Episode 63: "The Emperor's New Tunnel"
Added 2021-04-20 13:39:04 +0000 UTCHello War on Cars supporters!
It's time for another episode and this one takes on the big guy himself: Elon Musk. Will he listen? Will Musk fanbois? We shall see. They, and you, can listen to this one wherever you get your podcasts.
We'll be back before April closes out with another exclusive Patreon-only episode and also have some fun shows scheduled for May. It's possible that we'll even be back in the studio together soon, vaccinations willing!
We also have some new items in the store, including one that will make you laugh.
Thanks as always for your support!
- Aaron, Sarah, and Doug
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EPISODE DESCRIPTION
Two years after it was first announced, a tunnel project in Las Vegas by Elon Musk’s Boring Company was finally revealed to the world. Originally conceived as a way to whisk Las Vegas Convention Center visitors from one side of the sprawling complex to the other in futuristic-looking pods, the $53-million project turned out to just be… just a bunch of Teslas in tunnels. Oh, and there were flashing lights. Nevertheless, in a recent CNBC segment, anchor Shep Smith and reporter Contessa Brewer were tasked with making “a highway underground” sound innovative, thrilling and worth the hype. So how’d they do? Not great. Aaron Gordon — senior reporter at Vice’s Motherboard — called the segment, “the most embarrassing news clip in American transportation history.” Aaron, not to be confused with the podcast’s other Aaron and other Gordon, joins all three The War On Cars hosts to discuss the disappointing project, the embarrassing coverage and whether any of it will make a difference in changing people’s perspective on the alleged genius of Elon Musk.
SHOW NOTES:
Watch CNBC’s Shep Smith and Contessa Brewer go giddy for “a highway underground.”
Aaron Gordon saw the segment and declared, “This Is the Most Embarrassing News Clip In American Transportation History.”
More from Aaron Gordon at Motherboard, Vice’s tech news site.
Subscribe to Aaron Gordon’s newsletter, Urbababble.
Pick up a copy of On Bicycles: A 200-Year History of Cycling in New York City by Evan Friss and other titles at our Bookshop.org page.
Follow us on Apple Podcasts and leave a review.
This episode was edited by Doug Gordon. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D.
Comments
I mean, in response to the bike tunnel thing, I think a simple surface level air conditioned (It's Vegas after all) indoor bikeway would've been much cheaper, more social, and better integrated into the convention center. Hell, could even have a few of those bikes used at events with a two or three person seats in the back. But again, we're talking about a city that really should just be renamed "Hubris".
Donovan Seymour
2021-04-21 04:01:57 +0000 UTCWhat is it about American's that they can't see past cars? Absolutely hilarious.
Gary Harty
2021-04-20 16:30:40 +0000 UTC
