DARPA Shows Off Their Latest Shinies

coondoggie writes with news that the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has released their top nine strategic research programs via a 57-page report last week. The overarching theme seems to be big long term goals that could result in major advances in technology. "DARPA's projects run the gamut from building extremely fast, secure networks, and developing higher, longer flying unmanned aircraft to bio-related advances that help bring vaccines to a useful state faster and space technologies that offer modular satellite systems."

Comments

A bit over generalized?

[smaddox]

These "programs" seem a bit over generalized. I mean "High Productivity Computing Systems"? I think there are a few other groups working in that area.

It would take me a few minutes to think of something that doesn't fall under these 9 topics.

Re:A bit over generalized?

[bughunter]

They seem over-generalized because the Network World author tried to summarize a 57-page strategic plan into a 2-page fluff piece. And strategic plans are rather generalized to begin with.

My employer holds some DARPA contracts, and while I am not free (as in speech) to be specific at this time, I can alert you to stay tuned for some very specific announcements and demos of some Really Cool Shit in the area of unmanned aerial vehicles...

NOT a DARPA publication

[Red Flayer]

I call fraud. From the supposed DARPA publication (emphasis mine):

-Networks: self-forming, robust, self-defending networks at the strategic and tactical level are the key to network-centric warfare; these networks will use spectrum far more efficiently and resist disruption if the GPS time signal is unavailable.

We all know that no government agency would refer to this as anything but cyberwarfare.

Hence, I am discounting the validity of the entire article.

Editors, please vet the articles a little more thoroughly. I don;t know who is responsible for the slip-up, but it's amazing this sham of an article was allowed through the tight-as-an-ant's-ass controls on the slashdot main page that we have come to love and respect.

But they were such quiet neighbors

[eyenot]

" They were regular Buck Balto's, bringing us our biomedicines faster. Then they fired up the mass-driver and things quickly turned into a 'space opera'. "

Anyways here's more of the same (DARPA programs and funding) but from last year, presented by the CDI, for comparison's sake:

http://www.secureworldfoundation.org/siteadmin/images/files/file_203.pdf

With Terminator Salvation coming out..

[TehCable]

"DARPA said it as embarked on an ambitious mission to create a new generation of computing systems - cognitive computers - to dramatically reduce military manpower and extend the capabilities of military personnel. DARPA's cognitive computing research is developing technologies that will enable computer systems to learn, reason and apply knowledge gained through experience, and respond intelligently to new and unforeseen events." ...These people do watch movies, right?

Your comment strikes me as ironic

[fructose]

Ahh, the irony. Here you are, posting a comment on the direct derivative of something 'shiny' that DARPA (then just ARPA) ponied up the money for. Ever hear of ARPANET?

Re:glad to see the taxpayer getting fucked again

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm glad we as taxpayers paying for all this 'shiney' stuff has a say-so in it. This black budget is well accounted for i'm sure.

Oh wait we don't. We don't have a say so in anything our military does. I love our tyranical overlords who shit our taxpayer funds away.

It's ironic you're complaining about DARPA on the Internet.

Since that started as a DARPA project.

Re:Cue Anti-Military Responses

[OeLeWaPpErKe]

How is that anti-intellectual ? Perhaps you should visit a campus once. Note the large presence of, shall we say, people who exonerate people like massacrers like Che Guevara and blame all of society's ills on the military. Or whoever they are sure won't retaliate (note for example, the dead silence about Sri Lanka's misdeeds since that government sued and, shall we say, lightly persuaded, a BBC press team to leave).

Unless of course, you're claiming that campuses don't have intellectuals. That newspapers don't have intellectuals.

Can one please be allowed to articulate a displeasure between certain extremely hypocritical portions of society ? The part that's hiding behind the biggest guns of the world screaming about how evil their government is, knowing both that said government won't retaliate and knowing full well that there are real problems in the world. The government of, oh, say Sudan, is a much, much bigger problem than even the worst ever US government. But only one of those gets any action.

Re:Cue Anti-Military Responses

[Yvanhoe]

Well, as a peacenik myself, I am fairly happy to see two very insightful research topics to help foster world peace :
* Accelerated Development and Production of Therapeutics: rapidly and inexpensively manufacture millions of doses of life saving drugs or vaccines in weeks, instead of the years required to ramp up today's manufacturing practices
* Real-Time Accurate Language Translation: real-time machine language translation of structured and unstructured text and speech with near-expert human translation accuracy.

Note how only one theme is dedicated to the creation of more powerful weapons. This is truly American military research and damn yeah, this is sommething you should be proud of (not me, I am a surrendering froggy)