This one got no response. It's Jake's suggestion on how to move along the X-prize marketing effort.
Send me a thousand zaps with magnetic backing (seehttp://www.zazzle.com/zap+stickers for examples), a case of grapefruit, and a handle of vodka to start and I'll take care of the SoMD promotion effort. This thing needs to be as wild as the idea. 100 mpg!? What are you freak'n nuts? Nobody makes a car like that.... X Prize, X Games--as loud as you can crank the volume with person-to-person contact.I do most of my building in a recreational garage on a Navy base that was set up so servicemen can work on their cars and save cash no matter where they're stationed without lugging around tons of gear. Right now there are two engines sitting in a locked cage, one awaiting installation in the Insight 1G. Every time I pull the engines out people want to know what I'm doing with two odd-ball 3 cylinder engines.
Background:
Any aviation squardon that's worth a damn has zaps on hand in order to spread the squadron name like a virus around the world. People leave them in all kinds of places: bars, restauraunts, rival aircraft, houses of ill repute.... If we get enough people sticking these things in random places around the planet your global outreach will be taken care of post haste. What's required is geometric propagation with near zero distribution charge. This would be one way of going about it. Just make sure the design is cool so people don't instantly throw away their new favorite refrigerator magnet.
Practice:
X Prize rep (team members, volunteers, merry pranksters) places zapper on random vehicle. Initially the victim sees it and gets all spooled up about some rotten kid putting stickers on THEIR car. On closer inspection they find THE STICKER is A MAGNET. And look at that, it's got a cool logo on it with a web site. Now they think they'll take the magnet home and show the kids who want to look the web site up because the logo is cool. And then the thing goes on the refrigerator where others cycling through the house see the logo and wonder where the zap came from and what the X Prize is all about. Viral.... But it's got to be cool. Bethann is supposed to know something about cool.
I wouldn't wait on a pool of teams. You have teams to follow right now. The thing to worry about is not letting the contest get stale. What we don't need are a bunch of people running around with pocket protectors describing the complex scientific theory behind their vehicles--at least not for the general public. Nor do we need a gaggle of EPA stuffed shirts boring the populace to tears about NOx levels as a direct result of lean combustion. We need a narrative that grabs hold and doesn't let go. I'd say something along the lines of David vs. Goliath with some serious underdog overtones would do the trick. If you haven't seen The World's Fastest Indian you ought to. It's a direction this thing should head in.
Best wishes,
Jake
