Okay. I know it sounds odd. And it is. But please bear with me. How many noticed the telltale detail in our featured image today? If you stretch your imagination, it might have something to with the Tesla charging station promotion…
Elon Musk’s latest crazy-expensive, way-out electric car promo stunt…
As most of us know, Elon Musk – the guy behind the Tesla electric car – is famous for oddball, expensive promo stunts.
Rocket/auto crossover
Perhaps his most audacious stunt yet has been to launch a Tesla literally into outer space in 2018.
“Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster is an electric sports car that served as the dummy payload for the February 2018 Falcon Heavy test flight and became an artificial satellite of the Sun.” Wikipedia records. “A mannequin in a spacesuit, dubbed ‘Starman’, occupies the driver’s seat.”
But it seems Musk is far from done with his famous (sometimes infamous) antics.
That same year…
Also back in 2018, Musk Tweeted he wanted to open an authentic old-school drive-in diner. You know the kind: Lots of chrome and garish lights. Well, now he’s moving forward. Teslarati reports that Musk and company have been awarded a building permit for such an establishment. It’s to be located at 7001 Santa Monica Blvd., in Hollywood.
Says Teslarati: “The site will house 32 Supercharger [parking] stalls, a restaurant with various food offerings, rooftop seating, and of course, two movie theater screens where clips of famous movies will be shown.”
But wait… There’s more!
Sharp-eyed readers will have noted something special about the signage depicted in the artist’s rendering (featured above) of the new drive-in.
The name of the resto will apparently be ‘MILLIWAYS’. That’s the name Douglas Adams gave his ‘restaurant at the end of the universe’ in The Hitchiker’s Guide To The Galaxy ! H2G2, as it’s known among fans, was first a book, then a BBC radio series, then BBC TV mini series, and then a movie that compressed the story into a single feature film.
The story made famous The Great Question: the question of life, the universe and everything. After 7.5 million years, the galaxy’s fastest megacomputer, Deep Thought, comes up with the answer: 42.
No less an authority than Scientific American devoted a lengthy article to the meaning of the answer. Put your math hat on before diving into it!
Says Quora: “If you want to understand the answer, you have to understand the question. This question is so poorly formed as to be meaningless.” Hah! Sly old Adams.
Nevertheless…
The core ensemble cast of the mini series ends up at MILLIWAYS in the final episode. Forget movie clips, charging stations and rooftop seating. The server reveals that MILLIWAYS’ dinner show is a truly historic event: “The universe will explode later, for your pleasure.”
Guilty of appropriation?
Now… My immediate reaction is, does Musk really feel his diner can stand up to the example established by Adams’ MILLIWAYS?
On a more earthly plane… Did Musk get permission from the Adams estate to use the name ‘MILLIWAYS’ for his diner? If not, will the estate sue the billionaire for an outrageous sum?
I also wonder if the movie clips Musk promises will include any from H2G2.
Will the food be any good?
But most significantly, I am dismayed that Musk and company are not promising to help us understand the Great Question, so we can finally understand the answer.
~ Maggie J.