Slashdot Mirror
Starting an After-School Computer Club?
Kai_MH asks: "When I moved up to my high school this year (I'm a Sophomore), I was surprised to find that there was no 'computer' or 'technology' club at the school. Sure, there's A/V, but what fun is carrying TV sets around? So, I'd like to approach my school's administration about starting an after-school computer club. I'd like to educate my peers on the alternatives to Windows (Linux and Open Source), how hardware works and fits together, job offerings in computer-related fields, and anything else that may be of interest. Perhaps we can do fund-raisers to build and upgrade a computer for the club, which could be donated to the school or community? Does anyone have suggestions on this? Has anyone tried this before? I've had a lot of support from my peers, but I'm still not quite sure how to go about it."
I don't know what anyone else told you about a computer club, but you're not going to meet any chicks that way!
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Be braver -- you can't cross a chasm in two small jumps.
I just moved to a new high school and was wondering what the best way to ensure I get beat up on a daily basis was.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It's just that yours is stupid.
By the way, you haven't seen my red Swingline lying around anywhere, have you?
What if you want to dress in black suits and go door to door writing game code for poor kids?
There's a growing sense that even if The Future comes,
most of us won't be able to afford it.
-- Lemmy
Great Scott! I just got back from the year 2005. Here's your group photo.
Why don't you save a few steps and just give yourself the daily beatings and wedgies?
Abortion is advocated only by persons who have themselves been born.
--Ronald Reagan
I'd say you're definitely well-toasted.
...
Because forming an unofficial (read: covert) group with all the same sterotypes is going to be so much safer these days....
"You know, Hobbes, some days even my lucky rocketship underpants don't help" -- Calvin
When you get the club up and running, post your web address so we can educate the club about a good ol' fashioned slashdotting.
Skiers and Riders -- http://www.snowjournal.com
I'm a crusty old programmer; broke my teeth on PDP-8s and acoustic couplers. There are now ten million pasty-faced C# programmers and Frontpage users to compete with for jobs. My advice to you is to enjoy coding all you want, but put your energy into starting up a club for studying law and business administration.
Since when are lawyers desirable?
No. I believe you would have the world's first computer club (according to the US Patent search).
We had a computer club when I was in high school; FYI, the best fund raiser we found, BY FAR, was to run a computer dating service. We'd have booths at various student activities where kids could sign up--they'd pay a fee and fill out a short questionaire, which we would input into the database. To get customized date suggestions printed out they would have to apy another fee. I never heard of anyone *actually* going on any dates based on the service, but everyone was dying to find out who the computer would match them up with. Like I said, this was a serious money maker for us!
At the same booths we would also sell customized biorthym charts--utter rubbish, but hey, people pay for horoscopes too! This didn't earn as much as the dating service, but was still a good secondary product.
Good luck!
If playing networked games are to be a part of your club, when you're working on your speech/application for why the club should be allowed don't forget to mention all the skills you'll be learning:
* Dual limitless resource management (Total Annihilation)
* Dual limited resource management (*craft)
* Single limit(ed|less) resource management (C&C, TA: Kingdoms)
* Cooperation (team games)
* Group coordination and leadership (ie, setting up an attack)
* Civil design (base layout)
* A deeper understanding of physics (various FPSs, plus a host of other games... like Worms!)
* Learning to use the right tool for a job (IPX vs TCP/IP, certain units in RTS games, weapons in Worms...)
Be creative! Pick a game you like and go marketing on it.
My Friends have a name for people like you... 'foreskin face.'