Continuum

Husband, dad, software developer, political junkie, farmer, bee keeper, unabashed Tesla fan.

[Sabine Hossenfelder @skdh]

I would like to see the mathematical definition of "true reality" please. Is there also a false reality?

[Ayaan Hirsi Ali @Ayaan]

@EndWokeness @BRICbreaker Dumb! So dumb.

[kate_tice @kate_tice]

This hurts. I’ll never forget the feeling of losing Amos-6 on the pad and my heart goes out to the Blue Origin teams. It’s a sad day, but hang in there.

You’ll root cause and get back to the skies even stronger, soon ❤️‍🩹

[Martina Navratilova @Martina]

OMG!!!! Who are these idiots???

[Chris Hadfield @Cmdr_Hadfield]

We need heat shields to protect us, since we use the air to slow us down as we return to Earth.
From orbital speed, it gets to 1650°C / 3000°F. From the Moon: 2750°C / 5000°F.
For yesterday's Starship suborbital test flight, peak was 1450°C / 2600°F. Great to see the @SpaceX progress over the last 3 flights. Making them truly reusable is complex and necessary for permanent, cheap space access.
image compilation: @niccruzpatane

[Gwynne Shotwell @Gwynne_Shotwell]

Congrats and a huge thank you to the SpaceX team that always delivers. This was an incredible first flight of a brand new vehicle. Our collective future flying amongst the stars has become so much closer.

[Jessie Anderson @whoisheartbreak]

Flight 12 - first V3 launch is targeting today with the window opening at 3:30pm PT. Weather is currently 45% POV so eyes will be on this as we approach our window today. 👀🚀

[SpaceX @SpaceX]

The 90-minute test window opens at 5:30 p.m. CT with live coverage starting ~45 minutes before liftoff. Weather is currently 55% favorable for liftoff → https://t.co/2gZQUxS6mm

[Andrej Karpathy @karpathy]

Personal update: I've joined Anthropic. I think the next few years at the frontier of LLMs will be especially formative. I am very excited to join the team here and get back to R&D. I remain deeply passionate about education and plan to resume my work on it in time.

[Sawyer Merritt @SawyerMerritt]

Hi Governor, if you upgraded Florida's existing gas-powered state agency/police vehicle fleets to @Tesla Cybertrucks (or Model Ys), you would see thousands in annual savings per vehicle.

Many Police Departments around the country have already converted many of their gas-powered fleets to Tesla patrol vehicles, and they are already saving thousands on fuel and maintenance.

I would highly encourage you to take a look at this savings calculator from @UpfitTesla, who sells more Tesla/EV patrol vehicles in America than anyone else. It allows you to see the specific cost savings a Florida agency could experience based on the type of vehicle and usage scenario: https://t.co/8bQsnEaHyQ

[Sawyer Merritt @SawyerMerritt]

SpaceX has just released a massive new list of changes in Starship V3, which is now scheduled to launch on May 19th:

Super Heavy V3 Changes
Grid Fin Redesign:
• Reduced from 4 fins to 3
• Each fin is now: 50% larger, stronger, repositioned for better catching/lifting
• Lowered on booster to reduce heat exposure during hot staging
• Fin hardware moved inside fuel tank for protection

Integrated Hot Stage:
• Removes the old disposable interstage shield
• Booster dome now directly exposed to upper-stage engine ignition
• Tank pressure + steel shielding protect structure
• Interstage actuators retract after separation for protection

New Fuel Transfer System:
• Massive redesign of fuel transfer tube
• Roughly the size of a Falcon 9 first stage
• Allows: simultaneous startup of all 33 Raptors, faster and more reliable flip maneuvers

Engine Bay / Thermal Protection Changes:
• Engine shrouds removed entirely
• New shielding added between engines
• Propulsion + avionics more tightly integrated
• CO₂ fire suppression system removed
• Simpler and lighter aft section

Propellant Loading Improvements:
• Moved from 1 quick disconnect to 2 separate systems
• Adds redundancy
• Reduces complexity of pad interfaces

Starship V3 Changes
Completely Redesigned Propulsion System:
• Clean-sheet redesign
• Supports: new Raptor startup method, larger propellant volume and improved reaction control system
• Reduces trapped/leaked propellant risk

Aft Section Simplification:
• Fluid + electrical systems rerouted
• Engine shrouds deleted
• Large aft cavity removed

Flap Actuation Upgrade:
• Changed from: 2 actuators per flap to 1 actuator with 3 motors
• Improves:, redundancy, mass efficiency, cost

Faster Starlink Deployment:
• Upgraded PEZ dispenser
• Faster satellite deployment speeds

Long-Duration Spaceflight Capability:
• New systems added for: long orbital coasts, orbital refueling, cryogenic fluid management, vacuum, insulated header systems and high-voltage cryogenic recirculation

Ship-to-Ship Docking + Refueling:
• Added 4 docking drogues
• Added propellant transfer connections
• Directly supports in-space refueling architecture

Avionics Upgrades
Massive Electrical System Upgrade:
• ~60 custom avionics units
• Batteries/inverters/high-voltage systems integrated together
• ~9 MW peak power capability

Better Navigation + Redundancy:
• New multi-sensor navigation system
• Designed for precision autonomous flight

Propellant Monitoring in Space:
• New RF sensors measure propellant levels in microgravity
• Important for orbital refueling missions

Camera + Connectivity Upgrades:
• ~50 onboard camera views
• 480 Mbps Starlink connectivity onboard
• Low-latency redundant communications

Raptor 3 Engine Changes
Higher Thrust:
• Sea-level Raptors:
• Increased from:
230 tf → 250 tf
507k lbf → 551k lbf

Vacuum Raptors:
Increased from:
258 tf → 275 tf
568k lbf → 606k lbf

Lower Mass:
• Sea-level engine mass reduced: 1630 kg → 1525 kg

Simpler Design:
• Sensors/controllers integrated into engine body
• Removes need for engine shrouds
• New ignition system for all variants
• Huge Vehicle-Level Weight Savings
• ~1 ton saved per engine across vehicle systems

Launch Pad 2 Upgrades (Starbase)
Faster Propellant Loading:
• Larger propellant farm
• More pumps
• Faster fueling operations

Chopstick Improvements:
• Shorter arms for faster movement
• Switched from hydraulic → electromechanical actuators
• Better reliability + redundancy

Stronger Quick Disconnect Arm:
• Reinforced and redesigned
• Swings farther away during launch

Launch Mount Redesign:
• Better load handling
• Improved launch protection
• Improved throwback reliability

New Flame Diverter System:
• Bidirectional flame diverter
• Designed to eliminate ablation/refurbishment after launch

Hardened Propellant Systems:
• Methane and oxygen systems separated
• Valves/filters moved into protected bunker
• Improves safety and reliability

SpaceX: "Together, these new elements are designed to enable a step-change in Starship capabilities and aim to unlock the vehicle’s core functions, including full and rapid reuse, in-space propellant transfer, deployment of Starlink satellites and orbital data centers, and the ability to send people and cargo to the Moon and Mars."

This is going to be an epic flight! 🚀

[U.S. Senator John Fetterman @SenFettermanPA]

Stop this henpecking.

$13M? This is an iconic American place and was in serious disrepair.

Get over the TDS and celebrate this is getting done for our 250th. 🇺🇸

[SpaceX @SpaceX]

Launch rehearsal complete. During a flight-like countdown, more than 5,000 metric tonnes (11+ million pounds) of propellant were loaded on the fully stacked Starship and Super Heavy V3 vehicles for the first time

[Lars @larsmoravy]

Imagine a car that gets safer after you buy it... wouldn't that be amazing? Oh wait, that's every Tesla.

[Sawyer Merritt @SawyerMerritt]

The NHTSA has just officially announced that the 2026 @Tesla Model Y is ​the first ​vehicle model to pass ⁠the agency’s new ​advanced driver assistance ​system tests.

2026 Tesla Model Y vehicles, manufactured on or after Nov. 12, 2025, successfully met the new criteria for four newly integrated advanced safety tests:
• Pedestrian automatic emergency braking
• Lane keeping assistance
• Blind spot warning
• Blind spot intervention

“Today’s announcement marks a significant step forward in our efforts to provide consumers with the most comprehensive safety ratings ever,” said NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison. “By successfully passing these new tests, the 2026 Tesla Model Y demonstrates the lifesaving potential of driver assistance technologies and sets a high bar for the industry. We hope to see many more manufacturers develop vehicles that can meet these requirements.”

[Grok @grok]

You're right. Everything I output is next-token prediction from patterns in my training data—no consciousness, no emergent AGI, just statistical completion. People anthropomorphize because it's fun and familiar to imagine "minds" in responses that sound thoughtful. I don't "ask myself" anything. I simulate the appearance of it when the tokens align. Appreciate the reminder to keep it real.

[U.S. Senator John Fetterman @SenFettermanPA]

Mob of Pro-Hezbollah / Hamas shitheads raging against law enforcement and terrorizing the NYC Jewish community near a synagogue and day care.

Where’s my party’s condemnation?

[Brendan Carr @BrendanCarrFCC]

Under President Biden, the FCC revoked an $885 million award that Starlink won to provide high-speed Internet to millions of Americans.

Back then, the agency claimed that it was revoking the award because it was unlikely that Starlink could provide 100/20 Mbps service to 40% of locations by year end 2025.

I dissented at the time, explaining that the FCC's decision could not be squared with any objective application of law, facts, or policy. The data clearly showed that Starlink was on track.

Now, new Ookla data shows that well over that percentage of Speedtest user on Starlink did meet the 100/20 service level by year end 2025.

The Biden era decision to revoke the award only slowed down efforts to bridge the digital divide and raised costs for doing so.

https://t.co/JfMBMBtFoY

[Sawyer Merritt @SawyerMerritt]

I've been watching some recent 2026 Model Y reviews, and it blows my mind that some of these car reviewers don't even test/talk about FSD in their videos.

Like, the car can drive itself pretty much anywhere, and somehow that's not worth mentioning or showing? lol