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The Department of Mad Scientists: Inside DARPA, the Path-Breaking Government Agency You've Never Heard Of Audiobook
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(3.02) - 189 listener ratings
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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 cars America'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 to peopleless operating rooms, driverless cars, and planes that can fly halfway around the world in just hours. DARPA gave birth to the Internet, GPS, and mind-controlled robotic arms. Its geniuses define future technology for the military and the rest of us. Michael Belfiore was given unprecedented access to write this first-ever popular account of DARPA. Visiting research sites across the country, he watched scientists in action and talked to the creative, fearlessly ambitious visionaries working for and with DARPA. Much of DARPA's work is classified, and this book is full of material that has barely been reported in the general media. In fact, DARPA estimates that only 2 percent of Americans know much of anything about the agency. This fascinating read demonstrates that DARPA isn't so much frightening as it is inspiring—it is our future.
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"I have bought this book twice both times as presents for guys with a tech bent. Overall good book reads like separate magazine length stories in the sections which describe the different projects which was appreciated by the two readers who got this as a gift. I found it a little rah rah america but I suppose that is to be expected given the subject matter."
— Fiona (4 out of 5 stars)
The Department of Mad Scientists Listener Reviews
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" The information on the programs DARPA runs (Grand Challenge, SCRAMjet technology) was far more interesting than the information on the agency itself. "
— Shawn, 2/18/2014 -
" I didn't read the _whole_ book. I just couldn't believe some of the ideas ever coming to fruition. Things like robot surgeons. "
— David, 2/3/2014 -
" 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. "
— Derek, 1/29/2014 -
" 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. "
— J, 1/11/2014 -
" the first book to investigate DARPA! "
— Noah, 1/6/2014 -
" I liked hearing about all the ways that things led to unexpected results. Research is like that. "
— Barbara, 9/27/2013 -
" Just read through this quickly "
— BAKU, 9/8/2013 -
" 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. "
— Melanie, 9/8/2013 -
" a little boring but informative "
— Chris, 6/6/2013 -
" Alot of detail and held my interest. "
— Jim, 2/8/2013 -
" 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. "
— Dennis, 10/6/2012 -
" 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. "
— Mary, 9/29/2012 -
" 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. "
— Smellsofbikes, 7/28/2011 -
" 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. "
— Ian, 6/25/2011 -
" "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?" "
— Marc, 11/7/2010 -
" The information on the programs DARPA runs (Grand Challenge, SCRAMjet technology) was far more interesting than the information on the agency itself. "
— Shawn, 9/29/2010 -
" 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. "
— Smellsofbikes, 7/7/2010 -
" 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. "
— Melanie, 1/7/2010 -
" I didn't read the _whole_ book. I just couldn't believe some of the ideas ever coming to fruition. Things like robot surgeons. "
— David, 1/4/2010 -
" I liked hearing about all the ways that things led to unexpected results. Research is like that. "
— Barbara, 12/20/2009 -
" Alot of detail and held my interest. "
— Jim, 11/28/2009 -
" 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. "
— Derek, 11/24/2009