Simplicity: The Lost Virtue.
The author of LoseTheOS comments on the lost treasure of simplicity in computing:
As far as I can tell, he was responding to the horde of raging ignoramuses which descended on him after his site was linked from Reddit and YC News. They demanded to know why he produced what he did instead of disgorging yet another interchangeable Unix clone.
Promoting simplicity and joy in programming is why I've given a few youngsters Arduinos as gifts. Recommend you check this out as well (and buy an extra one for yourself; they are fun!)
http://www.arduino.cc/
and to buy:
http://www.adafruit.com/
I particularly recommend the starter kit which comes with a bit
of proto board and some electronic components - the "batteries and bulbs" that we played with in 3rd grade science class, but retrofitted for the xbox generation:
http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17&products_id=68
don't let the out of stock notation worry you, just order it and realize it might not ship for a week and a half. she's pretty good about kitting stuff up and not being a lamer.
-RS