Tue, Oct 05, 2004
...And The Nation's Highest Office.
X-Prize Staff were astounded and delighted by two unexpected
events. The first: Google, the popular search service, featured
SpaceShipOne on their website's sole graphic. Google often uses the
graphic to make a gentle commentary on current events. The graphic
is named xprize.gif and if you mouse over it on the google.com
website, it displays the alt-text message "Congratulations
SpaceShipOne."
X-Prize staffers quickly spread the word that Google had
displayed the graphic, and they raced to computers to see for
themselves -- and many of them, to download the prized but
ephemeral graphic.
"No WAY!" one young staffer shouted in astonished
excitement.
"Way," another replied. Then they wanted to save the file.
(Aero-News advice: On a PC, right click and select "save
as..." to save the image. On a Mac, option-click and choose "save
image..." and if you are running Linux you don't need any
advice)
But the congratulations didn't end there. A grateful and
happy Dr. Peter Diamandis received a telephone call from another
flying machine entirely -- Air Force One. President Bush called to
congratulate Diamandis on the successful conclusion of the
X-Prize competition.
(It seems redundant to add Aero-News's congratulations to
such august company, but we'll do so anyway: Congratulations to Dr.
Diamandis and his X-Prize team for a well-run, inspirational
competition, and congratulations to Burt Rutan and his team. As we
like to say when things are especially cool around here -- we're
all a-giggle. --ed.)
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