuries, yet the Tesla was destroyed. Source: BBC

Early reports from York had details like this, suggesting the Tesla was speeding and lost control into oncoming traffic.

An eyewitness who drove past the scene told The Press the bus was an open top double decker tour bus heading in the direction of York.

The car was travelling in the opposite direction, they said, adding that the car was badly damaged after the collision.

It then was confirmed that one Tesla passenger was killed, while three others were injured.

A 31-year-old man was killed in a crash between a car and bus in York, police said.

He was a passenger in a white Tesla Model 3 car which collided with a blue and white double decker bus on the B1224 Wetherby Road, close to the junction with the York outer ring road (A1237), at around 9.20am today (Saturday, June 29).

North Yorkshire Police said the man, from the Newcastle area, was pronounced dead at the scene.

This crash fatality is especially notable after Tesla investors were recently promoting the dangerously false notion their car is capable of preventing head-on collisions.

Look how far left the bus is on its lane, indicating Tesla “veered” far right. Source: Mirror

Ukrainian AI Drone Swarm Targets Russian Uniforms

From the front-lines:

…new artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled drone that can recognize and engage targets based on visual triggers, like a specific uniform. The drones can work as a swarm and can communicate with one another.

In related news, hundreds of thousands of explosive chemical cluster-bomb autonomous drones (VBIED) are being staged by a suspected Russian operative just outside of Berlin, Germany.

AI drones with high-explosive cluster munitions being stockpiled outside of Berlin, Germany. Source: Sean Gallup (Getty Images)

Some already have been tested inside Berlin, demonstrating vulnerabilities in the emergency response system.

Neun Autos gehen in Berlin in Flammen auf!

Source: BZ

Elsewhere, the cluster-bomb effects regularly are being proven to be extremely dangerous to critical infrastructure.

…impact caused a significant debris field with batteries and components from the vehicle and sparked several spot fires. In a release, police said “the crash presented significant hazard to first responders and area residents due to the vehicle involved and complexity of the crash scene.” Crews worked for hours to keep the fires from spreading to a nearby home and the woods.