If resident futurist Elon Musk is one of those fortunate enough to warrant your Twitter follow (He should be!), then you've surely seen the clip below of the Tesla Snakebot autocharger prototype:
Obvious Matrix comparisons aside, the Snakebot is further proof of the success of Musk's vision to simply deliver one undeniable innovation after another. Stephen Colbert, a self-proclaimed proud Tesla owner, decided to discuss another of Musk's passions on Wednesday's Late Show: the possible colonization of Mars. "You're trying to do good things and you're a billionaire," Colbert told Musk, jokingly adding that the Tesla and SpaceX CEO will eventually have to choose between life as a superhero and an eternity as a so-called supervillain. "You sincerely think we should go to Mars?" Colbert asked before questioning the comfort of its climate.
"It's very inhospitable," Musk replied. "That's true. [But] it's a fixer-upper of a planet. At first, you're going to have to live in transparent domes. But eventually you can transform Mars into an Earthlike planet. You'd warm it up." According to Musk, there's a "fast way" and a "slow way" of achieving a more hospitable Mars. "The fast way is to drop thermonuclear weapons over the poles." The nukes would reportedly trigger a chain reaction of carbon dioxide, warming the planet in exponential increments. The far less appealing "slow way" would involve exporting carbon dioxide from Earth to Mars, a grueling process with its own baggage of potential setbacks.
Elon Musk for President of Everything 2016, 2020, et al.
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