Musk: Twitter will drop 280-character limit ‘soon’
After a user complains about a Twitter thread that is 82 posts long, Musk says:
Ability to do long tweets coming soon
Ability to do long tweets coming soon
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 17, 2022
Musk later says he is working on the project personally.
Musk reschedules Blue Verification to Nov 29
Musk says the relaunch of Twitter Blue verification will be delayed until Nov 29:
Punting relaunch of Blue Verified to November 29th to make sure that it is rock solid
He also says that all unpaid legacy Blue checkmarks will be removed in a few months.
Punting relaunch of Blue Verified to November 29th to make sure that it is rock solid
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 15, 2022
Verified Twitter users complain they can’t change name
Users complain to Musk after Twitter disables name changes on legacy verified accounts. A user called Count Dankula pleads for help after his name gets stuck after what he thought was a temporary change to “GIANT PENIS (parody)”:
Hello Elon, you seem to have disabled name changes. I was wondering when that would be getting turned back on as I appear to have gotten myself into a bit of a situation.
This is not a drill any time you try it just says DENY and doesn’t let you change it. I am literally stuck as GIANT PENIS this is not the future I imagined for myself Elon pls.
This is not a drill any time you try it just says DENY and doesn't let you change it. I am literally stuck as GIANT PENIS this is not the future I imagined for myself Elon pls. pic.twitter.com/rfWNxNiE0R
— Count Dankula (@CountDankulaTV) November 11, 2022
Twitter suspends Blue after impersonations
After reports of multiple impersonations of major brands and politiciansaccounts, Twitter suspends it’s Twitter Blue $8 verification process. An account impersonating Nintendo tweeted an image of the Super Mario character holding up a middle finger. One posing as Eli Lilly & Co. tweeted that insulin was now free, forcing the company’s official account to say:
We apologize to those who have been served a misleading message from a fake Lilly account
An internal Twitter memo confirmed the change:
An update on what we did tonight: hid the entry point to Twitter Blue, added the ‘official’ label for ONLY advertisers. Note: here is at least one way for users to sign up for Blue. Legacy Blue users can go to subscriptions and upgrade.
In an email to staff, Musk wrote:
Over the next few days, the absolute top priority is finding and suspending any verified bots/trolls/spam
Yoel Roth, the company’s head of trust and safety also resigned
Musk kills ‘official’ grey checkmark
After grey checkmarks that had been rolled out to indicate ‘official’ accounts on Twitter started to disappear, Musk says:
I just killed it. Blue check will be the great leveler
I just killed it
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 9, 2022
Later, Musk says:
Please note that Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months. We will keep what works & change what doesn’t.
Please note that Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months.
We will keep what works & change what doesn’t.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 9, 2022
Twitter to charge for verification from next week. Edit function given to all for free.
Twitter will start selling blue verification badges for user profiles as soon as next week, part of a plan by Musk to fight fake accounts and increase profits. Verification will cost $8 a month. Twitter also plans to make the edit function, which is currently available through a $5-a-month Twitter Blue subscription, available to all users for free, also starting next week.
Musk reveals $8 Twitter Blue details
Musk announces that the revamped Twitter Blue will cost $8; will grant a verified user blue tick; priorities in replies, mentions and replies; ability to post long video and audio; and have half as many ads. The price will be adjusted by country.
Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bullshit. Power to the people! Blue for $8/month. Price adjusted by country proportionate to purchasing power parity, You will also get:
- Priority in replies, mentions & search, which is essential to defeat spam/scam
- Ability to post long video & audio
- Half as many ads
And paywall bypass for publishers willing to work with us. This will also give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators. There will be a secondary tag below the name for someone who is a public figure, which is already the case for politicians.
Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bullshit.
Power to the people! Blue for $8/month.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 1, 2022
Twitter plans paid user verification
Musk says Twitter will revise its user verification process, without detail. Separate reports say that users would have 90 days to subscribe to Twitter Blue at $19,99 (up from $4.99) or lose their verified badges. Employees working on the project were told that they need to meet a deadline of November 7th to launch the feature or they will be fired. Musk:
The whole verification process is being revamped right now
The whole verification process is being revamped right now
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 30, 2022
Musk later jokes about about the verification levels:
Oh no, all our diabolical plans have been revealed!!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 31, 2022
Musk announces Quicksilver & Midnight Cherry Red Tesla colors
Musk introduces two new colours for the Model Y, available from Giga Berlin – Quicksilver & Midnight Cherry Red. Tesla:
Quicksilver & Midnight Cherry Red — made at Giga Berlin. Both are made from highly-pigmented metallic paint, designed to change depending on viewing angle & light. Our most advanced paint system yet, allowing up to 13 layers for depth, dimension & a hand-painted look. Available in Europe & the Middle East
Musk:
Only Giga Berlin can make these colors, as paint shop was specially built to apply many fine layers of paint, giving it complexity not otherwise possible
Only Giga Berlin can make these colors, as paint shop was specially built to apply many fine layers of paint, giving it complexity not otherwise possible https://t.co/Htis0LfRzV
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 21, 2022
Burnt Hair fragrance goes on sale
The Boring Company starts selling Musk’s Burnt Hair by Singed fragrance. The fragrance is marketed as ‘Just like leaning over a candle at the dinner table, but without all the hard work’. Musk announced the perfume in September 2022. Musk calls it:
The finest fragrance on Earth!
The finest fragrance on Earth!https://t.co/ohjWxNX5ZC pic.twitter.com/0J1lmREOBS
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 11, 2022
Musk later tweets that 10,000 bottles have been sold.
10,000 bottles of Burnt Hair sold!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 12, 2022
Musk reveals Optimus Robot
Musk unveils the humanoid Telsa Optimus Robot at Tesla AI Day. He shows a walking production prototype, plus one that uses Tesla actuators. Musk says the robot will be produced at scale and will cost less than a family car.
We’ve designed it using the same discipline that we use when designing the car, which is to design it for manufacturing, so it’s possible to make the robot at high volume at low cost, with high reliability. That’s incredibly important. We’ve all seen very impressive humanoid robot demonstrations. But what are they missing? They’re missing a brain. They don’t have the intelligence to navigate the world by themselves. They’re also very expensive and made in low volume, whereas Optimus is an extremely capable robot, but it’s made in very high volume, ultimately millions of units. It’s expected to cost much less than a car, probably less than $20,000.
— Tesla (@Tesla) October 1, 2022
Musk shares idea for men’s cologne
Musk shares an idea for a men’s cologne on Twitter.
“Burnt Hair” – Scent for Men by Singed
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 27, 2022
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 27, 2022
One million Starlink terminals manufactured
After its recent launch of 52 Starlink satellites, Musk announces that SpaceX has manufactured one million Starlink terminals. The one-million milestone has been achieved less than two years after Starlink began taking pre-orders for the satellite broadband service in February 2021.
Starlink now over 1M user terminals manufactured
Starlink now over 1M user terminals manufactured
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 25, 2022
Iran blocks SpaceX Starlink website
The government of Iran blocks SpaceX’s Starlink website following Elon Musk activating Starlink for Iranians.
The website https://t.co/yZnnlfljYg has been blocked in Iran, according to media reports and users. pic.twitter.com/19HwQ2j1Tk
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) September 24, 2022
Ferries three years overdue, £110m cost overrun predicted
The ferries are now three years overdue, less than half built and are predicted to cost £110 million more than originally estimated. Hair says that the ships are “significantly less than half built” and that 95% of the ships design has not been agreed with CMAL more than four years after the ships were ordered. He said that more naval architects and engineers have been taken on to deal with this. The shipyards executive said that the planning process for changes to the design under the yards prior to nationalisation was “either absent or badly flawed”:
The number of £110m [the extra money needed to finish the project] has been arrived at from a very detailed examination of the two vessels and an understanding of the work that needs to be done in order to bring them up to a viable standard.It is a very significant number but it is a number that has been based on as rigorous an assessment as we’ve been able to carry out. It’s one where I am confident we can deliver the two vessels for that amount.
Committee member and Tory MSP Peter Chapman said people would find the situation “absolutely incredible”.
How the heck do you get to £110m, which is more than what the original cost was to start from scratch with a pile of steel and nothing?
Short cable replacement delays ferries
In a letter to Lockhart, convenor the Scottish Government’s Net Zero committee, Ferguson Marine’s turnaround director says that in the week before Christmas 2021, engineers unwound coils that had been installed in late 2018/early 2019 and found some of them were too short to reach the necessary equipment. After three weeks of investigation, Ferguson engineers believe that at least 400 cables will need to be addressed, with the worst case requiring 939 cables to be replaced. The faulty cables were installed by a sub-contractor before the shipyard went into administration – none of the cables were installed after the Scottish Government took control of the yard. Most or all the vables will need to be cut out and the process started again. Hair says it is not currently possible to determine the impact on schedule and cost of the problem. Hair:
I regret to advise you that a problem has recently emerged with the build of 801 which I thought I should immediately bring to your attention. Commissioning and further cable installation cannot take place until the legacy cables are corrected, delaying the overall project to deliver 801. There will inevitably be knock-on effects that will delay the schedule for 802. At present it is not possible to determine the impact on schedule and cost.
Ferry Action Group raises design concerns
The Arran Ferry Action Group raises concerns about the absence of a key hull feature required for the Glen Sannox to operate efficiently at 14.5 knots. Additional confusion arises over the divergence of design between Glen Sannox and sister ship Hull 802, which were intended to be identical in design and specification. Chairman Sam Bourne:
It is such a terrible mess. The whole thing is complete confusion and it affects the performance of the boats. Fitting a ducktail now is bound to further delay the completion of the vessel. And if it is needed on 802 why is it not on Glen Sannox which has the same hull. You are going to have two boats that do not meet the spec that was given and are not identical. If one has it and the other hasn’t it just won’t meet the performance targets set. If the boats don’t meet the performance specifications, CMAL can refuse it and then who owns these vessels. If you have an inefficient hull form, they will cost more money to operate, and the green criteria they try to hit, you can throw those in the bin. Serious questions have to be asked of those who run the businesses at the time to allow this.
CMAL:
We are satisfied that the vessels meet the required specification, and are continuing to work closely with Transport Scotland, Scottish Government and Fergusons to manage the delivery of the two vessels.
Delivery date slips by 15 weeks
Ferguson Marine says the Glen Sannox will now be handed over between July and September 2022 – 15 weeks later than expected. The ship, destined for the Arran route, was originally due to enter service in 2018/19. The nationalised shipyard says Covid disruption and a shortage of local skilled labour were to blame. The comapny says it said it had only been able to recruit 40 skilled workers locally, 100 short of its target – and was now having to recruit overseas workers, via sub-contractors. The second ship, currently known as Hull 802, will be delivered between April and July 2023, according to the latest schedule. Turnaround director, Tim Hair:
I know the further delay to the project will be a disappointment to island communities and others who await the arrival of the new ferries. There remains a lot of work to do on the vessels, but it is important to recognise the level of progress too, as well as the significant operational improvements we have implemented to introduce robust and effective business processes. We have, in effect, created a functioning shipyard business from a standing start.
Dry dock repair works completed
The ferry returns to the water after dry dock works are completed. 42 tonnes of mussels were removed from the hull, its bulbous bow replaced, paint repaired, and external welding completed. Hair:
Following a period of uncertainty due to COVID-19, it has been really gratifying to see our team return to outdoor working on MV Glen Sannox. We’ve made some solid strides forward over the last few weeks on MV Glen Sannox and have slightly extended the dry dock period to take advantage of the stability of the vessel whilst stationed there to carry out some additional tasks. Now that the ferry has been brought up to its current condition and has returned to our shipyard, the next steps will include work on the superstructure, electrical work and the installation of approximately 16km of pipework.
Enters dry dock
The Glen Sannox enters the Dale Marine dry dock, a short distance down thr river from Port Glasgow, for remedial work. The ship will have its bulbous bow replaced, paint will be repaired and marine growth will be removed. The ship is due to return to the Ferguson yard at the end of August. Turnaround director Hair:
This is a key milestone in the recovery programme for the dual fuel vessels. Some work has been carried out on MV Glen Sannox at the shipyard, but the dry dock period is important because it will bring the vessel up to a condition that will allow us to move forward in earnest with the vessel completion plan. It is also another clear sign of recovery for the shipyard business and comes only weeks after the launch of a steel barge for a customer in the offshore oil and marine sector.