Find Balloons For DARPA, Make Money For Charity

Logan Westbrook

Transform, Roll Out, Etc
Feb 21, 2008
17,672
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Find Balloons For DARPA, Make Money For Charity

GPS treasure hunting website Geocaching.com [http://www.geocaching.com] is giving you the chance to make a heavy donation to charity, all on DARPA's coin.

Along with all the Metal Gears, leaping surveillance drones [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/91591-U-S-Military-Develops-Jumping-Urban-Hopper-Robots] or cyborg beetles [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/95032-DARPA-Builds-Cyborg-Beetles] it makes, DARPA was instrumental in the creation of the internet, and to mark the 40th anniversary of DARPAnet, it is offering a $40,000 prize to the first person that can supply it with the co-ordinates of ten numbered red weather balloons it has placed around the continental USA.

This is where Geocaching.com [http://www.geocaching.com] step in, as it is offering to not only donate the entire prize money to charity, but is also offering to add another $10,000 to the pot, provided that the site wins the challenge. All you need to do is to send an e-mail to [email protected] if you see one of the balloons, or if someone you know has seen one.

The balloons will only be visible today - on Saturday the 5th December 2009 - so tell you friends and family, ideally via the internet, and see if we can't do something really positive. The $50,000 pot will be donated to schools who need GPS equipment, chosen through DonorsChoose.org [http://www.donorschoose.org]

Read more about DARPA's challenge here [https://networkchallenge.darpa.mil/default.aspx] and get up to the minute updates about Geocaching's progress here [http://www.10balloonies.com/].


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hansari

New member
May 31, 2009
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Why would a school need GPS equipment?

(Well, I guess if it was some kind of juvenile detention center...or if they decided to go hardcore with their tardy list...)


Or if delivery people ran the world.
 

Eric the Orange

Gone Gonzo
Apr 29, 2008
3,245
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ten balloons, over the entire continental united states. I guess if the purposely released them over populous areas. But otherwise the chances of anyone seeing them and knowing what to do are incredibly minimal.
 

samsonguy920

New member
Mar 24, 2009
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thiosk said:
hansari said:
Why would a school need GPS equipment?
This is the question I clicked the comments button to ask.
So the children left behind can find their way.
Good odds, Discovery Channel wins this, with all the places their shows go over the US.
 

Jared

The British Paladin
Jul 14, 2009
5,630
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Well, certainly an interesting challenge. Not a bad cash prize either!