Grey Matter Radio

The Mindtriggerz Project refurbishes donated computers and components, installs educational software and then places them in the homes of children in our area who could not otherwise afford them.

In June of 2004, Jesse Higginbotham at the age of 14 created an account on the then beta “GMail” (Google mail) choosing the username “mindtriggerz”.  In the course of the next three years it became a familiar name on the internet, posted on forums such as mozillazine, archlinux, rubyforge, and slashdot to name just a few. “Mindtriggerz” was soon synonymous with open source, tech support, contributions of advice and assistance. Opinionated, relentless and often very much appreciated, Jesse’s extensive sharing of knowledge among both his peers and those who had no idea quite how young he really was grew to a level that far exceeded what we suspect was even known to him.

In April of 2007 the local and global community lost a great contributor when Jesse was involved in a fatal automobile accident on his way to school.

Jesse’s parents, with assistance from family members and many friends organized the Jesse Higginbotham Technology Trust, a non-profit, in an effort to continue the work Jesse was so passionate about. The “Mindtriggerz Project” is one of the many endeavors the Trust has embarked upon to complete Jesse’s work.

Jesse firmly believed that technology should be available to everyone regardless of financial means and support. He believed that technology brought the world home, that the benefits are educational, social and personal. To that end, the Mindtriggerz Project’s primary focus is to place computers in the homes of elementary aged youth who could not otherwise afford it, here in his home of Cardinal Valley. Our goal is not only to give used technology a second life, but to provide the necessary training, follow-up, tech support and upgrades to youngsters among us who might well have an as yet undiscovered talent such as Jesse’s. Students from around Fayette County will be assisting in every aspect of the Mindtriggerz Project: from refurbishing donated computers to training youth and their families, to teaching each other in a manner similar to Jesse’s.

www.jessehigginbotham.com