John J. Donovan

Retired scientist living in Oregon.

[John J. Donovan @ProbemanHere]

Someone recently asked me why I support Tesla/Musk if I am really a progressive. Here was my response:

I support democracy and free speech, even though I get attacked by both the far right and far left.

My perspective is more nuanced than you suggest. I try to support good things and reject bad things, even if they exist in the same person.

I reject MAGA ideology, but can have a discussion with a Trump supporter and still be friends. If Trump actually did something good (can’t think of anything offhand), I would support that. It’s not all black and white for me.

I appreciate how much Musk and the people at Tesla have accelerated the transition to renewable energy and sustainable transportation. I reject many of Musk’s politics, but agree with some (not many) of his social views, for example I agree that gender identification is not biological sex.

Basically I think that climate change, clean air and safe vehicles are more important than politics.

An interesting short read is The Musk Way, which looks at the technical and business principles and methods that Musk uses to disrupt existing markets. You might actually agree with many of these principles!

It’s important to realize the real bad guys here and they are the fossil fuel corporations, the outrage click bait media, Trump and his lackeys, Putin, the Saudis and other authoritarians. These people love nothing more than Americans fighting over Musk/Tesla while they laugh all the way to the bank.

[Alex @alex_avoigt]

"In fact, the International Council on Clean Transportation estimated in 2025 that battery electric cars sold in the European Union produce approximately 73% fewer lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions than comparable petrol cars." !!!

[Sawyer Merritt @SawyerMerritt]

Joe Rogan in new podcast episode: "I love the tech in EVs. I have a @Tesla. I love it. But there's also the reality of brake dust. There's way more brake dust with those things, and that's a big part of the particulate pollution that you get in large cities."

Fact check: EVs do not have emit more brake dust. Why? Because you rarely need to use your brakes in the first place. Regen braking enables one-pedal driving. Brakes actually last longer on EVs because of that.

[Alex @alex_avoigt]

Many in the 🇺🇸 USA claim that 🇪🇺 Europe is lagging behind but the opposite is true!

Dependence on fossil fuels destroys democracies because it supports an oligarchic system, the ultra-rich, wars, and inequality, as we see in 🇷🇺 Russia and the 🇺🇸 United States.

Electrification, on the other hand, fosters independence, reduces inflation and prices, and promotes democracy and thus human rights as well.

The 🇺🇸 USA is lagging behind!

[John J. Donovan @ProbemanHere]

@michaelshermer Michael: keep on fighting. It’s not just cameras on planes. We have hundreds of earth observation satellites both commercial, scientific and military. Yet nothing extraterrestrial is ever captured.

[John J. Donovan @ProbemanHere]

@alex_avoigt Here’s what I don’t understand: musk very early on supported Ukraine by making Starlink kits available for them. Now why would he be not supporting Ukraine? It’s not like there’s been any change in Putin‘s aggression.

[James Talarico @jamestalarico]

I’m tired of being divided into teams.

Do you want a safe neighborhood?
Do you want a good job with good benefits?
Do you want a high quality, well funded public school?

So do I. We’re far more the same than we are different.

As one team, we’re unstoppable.

[Tesla @Tesla]

Roadster event livestream https://t.co/G0jU4mWfid

[Senator Mark Kelly @SenMarkKelly]

Trump has made more stock trades than all members of Congress combined since he was sworn in.

I’ve made zero, and that’s the way it should be.

[John J. Donovan @ProbemanHere]

Why is the US so far behind?

https://t.co/qelpYhL4HF

[Jay Kay 🇺🇸 @jayjkkay]

A message to all sane Republicans:

He pardoned 1,600 violent criminals.
You said nothing.

He bulldozed the East Wing.
You said nothing.

He interfered with the release of the Epstein files.
You said nothing.

He took over the Kennedy Center and renamed it after himself.
You said nothing.

He accepted a $400 million airplane as a personal gift. You said nothing.

He threatened Canada, Cuba, Denmark, Greenland, Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil.
You said nothing.

He tariffed just about everyone but Russia, causing inflation and instability worldwide.
You said nothing.

He attacked a nation during mediated negotiations.
You said nothing.

His ill-conceived war killed 175 children on day one.
You said nothing.

He alienated and insulted our allies.
You said nothing.

His ICE Army terrorized and murdered
U.S. citizens.
You said nothing.

He committed murder on the high seas.
You said nothing.

He co-opted the Justice Department and directed it to prosecute his political enemies.
You said nothing.

It's time to start talking!

[John J. Donovan @ProbemanHere]

@craigstolarczyk But what happens with a robot with a sensory system?

[John J. Donovan @ProbemanHere]

@craigstolarczyk I think it can be safely claimed that consciousness requires an embodied sensory system and intellect.

Have you read Damasio?

https://t.co/O6ItVTstYV

[EFIEBER @EFIEBER_ANDRE]

DAS TESLA MODEL Y IST DAS MEISTVERKAUFTE AUTO DEUTSCHLANDS. 🇩🇪

Nicht meistverkauftes Elektroauto.
Meistverkauftes Auto insgesamt!

Die neuen detaillierten KBA-Zahlen für September:

🥇 Tesla Model Y: 8.038
🥈 VW Golf: 6.580
🥉 VW Tiguan: 5.751

Das Model Y liegt damit rund 22 % vor dem Golf.

[Alex @alex_avoigt]

Remember the naysayers who claimed that BEVs ran on coal-generated electricity and therefore offered no climate benefit?

We told them that was a thing of the past: I myself have charged both of my electric cars exclusively with electricity from 100% renewable sources over the last seven years and while not everyone can looking at the grid's electricity mix, it is becoming green and greener.

[Sawyer Merritt @SawyerMerritt]

Tesla has released a new video of them doing some winter FSD (Supervised) testing in Switzerland.

Beautiful landscapes

[Alex @alex_avoigt]

The trucking industry is going to change forever and Tesla will lead that change with the Semi.

Are there other electric trucks? Sure and thats great but in terms of cost/mile or km the Semi beats them all.

[Tesla Owners Silicon Valley @teslaownersSV]

The truck "experts said was impossible" 👇

"We have a car here that experts said was impossible, that experts said would never be made."
- @elonmusk

Stainless steel exoskeleton. Survived a Tommy gun. Tows 11,000 lbs. Beat a Porsche 911 over a quarter mile while towing a 911.

Built at Giga Texas. 6 days to the 10/10 𝕏 Takeover.

[John J. Donovan @ProbemanHere]

@SawyerMerritt Plus 18% were non plug-in hybrids, so still running 100% on gas with slightly better mpg.

[John J. Donovan @ProbemanHere]

@wholemars We have a 9/11 every *month* on US highways, but apparently people aren’t concerned…

[John J. Donovan @ProbemanHere]

This worries me:

https://t.co/As2Jo0zbEw