SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on his learning process, Tesla's Model 3 and cat videos

[Buster's Uncle]

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on his learning process, Tesla's Model 3 and cat videos
Silicon Valley Business Journal
Ryan Fernandez, Associate Editor  Jan 6, 2015, 11:46am PST



Elon Musk's SpaceX found its rocket launch didn't go to plan today, but he was a big hit with an Ask Me Anything on Reddit. Patrick T. Fallon | Bloomberg



Though technical issues forced SpaceX to scrub today's launch of the Falcon 9 rocket, company CEO Elon Musk's Reddit AMA took off Monday night.

Much of the session revolved around the capabilities of SpaceX's launch vehicles, but Musk, who is also CEO of electric-car maker Tesla Motors, dropped some choice tidbits about his life, his thought processes and his companies' future plans.

Here are some highlights from his Ask Me Anything:

How does he learn so much, so fast?
 "My context switching penalty is high and my process isolation is not what it used to be.

"Frankly, though, I think most people can learn a lot more than they think they can. They sell themselves short without trying.

"One bit of advice: It is important to view knowledge as sort of a semantic tree — make sure you understand the fundamental principles, ie the trunk and big branches, before you get into the leaves/details or there is nothing for them to hang on to."

On the Tesla Model 3:
 "It won't look like other cars."

Regarding artificial intelligences taking over:
 "The timeframe is not immediate, but we should be concerned. There needs to be a lot more work on AI safety."

On overcoming adversity:
"There is a great quote by Churchill: 'If you're going through hell, keep going.'"

The goal for SpaceX's Mars Colonial Transporter:
"Goal is 100 metric tons of useful payload to the surface of Mars. This obviously requires a very big spaceship and booster system."

The SpaceX spacesuit:
 "Our spacesuit design is finally coming together and will also be unveiled later this year. We are putting a lot of effort into design aesthetics, not just utility. It needs to both look like a 21st century spacesuit and work well. Really difficult to achieve both."

And finally, Musk posted this video, perhaps to poke fun at AI fanboys:

Cat In A Shark Costume Chases A Duck While Riding A Roomba

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