Project "Butthead Astronomer"
Many computer firms code-name their products, particularly during development to protect secrecy.
SGI (Silicon Graphics), for example, used beer names, and would donate free beer to employee functions
for the duration of the product's development cycle. In the early 1980s, Apple computer started naming
its computers after people, beginning with Steve Jobs naming the predecessor to the Macintosh after
his daughter, Lisa. During development of the Power Macintosh 7100, they chose the internal code name
"Sagan", in deference to astronomer Carl Sagan. Much to Apple's surprise, Sagan threatened a lawsuit
of - $billions and $billions...(he must have been PC user). Shocked and angry at the lack of gratitude,
the code name was renamed "Butthead Astronomer." Carl followed on with a libel lawsuit, claiming that the "butthead
astronomer" moniker is defamatory and subjects him to "hatred, contempt, ridicule, and obloquy." Carl
has since assumed cosmos temperature.
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