Modder

I've always wished I was more technically savvy, wished I could build and fix computers and electronics and such. So far, I'm doing pretty well to not break mine, and have only learned that much by breaking things repeatedly and trying to cope with the aftermath. So understand when I say I want to try something like this, but it probably will never happen.

The Asus Eee PC wasn't a big deal to the public at large when it was released this year. Count on that to steadily change. The Eee PC is essentially the network computer of Oracle fame that never took of. Too much, too soon is my diagnosis. The Desktop PC was still making it's way into many homes for the first time. People had to get used to that beige box in their house first, before they could accept some cutting edge Internet machine.

Well, the Internet isn't such a novel idea any more, and more and more of what a person does on a computer is actually done on the network (much to the chagrin of some people). Network computer, now is your queue.

Enter the Eee PC. You might also say it's the OLPC for the non-child-non-developing country consumer. It comes with a minimal solid-state hard drive, making it a durable little guy. It's packed with an array of programs for all the most common web applications. The hardware is just what you'd need for ultra mobile, dependable, simple computing.

But, minimalism has it's drawbacks. Sometimes you want a little more hard drive space. And what if the bare-bones setup could be made simpler with a few extras?

Here is what I'd like to do. If I could have one of these to tote up to campus, that would be perfect. And if I were going to have one, I don't know if I could resist a couple modifications.

It doesn't look very hard. This guy took one and added a touchscreen for $60.⁰⁰! And this guy added a USB thumb drive to up capacity (by a lot) and internal bluetooth. He added some internal USB ports so he can upgrade at any time. He just plugs them in!

Maybe someday. After I've made my millions. And I pay somebody else to do it, because I'm busy managing and growing an empire...

sigh.