A computer only a geek could love

digi_big3.jpg
I know you are tired of hearing this, but man, I need to get one of these. I don’t think my wife would approve, though. (via Engadget)

No doubt about it, the original Digi-Comp I is a rare item——in more ways than one. For example, there’s the Yahoo group FriendsOfDigiComp… How many other educational toys can boast their own Internet fan club? Remarkable, considering Digi-Comp is over 40 years old and has been off the market for at least 30… Which explains why the originals (if you can find any) are so scarce, commanding $100 or more on eBay.

But perhaps the rarest thing about Digi-Comp is the combination of hands-on and minds-on fun it affords. It definitely still has things to teach*, like Boolean logic and problem-solving… and it’s rewarding to build and use. That’s why Minds-On Toys decided to reintroduce it in an affordable kit format, with a thorough and professional revamp of the original documentation.

[tags]Digicomp, 3-bit computer, Kit computer[/tags]

Top 10 reasons geeks…

Here’s a set of 3 top 10 lists about geeks.

1) …make great fathers

  • LEGOS. The Geek is really more of a Man-Child than an adult. In their minds, they are still 10. They freakin’ still love to play with their legos, and have never grown up. I have one friend, WHO WILL REMAIN NAMELESS, that still has legos in his room. He doesn’t have kids. Just legos. Of course, my children love legos and Steve will lovingly spend hours playing legos with them.

2) …aren’t easy to be married to

  • MEMORY. Their minds are complete and utter LINT TRAPS. Not steel traps, LINT TRAPS. They capture all kinds of useless crap and store it up there. He can remember all the characters in a book he read when he was 8 years old but he can only remember 2 of the 3 things he was supposed to get at the grocery store. He can remember the date of Nolan Ryan’s no hitter, but he can’t remember our anniversary. He remembers every battle of WWII, but can’t remember what he gave me for a wedding present.

3) …make great friends

  • I like the fact that Geeks have no pretense of social norms. They will invite you over to their house to play board games or D&D, never realizing the rest of the world plays poker or drinks.

[tags]Top 10, geeks[/tags]

What did George Washington look like?

A brief article about some interesting work — reconstructing George Washington’s looks at several times throughout his life. Includes a fascinating video. (via Blue’s News)

“The most difficult part of the challenge in a way was morphing backwards when there are no images of the 19-year-old,” said recreation team member, Ivan Schwartz. “Our 19-year-old mystery man — the man who would become leader of the country.”

The team recreated Washington at age 57 when he was president; at age 45 when he commanded troops in the Revolutionary War and as a teenage surveyor.

[tags]George Washington, President[/tags]