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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.

28 of 239 comments (clear)

  1. Bonus geek points for not using GPS by XorNand · · Score: 5, Funny

    Bonus geek points for using an HP graphing calculator and string instead of GPS. Though I'm not quite sure why the farmers would give permission for parts of their crop to be destroyed (even if he/she's an OSS advocate).

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    Entrepreneur : (noun), French for "unemployed"
    1. Re:Bonus geek points for not using GPS by Rakshasa+Taisab · · Score: 4, Funny

      Probably something about getting the kids out of the basement, even for just a couple days.

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      - These characters were randomly selected.
    2. Re:Bonus geek points for not using GPS by vidarh · · Score: 4, Informative

      The article says it was oats, and wikipedia lists a typical yield as 100 bushels an acre, and a quick Google search indicates a per bushel average price for oats around the $1.50 mark, so it seems like it's even lower. Considering the large unfilled parts of the symbol, even if all of the stomped on parts are unsalvageble the real lost revenue would be unlikely to be more than half that.

    3. Re:Bonus geek points for not using GPS by bcat24 · · Score: 4, Funny

      I think a field DOS would run you about 640K.

  2. 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)...

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    "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.

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      Oh no... it's the future.
  3. At least these make sense. by Humming+Frog · · Score: 5, Funny

    It makes sense that geeks would be the ones making crop circles. Aliens surely have better things to do.

  4. Oregonian Entertainment by NoData · · Score: 4, Funny

    I guess that's how you amuse yourself when you live in Idaho's Portugal.

  5. 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.

  6. 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 Ponga · · Score: 5, Funny

      Hey, which one are you in the photos? Also, there was a GIRL present? A REAL one??
      Thanks,
      --Ponga

      P.S. - Nice work!!

    2. Re:So much fun! by pennyher0 · · Score: 5, Funny

      me and gordonel!

      *does the girl geek dance*

  7. Re:Nice to see... by pennyher0 · · Score: 5, Informative

    The farmer DID give permission. It says so right in the write up. She seemed really excited to have us and was sad that her husband was out of the state and might not see it before the circle goes away.

  8. In related news ... by eck011219 · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... one Washington farmer reported a complete loss after IE enthusiasts recreated a blue screen of death across his soybean field.

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    It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
    1. Re:In related news ... by Kelson · · Score: 4, Funny
      one Washington farmer reported a complete loss after IE enthusiasts recreated a blue screen of death across his soybean field.

      Sure, anyone can flood a field with water!

  9. trigger happy photographer by binarybum · · Score: 5, Funny

    man, talk about beating the magic out something - that's a hell of a lot of pictures.

        but I guess sometimes it's just really hard to decide between posting this shot or this one on your website.

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    ôó
  10. The crops are valueless. by Colin+Smith · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "Though I'm not quite sure why the farmers would give permission for parts of their crop to be destroyed (even if he/she's an OSS advocate)."

    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.

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    Deleted
    1. Re:The crops are valueless. by vidarh · · Score: 5, Insightful
      You miss the point. By exporting heavily subsidized food the industrialised countries are not only depriving third world countries of farming revenue from export, but as a result also upsetting their trade balance and making it hard for third world farmers to compete even in their own markets. One of the results is that a lot of third world farming have changed from focusing on foodcrops to crops that are higher income because the industrialised countries aren't subsidising them or aren't growing them, such as coffee, tobacco etc.

      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.

  11. Missing component by Zildy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Isn't the tail in the logo supposed to be on fire?

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    Karma: Excer..ex...excellahhh...realll good (mostly affected by drinking not done in moderation)
  12. OMG! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Look at the size of that thing! It's almost as big as Firefox' memory footprint!

  13. Re:This is just way cool.... by kfg · · Score: 5, Funny

    Great pics, especialy the good looking lil geek babe in pic #77. Bonus!

    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

  14. Raise your hand!... by JustASlashDotGuy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Will all virgins please raise their hands... http://lug.oregonstate.edu/gallery/firefox-crop-ci rcle/img_5374_1

  15. Enthusiastic users by sunny256 · · 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...

  16. Re:WTF Are you talking about you fool? by bellebouche · · Score: 4, Funny

    I suspect an overabundance of sugar in your diet.

  17. August 11th 2006. Corn futures... $2.42 per bushel by Colin+Smith · · Score: 4, Insightful

    http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&si d=aIUBO99o5fTw&refer=home

    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.

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    Deleted
  18. Re:Google Satellite Image by binarybum · · Score: 4, Funny

    Google does not own a network of satellites

        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.

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    ôó
  19. Re:Google Satellite Image by Kelson · · Score: 4, Funny
    and they're not building lasers on the moon either

    I'd always wondered what they needed that moon base for!

  20. the girl geek dance? by commodoresloat · · Score: 4, Funny

    I think most of us here are only familiar with girls dancing when there is a pole involved.