Think you're smart?

[Bungleau]

Nine-year old whiz-kid writes iPhone application (Reuters)

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - While most children his age sketch on paper with crayons, nine-year old Lim Ding Wen from Singapore, has a very different canvas -- his iPhone.

Lim, who is in fourth grade, writes applications for Apple's popular iPhone. His latest, a painting program called Doodle Kids, has been downloaded over 4,000 times from Apple's iTunes store in two weeks, the New Paper reported on Thursday.

The program lets iPhone users draw with their fingers by touching the iPhone's touchscreen and then clear the screen by shaking the phone.

"I wrote the program for my younger sisters, who like to draw," Lim said. His sisters are aged 3 and 5.

Lim, who is fluent in six programing languages, started using the computer at the age of 2. He has since completed about 20 programing projects.

His father, Lim Thye Chean, a chief technology officer at a local technology firm, also writes iPhone applications.

"Every evening we check the statistics emailed to us (by iTunes) to see who has more downloads," the older Lim said.

The boy, who enjoys reading books on programing, is in the process of writing another iPhone application -- a science fiction game called "Invader Wars."

(Reporting by Melanie Lee; Editing by Bill Tarrant)
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Could be Odd News... but really Come on, people... you can't be outdone by a 9-year-old, can you?

[Firestormalpha]

Well, seeing as I'm not into programming myself, I need not fear being outdone by a 9 year old. All the same, to see a computer prodigy out of the east isn't too surprising, though to be at the levels he's at (programming games and applications for the iphone) at age 9, that's pretty noteworthy.

[VulcanRider]

Kids today aren't born with an umbilical cord. They come out with a USB port. Kids like this are the future. In 10 years he'll be solving problems that don't even exist yet.

[SpiritWarrior]

As amazing as these stories about "gifted" kids are, I always wonder just how easy growing up will be for them. He isn't doing things that most 9 year olds do, and therefore is missing a part of his childhood that he may never regain. Is he doing this because he wants to? Or is it because Dad encouraged him to? I can't imagine a 9 year old waking up one day saying I want to write apps for a device that wouldn't have any real attraction to someone his age - regardless of intelligence, the phone is a social networking device where kids barely use it until they reach their teens and want to call their friends.

The big issues in cases like this are mental maturity vs. emotional maturity. His aptitude may be advanced, but there's a kid in there somewhere. When I hear of children like this I always hope they will be allowed to "grow up" properly rather than be used as a cash cow because of their genius.

[Variol (Farseer) Elmwood]

What a wonderful childhood; not!

Let the child be a child for goodness sake. They grow up way too fast these days anyway.

[MagiK]

Have to remember cultural values in Asia are generally waaay different than they are here. Children are not seen the same and are held to higher expectations than is generally seen in the US.

[JrKASperov]

As soon as he can explain me QM I'll concede.

[DrowArchmage]

QM means quantum mechanics right?
lol
if the kid can do this at an early age, then we should expect some great things out of him in the future.

[thecarrotdude]

Originally Posted by VulcanRider Kids today aren't born with an umbilical cord. They come out with a USB port.

aha

[ocellis]

Originally Posted by Variol (Farseer) Elmwood What a wonderful childhood; not! Let the child be a child for goodness sake. They grow up way too fast these days anyway.

Constructing programmes can be as easy and as rewarding as constructing LEGO castles. There is no reason to assume that the child isn't enjoying himself.