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It would be interesting if some
of the “winners” in DARPA’s Red Balloon event will had been participants in the
NSF EIES (Electronc Information Exchange System) project led by Linton Freeman!
--Alvin Wolfe
Alvin W. Wolfe
Distinguished University Professor Emeritus
Department of Anthropology
4202 E. Fowler Avenue, SOC107
University of South Florida
Tampa, FL 33620-8100 813-974-0794
From: Social Networks
Discussion Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Bienenstock,
Elisa
Sent: Friday, December 04, 2009 1:47 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Red Balloons on December 5, 2009
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As many of you know on December 5, 2009 DARPA will be
releasing 10 red balloons throughout the continental US. Their objective is to
challenge people to use the internet to discover the location (latitude and
longitude) of all balloons. They are rewarding the winning team with 40k.
As a social network researcher I thought it would be fun to
alert my friends and friends of friends to this event, so that if any of you
happen to spot one of these balloons you will know 1) what it is and 2) what to
do.
What we were hoping was that you would forward this email to
all your friends in the hope that one of them might be lucky enough to spot a
balloon and win a piece of the prize.
There are many teams with web pages trying to collect input
in order to win the challenge. A friend and I put together a similar web page http://sites.google.com/site/redballoonsearch/
and dedicated email address [log in to unmask]
just in case anyone in our extended social network happens to spot a balloon.
If we happen to be the first to identify all the balloons and win the prize,
our intention is to distribute the remuneration evenly among all first spotters.
For those of you interested, below is the text of the
original notification.
Thank you,
Elisa
News Release 10/29/2009
DARPA Network Challenge Will Explore How Broad-Scope
Problems Can Be Solved Using Internet-based Technologies
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) today
announced the DARPA Network Challenge to mark the 40th anniversary of the Internet. The competition requires
participants to discover the exact position of 10 large, red weather balloons
that DARPA will place in undisclosed locations across the continental United
States. The first person to identify the location of all the balloons will win
a $40,000 cash prize. The balloons will be positioned on December 5, 2009.
"It is fitting for DARPA to announce this competition
on the anniversary of the day that the first message was sent over the ARPANET,
the precursor to the Internet," said Dr. Regina E. Dugan, who made the
announcement at a conference celebrating the anniversary. "In the 40 years
since this breakthrough, the Internet has become an integral part of society
and the global economy. The DARPA Network Challenge explores the unprecedented
ability of the Internet to bring people together to solve tough problems."
The DARPA Network Challenge is open to individuals of all
ages, reflecting DARPA's interest in attracting students to pursue careers in
the areas of science and technology, including emerging specialties in the
social sciences. Open to participants worldwide, the Challenge enables collaboration
across borders, mobilizing individuals and groups to address difficult problems
aided by the Internet.
This is the latest example of DARPA's interest in reaching
nontraditional sources of ideas and talent. The Grand Challenge
competitions were started in 2004 to foster the development of autonomous
robotic vehicle technology for use on the battlefield. The competition model
for stimulating technological development enabled significant strides that will
someday keep our men and women in uniform out of harm's way.
"The DARPA Network Challenge taps into the same fresh
thinking that made the earlier competitions a success," said Dr. Norman
Whitaker, who led DARPA's most recent Challenge. "Future innovation
depends on the upcoming generation of technologists who are discovering new,
collaborative ways to approach problems that were not dreamt of 40 years
ago."
The 10 balloons will be placed in publicly accessible
locations in the continental United States and will be on display for one day
(December 5th) during daylight hours. The
first participant to identify the latitude and longitude of all 10 balloons
will receive the cash prize.
Event details can be found at www.darpa.mil/networkchallenge
and updates on Twitter.com/DARPA_News.
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