Of course the hyperloop is a joke. Elon Musk has zero experience or training in transportation infrastructure, but we are supposed to have faith in some idea he farted out in a white paper, why? Because he has skillfully cultivated his image as a "genius", and we bought it? The hyperloop was nothing more than a (savvy) PR move to cement his image as a "visionary". That it actually got funded only goes to show what gullible shmucks some venture capitalists are.
Edit: I worked on the LHC for several years. The challenges of maintaining a closed vacuum pipe that spanned a mere 17 miles were vast and expensive. Musk proposes doing it on an exponentially larger scale without addressing the challenges and pitfalls involved. Until he does so, I cannot take him seriously.
Edit: I worked on the LHC for several years. The challenges of maintaining a closed vacuum pipe that spanned a mere 17 miles were vast and expensive. Musk proposes doing it on an exponentially larger scale without addressing the challenges and pitfalls involved. Until he does so, I cannot take him seriously.