Saturday, March 27, 2010

Oh, Go Jump In the Lake...

... and the mayor of Duluth does just that:



Why did he DO that?  Lake Superior is frickin' cold!  Well, because of this, in part:
What's more entertaining than the sight of civic leaders fawning all over Google for a little high-speed action? In recent weeks, cities across the U.S. have staged some fairly bizarre antics to convince Google to build its proposed 1-gigabit fiber-optic network in their area. The search giant will make its decision by the end of 2010.


Naturally, when the competition is this fierce -- at least 600 communities are vying for the fiber network -- you've got to stand out. And acting a little kooky is one way to show Google you care, even if you come across as, well, a little desperate. Here are five particularly nutty publicity stunts:

Duluth

Nothing says "we care" quite like hypothermia. Perhaps that's what Don Ness, mayor of Duluth, Minnesota, was thinking when he jumped into icy Lake Superior in February. Question: Will Ness' plunge sway Google's execs to choose Duluth? Or will they simply ponder the George Costanza-like effects of 35-degree water on male shrinkage?
Heh.  There are more Stupid Civic Tricks at the "because of this" link.  And one cool video in addition to the above, as well.

1 comment:

Just be polite... that's all I ask.