The Geostationary Banana Over Texas, that's what! Longtime readers will recall that we love the GBOT here at Cosmic Variance. What is not to love? Just the existence of the very concept holds out promise for a brighter future. Truly, it's projects like this that define what it means to be human. (After all, actual bananas may soon go extinct, leaving us with only their giant inflatable brethren to remember them by.)
Now, however, Backreaction points to terrible news: the GBOT is facing a funding crisis! Artist/visionary Cesar Saez has received about $100,000 from the Canadian government, and needs to raise another $1.5 million to make his dream a reality. So far, efforts have fallen short; only $12,018 has been collected. Hey, it's a start! Now, some will say that the GBOT isn't really a realistic project; that it's more an excuse to have a cool website, generate a bit of buzz, and play with some drafting software than an honest attempt to float a banana over the Lone Star State.
Some will say that the flight plan looks more like a scribble in Microsoft Paint than a NASA-approved model of the GBOT's trajectory.
We say, true art doesn't listen to people like that! True art thinks those people are wankers.
Some day the GBOT will fly -- if only in our hearts.
