Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Colbert Sues and Xenu's Smoking

NASA certainly has it's hands full with the results of it's name that node contest held this past month. What started off a simple multiple choice question, turned into an internet popularity turf war. First, Anonymous, the internet h8 machine, jumps in with a suggested name Xenu (Scientology's galactic warlord) . Stephen Colbert hearing of this, rallies his troops (Colbert Nation), and the turf war is on. Later entries into the popularity contest were, MyYearBook , Gaia, Socialvibe, Buddy and Ubuntu. In the end, Colbert ended up winning the popularity contest, but NASA's original No.3 choice, Serenity, came in with 70% of the vote. Now Colbert Nation is all up in arms because NASA is ignoring the popular win and issued the following statement:
Agency spokesman John Yembrick said NASA will decide in April, but will give top vote-getters "the most consideration."
Well, short attention spanned cyber citizens are not known to bother with fine print:
No.4: NASA will take into consideration the results of the voting. However, the results are not binding on NASA and NASA reserves the right to ultimately select a name in accordance with the best interests of the agency, its needs, and other considerations. Such name may not necessarily be one which is on the list of voted-on candidate names. NASA’s decision shall be deemed final.

NASA seems to have opened a can of worms with this simple contest. Now it might have to deal with a LOLsuit from Colbert Nation, and Xenu, none to happy about being bumped from the top of the heap, has been sending plumes into the atmosphere from his volcanic prison at the base of Mount Redoubt, Alaska.

Of course NASA, with their over abundant stockpile of rocket scientists could solve both conundrums quite easily. Offer Colbert's lawyers a free ride in a shuttle with a loose hatch and send Tom Cruise camping in Alaska, since he's still clearing the planet for Scientology, and I'm assuming that includes the atmosphere.
And all this for a module that's nothing more than a glorified space toilet.

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