Salon has some background information on the project to make RFC
1149 an implemented reality. There’s no arguing with ping times of
6,165,731.1 milliseconds.
“As with most encounters between pigeons and people,
this one started because the people had been drinking. After a
meeting in February of the Bergen Linux Users Group, a number of
members, including Engen and Hansteen, went off to a bar. They got
to talking about things. Things like whether they should invite an
eminent Linux figure to visit later that spring, whether, one of
these days, they should maybe get around to implementing that crazy
pigeon proposal and whether to order more beer. Yes, yes and
yes.”