Now here’s a PC name for a snowplow in a tech town: Ctrl + Salt + Delete
Microsoft’s hometown is now home to an especially geeky snowplow.
Residents of Redmond, Wash., chose “Ctrl + Salt + Delete” as the runaway favorite among monikers submitted for its fleet of five plows.
With the tech giant’s headquarters occupying some of the 152 miles of Redmond roads that are plowed during snow events, the contest was sure to draw submissions from techies. Perhaps they even tap-tapped their name ideas on keyboards featuring the very name that would win.
In a news release this week, the city called it a “fitting name to represent one of the world’s greatest tech hubs.”
Other winning names included: Scoop Dogg, Snow-begone Kenobi, The Big Leplowski, and Betty Whiteout.
Redmond officials said more than 580 participants offered up 482 unique names, which were narrowed to 14 by city staff before residents selected up to five of their favorite names.
The names will be painted on snowplow doors and this winter the city says it will introduce a new live plow-tracking map for the community to follow plow activity.
Redmond says it applies liquid calcium deicer when an overnight freeze is forecast, to prevent ice from forming. When snow starts falling, plows apply mixtures of calcium chloride, road salt and sand, depending on surface conditions.