http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/silicon/

I recorded it and watched it with my son. Before running it I told him "this is the story of how you got your laptop". He was absolutely blown away and inspired. He was completely proud of the fact that Bob Noyce was shown with a model airplane, something my son has been involved with since he was about six years old. Little things. Little details kids pick up on.

Of course, it is impossible for almost anyone today to imagine being born in an era without household electronics, as was the case for all of these guys.

Frankly, one of my pet peeves with regards to American culture is how we make idols of people who, in the long run, contribute virtually nothing but entertainment and shock-value to society and, in turn, we mock those who make actual contributions. Terms such as "nerd", "geek" and "dork" (which I've taught my kids to interpret as badges of honor) are used in a pejorative or diminishing way throughout our popular culture. I get a sense that this has been changing over the last decade or so, which is good.

Watching a documentary such as this one is an excellent opportunity to suggest real role models for kids. People such as Bob Noyce were "nerds", "geeks" and "dorks" that quite literally changed the world for generations to come in very positive ways. And, of course, there are many more examples of such people. I can't think of one pop-culture idol that can even begin to compare.