Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance

When I was a sophomore in high school, and a happy and popular-enough underachiever (I made mostly Bs and Cs), my school performed an IQ test on my classmates and me. When we received our scores, mine was 138 (which is pretty high) and I remember thinking, “That can’t be right! I’m not even in the Honor Society.” I also remember thinking maybe there are different kinds of “smart.”

In spite of my IQ, I struggled in school, finding the rote memorization that was the hallmark of the education system of my time, difficult to master. And rather than pursue a science-related degree in college, which is where my true interest lie, I chose a path more compatible with my culture. I became an elementary school teacher, who never really taught. Since then I’ve pursued careers for which my degree allowed, and satisfied my interest in science through lots and lots of science-related books.

Which brings me to Ashlee Vance’s recent bestseller, Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future. Maybe you don’t know who Elon Musk is, but you undoubtedly recognize the company PayPal, which Musk created and sold for billions after he’d dropped out of Stanford University at the age of 24. And maybe you’ve heard of the Tesla electric car, which Musk also invented and built and which is now selling like hotcakes. But here are some things you probably don’t know about Musk, and I didn’t know about Musk before I read Vance’s biography of him. By the way, Musk cooperated with the author in spite of the fact that Vance said up front Musk would not be allowed to read or edit the book before it was published.

Musk, who was raised in a broken South African family, was horribly bullied as a child by his peers and by his architect dad who was emotionally detached and who exposed him to the vastness of the world and probably shaped Elon’s extreme inquisitiveness.

The other thing you may not know is that if a human lands on Mars in our lifetime, it will probably be Musk who makes that happen. Musk’s bottom line ambition is to die on Mars, and that’s not just goofy dreamer talk. Musk’s company SpaceX is the largest provider of legitimate space-destination services in the world (i.e. satellites and supplies to space stations).

This book is well written with just enough science to feel authentic, but not so much that you get bogged down in complicated narrative. It also covers the personal as well as the business side of Musk’s history in a really cohesive way. We get to know not just the smart side of Musk, but also the person side. I found it particularly fascinating how a man with such extreme ambitions and a very hard-core work ethic could carry on a pretty normal personal life, dating, marrying, having kids (5 boys, pictured), and enjoying the things in life that we all enjoy.

But here’s the thing that is most fascinating to me. Elon Musk’s ambitions are outrageous by any standard. And then he achieves them. “I want to invent an electric car that can go from 0-60 mph in 3 seconds, travel 800 miles on a single charge, and sell it for less than $50,000,” he says. “Ha-ha,” says everyone. And then he does it. “I want to be the most reliable and least expensive private supplier of space cargo transportation,” he says. “Ha-ha,” says everyone. And then he does it. “I want to establish a colony on Mars so earthlings will have a place to go when earth becomes unlivable,” he says. “Ha-ha,” says everyone. And then – well, I fully expect he’ll succeed.

I want to be the female equivalent of Elon Musk.  Okay, so maybe I want to fantasize being the female equivalent of Elon Musk – a decidedly more chicken-shit ambition, but infinitely easier.

If you have an interest in science, or if you have an interest in one of the most fascinating characters of the millennium, I think you’ll enjoy this book. I was enraptured.

Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen by Mary Norris

Do not read Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen unless you are infatuated with punctuation and its history and misuse, or if you have insomnia. I do not have insomnia.  I read it to further justify my use of the serial comma, the one before “and” in a series of three or more things. Mary is a serial comma user too. I like her.

Sometimes the serial comma is required to ensure clarity:

“This book is dedicated to my parents, Ayn Rand and God.”

And sometimes, as Mary says, “to give starch to the prose.”

Me, I just like making the reader read the way I want them to read. It’s a control thing. Fortunately, my editor tosses them. Believe me, the original draft of this review had at least six more commas.

Mary Norris (pictured) began working at The New Yorker in 1978, and has been a query proofreader at the magazine since 1993, but she could have been a comedian or relaxation therapist as she had me alternately laughing and yawning. Her “behind the scenes” at The New Yorker were interesting, and I loved her story about finding just the right pencil to mark her proofreading. But a vast majority of the book is about commas, the use of the F word, ellipsis and other obscure punctuation marks, why Moby-Dick has a hyphen, and a lot of other things that will mesmerize you and send you to slumber land.

Here are a few fun punctuation jokes to fill out this rather lame review:

Some people find inspiration in cooking their families and their dogs.

A teacher wrote, "Woman without her man is nothing" on the blackboard, and told the class to add the correct punctuation.

All the boys wrote, "Woman, without her man, is nothing"

All the girls wrote, "Woman - without her, man is nothing"

Couples Salon - May 30

(left to right) Becky & Rob McEwen - Becky, a warm and genuine Austin gal with deep Texas roots and five generations of family living in Central Texas, happened upon Rob the tall and lanky kiwi on his global walkabout in 1978. Using his consummate marketing skills and charming New Zealand accent, Rob lured Becky back to New Zealand with him when he returned there in 1979. Marriage, 5 years working for Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) and a baby followed, until Austin seduced the couple to return in 1983. Becky pursued a career in the mortgage industry and gave birth to a second child in 1988, while Rob gave birth to a child of his own - a high tech marketing agency. Nineteen years on and mutually burned out with their respective careers, Rob & Becky sought a simpler life back in New Zealand, built a 5-star boutique lodgeoverlooking the majestic Lake Taupo and began hosting travelers from around the globe. Becky runs the lodge and offers massage therapy, while Rob has founded and currently runs a charitable organization focused on electric vehicle education. Rob & Becky have promoted small concerts in Taupo for 8 years, and Rob is enjoying a lifelong dream of playing in a band, and sneaks off to local rivers with a fly rod at every opportunity. Becky frequents the golf course whenever possible, enjoys the walks and hikes of NZ, and is doting on their new granddaughter Emma in San Marcos, where Rob and Becky’s two sons and daughters-in-law live. Rob and Becky are two of our closest (and yet far off) friends. When they traitorously moved back to New Zealand, we gave them the Texas flag that flew over the Texas State Capitol the day Crouse and I were married, and told them to bring it home some day. Since their sons are starting families, I suspect that day is getting closer and closer, but not too soon for us. We’ve shared some epic times together (what we can remember anyway), and we look forward to many more. 

Dean & Jeff Lofton - Dean began freelance writing covering women’s issues in South Carolina in the late 80s.  For 18 years in the southeast and Texas Dean has led Write Your Life as a Woman - a community writing class where they write with pen on paper and share in class. Her new weekly radio segment, Write Now with Dean Lofton, which debuts in May on “Writing on the Air” Wednesdays 6pm on KOOP 91.7FM, features writing prompts and inspiration. In addition, she has recently performed spokesperson and other on-camera / acting work.  Dean also has a PR/media company, The Lofton Agency, at Soma Vida, a co-working space for wellness and creative entrepreneurs on E. Cesar Chavez. In her spare time, Dean is on the Austin steering committee for Annie’s List, and she blogs, where she shares smart ideas, many from her major health recovery made by changing her diet. Jeff is a jazz trumpeter, composer and producer who leads several groups and is known for his Miles Davis tributes. He has a new album coming out later this year called Jericho and will launch a fundraising campaign in May to finish it. His 2009 album “Jazz to the People” made the top albums of the year lists by KUTX and the Austin Chronicle. He has weekly residencies in Austin on Thursdays, 5:30 - 8:30 pm in the lounge at Ruth’s Chris Steak House, and Sundays, 12-4pm, at Zed’s (Jeff Lofton’s Sunday Jazz Brunch). You can stream music and enjoy a few free downloads at jefflofton.com. Jeff was voted “Best Jazz Band” at the 2010-2011 Austin Music Awards during SXSW, and was inducted into the Texas Music Museum. He also won "Best Horn Player" in the 2013-14 Austin Music Awards. Dean and Jeff met in their home state of South Carolina 11 years ago, and soon figured out they’d been in the University of South Carolina marching band together 19 years earlier. They moved to Austin in 2007 to be near Jeff’s daughter, who is now 13 and lives with them full time. Dean is super sharp and Jeff is super talented, and their both just too cool for school.

Kelvin Phillips & Carla Jackson - Kelvin has fifteen years experience as a senior creative manager in some of the world’s largest financial services companies, including Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, and Dimensional Fund Advisors.  A certified project management professional (PMP), Kelvin teaches others how to use the time-honored methodology of the Project Management Body of Knowledge to give shape to ideas and find the best means to make them into reality. As an award-winning screenwriter, Kelvin has written feature and short screenplays for many clients, and his work has screened at numerous film festivals, on HBO/Cinemax, and is available online. Kelvin also writes short stories, essays, and poems and is currently writing the biography of his late mother. Kelvin received his Bachelor of Arts in Film Directing from Howard University and Master of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing from New York University. Check out this brief from one of Kelvin and Carla’s award-winning films, A Swinging Trio (which you can actually rent on Netflix.) A seasoned marketing and public relations professional with over fifteen years of experience, Carla’s expertise lies with her ability to create favorable business-to-consumer relationships for clients who have included Austin’s Pro Arts Collective, Paradigm Shift, the Austin Community College Center for Public Policy, Nike, the California Wellness Foundation, the California African American Museum, On Your Feet: International Music and Dance Festival, and the Hip Hop International Dance Championship. Carla currently is on staff at Fordham University, where she is Administrator of the Theatre Program. Previously, she served as Director of Marketing on award-winning Broadway and off-Broadway productions, including August Wilson’s Jitney and King Hedley. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Summa Cum Laude from Fordham University in New York; and her Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Management from Yale University. I met Carla when I invested in one of her and Kelvin’s films, the wonderful documentary, Black Sun.