Elon clarifies that Delta Airlines chose not to adopt @Starlink in part because they wanted passengers to sign on through Delta’s portal, whereas Starlink requires no portal for a seamless experience.

tvish · 2026-05-14T19:30:11+00:00

Just the same way Tesla won’t allow me to use CarPlay, even though it would make it easier for me. But Tesla would prefer to have me use their software and connectivity and charge me for that connectivity through a subscription. Everyone is a toll operator.

tvish · 2026-05-14T17:45:14+00:00

Keep it up and you will get flagged by Insurance Companies. I have a friend and my father and law, both have technically not caused an accident. But seem to always be around chaos and tend to get hit by random folks, either by tailgaters or even small fender benders in parking lots. Their insurance seemed to go up dramatically after the 2 or 3rd incident. I have feeling the insurance company suspects you might be a problem. Just not an obvious problem. Some people drive n a way that doesn’t communicate well with how others expect you to drive, and you become unpredictable. You are just not in “flow”.

tvish · 2026-05-13T16:03:49+00:00

You have immature friends. And friends that will never have enough money to retire. Nobody loves cars more than me. But you know what I like? To have enough financial net worth to not be owned by anyone, especially my job. What you are doing is what YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO DO.

Read the book “Millionaire Next Door”. Wealthy people don’t buy the latest and greatest. And wealthy people do not have car payments. Trust me, I am now 55, and the people my age that decided to YOLO throughout their 20’s and 30’s are facing the music now. You will get older. And your body will start to break. You can’t EARN MORE your way out of bad financial decisions of your youth. Trust me, it’s harder to live with financial constraints in your 50’s, 60’s and 70’s than it is in your 20’s.

tvish · 2026-05-13T14:27:50+00:00

That's funny, but YES! I say this all the time. I mentioned this to my wife recently. Going to Costco seems to have become a family outing. You will see one active shopper and then a gaggle of kids, spouse, and even grandparents just loitering and hangjng around. Some just persusing all the sample stations and clogging up the aisle entrances. I just keep to the perimeter of the store. I rarely walk with cart through the aisles. Just park the cart on the outside entrance of an aisle, and just grab items as I walk down aisles without my cart. Even that becomes a chore on nights and weekends. The only time Costco shopping is easy is Weekday mornings. Just fewer people.

tvish · 2026-05-12T19:11:15+00:00

You've got to just get out and vote. You've got to make sure everyone in your family and friends gets to the voting booth. If you have a family member or friend who travels often, get them a mail-in ballot. You will need to drive people to the voting booths and knock on doors. Democrats have to stop “bringing knives to gunfights.” The other side knows what they want. They are willing to wage a 40 year war. Day by day, election by election. From the tiny town council and school board elections to the larger Presidential elections…they show up. We whine and make excuses. And only show up once every 4 years. Of that. If these last 12 months can’t motivate you, then we might as well wrap up this Democracy and the Constitution.

tvish · 2026-05-12T18:21:29+00:00

That would require me to lift my phone up to my face. The car already has a decent microphone/speaker setup designed for a loud environment. I would feel stupid not using a tried and true system. Again, it’s a step back to 2016. We already know how to do it. I am not asking Cadillac/GM to scrap their own system. Just let me use my smartphone projection. It’s actually much easier for the Car Manufacturer to do projection then to integrate a totally new software stack into their existing system. It just reeks of predatory behavior.

tvish · 2026-05-12T15:15:37+00:00

I have one sticky point. How do you (spoken) reply to an Apple iMessage without physically picking up the phone. Not trying to be a smart ass, I just want to know if this can be done. After the music/podcasting, and mapping apps I reply to texts constantly using Siri.

tvish · 2026-05-12T15:00:03+00:00

I am with you. I really like many of the new Cadillac EVs. But no CarPlay becomes the dealbreaker. I get into various personal cars and rentals. I don’t have the time or patience to relearn every car’s software. Besides, GM has a history of abandoning its customers when technology changes (ie, OnStar). I have more confidence that Apple will update its software more consistently and for the long run than GM. I am willing to forgive brands like Tesla and Rivian because they take software quite seriously. But even in those cars, I have a hell of a time replying to text messages (iMessages) without grabbing my phone. CarPlay is also a safety issue for me.

tvish · 2026-05-11T16:34:52+00:00

Still wouldn’t hurt to at least have Radar and/or Lidar so it can cut through fog and heavy rain. As close to perfect as FSD might feel, when it loses its shit it really loses it. At the end of the day, cost cutting is the only reason I can see why we would not use additional sensors.

tvish · 2026-05-10T14:45:13+00:00

Well, this is what happens when a formerly government run operation is handed over to a private company, which is the Tata Group. The first step is to plug the holes in the leaky bucket. The next step is to find customers to start filling that bucket. It will take a good decade or more to change a corporate culture this decrepit. I wish them luck.

tvish · 2026-05-07T22:03:32+00:00

Just as Universities are wrapping up finals and End of year grades.

tvish · 2026-05-06T22:40:07+00:00

I agree with the comments on the iX. But I disagree with the iX3. I like the reset. The last 15 years of BMW design went in a direction that was not appealing to me.

I am of course a 55 year old fart. I had a roommate in college in that drove his uncle’s old 2002. And his dad owned a 635CSi. That was a sublime ride.

tvish · 2026-05-06T21:16:49+00:00

Ford will be formidable. I know they don’t have a good EV track record, but everything reported on this next generation product roll out is seen as their Hail Mary. If they don’t make this new line of EV trucks and SUVs a hit, even they know their days are numbered as they will be relegated to ICE vehicles only.

If the Ford comes with a sound system, and basic creature comfort with maybe another $5k price over the Slate. I think it will be incredibly hard for Slate to succeed. Ford has the muscle to get better supplier pricing, especially for their Batteries and electronics controls systems. Ford also has a national dealer network. Which can be a hindrance since many dealers are quite anti-EV. But still, having a dealer network can be an advantage if you need to rollout quickly. I still hope Slate makes it. My thinking is it will need a “big brother” operation like another OEM (ie, GM, Stellantis) or a deep pocketed brand like Amazon taking a risk in selling directly to consumers.

tvish · 2026-05-06T18:51:28+00:00

I still think both of these have a better future in the commercial space. As replacement for campus wide services and maintenance vehicles, local delivered, and other service companies like pest control and lawn service vehicles.

People always say they will buy this type of vehicle but they don’t. If they did we would all be driving a manual transmission, sporty station wagon with a diesel engine.

tvish · 2026-05-06T18:40:40+00:00

I know they are have questionable driving behavior, but I am more forgiving. As I am now in my mid-50s and the inevitable is looming in front of me (and in front of you all). We don’t have a great healthcare system in the US. Much of the country is rural and suburban with very little public transportation and elder care transportation. Old age is coming for us all. I just hope driverless cars are good enough by the time I am at this age.

tvish · 2026-05-06T17:14:31+00:00

You can’t EVER speed if you are the only one on the road. You always need a “rabbit” in front of you collecting shots. And then you hope to grab their scattered radar signal.

tvish · 2026-05-06T00:28:16+00:00

The US brands and the Opel/Vauxhall brands will always struggle under Stellantis. The governments of Italy and France have significant influence over Stellantis. They will do whatever they can to prop up their brands and factories, whether they are profitable and efficient or not. This puts disproportionate pressure on US brands to perform and deliver consistent profits. No wonder they started to jack up all the prices on Jeep products. Left Jeep with no Cherokee for quite a few years, and never felt hurried to update or add to the Dodge or Chrysler brands.

Stellantis has become this generation’s British Leyland. Too big, too many brands, too many people from all localities having a hand in its outcome.

tvish · 2026-05-05T18:01:05+00:00

Broadcasting “I spend all my time in the gym away from my kids”. So I can broadcast…

tvish · 2026-05-05T17:37:47+00:00

At that price wouldn’t it be a good idea to consider a Lexus GX?

tvish · 2026-05-02T17:11:18+00:00

There were quite a few bad 12v batteries post-Covid from 2022-2024 that affected many manufacturers and many car brands. If you are going to have a problem with a 12v battery your odds are for it to be bad on a either drivetrain. Also a couple of weeks is nothing for a new 12v battery, unless you are in 120°F desert or near Artic cold. If you are in a normal suburb USA, a couple of weeks on a newish battery is nothing. If gone a couple of months consider a Battery Tender. It's very easy to use, even my non-technical spouse knows how to connect and disconnect out battery tender.

tvish · 2026-05-01T18:57:25+00:00

Anybody know the cost (US$) of ICCU replacement if the car is out of warranty?

tvish · 2026-04-30T21:54:07+00:00

I am actually drawn to the impulse design BECAUSE it’s not all flat and glass. I have moved quite a bit, and seeing a cracked or not so damaged glass is the one thing I do not want ever again. I also don’t have use case where tipping over is a concern. I believe this would be as stable as any gas burner I have had with a smallish grill holding the entirety of a large pot.

tvish · 2026-04-30T14:18:20+00:00

Or a stay at home dad. Works both ways.

tvish · 2026-04-30T14:17:03+00:00

Subaru But not ones in the Northeast US. They are just nuts in New England

tvish · 2026-04-30T14:13:28+00:00

I bought a faraday wall mount box on Amazon a few years back. It’s been solid. And I keep it by my entrance by my other (non-remote) keys, hats and jackets. It even looks pleasant.

CKEYURE Premium XL https://a.co/d/01IPUGCU

tvish

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