Computious, DotComplicated and MeiMei are tickled to read about Top Girl Geeks!
November 27

C-NET in the U.K. has a great posting they call the "Top Ten Girl Geeks." We rearranged the order of the listing to put our favorites on top.

We think #1 is Lisa Simpson. C-NET says she is "possibly the world's most famous geek. Admittedly she's fictional, but doesn't that just make her all the more incredibly nerdy? Although Simpson is only 8, she has an IQ of 159, and has been observed to be fluent in Italian, Chinese (note: Computious speaks Chinese!), Spanish and Swedish. She is an outcast at school on account of her prodigious talents, and often finds it difficult to relate to kids of her age. Simpson's greatest invention is the perpetual motion machine and she is also an expert piano, accordion, bass guitar and baritone saxophone player. In the future, Simpson is expected to become US president."

Our #2 is Aleks Krotoski, a top girl geek writer. Currently working for the BBC, she is an expert in the social psychology of virtual worlds. Krotoski has always been a staunch supporter of girls in gaming, and is said to be working on a white paper titled 'Women in Games'.

Coming in at #3, although we think she's scary, is Mary Shelley. In a ghost-story contest she imagined and wrote about Frankenstein — "the archetypal geek gone mad."

On the more serious side, C-NET lists these great women:

– Ada Byron (later Ada Lovelace), the world's first programmer.

– Val Tereshkova, the first woman in space.

– Grace Hopper, the "quintessential geek" who discovered a moth causing a computer to malfunction — the first recorded case of a computer "bug."

– Rosalind Franklin, a chemist who was an expert in the structure of DNA and viruses.

– Marie Curie, an expert in radioactivity who, unfortunately for her health, walked around with her pockets stuffed full of test tubes containing radioactive isotopes.

We were a little confused to see that CNET also lists Daryl Hannah and Paris Hilton. Jessica Guynn at The Tech Chronicles reacted with “Hear the blogosphere roar.”

We would have included Tamara Chuang, known as "The Gadgetress" in our local paper, the Orange County Register. See what she wrote about the Internet in your car and the Comic Book alternative for Apple fans.

Also, shouldn't Meg Whitman of eBay be on the list? After all, this woman has to oversee the work of so many geeks who keep one of the busiest Internet sites going.

See C-NET.UK's full story at "Top ten girl geeks."

This posting is written by Computious^® – The Everyday Sage of the Digital Age! – and her best friend DotComplicated, and her sister MeiMei. Other friends include Serge deFault, Sweet & Sour the Pig, C.C. the Cat, PingPong the Panda, and Elman the Elephant. What a group of characters!

The Computious^® product line has fun, unique gift items at the easy-to-use site www.computious.com. See the Special Values!

Filed under Entertainment, Females/Girls, Helpful Information, Shopping & Gifts, Technology by Computious | 1 comment

Keeping Tech Simple
November 26

Computious : "We know lovable techno-whizzes who are thrilled to learn every latest and greatest feature on tech gadgets, and their lives are better, not worse, for it. But if you're like some of us, including DotComplicated who gets stressed out by all those exciting new features…"

DotComplicated: "I don't want to spend time learning a new way of doing something if the way I'm doing it works. There are too many other things to do."

Computious: "…and those new, exciting, complex features end up making life more stressful, you'll enjoy these tips we came across for making technology work for you. We found them in an article by MIT professor John Maeda in last Sunday's Parade Magazine called "How To Keep It Simple".

This posting is written by Computious^® – The Everyday Sage of the Digital Age! –and her friend DotComplicated. Other friends include Serge deFault, MeiMei, Sweet & Sour the Pig, C.C the Cat, PingPong the Panda, and Elman the Elephant. What a group of characters!

The Computious^® product line has fun, unique gift items at the easy-to-use site www.computious.com. See the Holiday Special Values!

Filed under Shopping & Gifts, Technology by Computious | 1 comment

Blog Launched
November 26

Irvine, CA - Blog Launched Featuring Computious® and DotComplicated™ -

Computious®, a brick-and-mortar cartoon character who was ahead of her time in conquering the digital age, came to life again today in another form in the new Computious® blog. The creator, Marie Meade, declared, “We said Computious® – who is a humorous girl – not Confucius, even though the names rhyme!”

Computious® explores the digital world with DotComplicated™, her best friend who, makes things, well, complicated; Serge deFault™ who is a geekish pal suffering from weak social skills; and MeiMei™ (“little sister” in Mandarin).

In the blog, the characters will bring to the public’s attention new developments in computers, the Internet, digital devices, and other high-technology gizmos. At times they will comment upon the simplicity or complexity of the products.

Computious® is a cute American with subtle Asian features who doesn’t look anything like the Chinese philosopher Confucius. However, the girl who lives in 2006 and the sage who lived from 551 to 479 B.C. have much in common.

“She overcomes computer problems while being lighthearted and philosophical about life in general,” said Meade. “Computious® is ‘The Everyday Sage of the Digital Age,’ and as a global citizen she combines an Eastern sensibility with computer savvy-ness.”

“Despite computer frustrations, Computious® would not strike at the high-tech world in a mean-spirited way, reflecting the attitude of the elder Confucius who believed in honorable conduct,” said Meade. “For example, Computious® would not become a hacker or spammer.”

Her animal friends include Sweet & Sour™, a cute pig who likes to sleep; PingPong the Panda Bear™ who's just lovable; C.C. the Cat™, who is curious and mischievous; and Elton the Elephant™ who never passes up a party.

“The characters are safe and warm,” said Meade. “They offer a fanciful look at computers, how you might dress while in a chat room, and how to deal with bizarre computer situations. And while Computious® is tech-savvy and likes nerds, she isn’t nerdy enough herself to wear a pocket protector.”

The characters are now featured on a line of products in Zazzle’s Design & Gift Gallery, and visitors have already praised the “good pizza” and “Cyber-Horror” shirts, a Christmas Card, and an Anniversary Card (all voted “Today’s Best”). A top 10 Apparel View was the “Bling Bling Keyboard” T-Shirt (“Keyboards of the Rich and Famous” is written on the shirt) and others praised a DotComplicated™ mug (“very beautiful”) and a grand-piano birthday card.

The Computious® product line includes more than 100 gift items (with more in the pipeline) at the easy-to-use site at http://www.computious.com.

Categories include Animals, Christmas, Philosophical Musings, Music, Special Occasions and Everyday Technology. Sub-groups include Food (Pizza and Chocolate) and Sleep.

Customers can personalize all products (except postage stamps), with names and messages that Zazzle usually creates within 24 hours and ships by the following day.

Colorful items include Computious® apparel for men, women and children (T-shirts, polo shirts, premium shirts, sweatshirts, nightshirts, baby-wear), mugs (travel mugs, steins, and ceramic), posters, greeting cards (some are updated designs from the strongest-selling paper cards), mouse pads and postage stamps. The USPS-authorized stamps (larger than normal) are available in the most common denominations ($0.24 to $4.05), including the $0.39 first-class stamp. Volume discounts are available.

At Zazzle, Computious® items share “digital shelf space” with collections from the Walt Disney Company, Mattel, Warner Brothers’ Looney Tunes, Lucasfilm’s Star Wars, Marvel Comics, Twentieth Century Fox’s Family Guy™, Neopets, Build-A-Bear Workshop and MGM’s Pink Panther.

The re-emergence of Computious® coincides with a move to provide positive motivation to females to pursue computer and software careers. Computious® is a poster child to inspire girls to pursue careers in the computing professions, of special importance since the Computing Research Association reports female enrollment in computer science programs has plunged in recent years.

“Consider Computious® an ally in narrowing the digital gender gap,” said Meade. “Computious® “and her friends are the only ‘Peanuts’-type group of characters immersed in and becoming victorious over computer-age life. Talk about niche appeal! Consumers like brands that are distinguishable by a single word and Computious® fills the bill.”

“The trademarked characters are available for licensing and we are open to establishing strategic alliances,” said Meade. “It's estimated that at least 51 million U.S. women and girls are online, many of whom will easily connect to Computious® and her winning ways. Are you listening Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Gateway, AOL?”

Marie Meade created Computious® while studying in Taiwan (she is half Chinese). Upon return to the United States, she started out in the social expressions industry designing the Computious® greeting-card line, writing all copy and drawing the illustrations, exhibiting at the New York Stationery show and similar venues, and working with Sales Representatives to place the line in retail outlets across 31 states and Canada. She has an MBA in Marketing and a Sales background.

The Computious® product line has fun unique gift items at the easy-to-use site www.computious.com. See the Holiday Specials!