It has been called the spy-version of DARPA, but the Intelligence Advanced Research Activity Project or IARPA has opened on the campus of the University of Maryland, a partner university of the Global Security Challenge. IARPA (pronounced EYE-ar-pah) is charged with developing groundbreaking technologies for the U.S. intelligence community. Right now it’s housed within UMD’s Center for Advanced Study of Languages but is planning on moving into its own building (being built on campus) by 2009.
This research agency consolidates the National Security Agency's Disruptive Technology Office (previously called the Advanced Research and Development Activity), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's National Technology Alliance, and the Central Intelligence Agency's Intelligence Technology Innovation Center.
Surprisingly (or perhaps unsurprisingly because it’s DC) there are mixed opinions about IARPA. It does appear as one more way in which the CIA’s power is being subsumed, but on the other hand if IARPA can be more effective why not give it a try?
Back when Steve Nixon who is the current Deputy Associate Director of Science and Technology in the DNI’s office, was the acting director of IARPA he said in reference to the technologies coming out of IARPA, “The world has changed in dramatic ways with globalization of technology. These are the things that might not get done otherwise."
The good news for the new director of IARPA, Lisa Porter, is that she will report to Steve Nixon in the DNI’s Office. So straight off the bat she knows she’ll be reporting to someone who understands and supports her agency. Your columnist has been searching the web for a sense of the competence of Ms. Porter and found mostly positive comments left on blogs by those who have come into contact with her. (to read some the comments, click here)
One thing that is sure is that centre is located in on the campus of a university that is very much linked into this area. More about UMD soon…
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
IARPA... Open for Business
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1 comment:
Dr. Porter:
Speed up all PCs which currently and stupidly open as smorgasboards.
How? Enable PCs or DOD devices to open to the application you want rather than everything else before you can get to that app. How? Set it up that as you shut down the PC you can program it to open to one or two or three most likely apps you will want the next time you turn it on. It is incredibly stupid
that one's eyes MUST look at everything in the frigerator before
you select the milk. A PC should be turned on and in less than 20 seconds you are in the app you wanted as programmed by the last time you were in the machine. Do it!
SHACKLETON
Geoff Nicoletti
nicoletti@lschs.org
Willow Grove, Pa
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