Yellowstone bison perceived as ‘people and dogs’ by Teslas

Bison in Yellowstone National Park are massive creatures that can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds, yet to a Tesla they are recognized as something else entirely.

Bison are the largest land animals in North America and can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds, yet to a Tesla they are recognized as something else entirely.

Trent Sizemore, who conducts photography workshops in Yellowstone National Park, provided the revelation recently after driving alongside a bison herd while using his Tesla Vision feature.

“I’ve been hoping to drive by some bison to see what our Tesla sees them as,” Sizemore explained on Instagram. “Apparently, they’re people, and then large and small dogs.”

Tesla Vision is a camera-based autopilot system used in newer models. Part of the feature helps discern the environment around vehicles.

As viewers can see, the bison are perceived as humans that, in some cases, appear to be transformed into dogs.

(Sizemore told FTW Outdoors that he was using only the visualization feature and not the self-driving mode.)

His Instagram followers were intrigued and amused and one aptly chimed in, “AI only goes so far.”

Click here to view the same footage as a Facebook Reel.

U.S. Government formally investigates Tesla over allowing drivers to play video games

The Passenger Play feature specifically.

The U.S. is launching a formal investigation into reports of Tesla vehicles allowing drivers to play video games while driving.

Earlier in December, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a formal complaint by Tesla owner Vince Patton after  discovering that he could play video games on the vehicle’s dashboard touchscreen. After reviewing Patton’s information, the NHTSA is looking into the matter further.

A report by the Los Angeles Times  states the NHTSA has begun a formal investigation into roughly 580,000 Tesla vehicles from model years between 2017 to 2022. Specifically, the “Passenger Play” feature is called into question, as it could potentially be a dangerous distraction for drivers.

One of the video games available via Tesla’s Passenger Play is Sky Force Reloaded. As you can see from the footage below, it is full of bright explosions that could potentially impair someone driving.

NHTSA’s investigation covers Tesla’s X, S, 3, and Y models to evaluate the driver distraction potential of Passenger Play, as well as thoroughly conduct test scenarios where the feature might be in use.

Since Tesla  disbanded its media relations department  back in October 2020, the company has yet to comment on the situation publicly.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

[mm-video type=video id=01fpsn6qntt30f4gmd43 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fpsn6qntt30f4gmd43/01fpsn6qntt30f4gmd43-4c5a3ba05d40d7f67ce173ce1ad4854f.jpg]

[listicle id=1326262]

Tesla vehicles reportedly let drivers play video games, U.S. government gets involved

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is in talks with Tesla.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is looking into reports of Tesla allowing drivers to play video games while its vehicles are in motion. 

In a story by the Associated Press, Tesla owner Vince Patton was curious to see if the vehicle’s dashboard touchscreen would allow him to play video games as he was driving. Patton opened Sky Force Reloaded, an arcade-style shooter, then drove around an empty parking lot. Incredibly, the game stayed open during the experiment.

“I was just dumbfounded that, yes, sure enough, this sophisticated video game came up,” Patton said via Associated Press. “Somebody’s going to get killed. It’s absolutely insane.”

As you can see from the trailer below, Sky Force Reloaded looks like it would be incredibly distracting to anyone driving.

Afterward, Patton filed a complaint with the NHTSA about his findings.

“We are aware of driver concerns and are discussing the feature with the manufacturer,” the NHTSA said via Associated Press. “The Vehicle Safety Act prohibits manufacturers from selling vehicles with design defects posing unreasonable risks to safety.”

Despite speaking with Tesla, the NHTSA has yet to investigate the matter formally. The manufacturer does have safety guidelines on its dashboards asking if players are passengers. However, according to Patton, there appears to be no real way for the company to confirm the driver isn’t the one playing. 

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

[mm-video type=video id=01fm06pxwqt5sbnqyssr playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fm06pxwqt5sbnqyssr/01fm06pxwqt5sbnqyssr-a4180bb9a23d6b140bd669284e6f8fca.jpg]

[listicle id=1224137]

Elon Musk’s new Tesla truck reveal went spectacularly wrong, and I can’t stop laughing

Musk went to show off the new Tesla truck’s bulletproof glass, which shattered when two rocks were tossed at it.

Elon Musk is supposedly a titan of our age, a modern visionary, a Great Man doing Great Work, so you’re going to have to forgive me when I crack up when things go wrong for him.

When you name your company Tesla, and carry yourself like the walking embodiment of Genius, I’m sorry: We get to laugh at you when you fall on your face.

Tesla was revealing its new truck, an angular thing which sure looks like the Batmobile in the Nolan films. I’m sure this truck has many wonky features that Musk disciples are very excited about indeed, but we are not here to discuss those features. We are only here to discuss one feature: The truck’s bulletproof glass.

Yes, they actually claimed it was bulletproof. Musk said, and I quote: “It is literally bulletproof to a 9 mm handgun, that’s how strong the skin is.”

They then tossed a rock at it,  and the glass promptly shattered. They tried again with another window, and the glass cracked again. I am losing my mind.

Watch it in all its glory:

The best part of this video, for me, is the Twitch streamers watching live. There’s the 3-second pause, and then … “He broke it!” They can’t even understand what happened at first. Then, the second toss: “Oh my gosh he just broke the back window too.” It’s comedy gold. It’s perfect.

I’ve watched this 18 times this morning, and I’ll watch it 20 more times over the course of the day. Hubris humiliated is a beautiful thing to observe.

Also, I know this is a sports website, but the man clearly threw something, which makes it sports.

[opinary poll=”do-you-want-a-tesla-truck_forthewin” customer=”forthewin”]

[lawrence-related id=663053]