google, goats, and the government
May 10, 2009 8:48 PM Subscribe
Google rents a heard of goats to mow their lawn. Peta objects. A follow-up, with pictures and video.
In other news, the US Government uses goats in their secret mind control experiments. Soon to be a major motion picture starring George Clooney.
In other news, the US Government uses goats in their secret mind control experiments. Soon to be a major motion picture starring George Clooney.
This post was deleted for the following reason: At posters request -- mathowie
If I had Google-size money, I'd hire PETA supermodels to crawl around, chewing up my front lawn.
But then again, I'm kind of a bad person that way.
posted by rokusan at 8:54 PM on May 10, 2009 [11 favorites]
But then again, I'm kind of a bad person that way.
posted by rokusan at 8:54 PM on May 10, 2009 [11 favorites]
Haven't sheep and goats been mowing lawns for centuries? Why does techcrunch think this is such a wacky idea?
posted by octothorpe at 8:56 PM on May 10, 2009
posted by octothorpe at 8:56 PM on May 10, 2009
The same company had some of their goats out taking care of business last year on some county land along a local road, and it was fun to watch them do their thing (in this case, clearing vegetation that would otherwise be difficult to remove because of the terrain and that would be a fire hazard if left alone).
We had to take the long way everywhere for a few weeks so we could get our goat fix. Goats are pretty adorable, even with those creepy eyeballs of theirs.
posted by padraigin at 9:01 PM on May 10, 2009 [1 favorite]
We had to take the long way everywhere for a few weeks so we could get our goat fix. Goats are pretty adorable, even with those creepy eyeballs of theirs.
posted by padraigin at 9:01 PM on May 10, 2009 [1 favorite]
OFFSSTFUPETA.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:02 PM on May 10, 2009
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:02 PM on May 10, 2009
Meh.
posted by Joe in Australia at 9:03 PM on May 10, 2009
posted by Joe in Australia at 9:03 PM on May 10, 2009
PETA's right. Driving goats around uses gasoline. It would have been more fuel efficient to just eat the goats in the Google cafeteria after they were done with the lawn.
posted by eye of newt at 9:05 PM on May 10, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by eye of newt at 9:05 PM on May 10, 2009 [1 favorite]
Each goat consumes as much electricity as boiling a kettle!
posted by Artw at 9:05 PM on May 10, 2009
posted by Artw at 9:05 PM on May 10, 2009
To describe PETA as 'objecting' seems to be stretching the point, quite a lot. A PETA spokesperson mentioned some possible concerns, they didn't send volunteers to Google to throw red paint at the lawns.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:05 PM on May 10, 2009
posted by jacquilynne at 9:05 PM on May 10, 2009
> a major motion picture starring George Clooney.
IMDB suggests they're turning this little bit o' history into a genuine story, with, um, characters, a plot, etc. Nifty.
posted by darth_tedious at 9:10 PM on May 10, 2009
IMDB suggests they're turning this little bit o' history into a genuine story, with, um, characters, a plot, etc. Nifty.
posted by darth_tedious at 9:10 PM on May 10, 2009
And while we're still at it, why hasn't Clooney stepped in and solved the financial meltdown and healthcare crisis?
He's working on it.
posted by Tenuki at 9:11 PM on May 10, 2009
He's working on it.
posted by Tenuki at 9:11 PM on May 10, 2009
Yeah, I've heard working conditions at Google aren't so great. Give it three months or so, we'll start seeing disgruntled goats posting about their experiences in the goat forums and goatblogs.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 9:14 PM on May 10, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 9:14 PM on May 10, 2009 [3 favorites]
To describe PETA as 'objecting' seems to be stretching the point, quite a lot. A PETA spokesperson mentioned some possible concerns, they didn't send volunteers to Google to throw red paint at the lawns.
One has to wonder if they voiced their, extremly light, concerns independantly of some journalist prodding them and hoping for an asshat response on the grounds that PETA are usually good for a laugh.
posted by Artw at 9:16 PM on May 10, 2009 [1 favorite]
One has to wonder if they voiced their, extremly light, concerns independantly of some journalist prodding them and hoping for an asshat response on the grounds that PETA are usually good for a laugh.
posted by Artw at 9:16 PM on May 10, 2009 [1 favorite]
I'm a vegan animal right's activist. I'll be the first to admit that PETA makes an ass out of themselves quite a lot, but I'm going to have to agree with jacquilynne. They brought up very valid concerns. Why Google and not any other company these goats are used at?
Well, publicity most likely. Still, the concerns are very valid ones that should be addressed.
posted by Malice at 9:17 PM on May 10, 2009
Well, publicity most likely. Still, the concerns are very valid ones that should be addressed.
posted by Malice at 9:17 PM on May 10, 2009
Boulder, CO has been using goats for mowing for quite awhile along its paths. It seems to work great and the goats look happy.
posted by fieldtrip at 9:18 PM on May 10, 2009
posted by fieldtrip at 9:18 PM on May 10, 2009
> What is it about Clooney that he is able to assemble these Who's Who list casts for projects?
Just think of him as the thin edge of the liberator wedge.(Possibly NSFW ads)
posted by Decimask at 9:22 PM on May 10, 2009
Just think of him as the thin edge of the liberator wedge.(Possibly NSFW ads)
posted by Decimask at 9:22 PM on May 10, 2009
You sometimes see sheep or goats in random places around San Jose eating grass. I didn't know why until this.
posted by jewzilla at 9:26 PM on May 10, 2009
posted by jewzilla at 9:26 PM on May 10, 2009
This, plus another recent example (can't remember exactly where) of much less strident commentary from PETA lead me to think that the organization is perhaps beginning to see the value in more agreeable publicity. Lighter messages, more of a sense of humor. In short, I think they're getting smarter. Catch more flies with honey, and all that...
(although I understand that catching flies is perhaps also unethical...)
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:30 PM on May 10, 2009
(although I understand that catching flies is perhaps also unethical...)
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:30 PM on May 10, 2009
Yeah, the PETA complaints are actually quite reasonable, which is a shock given their usual inanity.
The city of Seattle uses goats for weed control -- and apparently they love to munch on blackberry bramble.
posted by dw at 9:32 PM on May 10, 2009
The city of Seattle uses goats for weed control -- and apparently they love to munch on blackberry bramble.
posted by dw at 9:32 PM on May 10, 2009
Haven't sheep and goats been mowing lawns for centuries? Why does techcrunch think this is such a wacky idea?
Chalk me up as another one who came in here expecting your usual LOLPETA lunacy, and instead find myself scratching my head at TechCrunch.
I have to assume you can't write gadget blurbs and breaking news on Twitter's service-related downtime unless you've already embraced the ageless wisdom of certain assumptions of the industrial order - stuff like seeding green spaces in California with Appalachian grass seed and then dosing it with petrochemical poisons so intense nothing actually native to that area can grow and then hacking it down to putting-green uniformity with a small smog-belching tractor - so fully your brain would actually kind of snap if you opened it up for a millisecond to the notion that human technology is not actually intrinsically superior to nature's messy ways.
On the other hand, there's this . . .
Not only that, these goats will fertilize the land at the same time — yes, that way.
. . . which suggests a general level of discomfort with icky outdoorsy things-excreting-fluids nature that perhaps explains their gearhead's dismissive snort of incredulity at the whole endeavour.
posted by gompa at 9:47 PM on May 10, 2009
Chalk me up as another one who came in here expecting your usual LOLPETA lunacy, and instead find myself scratching my head at TechCrunch.
I have to assume you can't write gadget blurbs and breaking news on Twitter's service-related downtime unless you've already embraced the ageless wisdom of certain assumptions of the industrial order - stuff like seeding green spaces in California with Appalachian grass seed and then dosing it with petrochemical poisons so intense nothing actually native to that area can grow and then hacking it down to putting-green uniformity with a small smog-belching tractor - so fully your brain would actually kind of snap if you opened it up for a millisecond to the notion that human technology is not actually intrinsically superior to nature's messy ways.
On the other hand, there's this . . .
Not only that, these goats will fertilize the land at the same time — yes, that way.
. . . which suggests a general level of discomfort with icky outdoorsy things-excreting-fluids nature that perhaps explains their gearhead's dismissive snort of incredulity at the whole endeavour.
posted by gompa at 9:47 PM on May 10, 2009
I love goats, especially baby goats. One of my dreams is to someday own a goat or two. Probably two, so they wouldn't get lonely. (Do goats get lonely?)
Of course, I know nothing about goats, and it may never be feasible for me to buy a house where I'd be allowed to keep goats.... But all the same...
Goats!
posted by Ms. Saint at 9:48 PM on May 10, 2009 [3 favorites]
Of course, I know nothing about goats, and it may never be feasible for me to buy a house where I'd be allowed to keep goats.... But all the same...
Goats!
posted by Ms. Saint at 9:48 PM on May 10, 2009 [3 favorites]
scratching my head at TechCrunch
Yeah, you wonder who they think they're kidding.
so ashamed
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 9:53 PM on May 10, 2009
Yeah, you wonder who they think they're kidding.
so ashamed
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 9:53 PM on May 10, 2009
Oh sure, object to a few goats. But how come PETA doesn't say anything about the huge clusters of pigeons needed to implement Google's PigeonRank™ algorithm.
posted by twoleftfeet at 9:54 PM on May 10, 2009
posted by twoleftfeet at 9:54 PM on May 10, 2009
...how come PETA doesn't say anything about the huge clusters of pigeons needed to implement Google's PigeonRank™ algorithm.
Hey, even PETA knows pigeons are just rats with wings.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:56 PM on May 10, 2009
Hey, even PETA knows pigeons are just rats with wings.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:56 PM on May 10, 2009
What is it about Clooney that he is able to assemble these Who's Who list casts for projects?
I've always assumed it's a combination of charm and subtle bullying. As an actor, he can bypass the agents of other actors and bring pressure to bear on them directly. So for example he rings up Julia Roberts on her personal cellphone and talks her into acting in his latest movie at a fraction of her usual rate, whereas a regular producer would be laughed out of her agent's office.
posted by Ritchie at 10:09 PM on May 10, 2009
I've always assumed it's a combination of charm and subtle bullying. As an actor, he can bypass the agents of other actors and bring pressure to bear on them directly. So for example he rings up Julia Roberts on her personal cellphone and talks her into acting in his latest movie at a fraction of her usual rate, whereas a regular producer would be laughed out of her agent's office.
posted by Ritchie at 10:09 PM on May 10, 2009
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posted by you just lost the game at 8:53 PM on May 10, 2009