I’ve been talking to a lot of people about all sorts of technologies and programming algorithms. I took a minute to break out of that mode to absorb the ambiance here today. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced including the 2005 Grand Challenge tent. The ’05 tent was mostly occupied by engineers and media. The feed was very structured and the updates looked more like a giant video game than a feed.
This year, the feed is nicely produced and augmented with very professional commentary. I thought I’d take a break from the technology to describe this experience.
Outside this massive tent you can hear helicopters. Inside you hear the murmur of hundreds, maybe thousands of people. On occasion, the murmur erupts into a loud cheer of appreciation for the intelligence required to drive the course as the robots show off on the three massive projection screens at the front of the tent.
What is striking about this year’s event is the number of families and kids present. In this tent, there are armed guards, brilliant scientists, demonstrations of history-making robots, and families of all sorts of backgrounds. This is Americana at its best.
DARPA sure knows how to throw a party.
The teams definitely have a substantial cheering section with future scientists enjoying the shiny cars and all the great stuff around them.
At the same time, there are those who are working feverishly to keep the outside world up-to-date on today’s happenings. The media table is crowded and there are cables everywhere.
And now I’m smelling food.
