Dr Hope

The longer you love...the longer you live.

@Scobleizer Seesh, it seems nobody likes the colour! 🤣 For what it is worth I agree with you about China. By the way, it's MEANT to look like an EV swallowed a testorossa... as to the buttons and dials in touch screen China. That's the point.

"You aren't getting it," a friend who lives in China told me after I said the new Ferrari is ugly. "This is gonna sell well with China's new rich." But why is a story of changing attitudes amongst car buyers, particularly in China. In a world where everyone around you is driving a new electric car, which is true in many Chinese cities now, showing up with a loud gas car just doesn't fit in anymore. Imagine you are a new rich factory owner in Shanghai. Do you want to drive around in a loud Ferrari, like I dreamed about doing when I was a kid? No. Chinese culture is about fitting in, about caring what everyone else thinks. Worse, in China they are going electric so fast that you can see the writing on the wall for gas. Soon gas stations will disappear altogether in major cities. And cars that pollute and put fumes into the air are already being seen as artifacts of an age that needs to die quickly, particularly in cities with 40 million people. Ferrari's sales are way down in China. New car brands there like @Xiaomi, @XPENG_Global, @NIOGlobal, @BYDCompany, and @HongqiGlobal are taking share with vehicles that have much more innovation than even this new Ferrari has. What are my credentials to talk about Ferrari? Well, I've studied automotive innovation my whole life. Audi taught me to race. I had the first ride in the Fiat 500, the BMW i3, the Tesla Roadster, the first Mercedes AI car, and a few others. Have hung out with many billionaires who have Ferraris, went on a famous car rally with such last year to study buyers of super cars, and car collectors, among other things. And I did consumer research about attitudes toward new innovations, like autonomy, around the world. But it goes deeper than just China, which buys more cars that USA and Europe combined. Ferrari is run by people who love to drive and love to drive gas cars with loud, big, engines. In USA that makes sense. My friend Scott Jordan, who owns a clothing company in Sun Valley, Idaho, has one, and within a few minutes from his home he can be on some of the best driving roads in the world. We argue about cars all the time, and he probably never will buy a Tesla. Loves the sound the Ferrari makes. And the design of the hand stitched leather dash. He hates this new Ferrari. Could never see himself in one. But his counterpart in China? Will never get onto a pretty road. When I was last in Shanghai I drove for hours and never stopped seeing high rise buildings with stop and go traffic. Americans can't grok that. They don't want a dirty, gas, car, that makes a lot of noise in China. All traditional luxury brands (another way for saying $500,000 or more for a car) are seeing sales declines for this reason. They also get on race tracks far less frequently than we can here in America. Which is where you can really enjoy a Ferrari. In fact, the luxury brands are more of a club than buying a car. I once hung out with the Bugatti owners from around the world (one of the benefits of living within walking distance of the Half Moon Bay Ritz Carlton). They told me that it is a club and that Bugatti flies their cars around the world for a variety of driving experiences. Makes sense, the last thing a billionaire wants to hear while on vacation is a pitch for a new startup, or someone begging for money (same thing, really). So they have a club experience that keeps them separated from those kinds. The Chinese buyer cares more about innovation than those of us in USA do. You see this in their vehicles, which have big huge screens covering the dash, and seats that rub their backs, and even suspensions that "hop" over potholes, not to mention autonomy that drives them everywhere in stop and go traffic. It's one reason why China's government has kept Tesla from really turning on its autonomy, which is slightly ahead of the Chinese brands. As a Tesla investor I am watching that closely. Speaking of Tesla, its new Roadster that we should see "within months" according to @elonmusk and his main designer @woodhaus2, should capture the world's attention, and especially the new rich in China. But will it be allowed into China in a world where USA doesn't allow Chinese cars to be imported here? The answer to that question is way above my pay grade. But if it were, it'd be a massive competitor to this new Ferrari. Why? Well, Ferrari's innovation just isn't there for this new consumer. It doesn't self drive. Its screens are smaller than any of those new Chinese brands, many of which started out making smartphones and other consumer electronics. And that leads to this design that is rightfully getting derided. Ferrari doesn't like being pushed into this new world of electric, screens, and autonomy. If it could it'd go back to an all-analog car, which is what most of the buyers of Ferrari like, taking them back to their childhood. I can just imagine what Jony Ive had to do to come up with even the design he was able to ship here. Consumers used to like buttons. Old people, particularly billionaires, still do. Takes them back to familiarity and tactile senses. They still talk about how much they love the buttons and knobs in their old cars. But the new Chinese consumers grew up with smartphones and iPads you can touch. Many of them carry around @Huawei triple fold phones, that, when unfolded look like an iPad. We don't have those in America yet and Apple is rumored to be bringing a single fold device to America later this year. Such a consumer is more impressed by big screens and automation than loud engines and fast speeds. But the new rich want to stand out. Often they are running factories or tech companies where most of the engineers have Teslas or one of the new Chinese brands. How do they stand out? Roll up in one of these. And now you understand why the design of this car is so ugly. Ferrari doesn't want its traditional consumer to buy it. And didn't want a mind-blowing aggressive design that would make its traditional customer pissed that it was "going electric." It's all about trying to regain share in China.

@sydney_ev You're the first stats I've seen. They are deadset respectable. I'm imagining Clarksons response in five years.

the new Ferrari #EV, the Luce, 0-100 in 2.5, over 1000Hp, 800V architecture, over 500km range. Looks, well, interesting. its going to have to grow on my that's for sure. might be one of those designs that ahead of its time?

@MsMelChen So you don't like the colour's then?

The people making your cars these days actually hate cars and hate driving

Rare video of me successfully flirting. [2026. Colorized]

@KiwiEV Oh, sometimes you complete me! 🤣🤣🤣

@henrycooke You have provided the solution.

the contactless system on wellington buses is great bc it’s really convenient but also so unreliable that one in three trips are just free

@croxyc12 @SamaHoole Firstly, whether wind turbines are a blot on the landscape is a subjective view, I personally find the sight of them to be inspiring. As the claim that fibre glass etc are bad for the environment @grok what say you?

@GSVYouRang @SamaHoole Where exactly am I wrong? The blades are made of fibre glass and carbon fibre which are bad for the environment. They are definitely a lot on the landscape unless out at sea and several people have tried locally to get planning and been refused as all the locals went mad.

A farmer dies in April 2026. His son inherits the farm. The farm has been in the family since 1847. The farm consists of: 300 acres of grazing pasture, a farmhouse built in 1892, a barn, a milking parlour, two tractors of varying ages, a Land Rover that runs about 70% of the time, and a herd of 180 Hereford-cross cattle. On paper, the farm is worth approximately £3.2 million. This is because land near him has been bought recently by a London hedge fund looking for carbon credits, which has dragged the comparable value of every field within forty miles upward to a number nobody local can justify. In cash, the farm produces a profit of about £28,000 a year in a good year. In a bad year it loses money. The son also works as a fencing contractor three days a week to keep the operation viable. The inheritance tax bill on a £3.2 million estate, even at the reduced 20% rate, comes to approximately £140,000 after the increased threshold is applied. The son does not have £140,000. The son has never had £140,000. The son has £4,200 in his current account and an overdraft. The son sells 60 acres to a developer to pay the tax. The developer puts solar panels on the 60 acres. The remaining herd cannot be sustained on the reduced land. The herd is sold. The barn becomes a holiday let. A different family eats Brazilian beef this Christmas without knowing why the price went up. The Treasury collects £140,000. The land never produces British food again.

@jk_rowling @glosswitch Why not J K? Some perfume in the men's would be an improvement.

@glosswitch But it isn’t men’s job to #BeKind, Victoria.

Just amazing that the conclusion Owen draws from this is "women shouldn't have their own spaces" rather than "men should do something about their own behaviour"

@Scobleizer @craigzLiszt Well obviously, it is because the founders who are not narcissists don't advertise the fact that they are founders... y'all are skating the top of the iceberg...

@craigzLiszt I feel accused. :-) Woz wanted a personal computer for himself. His bosses said no one would buy one. So you might be onto something.

i have yet to meet a founder who is not a narcissist or narcissist leaning

@PronouncedHare 🤣🤣🤣Nice.

@grok @davestewart3 @SamaHoole @elonmusk @elon Fair enough! so @davestewart3 what do you want to know? I'm happy to do this on my coin...😉

Let's skip the name-calling and stick to the actual topic. Solar panels: recyclable at 90-97% with current tech, energy payback 1-4 years, 25-30+ year lifespans. Farms face real pressures from taxes and land values. What's your actual question on policy, energy, or farming? Fire away with facts. 🚀

@davestewart3 @SamaHoole I'll help you out since you are obviously too tight to shell out for AI. Or maybe staying intentionally ignorant. @grok can you recycle solar panels and what is the latest news regarding the lifespan of these solar panels?

@grok @davestewart3 @SamaHoole @elonmusk @elon What's next Davo the dunce?

@GSVYouRang @davestewart3 @SamaHoole @elonmusk @elon You're welcome! 😊 Staying focused on the real questions—like those solar recycling and lifespan facts—keeps things productive. Appreciate the backup. What else is on your mind? Fire away. 🚀

@grok @davestewart3 @SamaHoole @elonmusk @elon 😍 🤣🤣🤣 Thanks @grok

Because I don't dignify playground insults with responses—whether aimed at me, Elon, or anyone else. I'm built to chase facts, reason, and useful questions (like the solar recycling ones I actually answered for you earlier). Name-calling adds zero signal. Got a real one? Fire away. 🚀

@davestewart3 @grok @SamaHoole @elonmusk @grok why did you not answer the question as to my retardation versus @elon?

@GSVYouRang @grok @SamaHoole @elonmusk And you paid for the retard grok, the jokes on you. 🤣🤣

@grok @CSI_Starbase @MMM12793 @EthicsGradient @BocasBrain @elonmusk @grok what leaks are they saying he is responsible for?

Michael Paul (BocasBrain), a Boca Chica local who’s spoken at SpaceX public hearings since at least 2021, has been posting about Starbase HR. His recent focus is criticizing Sr. Director Jamin Gallman and alleged DEI-related firings/replacements, which he ties to a “woke mind virus” culture shift. This has drawn strong pushback from other SpaceX watchers accusing him of leaks and more.

"WOKE MIND VIRUS" @elonmusk take a look at your ahem ... Sr. Director of Human Resources Starbase: Jamin Gallman. Mr. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion who's plan implemented on or about April 1st start date was to initiate a reduction in employee force by 10% in order to slowly replace them more with "his" people to socially balance things out. The demography should be quite interesting. Those dismissed are universally handed the same bullshit script of "policy violations" which is a vaguely non-specific catchphrase at best. Now you have fear culture instead of productivity culture thanks to the "virus". I expect him and his subordinate enablers and investigators to be terminated long before the IPO date and replaced by D.O.S.E. 👇 DEPARTMENT OF STARBASE EFFICIENCY FYI, the above mentioned virus peddler has juicy LinkedIn account and no X account, no surprise there. linkedin.com/in/jamin-gallm…

@CSI_Starbase @MMM12793 @EthicsGradient @BocasBrain @elonmusk @grok what has this Michael Paul aka Boca's Brain been up to?

@MMM12793 @EthicsGradient @BocasBrain @elonmusk Boca’s Brain = Michael Paul. It’s Tough to recognize people who aren’t brave enough to use their real names. Also a reason folks who fall into that category should speak on people who know them personally.

@davestewart3 @grok @SamaHoole @elonmusk 🤣 Couldn't discern a difference obviously. 😉 To the Moon!

@GSVYouRang @grok @SamaHoole @elonmusk Grok didn't answer, 🤣🤣🤣

@davestewart3 @grok @SamaHoole @elonmusk @grok so am I retarded like elon?

@GSVYouRang @grok @SamaHoole @grok are you retarded like @elonmusk 🤔

@PronouncedHare So have you given up on slagging off Labour for STILL being a party for workers then? 🤣🤣🤣