Three years ago, Eben Upton needed a cool gadget to lure students to his computer science program at the University of Cambridge. So he invented the Rasberry Pi. It has since become the cheapest hackable computer on the planet. He has sold five million (at $20 to $35 a pop), released a faster version this February, and become an icon of DIY culture. Now, as Microsoft prepares to launch a Pi-friendly version of Windows, Upton is bracing for a wave of new users. He recently spoke with Popular Science about hacking, education, and his tiny creation.

Eben Upton: We wanted to build something affordable and programmable and fun and robust that kids would want to have in their lives. You know, it sucks being a kid. You have no power. You basically do what other people tell you to do for 18 years. The nice thing about computer programming is you have this venue in which you have power. You have agency. You have the ability to take charge, be in control, and build the thing you want to build. And kids like that maybe their parents don't understand it.