Here's the latest and greatest piece of kid-tech since the OLPC XO laptop made its debut last year. Costing only $50, the Teachermate has just been unveiled by a Chicago-based nonprofit called Innovations For Learning.
Engadget reports that this system will be sent out to 500 Chicago elementary schools over the next two years, in hopes that every child will eventually receive one. What's not to love about this tiny PC that comes with a 2.5-inch LCD display, an SD card slot for expandability, 512MB of RAM, and a built-in mic and speaker. With a complete reading and math curriculum on each device, these PCs are going to change the lives of many kids.
The Teachermate is said to become available on Amazon soon, so stay tuned.
Since we spend more time at work than we do at home, naturally, you'd want to be as comfy as possible. That includes having all of your nerdy desk accessories within arms reach. I mean, who hasn't wanted to take a break from all those TPS reports and flow charts to play with their Lightsaber desk lamp for a few? I for one, am 100 percent on board for that. Geek is chic people, get with it.
Check out my slideshow for more uber geeky, but totally essential, desk accessories!
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Oh, Gavin! San Franciscans and San Franciscans at heart know Mayor Gavin Newsom for his dreaminess, his uh, "troubled" love life, and I know him for his devotion to his iPhone. Now, he's got a little bit more than his contacts, emails, and touchscreen to cling to.
After last year's Cosco Busan oil spill in the Bay, Newsom went on vacation and communicated with his staff on his phone. The mayor has refused to hand over any info communicated about the spill, because it's on his own personal phone (which he pays for himself and uses for personal and work). To find out what the critics say and see what I think about the ordeal, read more
If you've received an Amazon shipment in the last month, you may have noticed a couple of these Cell Phones For Soldiers envelopes inside the box. By putting your old cell phone in one of these "prepaid" envelopes, it then gets sent to Recellular, a company which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each donated phone. With this money, Cell Phones for Soldiers purchases prepaid calling cards for U.S. troops and marines stationed overseas, with hopes of getting more than 12 million minutes of cards this year.
AT&T has already jumped on board by donating more than $500,000 to CPFS and now offers cell phone recycling drop-off sites at 1,800 store locations. To participate, your phone can be in any condition and does not need to have batteries, just throw it in the bag and send it off. Considering the harmful impact discarded cell phones have on our environment, I'm happy that there's a program making cell phone recycling effortless. And even better that it's being backed by Amazon!
Don't be fooled by this retro mini boombox wristlet by Loop Design. It may look like it's from the early eighties, but with working speakers, this case is tiny and mighty.
For only $14, you can use it as a cute pouch for your mp3 player or hook up your iPod to the speakers for a jam session!
Uh, I know I said I "loved" robots, but I meant that in a totally platonic way. I swear I don't want to marry, move in with, or make out with robots!
The models in Marie Claire Italia, on the other hand, are feeling pretty amorous toward the cold little guys, as evidenced by the geek-sexy photo shoot spotted, thankfully, by Boing Boing. I may not go for a robot boyfriend, but slick hair and sexy silver jumpsuits? New geeksugar uniform.
Check out my slideshow for robot sexy time and as a bonus, my tips for loving your own robot.
Except maybe Jude Law in AI. That's totally OK.
And I don't mean geek chic. The EU is concerned about the image of the IT Industry in Europe because they need to attract more women, but fear the current stigma of workers in tech as "geeky and unsociable" will keep the ladies out of the tech workforce.
Europe needs 300,000 female workers in the industry by 2010, and EU Commissioner Viviane Reding says women think careers in IT are "boring and too technical," even though there are tons of jobs and a huge demand for women.
In my little universe, surrounded by my gaggle of geeky girls here, I want to turn my nose up and say "nuh uh" but I have to acknowledge that there's truth to it. A friend of mine in HR at Google says the company is desperate for female engineers, but they're "just not there." A guy I met recently had interviewed at YouTube, but admitted that it was a "much dorkier" job than he'd ever seen himself in (yes, I assured him this was the Bay Area, where tech is the height of coolness).
What do you think about tech jobs? Do they sound boring? Cool? Do you want one?
Here's the latest and greatest piece of kid-tech since the OLPC XO laptop made its debut last year. Costing only $50, the Teachermate has just been unveiled by a Chicago-based nonprofit called Innovations For Learning. 
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