Hacking

Girls Breaker Day | Free STEM event

- bluemonkeydev

Another great event for area girls

By the age of 10, most girls have decided that computers, electronics, engineering, science, and math are not cool, too complicated, or just for boys.

On July 29 from 10 am to 3 pm, we are inviting all girls between the ages of 9 and 14 to join us at The Journey Group where we will help demystifying how electronics and appliances work by letting girls explore them by taking them apart in a safe and educational environment. The entire event is completely free, and I would like the moms also to join them. Read more

Free Girls Breaker Day Event

- bluemonkeydev

After a girls maker day event last fall, I had an idea of hosting a girls un-maker day event — I called it Girls Breaker Day. It’s just as it sounds; we’re going to invite girls to bring their broken electronics and then take them apart to see what makes them tick. In addition to their items, we are going to have a hundred old computers and miscellaneous items that they can disassemble down to the raw parts and then build something creative with the parts. Read more

Updated Online Video Gaming Course for Kids

- bluemonkeydev

Two years ago I created a video game training course on the Udemy platform to help me teach our facilitators and mentors for my Gaming Bootcamp. It just made sense, they needed a way to understand the Construct 2 platform and curriculum at their own pace, and video is the best medium.

After I posted the training course, I decided to open the course up to anyone that wanted to take I on-line. I set the price at $50 and have had well over 100 students take the program. As I develop new games, I update the course material on Udemy, providing a platform that is continually expanding. There are over 6 hours of videos lectures already in the course.
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Relaunching Computers for the Community

- bluemonkeydev

Connecting our community one computer at a time

I am really excited to announce the re-launch of Computers for the Community — a 501(c)(3) non-profit that takes donated computers, has them refurbished by volunteers, and then sells them for a small administration fee to those in the community who need them. Computers for the Community was founded in 2007 and has served hundreds of low-income families around Sioux Falls, South Dakota, but in the past few years it has been scaled back due to the original founder’s other commitments. Read more

The Best Blogs Delivered

- bluemonkeydev

Optimizing your Blog reading with Hacker Monthly

I read a lot of books every month, but virtually no periodicals. In fact the only two publications that I read every issue of religiously are Hacker Monthly and 2600 Magazine. There is a theme here, they are both curated content from the “hacker” community. But not the negative meaning of hacker, rather the meaning that refers to those who make things work better, like “Life Hacking.” Read more