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The Military IT

Why Are the Best and Brightest Not Flooding DARPA? 597

David W. White writes "Wired mag's Danger Room carried an article today that highlighted how desperate the US Military's DARPA has become in its attempts to bring in additional brain power. The tactics include filmed testimonials, folders and even playing cards all screaming join DARPA! Where are all the Einsteins who want to be on the cutting edge for the Government?"
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Why Are the Best and Brightest Not Flooding DARPA?

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  • Because... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 18, 2008 @08:22PM (#23847985)
    ... "all the Einsteins" would do things like implement proper backing up of e-mails at the Whitehouse. Need I say more?
  • by computerman413 ( 1122419 ) on Wednesday June 18, 2008 @08:25PM (#23848005)
    How about a music video with lyrics such as "APRAD nioj"?
  • by Schnoogs ( 1087081 ) on Wednesday June 18, 2008 @08:38PM (#23848181)
    Yeah because DARPA is a part of the infrantry.
  • Re:Well... (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 18, 2008 @08:45PM (#23848265)
    omg it's kira!!!
  • by theheadlessrabbit ( 1022587 ) on Wednesday June 18, 2008 @08:55PM (#23848367) Homepage Journal
    maybe thatâ(TM)s what a reference letter is for?

    To whom it may concern:

    This person will be a valuable member to your team, they will do anything, ANYTHING, to get the job done

    Sincerely, Unnamed Government Agency.
  • Oh really ? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Phiu-x ( 513322 ) on Wednesday June 18, 2008 @09:03PM (#23848475)
    "They too are after you !?!"

    "Here take a beer, and let me talk to you about when I was approached to work for the NSA"

    "Why shouldn't I work for the N.S.A.? That's a tough one, but I'll take a shot. Say I'm working at N.S.A. Somebody puts a code on my desk, something nobody else can break. Maybe I take a shot at it and maybe I break it. And I'm real happy with myself, 'cause I did my job well. But maybe that code was the location of some rebel army in North Africa or the Middle East. Once they have that location, they bomb the village where the rebels were hiding and fifteen hundred people I never met, never had no problem with, get killed. Now the politicians are sayin', "Oh, send in the Marines to secure the area" 'cause they don't give a shit. It won't be their kid over there, gettin' shot. Just like it wasn't them when their number got called, 'cause they were pullin' a tour in the National Guard. It'll be some kid from Southie takin' shrapnel in the ass. And he comes back to find that the plant he used to work at got exported to the country he just got back from. And the guy who put the shrapnel in his ass got his old job, 'cause he'll work for fifteen cents a day and no bathroom breaks. Meanwhile, he realizes the only reason he was over there in the first place was so we could install a government that would sell us oil at a good price. And, of course, the oil companies used the skirmish over there to scare up domestic oil prices. A cute little ancillary benefit for them, but it ain't helping my buddy at two-fifty a gallon. And they're takin' their sweet time bringin' the oil back, of course, and maybe even took the liberty of hiring an alcoholic skipper who likes to drink martinis and fuckin' play slalom with the icebergs, and it ain't too long 'til he hits one, spills the oil and kills all the sea life in the North Atlantic. So now my buddy's out of work and he can't afford to drive, so he's got to walk to the fuckin' job interviews, which sucks 'cause the shrapnel in his ass is givin' him chronic hemorrhoids. And meanwhile he's starvin', 'cause every time he tries to get a bite to eat, the only blue plate special they're servin' is North Atlantic scrod with Quaker State. So what did I think? I'm holdin' out for somethin' better. I figure fuck it, while I'm at it why not just shoot my buddy, take his job, give it to his sworn enemy, hike up gas prices, bomb a village, club a baby seal, hit the hash pipe and join the National Guard? I could be elected president."

    So fuck NSA and fuck DARPA! Now where are my sheeps ?"
  • by smittyoneeach ( 243267 ) * on Wednesday June 18, 2008 @09:25PM (#23848755) Homepage Journal
    Adrian Cronauer:

    You know, you go in the jungle, make a statement. If you're going to fight, clash.
    Maybe those advocating change so strongly this election season can start some collaboration beteween DARPA and PRADA to help make it fashionable again.
  • by mikael ( 484 ) on Wednesday June 18, 2008 @10:08PM (#23849193)
    I remember reading some about some research projects about 15 years ago - DARPA sponsored research into developing miniature flying machines that could fly inside buildings. One of the visual simulation experts questioned, "What do they expect to develop? Backpacks for pigeons?"

    Now, even Youtubers are flying mini-helicopters with webcams [youtube.com]
  • Re:Naw (Score:5, Funny)

    by 4D6963 ( 933028 ) on Wednesday June 18, 2008 @10:48PM (#23849621)

    I'd rather live in a cardboard box than help Bush kill brown people.
    Wow, I never knew Bush had a grudge against Oompa Loompas!
  • by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 19, 2008 @12:03AM (#23850269)

    Science is like religion and it becomes very entrenched in the status quo.
    No, it isn't. You don't know what you're talking about. That's very clear to me now. I'm done with you.
  • by MrMr ( 219533 ) on Thursday June 19, 2008 @03:29AM (#23851687)
    I am sure Kuhn fully expected this since his book was critical of scientists. That does not make him wrong, though.
    Exactly, because even being proven wrong doesn't mean you're wrong, if you're a philosopher.
    nobody has a monopoly on opinions
    And science is just another text, right?
    For a bit of a laugh you should read this for instance [amazon.co.uk]
  • by speculatrix ( 678524 ) on Thursday June 19, 2008 @06:53AM (#23852813)

    Isn't DARPA the real founding agency (or at least the funding agency) for the first backbone of the internet in the early 1970's?
    yeah, and look what a mess that turned into!
  • by halivar ( 535827 ) <bfelger&gmail,com> on Thursday June 19, 2008 @09:04AM (#23854231)
    Yup. I remember reading about this thing DARPA was doing, where they would connect computing machines at various locations via a series of... "tubes," if you will... to transmit information to each other.

    It was a complete "pipe dream."
  • FOX-- (Score:2, Funny)

    by Emma Emmerich ( 1310513 ) on Thursday June 19, 2008 @09:21AM (#23854585)

    I assume they're worried that they'll be the tragic victims of mysterious heart attacks.
    You just can't trust retired military agents these days.

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