back to article DARPA issues balloon-hunting $40k 'Network Challenge'

Famed US military bonkers-boffinry bureau DARPA, in order to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the internet, has issued a zeitgeisty "Network Challenge". The first person or team to correctly locate ten large red balloons scattered across the USA will win $40,000. “It is fitting to announce this competition on the anniversary …

COMMENTS

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  1. Tom Chiverton 1

    oh this is easy...

    Register N different group names, where N is the number of combinations needed to cover the full arc-minute list suggested, up to the limits of number of guesses per group.

    Then automate the submissions...

  2. Paul 4

    I take it then...

    This is now going to disolve in to a discution on how to cheat the system? Any chance we could win this for El Reg, or at least cause total mayhem but messing up everyone else?

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'm off to hunt me some baloons (wabbits sounds better)

    1) Find Balloon

    2) Fill said baloon with holes

    3) WIN

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Boffin

    @oh this is easy...

    US is approx 3537441 square miles. 10 ballons. C(n,k) == C(3537441,10) == (3537441!)/(10!3537431!) == 2.99096596 × 10^65 number of submissions (divided into N groups probably wont matter)

    Good luck with that :)

  5. 3kids2cats1dog
    Go

    99 Red Balloons !!?

    Just 5!? Where are the other 94 Balloons. Com'on!

    I for one would be driving down I95 with the classic German language 80s Hit by Nana blasting while looking for said balloons.

  6. Parax
    Alert

    Falcon Heene

    Is terribly dissapointed not to be involved in this Media Stunt.

  7. Gordon is not a Moron

    @Tom Chiverton 1

    surely it'd be easier to tag some vital piece of equipment with RFID tags, wait until the 5th and look for the 10 tags stuck in the middle of nowhere.

    Now the tricky bit is going to be tracking down large red ballon manufactuers and\or helium suppliers and putting the tags on.

  8. Hud Dunlap
    Coat

    SSN does not equal Taxpayer ID

    Sorry you blew it on that one. This is how the Fed's get around the " we won't give any money to illegal Aliens". All you have to do is apply for a tax payer ID and then you are considered a "resident Alien" . Any foreign national earning money in the U.S. has to have a taxpayer ID. And for privacy purposes some Americans have both.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Waste of taxpayer's money

    Isn't DARPA funded by the government (i.e. by the taxpayer)? Sounds like a waste of money - Obama should give them a call and suggest they reconsider.

  10. Red40k.com

    Red40k.com

    Website will be setup to take balloon location submissions and paypal $3000 to the first email address associated with a correct balloon location.

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