Cybersex or cyberwar?

[David R Kirkpatrick]

https://io9.gizmodo.com/today-cyber-means-war-but-back-in-the-1990s-it-mean-1325671487

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[lukefrisbee]

I am stealing this for my thread on how the "CYBERTRUCK" is such a poorly chosen name. This vehicle ie neither "cyber" nor a "truck."

 

[ajdelange]

I am stealing this for my thread on how the "CYBERTRUCK" is such a poorly chosen name. This vehicle ie neither "cyber" nor a "truck."

The link referred to in the OP makes it very clear why Cyber is indeed a singularly apt name for this truck. Here's why:

Neither, actually. As soon as Norbert Wiener is mentioned it becomes clear that while Elon may make public references to Cyberpunk/Blade Runner as the basis for the name it was really derived from the work of this brilliant mathematician/information theorist. Any of the Tesla vehicles could be tagged "cyber" in the sense that they contain many systems that involve feedback. Wiener certainly had adaptive mechanical and electrical systems in mind but he also thought of these regulatory feedback loops in a much broader sense as applied to communications, government, animal behavior and even social systems. I'm guessing that Elon chose to name this truck the Cyber Truck with these broader applications in mind; to suggest that the Cybertruck will change society.

Every electrical engineering student remembers having to do battle with Wiener's theorems some of which are major pillars in the foundations of modern communications theory. And many remember the apocryphal stories about this archtypical absent minded professor. My favorite goes thus: The good doctor was stopped in the early afternoon on the streets of Cambridge by a student and was asked a question which he stopped and discussed for a few minutes. When the student was satisfied he thanked the prof who then said "When you stopped me, was I walking towards or away from campus?" The student answered "Towards, sir." to which Wiener replied "Good. Then I've had my lunch."

Really glad you posted this. I hadn't thought of the Wiener connection to the name!

 

[lukefrisbee]

Yeha right, Name it after a weiner! I am all in "THE WEINER WAGON"! You nailed it!
I am sure weiner had alot to do with the engineering and design.
"Cyber" was about as stupid a term as could be created BEFORE some fool(s) at Tesla decided to name it that...

 

[David R Kirkpatrick]

Actually, I feel that CyberTruck is a brilliant name for all the reasons stated above and more. It is as disruptive as Tesla and SpaceX to the status quo. It is technologically utopian. It is mathematical. It is post-modern and rooted in the history of 60s, 70s, and 80s. It is sexy and an offense at the same time.
For sake of conversation here are a couple quotes from Accessory to War by Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Avis Lang:

”Think of cyberwar against space assets as weaponless sabotage- though “weaponless” can be hard to define, since almost anything, from a hand to a fork to a truck (added emphasis) to a plane, can be and has been used as a weapon.” pg 235

”Military and quasi-military policy documents dating to the opening decade of the twenty-first century emphasized space (reflexively paired with cyberspace, like Adam and Eve or rice and beans) as the battlefields of the future, a domain to capture, control, and exploit. By contrast, policy papers on robotic and human exploration of deep space have extolled the pursuit of science. Usually they invoke the need to collaborate rather than dominate- again the idiom of science rather than conflict” pg 321

Viva SpaceX, viva CyberTruck

 

[ajdelange]

Actually, I feel that CyberTruck is a brilliant name....

It is more brilliant than I at first thought. First, we need to understand that cyber is the stem of Greek words like kyberetes (a steeersman) and kybernan (to steer) thus it means to control. Norbert Wiener was a controls guy and so coined the word Cybernetics to describe his concept of feedback control systems in machines, animals, and societies. As this word entered the English language others coined similar words using this root with the basic concept being that of something controlling or being controlled.

Fast forward to Elon Musk wanting to change civilization by getting rid of ICE vehicles. To do this he needs something that he can produce at low enough cost that the man in the street can afford it. He realizes that bending metal is a lot less expensive than stamping it and that if that metal is stainless he doesn't have to paint it. Thus he can make a vehicle that meets his requirement but it is one ugly vehicle! So how does he sell it to the hoi polloi and the yuppie? He calls it a Cybertruck and makes frequent references to Blade Runner and cyberpunk i.e. he draws on the "bad boy" connotations of the cyber dystopia (and it didn't hurt a bit, of course, that the vehicles in the movie resemble his design). Now what about the part of the population that aren't into cyberpunk or don't even know what it means (I had to look it up)? Well to us, cyber simply refers to machine control or even more broadly that lots of computers involved and we take from this that the CT is going to have even better inverter efficiency, better torque vectoring etc. What the heck? When you are sitting inside you can't see how bad it looks from the outside anyway and 500 mi range is really cool. So we reserve. Now a small fraction of us who are familiar with Wiener's work will appreciate that cyber, as envisioned by Wiener, has societal implications too and now those of us who are largely concerned about things like the implications of accelerating adoption of BEVs are intrigued too and reserved.

In summary the decision to name this the CyberTruck ranks right up there with the decision to build the Super Charger network.

 

[Saskateam]

Thanks AJ. Always informative. I love the fact that the Cybertruck can be linked to the Greek word to steer. As in the Cybertruck will steer the truck market to electric, the FSD will steer the truck on the road and the Cybertruck will steer vehicle engineering. The name Cybertruck fits this vehicle more as a result of this realization.

 

[ajdelange]

I do believe that's the sort of thing Elon had in mind. Another proof of Elon's genius. And proof that I'm an idiot - I didn't buy the stock last year!

 

[David R Kirkpatrick]

I do believe that's the sort of thing Elon had in mind. Another proof of Elon's genius. And proof that I'm an idiot - I didn't buy the stock last year!

Stock went up enough recently to pay for my CT. I didn’t cash out though, call it FOMO. But it’s not too late...it’s still going up and you have a couple years.

 

[kdn]

Cyber Yes- Truck to be determined. My order is in but can Elon adapt this SS beast to be the truck that working guys need. Ladder racks, dump beds and salt spreaders as well as a snowplow? Of all the trucks on the road it has to be proven to be able to do the things we do with our trucks. With all those slats in the bottom of the bed how are we going to haul dirt, stone and mulch without clogging them up. A huge clean up in labor compared to sweeping a plain smooth bed. What about storage for all the electricians, plumbers and remodelers who have camper tops or Knapheide bodies added for tool and supply storage. I haul stone and soil and plow snow as well as lumber and tools. I really need to see how I can put a plow on the CT at little added cost.

 

[David R Kirkpatrick]

Cyber Yes- Truck to be determined. My order is in but can Elon adapt this SS beast to be the truck that working guys need. Ladder racks, dump beds and salt spreaders as well as a snowplow? Of all the trucks on the road it has to be proven to be able to do the things we do with our trucks. With all those slats in the bottom of the bed how are we going to haul dirt, stone and mulch without clogging them up. A huge clean up in labor compared to sweeping a plain smooth bed. What about storage for all the electricians, plumbers and remodelers who have camper tops or Knapheide bodies added for tool and supply storage. I haul stone and soil and plow snow as well as lumber and tools. I really need to see how I can put a plow on the CT at little added cost.

This is somewhat off topic, but I had some thoughts: Ladder racks on a glass roof...no. Dump bed...no. Salt spreader...salt kills any truck. Snowplow...use a hitch plow. Bed cleaning...use a broom, or better yet - use your used Ford F250 for all of the above, and save your new, bright and shiny CT for other projects.

 

[kdn]

you can do all the tug of war contests you want but if CT looses in every other aspect for the working man, except that it is a EV and not an ICEV, then it is just something for you to try to show yourself off in. I don't think Elon built the CT to let you show yourself off. I think he built it for people to work out of, camp out of and tow with. It is suppose to be a truck not a vanity item. I'd like to see you sweep 57 limestone rubble out of the tracks in the bed of the CT in a couple minutes. Don't get me wrong. I'm all in favor of the CT but I need the CT to be able to do what my F250 and Tundra to for my company. Haul, tow and plow. I can't let it sit in the lot until I take my wife out to dinner.

 

[Dids]

Yeha right, Name it after a weiner! I am all in "THE WEINER WAGON"! You nailed it!
I am sure weiner had alot to do with the engineering and design.
"Cyber" was about as stupid a term as could be created BEFORE some fool(s) at Tesla decided to name it that...

You really hate cyber and as a renowned internet psychologist I am prepared to help.

 

[David R Kirkpatrick]

You really hate cyber and as a renowned internet psychologist I am prepared to help.

Wow, cybertherapy day.

 

[ajdelange]

Name it after a weiner!
I am sure weiner had alot to do with the engineering and design.

Well, of course he did but most people wouldn't know that. There's more of Norbert Wiener in these vehicles than Nicola Tesla at this point but while renaming the company Wiener Motor Company might appeal to the PHD set there aren't that many of those. But looking at some of the names that come out of Detroit and Japan these days (Eldorado, Escalade, Denalli....) I think maybe they could call this truck the Norbert.