I know what girls like. Well, I know what 10 and 12 year old girls like. They like the new ASUS EEE 900 computer. It’s cute, it’s friendly, it’s easy to use and to carry around. Beata in particular has been pestering me about getting one for months. I promised I would buy one for every daughter who managed to save up 3000 NT ($100). Saga and Beata did and now we have two more computers in the family.
And make no mistakes about it. The EEE Pc may look cute, but it’s a very powerful machine. Even seasoned middle-aged reviewers are drooling over it. What they all complain about though is the keyboard — it’s too small. And it is. If you are a seasoned middle-aged reviewer your fingers are most likely too fat. But this is the beauty of it! For a 10 to 12 year old girl the keyboard is just right. It’s like the computer was made for her, and she knows it. Saga and Beata are now exploring the internet on computers their parents cannot control.
The next empowering technology project is to get them all a red sports car when they turn 18. Red sports cars, like cute computers, are wasted on middle-aged men. I want my girls to pick up guys, to leave them in the dust, to drive off into the sunset, on their own wheels. Why a red car? Well, red cars are loud and self-confident. I want my girls to be loud and self-confident too.
No, we can’t afford a red sports car for each of them. They will have to pass it onto each other as they, one after the other, turn 18. Unfortunately paying for an expensive car does mean that we can’t support them financially through college. But hey, life is all about getting your priorities straight.