Virgle

I just heard about this new venture between Google and Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group. They have joined forces to form Virgle. The name alone was enough for me to investigate further into this new adventure.

Apparently, Virgle is the first human settlement on the planet on Mars. Those settlers, Virgle Pioneers, will locate new life on Mars, try to repopulate and see cool things along the way.

Branson, a world traveler and adventure, and Google founders invite everyone to apply. The first step in the application process is take a quiz to see if you're Pioneer material. I took the quiz and this was the response I received:

"Okay, let's just get this over with quickly, like ripping off a medical adhesive: you did not do well on this test. You are not, by all available evidence, well suited to be a Virgle Pioneer, or any sort space explorer, really, or for that matter, any profession which requires leaving behind your creature comforts, your nice warm bed, your lovely wardrobe, your gourmet meals, your high-end home theater, your friends and family -- oh man, what have we gotten ourselves into here? We're kind of freaking out ourselves, actually. Help! We changed our minds! We don't want to go! [Clicks heels.] There's no place like home! There's no place like home! There's no place like -- [ Long silence. ] Hello. Still there? We're sorry about that unpleasantness with our previous reviewer. We can assure you, you tested just fine and would make a fine Pioneer."

The second step in the process is to submit a 30-second You Tube video as to why you would make a wonderful Pioneer.

So being the PR professional that I am, I do a little research and go through the press releases, fact sheets and FAQs. Come to find out...this is all an April Fool's joke. I actually believed this for a split second! Well kudos to Google and Virgin for pulling this one off. I'm sure there were tons of Star Trek geeks ready go where no man has gone before!