Ashish Patel

Google Romance? This better not be a April fools joke! I was doing some searching on google.com and found this:

New! Dating is a search problem. Solve it with Google Romance.

Being the curious george that I am, I click the link and get this:

When you think about it, love is just another search problem. And we’ve thought about it. A lot. Google Romance™ is our solution.

Google Romance is a place where you can post all types of romantic information and, using our Soulmate Search™, get back search results that could, in theory, include the love of your life. Then we’ll send you both on a Contextual Date^TM, which we’ll pay for while delivering to you relevant ads that we and our advertising partners think will help produce the dating results you’re looking for.

Ok so this does sound like a serious push from Google to connect people… I open the press release. Already looking at the date of the release I get skeptical, but I read on. My favourite parts are in bold, this is where I crack up laughing - because its so true! You do have to admit its a clever idea!

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., April 1, 2006 - Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) today announced the launch of Google Romance™, a new product that offers users both a psychographic matchmaking service and all-expenses-paid dates for couples who agree to experience contextually relevant advertising throughout the course of their evening.

“Our mission, as you might have heard, is to organize the world’s information,” said Jonathan Rosenberg, Google’s senior vice president, product management. “And let’s face it: in what area of life is the world’s information more disorganized than romance? We thought we could use our search technology to help you find that special someone, then send you on a date and use contextual ads to help you, ya know - close the deal.”

Google Romance users who find one another via Soulmate Search™ may then select the Contextual Dating option, which offers an all-expenses-paid romantic evening in exchange for viewing contextually relevant advertising throughout the course of the users’ date (learn more). “Our internal projections say Contextual Dating is going to be unbelievably huge, just a total cash cow,” said Google CEO Eric Schmidt in prepared remarks placed into the notes section of an executive PowerPoint presentation and intended solely for internal use but promptly leaked onto the web and then roundly mocked on Digg and Slashdot. The product, a beta release currently residing on Google Labs, can be experimented with at www.google.com/romance/.

On a wonderful Saturday morning, here I am checking my email. I get the weekly newsletter from WestJet, a very popular airline in Canada, that describes a new program they are launching. Over the past 10 years, WestJet has been killing the airline competition in Canada - so its one of those companies you really give some attention to when they launch a new program.

So here it is, their new program on “Realizing Fuel Efficiencies”:

CALGARY, Alberta. April 1, 2006. WestJet announced today that it will be launching a new program where guests can assist the airline in realizing fuel efficiencies.

“Our Blended Winglet Technology has allowed us to reap the benefits of improved fuel efficiency,” said Richard Bartrem, WestJet’s Director Brand and Communications. “Knowing this, we commissioned a number of studies to determine how this principle could be applied inside the aircraft with our guests. The results were conclusively positive; the combination of specific hand and arm positions of our guests has a direct impact on our fuel efficiency.”

“Beginning today, we ask that every guest aboard a WestJet aircraft assume the in flight winglet position upon takeoff,” says Bartrem. “This involves straightening the arms at a ninety-degree angle to the side of the body, holding the fingers together, and positioning the hand at a ninety-degree angle upward. For more information, visit westjet.com and click on the ‘Blended Winglets’ banner.”

The airline is confident the increased roominess of their Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft will ensure all guests are able to fully participate in this cost-saving measure.

BLENDED WINGLET TECHNOLOGY! Are you kidding me? I could picture all the kids having fun doing this on the plane, but the seniors? Thats gold! Then I looked at my calendar and realized its April 1st!

If you check out the WestJet Corporate Website you’ll see this under the press release:

No, WestJet is not requesting that our guests assume “specific hand and arm positions” that mimic our Blended Winglet Technology in order to save money on fuel. However, we are saving you money – that’s no joke! Check out our seat sale for great low fares.