beanz Magazine

Ben Heckendorn is a self-taught maker with high energy, an internet show on Element14 (The Ben Heck Show), and a wonderfully wicked sense of humor. He also inspired this issue of the magazine.

You've looked at and used Susan Kare's work, or work inspired by hers, every time you use a computer.

Learn how a humanities PhD became a software programmer who builds online communities for universities, as well as Lead Developer for BuddyPress and helping to create WordPress plugins like Anthologize and Participad.

They talk about how they started and run iDTech summer camps together and how parents can evaluate tech summer camps.

With a wave of kids with special needs graduating high school, how can technology help them with resumes, college, jobs, and careers?

Troy Hunt is a software architect and Microsoft Most Valued Professional (MVP) focusing on security concepts and process improvement in a Fortune 50 company. He's based in Australia.

Simon recently wrote a short ebook, A children's guide to Python programming, to teach kids ages 5-8 computer programming with Python. He also maintains a brilliant website full of free resources to help teachers and students learn computer science and software programming.

His work ties together two topics for this issue of the magazine: binary numbers and circuit design. Without Shannon, computers and computer science could have been very different.

Here are two programmers who use their coding skills to solve complex problems, one coder helped track endangered owls in Yosemite and the other coder used his skills to track and isolate a deadly virus in a hospital isolation ward.

A university trained programmer, with a masters in computer science and a full professional career, Patrice today teaches technology and computer science to kids in kindergarten through eighth grade at Fraser Woods Montessori School in Newtown, Connecticut. She has some great insights into kids, teaching, and technology.