Logo of web search engine Google seen behind a computer keyboard Google announced a novel way to access the Internet -- via the toilet -- in an April Fool's Day gag on its website Sunday. The Mountain View, California-based technology concern introduced its "Dark Porcelain" project, with Internet access via computer users' household plumbing. The "Toilet Internet Service Provider" (TiSP) project highlighted on Google's webpage is "a self-installed, ad-supported online service that will be offered entirely free to any consumer with a WiFi-capable PC and a toilet connected to a local municipal sewage system." "We've got that whole organizing-the-world's-information thing more or less under control," the website says, quoting Google co-founder and president Larry Page. "What's interesting, though, is how many different modalities there are for actually getting that information to you -- not to mention from you," the mock press release read. The company hailed the breakthrough technology "that takes advantage of preexisting plumbing and sewage systems and their related hydraulic data-transmission capabilities." "There's actually a thriving little underground community that's been studying this exact solution for a long time," said Page. "And today our Toilet ISP team is pleased to be leading the way through the sewers, up out of your toilet and -- splat -- right onto your PC." 點擊查看更多雙語新聞 (AFP)

上周日，Google 在其網站上發布了一條愚人節惡搞新聞，自稱開發了一種能通過廁所上網的最新上網方式。 據地處加利福尼亞州山景城的Google公司介紹，這個名為“黑陶瓷”的項目主要是通過計算機用戶家里的管道上網。 Google公司在其網站上宣傳的這一“廁所互聯網服務”是“一項可自行安裝、支持廣告、完全免費的在線服務；用戶的計算機只要能無線上網，家中的廁所只要與當地的下水道系統相通即可連通。” Google在這條新聞中還援引公司的創建人之一兼總裁拉里·佩奇說：“目前這一‘可連通世界’的項目已基本在我們的掌控之中。” 這則惡搞新聞稱，“有意思的是，接受一條信息的模式就有很多種，更不用說發布信息。” Google公司大贊這項具有突破性的技術“充分利用了現有的管道和下水道系統以及相關的液壓數據傳輸能力。” 佩奇說：“實際上，一個蓬勃發展的小型地下組織對此已經研究很久了。” “如今，我們的廁所ISP團隊對于能領先于這一領域感到很高興，實現了個人電腦與廁所中下水道的連接。” （英語點津姍姍編輯）