unforum

Heatmizuh · Boot Joined: 13 Jun 2007 Posts: 12

DARPA Balloon Challenge Team?

**Posted:** Thu Oct 29, 2009 4:36 pm

INCyr

Hah, was going to post this as well, but my username was listed as inactive, and I had to wait for Space to fix it. (Thanks Space!)

I'm certainly interested, especially since aspects of it harken back to I Love Bees. Would love to see the beekeepers get back together for this. Wink

**Posted:** Thu Oct 29, 2009 4:38 pm

_________________
DC Axon Hunter!
Master Sergent on the Apocalypso
Gamertag: INCyr

Heatmizuh · Boot Joined: 13 Jun 2007 Posts: 12

Yeah..

**Posted:** Thu Oct 29, 2009 4:39 pm

natas

Would love to participate!

**Posted:** Thu Oct 29, 2009 4:57 pm

Heatmizuh · Boot Joined: 13 Jun 2007 Posts: 12

Month..

**Posted:** Thu Oct 29, 2009 5:03 pm

Rogi Ocnorb

Setp 1:
Register the domain;
www.mysteriousballoon.com

Step 2:
Read-up on SEO

Step 3:
Figure out how much of the prize to share with the first to report a valid balloon.

**Posted:** Fri Oct 30, 2009 8:04 pm

_________________
I'm telling you now, so you can't say, "Oh, I didn't know...Nobody told me!"

James Irwin · Guest

darpaballoon.com

**Posted:** Mon Nov 02, 2009 1:49 am

Darpa · Guest

Darpaballoon.com

**Posted:** Mon Nov 02, 2009 1:56 am

Red40k · Guest

website

**Posted:** Mon Nov 02, 2009 3:30 am

Balloons for peace · Guest

A better cause

**Posted:** Mon Nov 02, 2009 4:08 am

Euchre · uF Game Warden Joined: 29 Aug 2007 Posts: 3342

Just to note, the replies and URL posted by the guest above are not coming from the same source as Heatmizuh's post, so don't be confused into thinking that's the same person.

Actually, the red40k URL (not posted as a live link) is also not the same source as Heatmizuh's, nor as the other URL.

For the sake of all those wishing to participate, I would suggest anyone having a site they wish to post as a 'team' join the forums proper, to help assure other players of the validity of their organization.

**Posted:** Mon Nov 02, 2009 2:34 pm

_________________
Any sufficiently plausible fiction is indistinguishable from reality.
Any sufficiently twisted reality is indistinguishable from fiction.
Welcome to the new world of entertainment.
�Euchre 2007

Rogi Ocnorb

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the intent of all this.

Strike that. I get the intent. But I think there's an inherent flaw in the challenge.

While there are lots of efforts to push this into the development of a pre-existing social network to search for balloons, two things are working against that.

The absence of a Daddy Warbucks to do a media barrage and the fact that there's only a month to develop such a network.

Of course, DARPA realizes this and that's the reason for the contest.

The problem is that in the absence of a "Balloon Boy" media buy-in, this will be won by the group best able to drive traffic to their site based on people seeing the balloons and being curious enough to do some Googling. It'd be interesting to record in the logged finds whether the discoverer had heard of the balloons beforehand.

**Posted:** Mon Nov 02, 2009 3:12 pm

_________________
I'm telling you now, so you can't say, "Oh, I didn't know...Nobody told me!"

wentzlaf · Guest

Join our Team

**Posted:** Mon Nov 02, 2009 8:08 pm

janemcg · Boot Joined: 26 Apr 2004 Posts: 63 Location: Berkeley, CA

Beekeepers reunite!

**Posted:** Mon Nov 02, 2009 11:41 pm

catherwood

Maybe i'm missing some details here. Are the organizers going to release clues to the ten locations? I got the impression that it's going to be a challenge not to go out and find the balloons, but to search the internet for people who have already spotted the balloons wherever they've appeared.

**Posted:** Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:17 am