All I want for Christmas is 10 red balloons

Update: Winner declared! As expected, the MIT team won.

If I win, I will share $1000 with each person who was first to correctly identify the location of a balloon.

I will pay $10 a retweet to each of the first 100 people who retweet the following message on Twitter if I win the challenge. No money rewards will be paid if I am not the first to report all 10 red balloons. Be sure to follow @djuggler.

Help @djuggler win the DARPA challenge. $ rewards for balloons and RTs; http://3.ly/10luftballoons #10luftballoons

I’ve always been fascinated with the DARPA challenges. I through for sure I could be a contender on the first DARPA automated car challenge but I could not figure out how to devote all my time to development and still feed my family. I guess that’s part of the challenge. There are many other challenges out there like the X-Prize. These are usually gone after by universities and corporations (I think). Now DARPA has one that is right up my alley. Tomorrow, December 5th, 10 red balloons will be launched in the United States. The places are specific. The person who finds all 10 is rewarded with $40,000. DARPA is studying how to solve large scale problems with social networks.

9910 red balloons.
floating in the summerwinter sky.
Panic bells, it’s red alert.
There’s something here from somewhere else.
The warDARPA machine springs to life.
Opens up onemy eager eye.
Focusing it on the skysocial media.
Where 9910 red balloons goTwitter by.
[Source, eighty-eightynine, Lyrics: Nena – 99 Luftballoons (99 Red Balloons); modified by Doug McCaughan]
See the interview with 99 Luftballoons English version author Kevin McAlea.

I believe the large networks of the Internet social media celebrities will get the balloons. However, I’m going to have a shot. I’m registered and soliciting your help If you see a large red balloon with a number on it, please twitter a DM to @djuggler, email juggler@gmail.com, Skype djuggler or call me (865)686-8693 with its location and if possible its GPS coordinates. If I win, I will share $1000 with each person who was first to correctly identify the location of a balloon. A correct location is GPS coordinates with an error of less than 1.0 mile. That means if you are first to correctly tell me where balloon #3 is and I find the other #9 balloons and win, you get $1000 after I receive the prize money. DARPA has pictures of the balloons here.

Related

• DARPA Challenge Competitors Already Mobilizing Social Networks
• DARPA Network Challenge FAQ
• @DARPA_news
• US military offers $40,000 challenge to internet users