The department of mad scientists
by Michael P. Belfiore · first published 2009
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The first-ever inside look at DARPA-the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency-the maverick and controversial group whose futuristic work has had amazing civilian and military applications, from the Internet to GPS to driverless carsAmerica's greatest idea factory isn't Bell Labs, Silicon Valley, or MIT's Media Lab. It's the secretive, Pentagon-led agency known as DARPA. Founded by Eisenhower in response to Sputnik and the Soviet space program, DARPA mixes military officers with sneaker-wearing scientists, seeking paradigm-shifting ideas in varied fields-from energy, robotics, and rockets t
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The Martian by Andy Weir https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18007564-the-martian Not new (I read 2.5 years ago), but great books: Department of Mad Scientists: How DARPA Is Remaking Our World, from the Internet to Artificial Limbs by Michael Belfiore https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6825113-the-department-o... Rocketeers by Michael Belfiore https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1090296.Rocketeers
on “Ask HN: What are some good books you have recently read?” ↗…entities: DARPA, Xerox PARC, and Bell Labs. These are the books I read to try to answer that question: [1] Dealers of Lightning. https://www.amazon.com/Dealers-Lightning-Xerox-PARC-Computer... [2] The Department of Mad Scientists. https://www.amazon.com/Department-Mad-Scientists-Remaking-Ar... [3] The Idea Factory. https://www.amazon.com/Idea-Factory-Great-American-Innovatio... I personally thought that having access to a diverse…
on “What made Xerox PARC special? Who else today is like them?” ↗