#CauseForOptimism: Of TED Talks and Tesla and Tunnels and Trains

I love TED talks, especially those that focus on exciting visions of the future, but few can compare to the recent interview conducted by TED's Head Curator, Chris Anderson, with the legendary Elon Musk. If you haven't seen this wide-ranging discussion of where Musk's companies are striving to innovate next, then you owe it to yourself to check it out. If you're a science and technology fan, you'll find it fascinating; if you're an SF writer, you may pick up a few story ideas almost as astounding as the facts on which they're based.

This discussion covers a lot of ground... and underground. It begins with Musk's vision for a network of multi-level, subterranean tunnels he'd like to dig beneath cities like L.A. to alleviate the traffic gridlock. Why sit in a linear parking lot on a congested highway when you can drive onto an electric skate and have it propel you and your car through the commuter labyrinth at 200 kph while you sit back and relax?

Don't fancy traveling by car (even the self-driving kind, which Tesla is already pioneering on the roads today)? Then maybe you'd prefer the Hyperloop, a mag-lev train that SpaceX expects to shorten long-distance trips between cities by shooting through evacuated tubes or tunnels at 700 mph:

Are you more of a homebody? No problem. Tesla's new solar shingles can power your entire house, look great, and outlast the other building materials by centuries:

Are you the opposite of a homebody? Love adventure? Maybe you can catch a ride on SpaceX's next generation rockets, 5 times more powerful than the Saturn V, and start pioneering a human settlement on Mars to hedge our planetary bets against global cataclysm?

There's just so much to digest, to savor in this 40-minute chat with someone who (pardon the fan-boy enthusiasm) may ultimately be viewed through the lens of history as a Thomas Edison of our age. Are some of these ideas outlandish? Sure. Personally, I'm not convinced I want to be sliding through tunnels beneath L.A. so close to the San Andreas Fault. Still, Musk's passion for what he does is undeniable, infectious, and he's disproved his critics many times. Electric cars will never sell? Wrong. Reusable rockets are a pipe dream? Maybe not.

If you enjoy science and tech, this is a feast of imagination you won't regret. The line between genius and insanity may be fine... but it's definitely exhilarating!

TED 2017 -- Elon Musk: The Future We're Building... And Boring

#SFWApro