Elon Musk is just your everyday tech billionaire, smoking weed on Joe Rogan's podcast, launching a car into space on a rocket, and plotting how to create a vast network of transportation tunnels underneath Los Angeles. Hopefully he gets started on that soon, because traffic in this city is horrible. And hopefully he doesn't smoke too much weed before he designs it, or the tunnels might just go around in circles.

You might remember that last January Musk made $5 million from a joke. The Tesla CEO pledged that if sold 50,000 baseball caps at $20 each, he would start selling flamethrowers. After meeting this goal, he followed through on his promise. Musk's company, The Boring Company, developed the devices and sold 20,000 "flamethrowers" in five days. If a zombie apocalypse happens, 20,000 people are ready.

But apparently, Musk's "flamethrowers" are not actually flamethrowers. Military-grade flamethrowers project flames thirty feet, while The Boring Company's device projects flames ten feet. It's basically a glorified Zippo lighter or cooler-looking propane torch. In fact, Musk ran into a problem with nomenclature. "Some customs agencies are saying they won't allow shipment of anything called a 'Flamethrower," the SpaceX CEO tweeted. "To solve this, we are renaming it 'Not a Flamethrower.'"

But how exactly does the Not-A-Flamethrower compare with a real flamethrower? The guys from DriveTanks.com, who are definitely prepared for the zombie apocalypse, decided to pit the badass devices against each other. Actually, they picked three for a field test: An M9 Vietnam-era flamethrower, an XM42 flamethrower, with adorable shark stickers, and The Boring Company's sleek Not-A-Flamethrower.

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They posted their test footage on YouTube, and it's pretty crazy. Well, the first two minutes aren't pretty crazy. They just enthusiastically unbox the Not-A-Flamethrower. It turns out unboxing flamethrowers is just as boring as unboxing Funko Pops. But once they go outside, armed with their weapons, the fun starts.

The DriveThanks guy begins by aiming the Not-A-Flamethrower at his ex-wife's car. Just kidding. He aims it at a pile of trees or something. As expected, the flame doesn't reach that far. He has to walk over to the pile of branches to ignite it. Next they test the XM42 flamethrower, which has a pretty impressive reach. But nothing beats the military-grade M9, which is insanely powerful. It's one thing to describe the flames, and another to see them in action.

Here's a view of all three devices from a drone camera, to give a better idea how they compare.

So, it looks like Elon Musk got the name right. The Not-A-Flame Thrower isn't as badass as real flamethrowers, but it's still pretty cool. Maybe if The Boring Company sells the devices again, I'll pick one up. If I get stuck in traffic in LA, I bet other drivers would let me pass them if I threatened with a flamethrower.

Elon Musk seems to be living the life. While the expenditures you normally hear about from the world's richest tend to be in the realm of mansions and sports cars, the CEO of Tesla and Space X does things a little differently. Well, he still ends up with the most expensive houses and vehicles, but he's also dedicated to innovation and scientific achievement in a way few others are. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/Be3sOnEA0DK/?taken-by=elonmusk]] Earlier this week, Space X successfully launched their Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center using the same launch pad Apollo 11 was launched 50 years ago. The 23-story construction is the most powerful rocket in the world, with 27 engines and three reusable 134-foot-tall boosters, so it was quite a feat to pull off. During the launch, it had the explosive power equivalent to four million pounds of TNT, so as you can imagine, Musk was more than a little worried. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/Be36GWVAcR5/?taken-by=elonmusk]] Luckily, it all went off without a hitch, meaning that the rocket is well on its way to follow Mars in an orbit around the sun. However, this being Elon Musk we're talking about, the launch had to be livened up in some way. On board the rocket is his red Tesla Roadster, and in its driving seat is a dummy in a spacesuit, nicknamed 'Starman'. As if this wasn't ridiculous enough, the car was blaring out David Bowie's Space Odyssey as the rocket took off, with cameras on the interior to live stream the event on YouTube. "They should really provide some epic views if they work and everything goes well." Musk said. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BdA94kVgQhU/]] [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/Be3m_LNgOYY/?taken-by=elonmusk]] This isn't particularly surprising, given this is the same man who recently made $5 million by selling flamethrowers online. However, there was one last personal touch aboard the rocket, as Musk shared on Instagram. In the photo, he revealed that on the car's circuit board there was a secret message. Fittingly, it reads: "Made by humans". [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/Be31IJxgOoK/]] The primary purpose of the mission was to see if the rocket could take objects into orbit, which it proved, but its adventures are not over yet. At the riskiest point of the journey, the rocket will spend six hours in the Van Allen belt, which has intense radiation. "It's going to get whacked pretty hard by high-energy particles," said Musk. "The fuel could freeze, and the oxygen could be vaporized, all of which could inhibit the third burn which is necessary for trans-Mars injection." The Falcon Heavy is essentially three Falcon 9 rockets, but only costs about 45% more than a Falcon 9. The total cost of the launch came to $90 million, which is relatively low considering the usual costs of these things. But it's not like Musk to be satisfied with just that. A new system they're developing could be even more powerful, matching the power of NASA's famous Saturn V and carry a payload all the way to Pluto.

Elon Musk is certainly no stranger to unique and strange antics, but recent social media posts have raised eyebrows among even his most dedicated followers.

Musk, 51, has been increasingly in the spotlight over the past few months, especially following his $44 billion purchase of social media platform Twitter back in October. This was met with an immensely chaotic period for the tech company.

But even though he is the owner of the platform, that hasn't stopped the billionaire from also being an avid user - frequently tweeting his thoughts to his 140 million followers.

And one subject that appears to be on Musk's mind is of the ever-growing sophistication of artificial intelligence (AI), with the SpaceX founder tweeting earlier this month: "Even benign dependency on AI/Automation is dangerous to civilization if taken so far that we eventually forget how the machines work."

Musk took over Twitter in October last year for a whopping $44 billion. Credit: APFootage / Alamy

Now, bizarre images circulating online have appeared to show Elon Musk kissing robots. However, there is more to the images - which depict Musk locking lips with several female-looking humanoids - than initially meets the eye.

Twitter user David Marven - CEO of a South African construction company - published the images to his account, writing: "Elon Musk announces the future wife, who is she?"

The tweet continued: "It is the first robot that has been manufactured specifically designed with artificial intelligence, with the personality and the characteristics of the female that he dreams of…which is not found in any normal person, because of course, there is no normal person that has all the required specifications."

He then went on to explain how the robot (named 'Catnilla') is actually solar-powered, and therefore does not need to be charged. It is also apparently "equipped with sensory means that make her feel sad and happy." Not only this: "She has a balanced and interactive mindset … so she can share it if she is in a crisis or the feelings that she is experiencing or needs when she is exposed to any psychological stress."

Marven then concluded the tweet by adding that the bizarre photos were actually fake, and had been created using artificial intelligence, which he did so in an effort to "clarify the dangers of AI."

Naturally, Twitter users couldn't help but comment on the images, with one person writing: "At least [I know] when I cheat I can just press cntrl alt delete so they can reset and forget. Saving me some headache [sic]."

"So he goes around making babies but at the end he want to settle with a robot, typical man," another person added.

While the photos of Musk were purely created for comedic value, there have been genuine concerns about the prevalence of AI and how it could potentially affect us in numerous ways.

But this is a subject Musk has long attempted to warn us all about, with the billionaire saying in a 2017 interview that government regulation of AI is a necessity due to the "fundamental risk to the existence of human civilization".

Featured image credit: TCD/Prod.DB / Alamy

Elon Musk has explained why he's spending $44 billion on Twitter rather than donating the money to charity.

Last month, the SpaceX founder's eye-water bid on the social media platform was accepted. However, not everyone is happy that Musk is taking over Twitter, with many arguing that his billions could have been better spent serving humanitarian ends.

So, when they spotted Musk walking the red carpet at Monday night's Met Gala, reporters from Entertainment Tonight took the opportunity to confront the Tesla boss.

"Why didn't you use the money you purchased Twitter with to do something for charity, philanthropy, or to do more good with that money?" they asked.

Musk responded by saying that he already does a lot of humanitarian work through his companies. "Well I do do a lot of things philanthropically and really my companies are intended to do good for the future of humanity," he said.

By way of explanation, the billionaire pointed to his company Tesla - which he said aims to "accelerate the advent of sustainable transport and energy" - and SpaceX - which he argued is "providing internet to the least served people around the world."

He went on to talk about the work he is doing to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia. Musk has sent Starlink terminals to the country so they can stay connected with the outside world during their war effort.

"We're able to help Ukraine with the Starlink terminals, and give them connectivity, particularly in some of the hardest-hit areas," he said, adding: "Aspirationally I am trying to do good for humanity and the future of civilization."

Elon Musk with his mom, Maye, walking the red carpet of the 2022 Met Gala. Credit: Sipa US / Alamy

With an estimated net worth of $255.1 billion, Musk is currently the richest man in the world according to Forbes - though much of his worth is invested in stocks.

His acquisition of Twitter has made headlines all over the world. Naturally, reporters were curious how Musk had time to attend the 2022 Met Gala with so much else going on.

The billionaire - who attended the event at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art with his mom - answered: "My mom wanted to come so I brought my mom."

Featured Image Credit: Doug Peters / Alamy.

Elon Musk is having a weird year. The Tesla billionaire is frequently making the news, choosing to spend his copious amounts of money on sending a car into space or providing US citizens with their very own flamethrowers, and gaining an avid following in the process. However, the news isn't always so positive.

"This past year has been the most difficult and painful year of my career," he told The New York Times in April. "It was excruciating." With all that on his plate, he had plenty to talk about when he appeared on comedian Joe Rogan's podcast, in a two-and-a-half hour live interview on Rogan's YouTube channel.

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In the interview, he said that he realised he was different from other people when he was around five, and thought his intelligence may have been a "mutation" in his brain. "At first I thought I was insane," he said, before going on to talk about his relationship with Twitter.

"There's a lot of negativity on Twitter," he said, and went on to talk about making mistakes on line. "I'm not sure why anyone thinks deleting a tweet will make it go away," he said, pointing to the fact that, for people as popular as Musk, the tweets they regret will always be recovered by someone out there, usually in a screenshot.

He did insist that he does ignore the vast majority of negative comments he faces, which doesn't exactly ring true, given the fact that he was once taunted into donating money to Flint, Michigan's clean water crisis.

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There was also the time that a rescue diver, who helped when the 12 Thai children were trapped underground, referred to his actions during the crisis as a "PR stunt". Musk, clearly not too bothered about the comment, called the diver a "pedo". Not stopping there, he went on a long rant in an email to BuzzFeed, where he claimed (with absolutely no evidence) that the same man had a "child bride," and referred to him as a "child rapist".

Yeah, doesn't seem like he was that bothered by it at all.

But, to show us all how totally chill he really is, he smoked up in the interview. At one point during the video, Musk, who was drinking whiskey, was offered a joint containing tobacco and marijuana. Musk admitted that he wasn't a "regular smoker of weed," and had maybe tried it once in the past, but tried it out regardless.

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You can see that Musk, much like with the Flint situation, was likely tempted into doing it by Rogan's comment that "you probably can't because of stockholders, right?"

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Yeah, that's always going to work on this particular billionaire. It seems fairly clear by now that you don't tell Elon Musk what he can't do. This is, after all, this is the man who launched a car into space because he felt like it.