Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Firefox Crop Circles Prove Intelligent Alien Life

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the that's-the-way-we-like-it dept.

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.

16 of 239 comments (clear)

  1. auto generated crop circle... by aapold · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Not implying that this is, but... how hard would it be to make a web gadget that would auto-generate an image of a crop circle based on a simple 2-color bitmap.... (image only, don't want something that hacks into automated tractors)...

    --
    "Waste not one watt!" - CZ
    1. Re:auto generated crop circle... by Tx · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Check this worth1000 contest, a few entries are oustanding. Mid-to-high level Photoshoppery, but not outstandingly hard stuff.

      --
      Oh no... it's the future.
  2. Permission by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    While it may be fun and games, doing this without permission causes great losses to farm land. It can cost on the order of tens of thousands of dollars in damage when people go out in hopes of creating one of these hoaxes.

    Glad they got permission for this one.

  3. Re:Bonus geek points for not using GPS by Zentac · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I read a peace about some crop cicles in Germany that seemed pretty much the same size as this one and the damages where about EUR500, I'm not sure what a field dos but I can imagine its less than a percent of the total harvest.

  4. Just what Firefox needs by ZachPruckowski · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This makes the local news (and maybe gets picked up somewhere), and a few pissed off IE6 users might hear "Firefox, firefox, firefox" a few more times. And that might be all it takes for a few hundred more converts.

  5. So much fun! by pennyher0 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This was probably the most fun I ever had in my life. And now it's on slashdot! It can't get any better!

    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].

    1. Re:So much fun! by ptbarnett · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Is that a Super Decathalon that I see?

      It's a Super Cub. See this picture:

      http://lug.oregonstate.edu/gallery/firefox-crop-ci rcle/dscn1024

      Someone else brought a Robinson R22, too:

      http://lug.oregonstate.edu/gallery/firefox-crop-ci rcle/mg_5513

  6. Google Satellite Image by oskard · · Score: 3, Interesting

    "Maybe the google earth cameras picked it up! "

    Hope they will soon!

    The location of the crop circle is somewhere in the vicinity of here

    --
    Sigs are for Terrorists.
  7. Re:The crops are valueless. by pavon · · Score: 1, Interesting
    Oh and in the process, devastating the economies and agricultural markets of third world countries causing widespread famine and poverty.
    That is bull. We may not be supporting third-world economies as much as we could by buying thier crops exclusively rather than a mix of domestic and imported agriculture, but that does not equate to devistating them. Furthermore, all the major recent famines have been due to lack of rain or corrupt local governments - not the first-world countries.
  8. Re:trigger happy photographer by Ponga · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I agree with you generally, but this is not always a bad thing. It's only bad when EVERY SINGLE PHOTO taken gets posted or printed or whatever. Photographers nowadays need to become editors/critics as well, weed out the wheat from the chaff. So what if you take 1000 photos? Just be sure to only post the 100 best and discard the rest! (which this guy obviously did not do.)
    --Ponga

  9. Re:This is just way cool.... by pennyher0 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Actually, that's my OLD BLOG. Don't GO THERE.

    I'm at pennyhero.net now. my blogspot one is going bye bye.

  10. Re:The crops are valueless. by triffid_98 · · Score: 2, Interesting
    I believe the issue is that if it's cheaper to buy corn from overseas than to produce it locally in your african desert region of choice, then there is no money to buy things that cannot be produced by the farmer and are needed for farming (e.g. fertilizer, seed, tools), therefore you have yet another african family of 12 to stare at in the latest Sally Struthers 'save the children' infomercial.

    Of course, since no one is forcing said country to buy corn from overseas at the expense of their own people you can just as easily place the blame there.

    thats right, because if they could grow corn and sell it they could feed themselves... wait. Why don't they sell/barter it locally? They do not need to enter the American market.
  11. Re:What a waste... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Huh? How would this "destroy the environment" any more than actually harvesting the damned oats? Not to mention the plowing and planting of the field to begin with. And if you're against any of that, good luck finding some wild berries to snack on, because nothing you pick up at the local Safeway or buy from Taco Bell has impacted the environment any less. Damned hippies.

  12. I wouldn't say valueless... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    That great big overhead shot finally gave me something to change my wallpaper to! Sorry Elisha Cuthbert.. you will be missed.

  13. Re:The crops are valueless. by triffid_98 · · Score: 2, Interesting
    I don't recall mentioning subsidies, merely buying the local farmers product at whatever 'market price' equates to. As for IMF restucturing, I'm unaware of any such requirement (on imported produce). Can you provide an example?

    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.
  14. Re:The crops are valueless. by FSWKU · · Score: 2, Interesting

    *sigh*...Slashdot: From Tech Article to Political Wanking in 3 posts...

    --
    "So after all this, you make my case for me. To end this stalemate, you must die..."