FARK.com: (4823951) Reminder: DARPA Network Challenge starts tomorrow at 10AM ET. Join TeamFark to win $40,000 for Toys for Tots

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(DARPA)		Reminder: DARPA Network Challenge starts tomorrow at 10AM ET. Join TeamFark to win $40,000 for Toys for Tots (networkchallenge.darpa.mil)		140
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3055 clicks; posted to Main » on 04 Dec 2009 at 5:02 PM | Favorite | share:

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punkrockgirl		2009-12-04 04:31:07 PM

Reposting from previous thread:

We're officially throwing our hat into the ring for the DARPA Network Challenge and organizing a team in hopes of using the power of Fark for good. There are more details on the site, but the gist is this: on Saturday, Dec. 5, DARPA will be deploying 10 red weather balloons in different locations in the lower 48 states. They'll be tethered to the ground, within view of a roadway and accessible by pedestrians. As soon as you find one you report it with the geographical coordinates. The balloons will only be up for 6-9 hours (depending on location and time zone), and any "sightings" afterwards will need to come from social networking and internet searches. The contest will be open until Dec. 14.

The prize for the winning team is $40,000. If we manage to pull this off, Fark will donate the full amount to Toys for Tots. With so many Farkers spread across the country, we might actually stand a chance at winning this.

I will be the overall point person, entering any findings to the site on TeamFark's behalf, so all finders need to report the coordinates to me. If you're interested in joining a regional/state searching team, please email me (in profile) and I'll try to get you in touch with others in your area.

Worst case, it's a good excuse for a Sunday drive on a Saturday, or for searching/surfing the internet all day. Best case, lots of needy kids will get a visit from Santa this year.

Gormenghast		2009-12-04 04:36:04 PM

I'll keep my eyes open here in DC. Good luck guys.

Berz		2009-12-04 04:39:11 PM

I'll actually be driving around KC tomorrow on errands, will keep my eyes open.

Barbigazi		2009-12-04 04:43:13 PM

Will we be checking the citizenship of these "tots"?

toddalmighty		2009-12-04 04:55:48 PM

Barbigazi: Will we be checking the citizenship of these "tots"?

So much this. If not, I suggest giving the money to Toys For Todd.

peachy92		2009-12-04 04:56:42 PM

There's an article about it on CNN.com: Nationwide balloon-hunt contest tests online networking (new window).

Barbigazi		2009-12-04 05:01:33 PM

toddalmighty: Barbigazi: Will we be checking the citizenship of these "tots"?

So much this. If not, I suggest giving the money to Toys For Todd.

What about this "Todd", have we seen his papers?

soapdish		2009-12-04 05:05:25 PM

I think you'd better show us your original long form birth certificate, "Todd"...

... or is it... OSAMA BIN TODDEN???!!!!???

sboyle1020		2009-12-04 05:05:37 PM

Ah DARPA DARPA DARPA

toddalmighty		2009-12-04 05:06:02 PM

Barbigazi: toddalmighty: Barbigazi: Will we be checking the citizenship of these "tots"?

So much this. If not, I suggest giving the money to Toys For Todd.

What about this "Todd", have we seen his papers?

I assure you they are all in order, citizen.

VvonderJesus		2009-12-04 05:06:04 PM

toddalmighty: Barbigazi: Will we be checking the citizenship of these "tots"?

So much this. If not, I suggest giving the money to Toys For Todd.

So, would you like the Jonas Brothers CD or the Hannah Montana doll?

MaudlinMutantMollusk		2009-12-04 05:08:50 PM

DARPA?
What are they REALLY trying to figure out?

IT'S A TRAP!

s1ugg0		2009-12-04 05:09:56 PM

Good luck farkers who are doing this. I'm in the NYC area. I will report if I see any on the forums.

toddalmighty		2009-12-04 05:10:02 PM

VvonderJesus: toddalmighty: Barbigazi: Will we be checking the citizenship of these "tots"?

So much this. If not, I suggest giving the money to Toys For Todd.

So, would you like the Jonas Brothers CD or the Hannah Montana doll?

Wait, is that the doll that drops f-bombs?

utardsRock		2009-12-04 05:10:03 PM

see, if it had been 'toys for twats' I would totally be in...

Barbigazi		2009-12-04 05:10:09 PM

toddalmighty: Barbigazi: toddalmighty: Barbigazi: Will we be checking the citizenship of these "tots"?

So much this. If not, I suggest giving the money to Toys For Todd.

What about this "Todd", have we seen his papers?

I assure you they are all in order, citizen.

Then you won't mind posting your long form Todd certificate.

We need to make sure these American toys are going to American poor people.

Barbigazi		2009-12-04 05:12:26 PM

s1ugg0: Good luck farkers who are doing this. I'm in the NYC area. I will report if I see any on the forums.

Yeah if I see one of these balloon things in Brooklyn I'm having the bomb squad blow it up.

1.bp.blogspot.com

Corvus		2009-12-04 05:13:42 PM

Barbigazi: toddalmighty: Barbigazi: toddalmighty: Barbigazi: Will we be checking the citizenship of these "tots"?

So much this. If not, I suggest giving the money to Toys For Todd.

What about this "Todd", have we seen his papers?

I assure you they are all in order, citizen.

Then you won't mind posting your long form Todd certificate.

We need to make sure these American toys are going to American poor people.

Also a digital picture will not suffice. Each person needs to be mailed the ORIGINAL long form and then mail it off to the next person so it can be verified.

VvonderJesus		2009-12-04 05:14:01 PM

toddalmighty: VvonderJesus: toddalmighty: Barbigazi: Will we be checking the citizenship of these "tots"?

So much this. If not, I suggest giving the money to Toys For Todd.

So, would you like the Jonas Brothers CD or the Hannah Montana doll?

Wait, is that the doll that drops f-bombs?

It's inflatable and silently sings "OOOO."

joness0154		2009-12-04 05:16:13 PM

I'll definitely keep an eye out in the western 'burbs of Chicago.

overslacked		2009-12-04 05:16:15 PM

How specific to the coords need to be? I'll be driving a couple hundred miles tomorrow but I don't have a GPS device.

missmarsha		2009-12-04 05:17:42 PM

overslacked: How specific to the coords need to be? I'll be driving a couple hundred miles tomorrow but I don't have a GPS device.

within a mile. there is a darpa rep at each balloon and a number on each balloon. you should try to get the number

missmarsha		2009-12-04 05:18:53 PM

overslacked: How specific to the coords need to be? I'll be driving a couple hundred miles tomorrow but I don't have a GPS device.

also if you have rough street intersections we can find the coords on the magic google thing

overslacked		2009-12-04 05:18:53 PM

missmarsha: within a mile. there is a darpa rep at each balloon and a number on each balloon. you should try to get the number

Great, thanks!

chopit		2009-12-04 05:19:24 PM

I'll be driving from Madison, WI to buttfark, IL tomorrow. I'll keep my eyes open. Who knows, maybe they'll put one in Rockford or Janesville.

/janesville's a hotspot of kkk activity
//the more you know

Staffist		2009-12-04 05:22:03 PM

How will I know what the coordinates of [for example] the intersection of Union and Carrol streets in Rock Rapids, Iowa are without one of them ol' wind-up big-city GPS Compass thingies?

missmarsha		2009-12-04 05:23:27 PM

Staffist: How will I know what the coordinates of [for example] the intersection of Union and Carrol streets in Rock Rapids, Iowa are without one of them ol' wind-up big-city GPS Compass thingies?

google earth

Disgruntled		2009-12-04 05:29:54 PM

I'll be out and around tommorrow in Clarksville, TN shortly after launch time. If I see any I'll report their locations.

moonscatter		2009-12-04 05:30:35 PM

I'm driving all over the Houston area tomorrow, although I doubt we're a site. I have a feeling this is not going to be showing up in the major metropolis' as it will cause a "too-quick" result. It will be fun looking, though - and a good way to introduce the kids to geocaching.

chirbirch		2009-12-04 05:30:54 PM

Kind of hope I actually spot one of these during my drive between Seattle and Oly tomorrow. The fiancee will be wondering wtf I am up to as I get off the highway, wander off to who knows where just so that I can exit the car and talk to some stranger standing under a giant red balloon. I'll explain it all on Sunday :¬D

St00pidN00b		2009-12-04 05:32:02 PM

I'm in. Just emailed you. I also have a car GPS that can be used for the coordinates business.

Genevieve Marie		2009-12-04 05:32:56 PM

I'll keep an eye out. Would love to see us win this.

Between this and Fark Gives, we'd be doing SOOO much this year if we win this thing.

St00pidN00b		2009-12-04 05:35:53 PM

How do we make sure it's not just a streetlight?

The Bad Astronomer		2009-12-04 05:37:46 PM

Only 10? [pops like a red balloon]

Seriously, I'll link to this tonight on the BA blog. Let's get the $40k for Drew, who will totally not blow it on beer and Duke tickets! I mean not Duke tickets!

ducttape2021		2009-12-04 05:37:50 PM

No plans on traveling, but if one shows up in Bloomington, West Lafayette, Muncie, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Mooresville, or South Bend Indiana, I'll definitely hear about it, bribe some people for the specifics, and pass on the word.

plywoodjungle		2009-12-04 05:40:30 PM

I'll go for a nice long drive in the Lancaster County, PA area. Got my GPS and loves me a nice drive. It'd be extra awesome if one just happens to be near a strip joint.

TalkingBass		2009-12-04 05:43:42 PM

Anyone else up for randomly putting out 10 additional red weather balloons tomorrow?

wantyou2wantme		2009-12-04 05:44:39 PM

I'll be biking in DC tomorrow. I'll let you know if I see anything.

tuna fingers		2009-12-04 05:45:00 PM

TalkingBass: Anyone else up for randomly putting out 10 additional red weather balloons tomorrow?

That is anticipated, encouraged almost.
Go for it.

sdoorex		2009-12-04 05:47:56 PM

I'll keep an eye out here in Denver while I am going about my daily tasks. Also, if I don't have work tomo morning I'll take a little tour around town to find them.

Testiclaw		2009-12-04 05:48:14 PM

I'll be in the Southwest Montana area and will keep my eyes peeled...

/time to bust out the snowshoes
//how do you google earth the forest?

St00pidN00b		2009-12-04 05:48:14 PM

TalkingBass: Anyone else up for randomly putting out 10 additional red weather balloons tomorrow?

We should try to make it 99.

punkrockgirl		2009-12-04 05:48:15 PM

The Bad Astronomer: Only 10? [pops like a red balloon]

Seriously, I'll link to this tonight on the BA blog. Let's get the $40k for Drew, who will totally not blow it on beer and Duke tickets! I mean not Duke tickets!

Haha, thanks BA!

punkrockgirl		2009-12-04 05:50:56 PM

Genevieve Marie: I'll keep an eye out. Would love to see us win this.

Between this and Fark Gives, we'd be doing SOOO much this year if we win this thing.

We were hoping you'd get another bump from the followup yesterday, did it help?

0 sigma		2009-12-04 05:52:30 PM

I'll search 32.969111, -96.982698.

/hope that helps.

Drink_Outside_The_Box		2009-12-04 05:55:33 PM

punkrockgirl , is there a list, or better yet a map of Farkers involved in this so we can see what areas are covered and what areas we might be weak in? Might be useful.

Genevieve Marie		2009-12-04 05:56:06 PM

punkrockgirl: We were hoping you'd get another bump from the followup yesterday, did it help?

It absolutely did- we're actually over the top and have presents for all the kids. It was so successful and so many people supported it that we're now compiling a second wishlist for the St. Bernard Project (www.stbernardproject.org) and Drew will greenlight it Monday. Another chance to bring a group of really needy kids who have had a hard time a nice Christmas.

So anyone interestesd- pay attention to the main page Monday for Fark Gives II: Electric Boogaloo

Drink_Outside_The_Box		2009-12-04 05:57:37 PM

chopit: I'll be driving from Madison, WI to buttfark, IL tomorrow. I'll keep my eyes open. Who knows, maybe they'll put one in Rockford or Janesville.

/janesville's a hotspot of kkk activity
//the more you know

Got a few college buddies from Janesville. Partied there a few times. The Looking Glass FTW.

wild9		2009-12-04 06:01:55 PM

I live in Lexington, KY and have to run quite a few errands tomorrow so I will keep an eye out as well.

Marcus Aurelius		2009-12-04 06:03:08 PM

DARPA ballon sample pics are here.

Balloon 6 pic properties are:
File change date and time: 2009:11:24 11:19:42
Background tree looks like a red oak with lots of leaves, for what that's worth...

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