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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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