Google’s new Nexus One mobile phone could become embroiled in a legal battle over its name. According to a report on Sky News, the family of sci-fi author Phillip K. Dick have reportedly asked Google to stop using the Nexus One name.

For geeks among us, they will know the connection between the two, but for those who don’t here’s an explanation.

Phillip K. Dick is the cult sci-fi author responsible for the book ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’ which formed the basis for the film ‘Bladerunner’, starring Harrison Ford. In the book, a bounty hunter known as Nexus 6 (or six) chased down cyborgs. In the film, Nexus Six was a class of ‘replicant’ – a cyborg designed to look human.

Google’s phone, which was launched earlier in the week and has created a large amount of buzz, runs Google’s Android operating system.

The family of Phillip K. Dick claim intellectual-property infringement by Google and have asked the search giant to stop using the name, claiming there is a clear association between the characters of Dicks’ work and the name for Google’s latest creation.

Google have so far refused to comment on the claims by Dicks’ family, but say the name has nothing to do with the author’s work and that their use of the word ‘Nexus’ was used in its original sense, as a place where things converge.

It’s always nice to see companies take a step away from technology for ecological reasons – especially a business that makes its living in a high-tech field.

That’s why the story from the weekend that Google is to follow in Yahoo’s footsteps and introduce goats to their staff roll is welcome news.

Around 200 goats visit Google’s Mountain View headquarters and spend around a week there eating the grass and weeds, while fertilising the area as well. This service, provided by California Grazing, will replace the petrol-guzzling mowers that previously did the job.

In California it is a legal requirement for landowners to keep brush under control in order to limit the number of wild fires and the damage they can cause.

During World War I the White House made use of a similar tactic – with a herd of sheep allowed to graze the lawn – but sheep don’t have the same ability as goats to climb and reach the out of the way spots, nor do they have the same appetite for a lot of the weeds that goats are happy to munch on.