Sometime during the night, Stanton discovered that one person from Google had visited the Web site. Stanton was pleased that at least one person from Google knew he was there. By the morning, Stanton said about 1,500 people from inside the Googleplex had visited his Web site.

Next, he received an e-mail from someone named David from inside Google. The subject line was, "We can hear you :)."

"The smiley face was really important because it was a sign that I hadn't [made people angry]. That was the first time I realized that my message was really well received and that I came in peace," Stanton said. "Either that or maybe they were just circulating my picture so the security guards would know who I was."

David then set up a brief "hear the idea make sure it's not stupid" meeting with Stanton and asked him for additional materials. Google also required that he sign a nondisclosure agreement, which is why he can't talk about his idea or any subsequent meetings he might have with Google.

A Google spokesman confirmed the company had met with Stanton, but declined to provide further details because of the confidentiality agreement.