I am currently setting up my first-ever Raspberry Pi. This tiny single-board computer can be used for a lot of practical projects, (mine will be a small database and/or file server). Besides being practical it’s also just fun to build something like that and see it work. They’re used a lot in education to inspire kids for pursuits in engineering. Speaking of which…

I visited ORNL with a group of colleagues yesterday and took a few tours. We saw the graphite reactor (old school piece of Oak Ridge and national history) as well as the world’s most powerful super computer, “Frontier“. Our two tour guides were great and very passionate about their subject of study, got a lot of good info on super computers and even had some conversations about quantum computing. It’s funny that in a week I encountered such a tiny computer and then one that fills 2 floors of a building and weighs as much as a Boeing 747 (true fact). 

Raspberry PI’s began primarily an educational tool and are still priced low to allow easy access. The tours were free, and even usage time on Frontier is free – provided your data is then made open to the scientific community. It’s great that there are so many avenues into science and tech for anyone – not just kids. But I imagine encountering things like a tiny RP or the massive Frontier could inspire a kid, maybe change the trajectory of their life.