modeling

Tesla's Elon Musk lambasts New York Times article

Tesla's CEO Elon Musk has become incensed over a news article critical of the all-electric car that was published in The New York Times last week.

"I do not think this is a he said, she said situation," Musk told Bloomberg West in an interview today. "It is really black and white. The facts are the facts."

The tussle got started after New York Times reporter John Broder wrote an article about taking the Tesla Model S out on a test drive in the East Coast's freezing weather. He claimed that the car couldn'… Read more

Tesla Model S

With much anticipation, Tesla launched its Model S electric car in 2012, beginning full line production and sales to the public. The car represents a milestone in practical electric car technology, as the top trim models boast a 265-mile EPA-rated range, while at the same time offering a sport-luxury driving experience.

The car also marks a milestone for Tesla, as it is the first vehicle the company designed and built from the ground up. The Model S comes out of Tesla's new manufacturing facility in Fremont, Calif. Tesla set up its factory line, which goes from body construction to … Read more

Galaga fighter gets modern makeover

A new model kit gives us a better idea of what the spaceship from Galaga really looks like.

At long last, we can take a real glimpse at one of the most well-known spaceships of all time: the fighter that starred in the classic arcade game Galaga. The Galaga Fighter GFX-D002b non-scale model kit -- by Japanese hobby company Wave -- takes the classic 1981 8-bit icon and transforms it into a 21st century star fighter. … Read more

Tesla Model S: 1st Car of the Year with no internal combustion engine

The 2013 Motor Trend Car of the Year has all the features you'd expect from a vehicle that has earned that honor. It has a light body, advanced design, a roomy cabin, and plenty of load capacity. What the Tesla Model S doesn't have is an internal combustion engine.

Motor Trend heaps praise on the Model S, saying it drives like a sports car and sashays like a supermodel working a Paris catwalk. I never thought about a car being able to sashay, but it's certainly an evocative comparison.

This all-electric supermodel starts at $58,570 and has a range of 265 miles. That's not enough for a cross-country road trip, though a new network of Supercharger fast charging stations could make it more practical for long journeys.… Read more

Tesla celebrates production of 1,000th Model S car

After a sluggish start in its Model S car production, it seems electric-car company Tesla is getting back on track for the year's end. Reaching a milestone today, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted that his company had just finished the production of its 1,000th Model S car.

As noted in Musk's tweet, Tesla has made more cars in October than the whole rest of the year combined. In a July letter to shareholders, Tesla said its Model S volume projection was 5,000 units for 2012. However, Tesla's ability to crank out the Model S has … Read more

Episode 16: Torture-testing the iPhone 5

Everyone else is excited about this being the episode where we torture test the iPhone 5 -- and believe me, I get that, it's pretty exciting. And it was a pretty dramatic test, to be sure, I think you'll be surprised at the combination of tough and not tough displayed by that phone.

But for me, this episode is all about the America's Cup piece! That's just selfish, though; it's because I had such a great time riding on that catamaran -- and I do think the broadcasting tech is fascinating. America's Cup racing … Read more

Can the Tesla Model S unkill the electric car? CNET On Cars, Episode 3

A Tesla Model S is a very hard car for reviewers to get significant time with. The company has exactly two press cars for the globe, prioritizing all other production to deliver to patient buyers. So it was with no small pleasure when Tesla's Shanna Hendriks let me know she had an S ready for me to play with for a full day (which turned out to be more like a day and a half). I hope you'll find my take a little refreshing as this car has been talked about and bloviated over like nothing this side … Read more

ZeroUI promises hands-free 3D model creation

SAN FRANCISCO--Building 3D models should be something everyone can do. That's the pitch from ZeroUI, a Silicon Valley startup that has created a technology platform designed to let anyone create their own digital models, whether a robot, drum, table, or anything else.

The Cupertino, Calif., company is relying on gestural input technologies such as Microsoft's Kinect, and soon, Leap Motion's Leap controller, as well as systems built into some computers, to allow users to create their models with nothing but their hands.

The company's name comes from the fact that its system has an extremely minimal user interface. Rather than requiring users to understand the mathematics and physics of a model they might want to build, the ZeroUI system simply allows them to stand in front of the input camera and use intuitive hand gestures to craft their 3D model (see the video below). … Read more

Hobbyist builds working S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier

At least one scientist has tried to prove that the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier as depicted in "The Avengers" would fly about as well as an ostrich.

But that hasn't stopped an ambitious Russian modeler from creating a scaled-down version of the fictional aircraft carrier. And what do you know, it actually flies. … Read more