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Tux Has a Nameless Green Martian Relative 89

Posted by Roblimo from the why-stop-with-dominating-just-one-world? dept.
Steve VanDevender writes "The Planetary Society sponsored the Mars Microphone on the Mars Polar Lander, and chose a green penguin as its mascot. They're having a contest to name it. I'd be tempted to name it 'Xut' but that's too easy." Any other suggestions? (Not that "Xut" isn't a great one!)
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Tux Has a Nameless Green Martian Relative More

Tux Has a Nameless Green Martian Relative

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  • Mint (Score:1)

    by drivers ( 45076 )
    I vote Mint.
    Penguin. Mint. Green.
    No?
    Oh well.
  • Did you put too much sugar on your rice crispies again this morning?

    --
  • Definatly not windows...the lander just might crash
  • I'm sorry to dissappoint all you /.ers, but there is really no chance the penguin is gonna be named Xut or tux or anything of that sort. I suppose that you could blame it on some of us "computer people" over here (we put Tux on a few pages... "they" didn't like that too much). He's still on the search page though.. http://planetary.org/search/ [planetary.org] Anyway, I'll keep you guys informed and let you know as soon as the name is chosen
  • Actually, an upside down 2 is a 5.

    .---.
    ....|
    .---.
    |....
    .---.

    vs.

    .---.
    |....
    .---.
    ....|
    .---.

    But that's okay.
    Besides, it's all a joke anyway.
    =:->
  • Anyone notice that segfault no longer allows write-ins or comments? I think this is the best idea they've ever had. Unfortunately, now the retards move over here to discuss nat portman. Sigh.
  • Cucumber!

    How 'cool' would that be?

  • It's really not "Tux", it's just "The Linux Penguin".
  • I would pronounce it "Chut", and claim that the first letter was a chi. I won't tell you the trouble I had with a product called "Xaos".

  • They should definitely name it... (Score:3)

    by kuro5hin ( 8501 ) on Thursday October 28, 1999 @01:56PM (#1579661) Homepage
    Fist of the Firemonkey [slashdot.org]

    ----
    Morning gray ignites a twisted mass of colors shapes and sounds
  • Who knows? I use lynx... :)
  • Shouldn't it be based on the history [woodsoup.org] of tux?

    Think we should call it Soh (Stuffed on Herring)? :)
  • Isn't that lovely, humm?

  • NASA needs a reminder (Score:4)

    by mreece ( 38002 ) <.mreece. .at. .midway.uchicago.edu.> on Thursday October 28, 1999 @02:09PM (#1579665) Homepage
    How about naming him "Metric"? Without a reminder, NASA might just send him crashing into the planet...
  • i second that one. penguins are bastards. i eat them for dinner.
  • So we name it "Skut," the reverse pronunciation of "Tux." It's an anti-homonymn!!!

    Write the two names next to each other and you'll blow your writing utencil to the moon as they mutually-annihilate.

    Heh.

  • Re:Why not Xut? (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I wonder. Does it rhyme with 'suit', or 'slut'?
  • Hey, I'm sure there's a list of penguin names on the Internet someplace.

    I suggest the name of the rocket that sends the probe into orbit be called the "Penguin Pumper."

  • I like Xut! (with the bang) It sounds French.
  • It depends on how You turn it... :)
    If You turn it upside down by rotating it 180
    dergees in '2d' it will still be a 2...
    (like if You turn a piece of paper around)
    If You do it by rotating it in '3d' it'll be a 5...
    (that would have to be something transparent/doublesided)

    :)

    /Daniel
  • and tell the dutch impaired what it means when it gets through.. ;) It's got my vote...

    //rdj

  • Xut? (Score:1)

    by JavaFox ( 98763 )
    How do.. you... pronouce that?
  • Its Tux alright. A rare picture of him after eating some of Linus's cooking.

    "Yes, hello, animal abuse hotline?"

  • Bears a strong resemblance to "The Face" on Mars.
  • How about "The Green Avenger"
  • Is it just me, or do they have a black web page with black writing. A little low contrast, no? Or perhaps its just my browser.

    And do they have a larger version of their logo somewhere? I couldn't even distinguish the little green guy as a penguin.

  • Here's the address (Score:3)

    by blogan ( 84463 ) on Thursday October 28, 1999 @01:29PM (#1579681)
    tps@planetary.org

    You must include the words Name the Penguin Contest in the subject line.

    Perhaps you were too hasty in trying to get a first post to read the page. But, on the page, the link shows up as tps.planetary.org, but it's a link to email tps@planetary.org

  • Makes you wonder... (Score:5)

    by Devout Capitalist ( 94813 ) on Thursday October 28, 1999 @01:27PM (#1579682)
    "We hope you are comfortable. We intercepted your probe bound for your neighboring planet, used it to understand your physiology and even gastronomical preferences. Please pull up a block of ice and share a kippered herring." -- Early dialog, First Contact, 2009
  • Let's see...
    How about Renta?
    Edo?

    All right, I admit it, my ideas AREN'T that twisted. But it's not even 6:00 yet, and I've been off of caffeine for too long.

    Marissa
  • Dick? going along with the "randy pegnguin" theory of Linus'? I always thought that that joke never got taken full advantage of.

    JoeLinux

    You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.
  • Hell, why not Xut? I sent it in. If we /.'ed them with Xut email votes I bet it'd get the win. It'd be fun for Tux to have a distant cousin.


    ---

  • how about.. Gazonk.. in memory of the great alien writer and actor Mesmernopheliopedahhn Wolnekwaarzt Gazonk?

    ---

  • Um.. (Score:3)

    by Kitsune Sushi ( 87987 ) on Thursday October 28, 1999 @01:28PM (#1579687)
    Any other suggestions? (Not that "Xut" isn't a great one!)

    Unfortunately that seems like it would sound a little too much like ``Slut''.. Imagine the confusion that could ensue. =P

  • Actually I imagine it sounding alot more like "zoot" ... which means we could make Holy Grail gags out of it.

    Bad, naughty Xut!

    CT

  • Why can't a supposedly futurist organization like The Planetary Society catch up the the 1990's and accept email submissions?

    "You may submit your entry by email to tps.planetary.org. You must include the words Name
    the Penguin Contest in the subject line."

    Hope that helped...
    -- iCEBaLM

  • The Martian Chronicles. (Score:3)

    by Pyr ( 18277 ) on Thursday October 28, 1999 @01:34PM (#1579690) Homepage
    I say name him Ray.

    In honor of Ray Bradbury.

    Alternatley, they could name him after one of the characters in the book.
  • Hey, did you notice that your first name choice (Renta) was the same (after shifting all the letters left by one position, and wrapping letters that fall off then end -- i guess you could call it an anagram, but that would be too easy) as the first work in all caps in your post?

    RENTA
    ARENT

    pretty nifty, eh? and this post is as random and twisted as the subject might make it out to be :)

    ug, back to work.
  • Zut?
    Exut?
    Iksut?
    With one of those bushmen-type clicks?

    I can just see NASA guys going on nation television and making fools of themselves trying to pronounce "Xut".

    *thinks for a moment*

    All right, that does it. I'm voting for Xut.

    Marissa

  • Ye gods, they should've put Tux through all the astronaut training before launching him. 8)

    Aside from that, one way of producing a name is as follows:

    1. Take a nice, Mars-sounding name.
    2. If it ends with a u, add an x.
    3. If it doesn't end with a u, chop the end off at a convenient consonant, and add a ux.
    4. If it sounds pitiful, or is more than two syllables, try chopping a bit earlier. (The Rule of Artistic License.)

    Example: Barsoom

    Applying rule 3 gets us
    Barsoomux. However, this violates both qualifiers of rule 4--it's pitiful, and more than two syllables. Thus, we chop a bit earlier, and get Barsux.

    Alternatively, one can aim for a two-syllable word ending in ux that has some deeper meaning than the obvious.

    Examples: bigbux, marsux, dumfux

    I'm sure the /. community can think of plenty more.

  • little green bastard?
  • I sent them the following entry:

    His name is BEP, short for "Bug Eyed Penguin".

    BEP is a genial name for our green polar friend, as opposed to the
    insulting traditional moniker "BEM" or "Bug Eyed Monster" of science
    fiction tradition.

    P.S. BEP is also the best name because it is short enough to be shown
    on his space suit and still be readable on the mission patch.


    IV
  • Ok, I really can't think of anything witty right now, but I'm a fan of Warner Brothers and think that this should some how be the Marvin's (the WB Martian) pet. If Marvin invented, Linux what would it be called? Marvix? Marvux? Martux? Or what would Marvin name his pet? Tuxin? or How about "I must destroy the world Tux"? or "World Dominence Tux"?

    Ok I've had very little sleep. Please ignore this ;^)

    and talking about tux, don't forget to check out my sig. And don't click on any of the "you"s that are in the words.
    Steven Rostedt
  • 1st story in Martian Chronicles. This would
    be even more fun to have the NASA guy try to
    pronounce than Xut.

    garyr

  • Some permutations (Score:3)

    by fcw ( 17221 ) on Thursday October 28, 1999 @02:34PM (#1579698)
    vertux (vert == French for green)

    odex (short for odexut, which is tuxedo backwards)

    amber (between red (planet) and green (penguin))

    anorak, khaki, burberry (types of green jacket)

    magenta (what you add to green to get white)

    beryl, emerald, holly, jade, olive, kildare, lincoln (types of green)

    Do we know what the gender of the green penguin is, by the way?

  • I already sent in my vote:

    "Xut, pronounced like 'zoot'."

  • Polaroid (Score:1)

    by rve ( 4436 )
    The little monster is obviously a green penguin, because of the martian connection and the southpole connection, and has nothing in common with tux or linux. I insist that he gets antennae. I baptise him Polaroid
    -----
  • Okay Slashdotters:

    vote for the name Xut (Pronounced Zoot or whatever) [mailto]

    Subject has to be: "Name the Penguin Contest"

    Lets see the power of slashdot work for something this time!

    I can see the bumperstickers now:
    "I voted Xut!" ;-)

  • Dammit, someone else suggested Edo before me, oh, well. It's a good suggestion though.

    We could pay homage to Tux:
    Son of Tux, S.O.T. or Sot
    Tux II
    Tux Junior

    Because it's green and allegedly Martian, we have to make it a little odd, perhaps with uncommon letters:
    Gux (which is a green Tux)
    Zlotnik
    Xjrrzsk

    Name the penguin after well-known people:
    Sunil (which has already been suggested)
    Cire (a large number of people!)
    Esr or Raser

    Push a political message:
    CriminaliseSpamming
    MakeSpammersPayForTheirDamage
    DieSpammerDie
    MakeTheNetUsefulAgain:StopSpamming

    Or we could just name the penguin Rupert.

    --
  • Just name him "Please don't let me die on that awful planet!" Or maybe just "Lucky" if thats too long.
  • Pronounced by someone Dutch, it sounds like:

    Is Kut

    And Kut has already been suggested. For ./ers to lame to find out it's meaning, i can tell you that only females have one.
  • Almost as good as Xut, but with a bit more meaning. After all, (s)he'll get launched... And i guess Saddam will get little votes.

    Also sounds like "is kut" (for Dutch people)

  • Well, our little green penguin friend is small and cute, and he (she?) reminds so many of us of Linux, I humbly suggest:

    Dust Puppy!

    Sorry, couldn't resist. :)

    Deosyne
  • I've always wondered what kind of sounds penguins make. First I thought it would be like
    "grep grep grep sed sed grep"
    (with a mating call of "vi vi vi")
    but no. They go

    "Ack ack ack ack-ack aaack"
  • If in Mexico, it'd be "shut" or "eshut", I believe. "Zoot" certainly sounds better, tho.
  • The Linux Logo Only Green!!
    Okey, maby the double 'l' needs work but still...


    LINUX stands for: Linux Inux Nux Ux X
  • Hey, I hear them's good eating.
  • Gangrene?

    The penguin's whole body i sgreen, so it must have Gangrene.

    Great name huh?

    Ack.
  • I was going to submit Sunil, but that sounds like an Arab penguin. Maybe Sdlavrot though.

  • Pokey: LOOK NUTTY, I HAVE A GREEN SKIN TINT!!!

    Mr. Nutty: SO YOU DO, OLD BOY!!

    Pokey: I AM GOING TO THE MOON!!!!!!

    Mr. Nutty: BUT POKEY, THE MOON IS MADE OF GREEN CHEESE!

    Pokey: I SEE ... THEN I SHALL GO TO MARS AND HARVEST THE KETCHUP FIELDS!!

    Mr. Nutty: I'LL DRINK TO THAT!

    Pokey: YES!

    HOORAY!!!!!!

  • Green penguin for dummies?
    Mars Microphone for dummies?
  • Nothing could be more futurist--they're waiting for Netscape to fix the problems with its HTML parser. :)
  • ... and name it "Nonamee" ("Penguin double-n, report to the front airlock. I repeat..."). Perhaps NN and Tux don't rhyme, but hey, neither did Abbot and Costello :)
  • A penguin is the natural choice. It comes from Antarctica (not next door) where NASA carries out its Mars experiments (it's better, cheaper and faster than the real thing). They're also flightless, so the rarified atmosphere would give them an advantage over any birds that had aerial ambitions.
    But what should it be called? Given that a penguin is defined [irelands-web.ie] as a bird of the genus impennes, I think it should be called Mike.
  • Hate to break your roll, but an upside down 2 is still a 2. An I've never heard of area 21, nor are we on 2.3.21, so...
    then again, we might have been at some point, although would we have been on 2.2.13 then?

    My god this is pointless...
  • Here's what I sent (yes, it's too late here ;)

    --

    Were this a vote, I'd vote for Amber - between red and green, as someone suggested at slashdot.org.

    Babble

    Not just to rhyme with Hubble, terrificly off-topic, but merely since in Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, you put a Babel Fish in your ear in order to understand interplanetary languages, which is your microphone's duty. "Babel" or just "Bab", however, wouldn't sound as neat nor have a secondary pun. It's still short enough to stick in your ear, if you will :)
  • Just in case any of you are wondering where to find more comics like this.. Pokey the Penguin [yellow5.com] :) -Warren
  • I don't think the name is the most important thing for this. It's simply the fact that we have a penguin as the mascot for the mission. And what's the first thing *we* think of when we think of penguins... TUX! So no matter what the penguin's color, it will always be Tux in our hearts. That loveable liberator. From escaping the grip of windoze to the grip of gravity, penguins will be there. Speaking of windoze... how come Microsoft dosen't have a mascot? Maybe because there aren't any good pictures of the antichrist?
  • Sunil? Would that be Linus backwards?

    Maybe Xunil...no, still Arabic sounding...

    How about Gates? I'll bet Billion-dollar Billy's gotta enough $$$ to push it through. :)
  • Maybe we could name it Malda. I don't know why. Small green things tend to lend themselves as much to ridicule as CmdrTaco in the poll options.

    Or why not Beowulf--
    --A reminder of powerful computing
    --A character in Larry Niven's _Crashlander_

    Or, actually, the little guy in the logo is so small and blurry, he (she? it?) sorta looks like a pickle. Why not Picklux? Or Xulkip. Lame. I dunno.

    Were the penguin female, perhaps we could name her Vi. Or Perl.

    Many of you would find reason for naming it JonKatz, because like the majority of his articles:
    -It's a flightless bird
    -It serves no real purpose
    -It's only useful to us when very, very far away

    Does anyone have any idea why they chose a penguin? Any ties to Linux? And does anyone know where one can find a larger logo?

  • How about Jesux? couldn't resist Crash Test Dummy would be the best because most missions to Mars have failed, I believe only 10 out of 30 have succeeded, somebody correct me if I am wrong, but I remember hearing that last month when the last mission failed. I personally liked Elvis.

  • NOT Hemos or Rob (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Lord only will know what will happen if the lil green penguin get's named Hemos or Cmdr Taco. I think they'll let it get to their head, and then we won't be able to shut them up EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!




    The quiet ones truely rule the world

  • Why bother? (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    NASA doesn't actually send stuff to the moon or mars, they just have a really realistic studio... what do you think they do with all those Crays and SGIs they have? Why special effects of course!
  • You forgot Pokey's key line [yellow5.com]:

    Pokey: THIS MOON-CHEESE WILL MAKE ME VERY RICH! VERY RICH INDEED!

    ----
    Morning gray ignites a twisted mass of colors shapes and sounds

  • Conspiracy (Score:5)

    by exalted ( 98985 ) on Thursday October 28, 1999 @01:53PM (#1579736)
    Don't you all see. It's all a conspiracy. 1. Colors Green Martian. Green /. Green is on the upper left quadrant on the Windows Logo. Tux is bluish, blue is on the lower left. What colors remain? Red and Yellow: Communist colors 2. Scheduled Landing Date is 12/3/1999 In dreams, numbers appear upside down. 666 13 51 666 - satan 13 - kernel 2.2.(13) 51 - area 51 Mars, Satan, Aliens, Computers, Area 51 Can it be more obvious that there is some conspiracy going on. Lets name it Sux

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