Reposting from previous thread for the weekend farkers.

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.

Melissa (punkrockgirl) will be the overall point person for Fark, entering any findings to the site on TeamFark's behalf, so all finders need to report the coordinates to her. If you're interested in joining a regional/state searching team, please email her and she'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.

DARPA Network Challenge GAME DAY, IT'S ON!! GO GO TEAMFARK!!


Here are a few guidelines on how this will all work.

I'm the only one able to enter any confirmed sightings into the DARPA site on TeamFark's behalf. You do not need to make an account yourself. If you happen across one, or if you find coordinates on another site, you need to email me directly, meli­s­sak­r­af­co­m.

When I get credible sightings, I will be rallying the troops to get someone else out for confirmation. Actual photos of the balloon count as credible sightings, and so do photos of you with the DARPA dudes. We're only allowed 25 entries, so we can't screw this up.

DO NOT post any coordinates or actual photos of the balloons in this thread. Others could steal them and use them for their own nefarious purposes (which most likely do not include getting Xmas joy to needy kids). Instead, send them directly to me, meli­s­sak­r­af­co­m. I'm going to assume any coords or pics posted in this thread are fake, and I won't bother trying to confirm.

Any more questions? I'll be here all day, feel free to ask.

I will be heading out today searching...
in northwest montana..
in the fresh snow..

lakefivedi: I will be heading out today searching...
in northwest montana..
in the fresh snow..

I think it'll be over the Echo Lake Cafe.
//used to live there
//most beautiful country on earth

Laramie, WY checking in. I'll start driving around at around 10am, might even cover between here and Ft Collins if I get bored.

/any Ft Collins farkers want to join a search team? I've got nothing to do today, technically
//will drive other WY farkers down to said search team if need be

daveinaz
I think it'll be over the Echo Lake Cafe

well, shoot! i was going to go counterclockwise up eureka way, but now based on your input i better just start clockwise.

thanks!

/damn, these charts are handy

I'll be out and about around Clarksville, TN today. Me and the fam will keep our eyes peeled.

*looks out window*

Nope, don't see one.

What, you want me to go outside? That's crazy talk.

Omnivorous: punkrockgirl: At the risk of repeating what's somewhere in the earlier threads --

* what's preferred contact method? melissakrafcom? Or your Twitter account? Other?
* recommendations if someone sees a luftballon but doesn't have a GPS?

THX -- there has to be one in Seattle here somewhere ...

/can iPhone users pull geographic coordinates directly from their pictures, since I know it is attached to their Picasa images?

Email, definitely.

Get a street address, if nothing else. I can plug it into Google Earth to get lat/long coordinates.

Brakefornobody: It's okay. I found the kid in the barn.

Beat me to it. I was going to ask if Heene was up to something again.

/I think that's how to spell his name
//if not, doesn't matter; the asshat doesn't deserve his name to be remembered

Current status: Inflating

i bet that there will not be a balloon within 300 miles of where i live.

Reporting for duty in the Fort Myers area.

I also posted on my FB in case someone else sees one.