Updating NXT-G Programming Guide

Well, I just got a request from Apress to update the NXT-G Programming Guide - the book came out in 2007 and, now that NXT-G 2.0 is out, it's probably a good idea. I've collected mistakes and omissions over the years and will hopefully fix those easily enough, but Apress has given me permission to increase the page count on the book... so....

For those of you who own the first edition, I have a few questions that I'm hoping you'll help me out with...

1. Is there anything you feel should be added to the book?
2. Would exercises be beneficial?
3. Did I cover wires well enough or do they need more discussion?
4. What did you like about the book and want more of...
5. ... and what did you NOT like about the book and want less of... or corrected?

For the original book, I made the test robot (SPOT) available as a downloadable zip file containing photos to build it - for this book, I'm probably going to update SPOT and provide BIs for all three kit versions - 1.0, 2.0, and Education. Not sure if that will be useful or not... thoughts welcome.

I've had requests from teachers and coaches to provide some hands-on activities in the form of Exercises, so please comment on that as well if you can...

It's nice to be able to update a book and fix things you overlooked the first time around... and I welcome your thoughts on improving this book. No promises that Apress will let me do anything too crazy, but if I'm able to use your suggestion or find it useful for correcting or adding something in, I'll try and credit you in the book if you're the first responder for an improvement, fix, or addition.

Thanks!

Jim

ROBOTMAK3RS Review: LEGO River Steamboat

I thought the LEGO River Steamboat would be an interesting set for a ROBOTMAK3R review for a few reasons. First, the LEGO designer of the model is Marina Stampoli, a long-time collaborator of the late ROBOTMAK3R Vassilis Chryssanthakopoulo s. From earlier collaborations with Vassilis, I knew Marina was incredibly talented, with an eye for aesthetics and functionality. Her background in architecture is particularly useful for her relatively new position at LEGO. Her other sets include the Magic of Disney (21352), Message Board (41839), and Red London Telephone Box (21347). Second, watching Marina's reveal video and reading her designer interview made this set even more tempting to build. The gearing mechanisms running through the model gave way to many opportunities for automation using LEGO robotics elements. Since ROBOTMAK3RS is all about adding interactivity and automation to LEGO brick, I thought it would be fun to see where and how LEGO robotics could be added to this s...

Celebrating 25 Years of MINDSTORMS

In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of MINDSTORMS, we take a trip through history. Please also visit ROBOTMAK3RS Community every week as we highlight different projects all through 2023 in celebration of the anniversary. Some of the early history is based on the content shared by Coder Shah in our MINDSTORMS EV3 Community Group . Some of the text and links may have been edited from his original posts for consistency and clarity. 1984 - Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen watched a TV program called "Talking Turtle," where MIT professor Seymour Papert demonstrated how children could control robot "turtles" using LOGO, a programming language he developed. 1988 - The collaboration between MIT and LEGO resulted in LEGO TC Logo in 1988, which allowed students to control LEGO models using computer commands. The video shows Papert demonstrating TC Logo. 1990 - LEGO TC Logo was hampered since the robots you built had to be tethered to a personal computer. LEGO and MIT...

Ghostbusters R.T.V Remix

Nino Guba is from Torrance, California, USA. He played with LEGO as a kid, but growing up in the Philippines, it wasn’t something he had easy access to. He only got reintroduced to LEGO when he moved to the US and had kids of his own. When his sons were younger, they received LEGO sets as gifts, but as they grew older, the sets got put into storage as their interest faded. Fast forward a few years, he started coming up with his own product ideas and thought about how he could quickly prototype them. That’s when he discovered LEGO MINDSTORMS—and was hooked! He raided his kids’ old collection, got everything organized, and now he's designing and building his own creations, blending his coding skills with LEGO robotics to bring ideas to life. Tell us about your Ghostbusters Remote Trap Vehicle (R.T.V) project. This project is a LEGO Technic adaptation of the Ghostbusters R.T.V.—a ghost trap converted into a remote-controlled vehicle. Its companion build is a prop replica of the Futaba...

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