Sound interesting?  Here’s how you can become a part of it: Attend the Random Hacks of Kindness (www.rhok.org) Hackathon and develop software that saves lives, alleviates suffering and helps communities to recover after natural disasters strike.  

The Back Story

Random Hacks of Kindness is a joint effort founded by Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft, NASA and The World Bank, dedicated to bringing software developers together to respond to challenges facing humanity in the area of natural disaster risk.  We start with problem definitions created through consultations with NGOs, governments and experts in the field from around the world, then we invite hackers to a come together to organize and go to work putting their skills to use to solve those problems with software solutions that make a difference on the ground.  At a RHoK hackathon, new technologies are born, existing platforms are built upon, and innovative new ideas attract attention and support.  At the close of the hackathon, teams present the technologies they have developed and prizes are awarded.   

The Details

This Random Hacks of Kindness Hackathon is happening in Washington, D.C.  from June 4^th through 6^th,, with global satellite events going on around the world in Jakarta, Sydney, Nairobi and Sao Paolo.  The evening of June 4^th The State Department is hosting a reception for RHoK* to kick off two days of intensive hacking on June 5^th and 6^th at the Microsoft Offices in Chevy Chase, MD.  Check out the full agenda or learn more about the global satellites right here.  

* In order to attend the State Department Reception for Random Hacks of Kindness, you must register here by May 31st, 2010.  Registrants for the reception will receive a direct email invitation from the State Department.

Why Do This? 

• Save the world: You have the skills to make a difference.  Hacks developed at the last RHoK hackathon were used on the ground in Haiti and Chile following the devastating earthquakes there in early 2010.  The world needs these solutions.
• Exposure: Got a new product, idea or technology to share with the hacker community?  Put it to work at the hackathon.
• Assistance: Extend the function and applicability of your existing products or software through global crowdsourced development.
• Input: Get real-time feedback from Subject Matter Experts in software and disaster risk.