I'm a lunatic for cool iPhone apps, so I really wanted to share this with you guys. . . . Just visit http://iTunes.com/apps/LogMyRunPacer to download this app free and try it out! If you like it or hate it, go ahead and rate John's app on iTunes and help him out! I'm sure he'd love the feedback.

What I find most inspiring about Owen’s story is his willingness to learn and work hard to achieve success. Owen has had some financial success in his business, but the bigger payoff will be the discoveries he makes. One of the most important of these will be the understanding that, when you challenge yourself to learn something new, even when it’s a difficult subject, you gain the intellectual tools you need to succeed in life. As Thomas Friedman puts it… invent your way to prosperity.

These are two simple and effective apps that will help your child practice their math facts. I love having “flashcards” that don’t have to be flipped through and cannot be lost.  Now here’s the cool thing about these apps. They were designed by an eleven year old boy named Owen. (One of my favorite boy names by the way.) Owen and his brother Finn have been featured in many news stories and even on the Rush Limbaugh show. You can read all about their press here. As the mom of a ten year old I’m thoroughly impressed with what these kids have accomplished. Owen has mastered a new programming language and  built a useful app that he should be very proud of. Math Time and Math Time EX are well done, effective and helpful to all the other kids who need that extra bit of practice with math.

by John Painter

MathTime is an app version of the tried-and-true flash card method of learning math and includes drills for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.  And while it doesn't have a lot of visual or audio glitz, the app's power is in its simplicity - it's a textbook example of an intuitive interface.

. . . 

At the age of 11, Owen learned a computer language, wrote his own app, and started his own business.  He sets an example for the rest of us on how to survive in Friedman's flat world.

For more of John Painter's interview in iPhone Life Magazine, check out page 73 of the online Flash version of the magazine here or pick up a copy on newsstands now.  For the full article in PDF format you can also click here.

Preteens Build Top Selling iPhone App

By: Nathaniel Whittemore

A great little article published by Inc. Magazine [on July 1, 2009] tells the story of Finn and Owen Voorhees, 9 and 11 year old brothers who recently designed an iPhone application that became one of the top selling apps. . . .

First of all, it's such an affirmation of the creativity and capacity of young people. If you encourage them to explore instead of boxing them into stereotypes of what they can achieve, amazing things can happen. The other piece of this though is how different it is for these young creatives to have a platform for their work. Photoshop and the Apple App store coding platform gave them the tools they need to build something; the App Store gave them a place where they can be affirmed for their good work and where they value they created could be accessed by others. This is one of the powers of technology that I've been most excited about. I've had the lens of an extremely precocious younger brother to see just how both hardware and software can unleash creativity.

Some things never change. Kids need to learn math, and one tool to help them has always been repetitive flash cards.

Well, inspiring kids Owen and Finn Voorhees have taken flash cards to a new level—to the iPhone, in fact.

The brothers had the idea that the iPhone would be a great delivery system for a flash card program, or app, that would help students memorize math facts. There are over 35,000 apps for the phone, and there is a large community of programmers writing programs for iPhone users to add to their devices. However, up to 9 months ago, Owen and Finn were not part of that community. Together, they learned the programming language, and came up with graphical icons and for the app. The Chicago tribune article ishere.

Like so many inspirational children, Owen and Finn saw a need and filled it. Sure there are flash cards out there already, but what kid wouldn’t rather pick up an iPhone instead of a pile of cards? Kids helping kids, once again!

Congratulations, Owen and Finn.

An 11-year-old kid straight outta Illinois named Owen Voorhees (nephew of Jason?) developed his very own iPhone application called MathTime.

Wow!

...

My money says these kids will soon develop an app to rule the world and enslave us all before they are 21. Just sayin’…

Read more:http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/697086/Smarty-pants-Kids-Build-iPhone-App.html#ixzz0KovmC9PX&C

You heard that right. Owen Voorhees, an 11 year old, developed an iPhone application along the old flash card math “mad minute” drill idea. Not only is Own learning a new skill, but he’s learning to run his own business and making a little money off of his time and energy.

Way to go, Owen!!!

We need more kids like Owen, and more parents like his Dad encouraging such ambition.

If you’ve got an iPhone, there’s no doubt you’ve discovered the addictive world of iPhone apps. From the teensy versions of Sim City and Scrabble to the bizarre Photoshop-esque Face Melter to Twitterific (one of the many apps that lets us Twitter addicts keep an eye on our streams at all times), there’s an app for every person and every purpose. But have you ever tried to build one yourself?

It may seem like the sort of challenge that only an ultra-tech savvy genius could accomplish, but you might be surprised to learn that one of the online store’s bestselling apps was created by someone who’s still years away from high school, let alone an illustrious job in Sillicon Valley: 11-year-old Owen Voorhees.