not sure if anyone noticed the announcement of the “x-prize cup and personal spaceflight expo” recently (or xpc&pse.) it’s to be an annual event cosponsored by the x prize foundation and the state of new mexico (yes, home of the alien humping city of roswell. tin foil hatters start your engines). the description of the “personal spaceflight expo” leg of the event sounds fun. i imagine it as a mixture of 1940’s world’s fair (in no small part because of the accompanying illustrations), smithsonian n.a.s.m. exhibit (with better lighting and a good thorough vacuuming), and sci-fi convention (it’s in new mexico for titor’s sake!) the x-prize cup section is an expansion of the ansari x-prize including a slew of different competitions. i really love the idea and love the spirit of the thing. i can’t help but wonder though if there are enough rebel millionaires to fill 5 days worth of racing forms? seriously. the sponsors say, “think of it as a cross between champ grand prix racing, the america’s cup, and the olympics!” let’s hope there are enough qualified folks with “the right stuff” otherwise it might end up being more of a cross between wacky races, yogi’s space race and scooby’s all-star laff-a-lympics. here’s hoping.