The Department of Mad Scientists: Inside DARPA, the Path-Breaking Government Agency You've Never Heard Of Audiobook

" The information on the programs DARPA runs (Grand Challenge, SCRAMjet technology) was far more interesting than the information on the agency itself. "

" I didn't read the _whole_ book. I just couldn't believe some of the ideas ever coming to fruition. Things like robot surgeons. "

" Great overview on the history of DARPA, it's past contributions and where the agency is heading in the future. Tons of links to research, stories and additional reading at the end of the book. "

" The first half is quickly paced and mostly well-done. The second half seemed to run out of steam. Still, Belfiore deserves credit for shining light on an organization that provides a pretty consistent high ROI for a government agency. "

" the first book to investigate DARPA! "

" I liked hearing about all the ways that things led to unexpected results. Research is like that. "

" Just read through this quickly "

" I found some chapters interesting, such as the "backseat drivers" and "an arm and a leg". These chapters had fewer acronyms to keep track of and more project information that I could appreciate the significance of. "

" a little boring but informative "

" Alot of detail and held my interest. "

" I didn't think it would be possible to make DARPA boring, but Belfiore has done just that. Reading this book was like swimming in molasses. Don't bother. "

" Started out interesting with description of DARPA's network that became the Internet and their work on prosthetics and robots. Bogged down when he got caught up on robotic vehicle development and so I never finished it. "

" So-so book written in the same general gee-whiz style as Wired, surveying a bunch of neat DARPA projects. A bit too much of the "I had NO IDEA anyone was working on THIS!" feel, but it's likely that most people who would read this *don't* know anyone is working on this sort of stuff. "

" Really disappointing. Whoever compared DARPA to the Bell Labs doesn't know what he is talking about. It's written by a DARPA groupie excited to be on the inside. Little insight into how DARPA works and how successful it is been relative to other approaches to science. "

" "Nice overview of the secretive research arm of the Department of Defense. Each chapter focuses on a specific research project. Artificial limbs, telepresence medical robots, alternative space transportation systems, robotic cars, stealth planes, super-sonic planes. What more do you need?" "

" The information on the programs DARPA runs (Grand Challenge, SCRAMjet technology) was far more interesting than the information on the agency itself. "

" So-so book written in the same general gee-whiz style as Wired, surveying a bunch of neat DARPA projects. A bit too much of the "I had NO IDEA anyone was working on THIS!" feel, but it's likely that most people who would read this *don't* know anyone is working on this sort of stuff. "

" I found some chapters interesting, such as the "backseat drivers" and "an arm and a leg". These chapters had fewer acronyms to keep track of and more project information that I could appreciate the significance of. "

" I didn't read the _whole_ book. I just couldn't believe some of the ideas ever coming to fruition. Things like robot surgeons. "

" I liked hearing about all the ways that things led to unexpected results. Research is like that. "

" Alot of detail and held my interest. "

" Great overview on the history of DARPA, it's past contributions and where the agency is heading in the future. Tons of links to research, stories and additional reading at the end of the book. "