Remember that wacky scheme to shoot a bunch of Macs out into space, link them up into a global satellite network, and communicate with them via a wireless networking architecture best described as AirPort on steroids? Well, according to a Business Week article kindly pointed out by faithful viewer Jerry O'Neil, the plan is still a go. When we last addressed the plan, we noted that, while the computers would definitely be Macs with 500 MHz G4 processors, the exact type of Mac hadn't been specified. At that point we piped up with our suggestion that SkyCorp, the company fronting this venture, use Cubes, since they're much smaller than standard Power Macs-- not to mention the fact that they look like they came from outer space in the first place.

That suggestion prompted a surprising number of faithful viewers to write in insisting that the Cube was the wrong Mac for the job, because it lacks a fan. As any Mr. Science aficionado will tell you, the Cube's convection cooling relies on gravity to function: warm air rises through the top and pulls cool air through the bottom. Without Our Friend Gravity lending a helping hand, a standard Cube would burn out quickly, as warm air would collect around the G4 processor and keep heating until the chip overran its operational temperature parameters. Of course, that assumes that the theoretical spacebound Cube is operating in an air-filled environment in the first place... and we don't really want to get into a discussion about Macs and radiant heat in vacuums. ("Teletubbies" is on.)

The argument is moot anyway, since SkyCorp plainly stated that any Macs it planned to shoot into orbit would have to be "modified," so if the Cube needs a fan to work in space without melting, so be it. In any case, the new Business Week article settles the matter for good: SkyCorp's Dennis Wingo is planning on using Cubes for his zany Mac-based satellite network. Woo-hoo!! Cubes in Space! But whether that choice was his or Apple's is anyone's guess; if you recall, Apple agreed to donate the hardware for Wingo's project, which will eventually involve 544 Mac-based satellites in orbit. So if you were wondering what Apple planned to do with all those unsold Cubes, well, now you know...