Google, Goats and Grass ...

Image via Wikipedia

I'm very amused by the recent announcement by Google that they are employing goats instead of lawnmowers to "cut" the grass at the Googleplex. Or rather its not that announcement but the stream of comments about it on TechCrunch and - no doubt - on other sites (Goats-R-Us? Rentagoat?). Some of my favorite comments below. But its worth remembering that people have done this for thousands of years - and in many other places in the Valley already. Its not new but the reactions are always fun! Go goat, save the world!

Amy Cook, an Assistant Manager of Marketing for PETA:

"PETA has no problem with letting goats do what goats want to do (e.g., look cute and eat weeds), but we do have concerns about how the goats may be transported, whether they are provided with access to shelter during storms and shade as well as water during hot weather, where they are housed when they aren’t “working,” what kind of veterinary care they receive, and what becomes of old and/or excess goats. PETA has found over and over that whenever animals are used by a business to make money, corners are cut and animals often suffer as a result. And that really gets our goat, if you’ll pardon the pun."

Of course, no one worries about the medical care of the workers that previously did the job, their shelter and care, etc. (my quote, not PETA's).

From "Sammy":

"google herds; another beta project? expect a google herds farm for this project it is will be open source."

From "MoneyBoss":

"I thought that perhaps as a cost-cutting measure, Googlers were going to be forced to eat the grass themselves for lunch. Organic *and* cost-efficient."

From "WTL":

"It could be argued that the methane produced by goat belching and farting may indeed be more harmful to the environment than the exhaust components of gas-fueled lawnmowers. Methane is in fact a much more potent greenhouse gas than co. The true environmental play here would have been to hire any local homeless (aka: engineers) for a small sum to push rotary mowers across the property. NO emissions, lower cost and contributing to employment (albeit on a tiny scale). Don’t be evil."

From "Corey":

"Last I checked, even unemployed engineers fart, thus releasing methane. And they do that whether you hire them to push a hand mower or not."

From "PSSTabbing":

"After they do their jobs, can the goats be served as lunch?"

From "Adisa":

"They should cook and eat the under performing ones. Roasted over camp fire one, i’d say."

From "Mr Dave":

"I like that idea - the ultimate penalty for underperformance."