Firefox Crop Circles Prove Intelligent Alien Life 239
This past weekend, the OSU Linux Users Group descended on a field in Oregon to create a 45,000+ square foot crop circle of Firefox. The photos and write-up are worth checking out.
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The trouble with computers is that they do what you tell them, not what you want. -- D. Cohen
Bonus geek points for not using GPS (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Bonus geek points for not using GPS (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Bonus geek points for not using GPS (Score:3, Insightful)
The crops are valueless. (Score:4, Insightful)
Because of the subsidies the crops have been overproduced into worthlessness. In the case of corn it fetches something around $2 per bushel on the open market, but $3 per bushel to grow the stuff. You the taxpayer, well, essentially burn money to keep farmers buzzing around on their big tonka toys feeling productive.
Oh and in the process, devastating the economies and agricultural markets of third world countries causing widespread famine and poverty.
Re:The crops are valueless. (Score:2)
Why don't they sell/barter it locally?
They do not need to enter the American market.
Where do you think your overproduction goes? (Score:3, Insightful)
The farmers in the third world can't enter the American market, the American market is busy dumping the produce on their market.
Re:The crops are valueless. (Score:2, Interesting)
Of course, since no one is forcing said country to buy corn from overseas at the expense of their own people yo
Re:The crops are valueless. (Score:2, Insightful)
Depending on whether the country in question has gone through "debt restructuring" via the IMF, then yes, someone may be forcing them to buy imported produce. Or they might be forced to cease offering subsidies to their own farmers and export their own produce.
Re:The crops are valueless. (Score:2, Interesting)
I wouldn't say valueless... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:The crops are valueless. (Score:5, Insightful)
A significant effect of this is that many third world countries are far more vulnerable to things like drought than they used to be, as their own foodcrops are small to start with, and droughts now for many countries both devastate their revenues - affecting their ability to pay for food imports - and reduce the yields of their already too small food crops. Whereas with mainly food crops, drought would mean reduced exports and revenue, but still leave them with significant food reserves.
There are certainly examples of mismanagement too, such as Zimbabwe, but corruption is rarely a major factor in affecting the levels of food production.
Re:The crops are valueless. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:The crops are valueless. (Score:3, Insightful)
Sure, let's kill off the main source of income for a large portion of the midwest and south... Nothing like a nice boost to inflation, jobless/welfare claims, foreclosures, and everyone's grocery bill to make you feel all nice and cozy
Income (Score:3, Insightful)
Sure, let's kill off the main source of income for a large portion of the midwest and south... Nothing like a nice boost to inflation, jobless/welfare claims, foreclosures, and everyone's grocery bill to make you feel all nice and cozy in your insane and impossible world.
That "income" for the Midwest and South comes from every U.S. taxpayer. Why are we spending billions to encourage farmers to plant fields that would be more productive razed? That will just go to waste? That worsen the problem of low
Re:The crops are valueless. (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:WTF Are you talking about you fool? (Score:4, Funny)
August 11th 2006. Corn futures... $2.42 per bushel (Score:5, Insightful)
On the open market. What part of the word "subsidies" don't you understand? The "profit" you're getting a cut of is welfare. It's handed to you still warm from the taxpayers wallet.
Re:WTF Are you talking about you fool? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:The crops are valueless. (Score:2)
If production goes down on a commodity, it's price/value increases and more people subsequently start producing it or customers switch to something else. High prices are temporary, they correct themselves.
There's a case for a base load of production t
Re:Bonus geek points for not using GPS (Score:4, Insightful)
Not exactly a huge loss, or anti-green movement.
-Rick
Re:Bonus geek points for not using GPS (Score:5, Informative)
Space Oats? (Score:2)
Space... oats? Space wheat? Corn? Space corn?
I'm just beginning to think that space oats isn't the answer [imdb.com].
Re:Bonus geek points for not using GPS (Score:2)
I skipped out on the FFA, but I grew up throwing bails. I wasn't interested in the farming aspect, I just had chores to do. My wife on the other hand, she is an agronomist, so I'll ask her to correct me later tonight
-Rick
Re:Bonus geek points for not using GPS (Score:2)
-Rick
Re:Bonus geek points for not using GPS (Score:3, Informative)
Real geeks... (Score:2)
Wiat, real OLD geeks would have used string and a slide rule.
Re:Bonus geek points for not using GPS (Score:2)
1000 NE Circle Blvd
Corvallis, OR 97330
(541) 757-2002
Re:Bonus geek points for not using GPS (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Bonus geek points for not using GPS (Score:2)
Or is it sheet-loads?
Re:Bonus geek points for not using GPS (Score:5, Funny)
auto generated crop circle... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:auto generated crop circle... (Score:2)
Re:auto generated crop circle... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:auto generated crop circle... (Score:2)
Re:auto generated crop circle... (Score:2)
I don't know, if you craeteed a machinf that made the crop circles automatically, then farmers maigh be able to sell there fields to advertisers
At least these make sense. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:At least these make sense. (Score:2)
If nothing else, the upkeep on their cloaking devices has got to keep them busy.
Re:At least these make sense. (Score:3, Funny)
yeah... (Score:2)
Like mutilating cattle!
The Aliens use open source? (Score:3, Insightful)
Oregonian Entertainment (Score:5, Funny)
This proves what life? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:This proves what life? (Score:2)
please, Planet Earth is the Alabama of the universe.
Re:This proves what life? (Score:2)
Re:This proves what life? (Score:2)
Re:This proves what life? (Score:2)
Bonus for getting permission from the farmer. (Score:4, Funny)
"Use Open-Source on My FARM!?! That's what did more damage to my oats than a hailstorm followed by locusts last year!"
Standards support (Score:2)
Granted that Safari integrates better with its host OS and is more aesthetic... what makes you think it has better standards support than Firefox? Not Acid2, I hope.
Acid2, by its own admission, is not a compliance test, and passing it does not indicate a particular level of standards compliance. What Acid2 tests is a set of relative
Just what Firefox needs (Score:5, Interesting)
"Knowing" the Earth (Score:2)
Nice to see... (Score:4, Insightful)
Also, as for the naysayers, I suspect the farmer gave permission because:
- that many people milling around the farm would have been noticed
- taking off a light plane AND a Robinson R22 helo off the farm would certainly get noticed by the farmer.
Re:Nice to see... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Nice to see... (Score:2)
It's a skirt. Which is fine, buy it is not a kilt.
So much fun! (Score:5, Interesting)
I challenge others to come up with other ways to creatively promote the stuff they love. Try and beat this! muahahaha.
TAKE BACK THE [insert your geek-dom here].
Re:So much fun! (Score:5, Funny)
Thanks,
--Ponga
P.S. - Nice work!!
Re:So much fun! (Score:5, Funny)
*does the girl geek dance*
the girl geek dance? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:So much fun! (Score:2)
Re:So much fun! (Score:3, Interesting)
It's a Super Cub. See this picture:
http://lug.oregonstate.edu/gallery/firefox-crop-ci rcle/dscn1024 [oregonstate.edu]
Someone else brought a Robinson R22, too:
http://lug.oregonstate.edu/gallery/firefox-crop-ci rcle/mg_5513 [oregonstate.edu]
Re:So much fun! (Score:2)
Someone advocate might just make a crop circle representation for goatse.cx
Re:So much fun! (Score:2)
I'm boring. I bought the browser [opera.com] I prefer...
Re:So much fun! (Score:2)
In related news ... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:In related news ... (Score:5, Funny)
Sure, anyone can flood a field with water!
trigger happy photographer (Score:5, Funny)
but I guess sometimes it's just really hard to decide between posting this shot [oregonstate.edu] or this one [oregonstate.edu] on your website.
Re:trigger happy photographer (Score:2)
Now, with cell-cameras everywhere and no cost with taking or posting an image expect things to get worse and worse.
Re:trigger happy photographer (Score:2, Interesting)
--Ponga
Re:trigger happy photographer (Score:2)
Re:trigger happy photographer (Score:2)
So you are right, the problem is not that too many pictures gat taken, the problem is that the photographer does not bother to go through them and select the good ones. Instead, they
Re:trigger happy photographer (Score:2)
Re:trigger happy photographer (Score:2)
In other news... (Score:2)
Best arial shots here (Score:3, Informative)
Missing component (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Missing component (Score:2)
What, you wanted them to set the whole field on fire?
These young ones, such destructive personalities...
Re:Yes, it is... (Score:2)
OMG! (Score:5, Funny)
Google Satellite Image (Score:4, Interesting)
Hope they will soon!
The location of the crop circle is somewhere in the vicinity of here [google.com]
Re:Google Satellite Image (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Google Satellite Image (Score:2)
Wait, Google has their own satellites now?
Re:Google Satellite Image (Score:2)
Of course, you might be lucky enough that new images are taken right in this 2-week window, but don't bet on it.
Re:Google Satellite Image (Score:5, Funny)
Oh man, I think it's hilarious that you believe that. Sure... Google doesn't own a network of satellites, and they're not watching you right now either, and they're not building lasers on the moon either... Hey, whatever lets you sleep at night dude.
Re:Google Satellite Image (Score:5, Funny)
I'd always wondered what they needed that moon base [google.com] for!
Vulcan captain: "Prepare for landing+First Contact (Score:2)
Raise your hand!... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Raise your hand!... (Score:2)
Enthusiastic users (Score:5, Insightful)
Really awesome stunt. Would any MSIE users do something like this to show their enthusiasm for the product? Probably not. This stunt is somewhat the same principle as when geeks on Linux meetings bring their penguins with them in all shapes and sizes. I mean, you don't see MS Windows users arrive with big amounts of glass...
Re:Enthusiastic users (Score:2)
Firefox, Opera, Apple, Linux, various BSDs all manage to inspire enthusiasm, and that enthusiasm results in loyalty. That combo gives you thousands of potential advocates, which
Re:Enthusiastic users (Score:2, Funny)
Well, no. They bring paperclips.
- RG>
It's a small world... (Score:2)
Crop Circle Wallpaper (Score:3, Informative)
pfuh - would have a meaning if it had added: (Score:2)
convert those aliens in space to some good Earth technology...
It'll make us invincible for them too since its memory footprint will be too big for their computer
Cool experiment. Aside from brand loyalty. . . (Score:3, Funny)
To create an authentic circle, the makers would have to. . .
1. Create the circle entirely at night without any lighting systems. (In none of the several thousand circles formed have pranksters been observed.)
2. Leave no impressions on the earth at all. (No foot prints or ladder or pole impressions on powder-dry or moist earth.)
3. Create a much more complex formation.
4. Make sure the flattened grains fall in mathematically precise overlapping weaves. (In authentic circles, the multi-layered pattern of the weave is one of the mystifying features.)
5. No plant stalks may be damaged during the process. (Real circles do not interrupt the life-process of the plants; In such formations, the plants eventfully spring back up entirely undamaged.)
6. Bend the stalks, never break them.
7. Create the formation in under 20 minutes. (Probably circles are formed instantaneously, but the only observed time lapse has been by a pilot and photographer flying over an a field without a circle only to see one twenty minutes later on a return flight path).
8. Witness unnumbered black helicopters coming to check things out.
9. Create the phenomenon of seeds from inside a formation growing in a peculiar manner as compared to control seed samples.
Do all of this, and the firefox logo would indeed be special.
-FL
Re:Oblig. M. Night Shyamlam (Score:2)
Re:This is just way cool.... (Score:5, Funny)
At the moment; viewed 98 times
Close up of tape measure; 73 times
Out of focus closeup of oats; 68 times
Geek guy; 47 times
Well, there you have it guys, you're less interesting than an out of focus picture of oats.
KFG
Re:This is just way cool.... (Score:2, Interesting)
I'm at pennyhero.net now. my blogspot one is going bye bye.
Re:Error in title (Score:2)
Swing Away, Merrill.
Re:I've been in tighter packed corn fields.... (Score:2)
Why would a rancher know about corn field? wouldn't that be a farmers job?
Re:I've been in tighter packed corn fields.... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:I've been in tighter packed corn fields.... (Score:3, Insightful)
Ahh...I get it! I guess that is one of the reasons you're a FORMER rancher.