Another Toy for the Google Twins

What does every billionaire need when the stock market's tanking and his company's worth half what it was a year ago? Why, a new fighter jet, of course. The New York Times tech blog reports that H211 LLC, the company that operates the fleet of planes owned by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, has registered a new plane at Moffett Field. To be precise, the company has registered a Dornier Alpha light attack jet aircraft. Google and NASA representatives told the Times that the jet will be fitted with equipment to monitor the re-entry of the European Space Agency's Jules Verne automated transfer vehicle. That's all well and good, but you know what else the Dornier can do? It can hit 50,000 feet at 621 miles per hour, and its payload includes a Mauser BK-27 cannon, a nest of Sidewinder and Maverick missiles, and 5,500 pounds worth of anti-armor and anti-personnel cluster bombs. So if you've got any snarky things to say about the new G1 phone, keep 'em to yourself. You'll live longer.