Nope, IÂ’ll leave that to the 3rd Clinton administration.
But there ARE some neat things you can do to get kids you know interested and involved. Here are a couple ideas – feel free to add your own in the comments.
HAX0R attacks - Only YOU can save the Internets
A couple years ago the US service academies started an annual cyber defense exercise. Cadets from all the academies compete to defend their networks against an NSA cyber attack team. The idea became so popular that now thereÂ’s a whole bunch of cyber defense competition for undergrads from other schools and even for highschool kids.
WeÂ’ve got a lot of people with IT skills here at the Burg. If you're one of them, consider helping to run a competition or coach a team, or get some teen you know plugged into a cyber defense club.
BTW - the first year the CDX was held, West Point cadets not only defended against the NSA red team, they found and exploited a hole in the red team server's security. Heh ...
ROBOTS!!Are everywhere. Or will be soon. Lego Mindstorms offered the first inexpensive configurable & programmable robot kit for kids. Soon middle schoolers and high schoolers were getting together in clubs and competing locally and even nationally.
Today there are a lot more robots and kits to choose among, including iRobotÂ’s new iCreate (basically the Roomba minus their code). The iCreate can be programmed using MicrosoftÂ’s free Robotics Studio visual programming setup. Kids learn the basics of logic flow and can download their code into the iCreate or a number of other small bots.
Then thereÂ’s SonyÂ’s AIBOs, which are still available on eBay. There are easy ways to script basic behavior for these robot dogs and a dedicated enthusiast community. For the more serious kid with some programming skills, Carnegie MellonÂ’s Tekkotsu software library offers examples of world class robotics code, tailored to AIBOs in particular.
Robot competitions are springing up everywhere – here’s one event list with dozens of entries, but it’s far from complete.
University teams with robotics programs take on the DARPA Grand Challenge. The winner each year gets a chunk of money and serious bragging rights.
Pumpkin Chunkin & Battleship SinkinLike the idea of big machines that smash things in loud ways? Then Pumpkin Chunkin is definitely worth checking out with some kids who share your interest. Without realizing it, the kids will pick up some insights into mechanical engineering, physics and maybe military history too. Some pretty women & neat musicians hang around the competitions too.
For those whose fancy runs more to the sea, there are the folks who build – and sink – scale model battleships. In real water. With remote controls and cool sound effects. (You might need to arm wrestle the local bureaucrats, tho.)
Gardening more your style? How about building a deck or treehouse? Or learning why a race horse is fast?
Lots to learn while setting up, planting, tending and harvesting a veggie or flower garden.Or designing & building a tree house.
Got a kid who really likes dogs or horses? Take her (or him) to a dog agility competition and talk with the top trainers. Or to a horse farm like this one. What really makes one dog faster than another? Why are race horses bred to be so long-legged and quarter horses arenÂ’t?
YÂ’all get the idea. Get some kid or a whole group of kids actively exploring and learning. Measuring, designing, experimenting Â…
Remember, not only do we need lots of innovation to fight the Long War. We also need a strong economy so you and I can retire with a good conscience and not be speaking Mandarin when we do it.