ReadWriteWeb

At this point there's probably nothing in geekdom, no matter how arcane, that hasn't ended up on someone's skin. "In" someone's skin, to be precise. From ASCII art, to xkcd comics, to video games, to binary, to parts of your childhood you just can't leave behind, there are entire sites like Geeky Tattoos now devoted to nerd ink.

Back in 2010 we put together our first list of the 30 best and worst Web tech tattoos. Here's our latest compilation, including an augmented reality tattoo, HTML tags, Javascript and C++, Debian, Wordpress, Google, Microsoft, RFID, QR codes, even Bill Gates' face. If you have work that's better, or worse, show it off in the comments.

Arguing that we need to do a better job not just ensuring access to quality higher education, but helping students actually graduate from college, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have announced the Next Generation Learning Challenges initiative. This multi-year project aims to help improve both college readiness and college completion in the U.S. through the use of technology. Administered through the nonprofit EDUCAUSE, the program will provide grants to organization that will help develop technology tools to more teachers, students, and schools.

RFPs for the first round of grants were released today. These grants will range from $250,000 to $750,000, with a total amount funded in this round of $20 million. Proposals are due Nov. 19 with the winners to be announced by the end of March 2011. And while this first round will be aimed at developing technology tools and projects for higher education, the next round, according to the Gates Foundation, will address the needs of students in grades 9 through 12.

It may be the behemoth of the personal computing industry, but Microsoft has as many quirks and oddities as any basement-dwelling startup. Online MBA Programs has rounded up a few of those tidbits, plus some more facts about the company that you may have never heard. To start off, did you know that Microsoft didn't make MS-DOS, its original blockbuster OS?

The Instructional Technology Council recently released a report on the trends in distance education and online learning at community colleges. Among its findings: Enrollment in distance education courses increased by over 20%, while overall community college enrollment increased by less than 2%. Clearly online learning offers many opportunities to students, teachers and academic institutions. But what are the opportunities for entrepreneurs?

Ben Horowitz of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz wrote an interesting piece Wednesday on why he and partner Marc Andreessen look for strong founding CEOs when investing in companies. Founding CEOs are the kind of entrepreneurs that run their companies from the early development stages and are not replaced by a professional CEO as the company grows and builds. In this lengthy but worthwhile read, Horowitz provides insight into what makes for a great founding CEO, and why he believes they are more likely to help a company succeed than a professional CEO.

Former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates made headlines a few weeks ago when he decided to join Twitter, amassing hundreds of thousands of followers within just a few hours of signing up for the service. Just last week, Gates made an appearance on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show to discuss the release of his second annual letter describing the progress the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has made. Needless to say, Gates has had a busy 2010 so far.

Gates' foundation is focused on improving the conditions in developing countries by providing funding for supplies and research and by raising global awareness. Now Gates is beginning to focus on another way to improve the general condition of the world: green tech.

Bill Gates has started a mysterious new company, called bgC3, possibly to be focused on creating catalyst business ideas to spin off to Microsoft, the Gates Foundation or elsewhere. Little is known about the company, which doesn't appear to have a public web page, but a fair number of details have been ferreted out by the Seattle area tech reporters Todd Bishop, Eric Engleman and John Cook.