Joel Johnson thinks that if anybody can pull off the Hyperloop, visionary Elon Musk can:
SpaceX has shown that commercial spaceflight can improve on launch costs over what NASA can provide through other contractors. Tesla has the first top-rate electric car and has a shot of bringing the technology mainstream. Even PayPal, as annoying as it may be from time to time, is something I use at least once a month without complaint. Musk has proven that he’s not just some more-clever-than-thou daydreamer, but a man who’s willing to bet real money on real projects, to get his hands dirty proving these entrenched systems can be changed. …
We should be cheering [him] on. We need innovation in this country that goes beyond squeezing a few more profits out of the status quo by ignoring the looming energy and environmental crises. American engineering was never just about refinement of others’ ideas: It was about proving that the old world could be left behind, that audacious marvels could become everyday conveniences by only embracing them and their inventors.
The Dish 