"True genius sees with the eyes of a child and thinks with the brain of a genie"
? Puzant Kevork Thomajan
For the seekers of knowledge it's never too early or too late to start. Some are born with this unique gift to explore the unthinkable. And they are the ones who raise the bar for others.
I found a few who made their mark on the technology front recently with some amazing feats. Let's celebrate these child prodigies.
Testing 'chip' software at eight
When the other kids of his age are busy playing games this child genius is helping US-based chip maker Actel with its software. Eight-year-old Carson Page who lives in Texas, US, has been attracted to technology since he was two. By four he was fixing driver problems and installing operating systems by himself. At age seven he started programming circuits with software from Actel.
In fact, he was able to offer decent feedback to the company about its software. This made the company interested in using his services on a professional basis. So in 2007 Actel asked Carson to evaluate an upcoming version of its software. He detected several bugs, reporting his findings via conference calls. For this beta testing he was paid a $250 gift certificate, which he used to buy an MP3 player, two computer games and a microphone.
For Carson his dad, who runs an electronic design company, is his inspiration in the field of technology.
For his second birthday, Carson received a PC on which he started installing programmes. For Christmas in 2006, his prized gift was an oscilloscope (electronic instrument for viewing and measuring electric and electronic signals).
In the midst of all this technology fascination, Carson's long-term goal is to be a jet fighter pilot.
Young scientist of the year
This 16-year-old student has impressed one and all with his solid understanding of computer network security. To award his project titled "An Extension of Wiener's Attack on RSA," BT Ireland chose Abdusalam Abubakar as their Young Scientist of the Year 2007 over a host of other participants.
According to the judges, "Abdusalam mastered enormously complex mathematics which limits the security of encrypted digital and internet messages.
Encryption means changing the letters of a message into a string of numbers which have meaning only to the person who knows the key. He has developed further conditions restricting the design of safe keys. Security keys are chosen using very large numbers and Abdusalam has increased the security of keys by improving the strictness of the encryption process.
For a student still in second level, such command and insight into cutting edge mathematical research is remarkable." This was certainly no mean achievement for his entry was a system to crack what had previously been the world's most secure computer encryption standard - the RSA system.
Abdusalam, followed his win with another commendable feat. He won First Prize in Mathematics at the 19th European Union Contest for Young Scientists in Spain in 2007. Some 120 talented young scientists from 32 countries took part in the competition.
His discoveries have many practical applications in the areas of IT and internet safety.
She develops software at 11
Arfa Karim Randhawa, an 11-year-old girl from Pakistan, is a promising software programmer. Arfa shot to fame in 2005, when at the age of nine she became one of the youngest Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCPs) in the world. The same year she was invited to visit Microsoft headquarters in Washington, US, and to meet Bill Gates, former CEO and Chief Software Architect of the software giant.
During her meeting with Gates she asked him why the company doesn't hire people her age and why there are relatively few women on campus.
Ever since Arfa was introduced to computers at the age of six she demonstrated unexpected aptitude. She holds an MCP in Windows Programming using the C# programming language.
Ultimately Arfa wants to go to Harvard University or MIT, and then either go to work for Microsoft, in its developer division, or become a satellite engineer.
As for her philosophy in life, she says, "If you want to do something big in your life, you must remember that shyness is only in the mind. If you think shy you act shy, and if you think confident you act confident. Therefore, never let shyness conquer your mind." She sure has a mature head on her young shoulders.
The writer is a guru of tech who runs a trading company in Dubai
