Jeff Elliott, Dean Hystad, Luke Ma, C. S. Soh, Rob Stehlik, Tonya L. Witherspoon You’ve just purchased the LEGO Mindstorms Robotics Invention System Version 2.0, the core set for all Mindstorms users. Now what? This book is the perfect guide to help novice and expert Mindstorms users build 10 amazing vehicles, creatures, and machines. Ten Cool Projects. One hour each. Perfect.

Mario Ferrari, Giulio Ferrari, Ralph Hempel This book is about building robots using Lego bricks and components. In the first section of the book (Part I) we will discuss why you might find an interest in robotics as a hobby, and why Lego is an ideal system to have a fast start and great results. If you're reading this book you probably own a Mindstorms set, so you already have an interest in robotics, and for this reason we kept this part very short. Nevertheless you might find there some thoughts about what robotics can give to you and your family, besides a lot of fun. And how it can change your perception of the environment that's around you.

The second section (Part II) is about how to build a robot. Here we provide a set of tools you need to explore the world of robotics. Some basic knowledge about mechanics, motors, sensors, pneumatics, navigation, and many tips and tricks. We will compare different standard architectures, discuss solutions to common recurring problems, learn how to organize complex projects in terms of subsystems.

In the third section (Part III) we start to face the tough question, the one we actually would try to answer with this book: "I got a Mindstorms kit, I have learnt how to use it, what do I build now?". Here we will show you a large survey of possible ideas, but do not expect to find complete models to copy step by step.

8-Page Full Color Insert

The 8-page, full color insert will contain detailed photography of the most impressive robots that readers will be able to build after reading the book. The photos will also detail the more complex electrical and construction challenges.

Adam Goldstein From newspapers to NASA, Mac users around the world use AppleScript to automate their daily computing routines. Famed for its similarity to English and its ease of integration with other programs, AppleScript is the perfect programming language for time-squeezed Mac fans. As beginners quickly realize, however, AppleScript has one major shortcoming: it comes without a manual. No more. You don't need a degree in computer science, a fancy system administrator title, or even a pocket protector and pair of nerdy glasses to learn the Mac's most popular scripting language; you just need the proper guide at your side. AppleScript: The Missing Manual is that guide. Brilliantly compiled by author Adam Goldstein, AppleScript: The Missing Manual is brimming with useful examples. You'll learn how to clean up your Desktop with a single click, for example, and how to automatically optimize pictures for a website. Along the way, you ll learn the overall grammar of AppleScript, so you can write your own customized scripts when you feel the need. Naturally, AppleScript: The Missing Manual isn't merely for the uninitiated scripter. While its hands-on approach certainly keeps novices from feeling intimidated, this comprehensive guide is also suited for system administrators, web and graphics professionals, musicians, scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and others who need to learn the ins and outs of AppleScript for their daily work. Thanks to AppleScript: The Missing Manual, the path from consumer to seasoned script has never been clearer. Now you, too, can automate your Macintosh in no time.

Scott Knaster This serious, but fun, down-and-dirty book will let you make Tiger purr, ensuring that your Macs appearance, speed, usability, and security settings are what you want. Author Scott Knaster:

Shows you how to speed it up, lock it down, or pull back the curtains.Dives into default system settings, unlocks hidden gems, and includes original Mac OS X programs with full source listings and explanations.Shows heavyweight hackers the tricks and modes of OS X booting, tweaks for login screens, and how to customize or even kill the Dock.Offers the inside scoop on Dashboard and Spotlight, including two sample widgets and one Spotlight importer, all with fully annotated source listings.Demonstrates how to install and use Unix and X11 applications, take advantage of command line tools, and create system services and active Dock badges.

Order your copy today.

Lee Mendelson, Bill Melendez Since its top-rated debut on CBS in December 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas has been one of America's most beloved television shows. Year after year, fans of all ages tune in to the Emmy-winning Christmas special that has earned a permanent place in the nation's popular culture.

This collector's treasury contains the entire script of A Charlie Brown Christmas, illustrated with full-color stills from the animated film. Producer Lee Mendelson and animator Bill Melendez pay tribute to the program with personal memories and reflections about the show, including charming anecdotes about their long friendship and working career with Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz. Offering rare, behind-the-scenes insights, they also share memories of the late, great jazz pianist/composer Vince Guaraldi and provide never-before-published background sketches, storyboards, production sheets, and other materials that bring the making of the show to life.

A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition also brings the sound of the show home with the piano/vocal musical scores for Guaraldi's "Christmas Time Is Here" and "Linus and Lucy," two songs that have become standards of American popular music.

As the very first Peanuts special, A Charlie Brown Christmas brought Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Snoopy, and the rest of the gang to television. In addition to breaking the mold by using jazz music (which exposed millions of people to jazz for the first time and inspired a generation of jazz pianists), A Charlie Brown Christmas broke new ground by using real children for the voices instead of adult actors. Schulz, Mendelson, and Melendez created these and other innovations that made A Charlie Brown Christmas a unique and timeless work of animation art.

A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition celebrates this award-winning and history-making show with warmhearted memories, fascinating trivia, and colorful animation art that will delight fans of all ages.

David Pogue With Leopard, Apple has unleashed the greatest version of Mac OS X yet, and David Pogue is back with another meticulous Missing Manual to cover the operating system with a wealth of detail. The new Mac OS X 10.5, better known as Leopard, is faster than its predecessors, but nothing's too fast for Pogue and this Missing Manual. It's just one of reasons this is the most popular computer book of all time. Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Leopard Edition is the authoritative book for Mac users of all technical levels and experience. If you're new to the Mac, this book gives you a crystal-clear, jargon-free introduction to the Dock, the Mac OS X folder structure, and the Mail application. There are also mini-manuals on iLife applications such as iMovie, iDVD, and iPhoto, and a tutorial for Safari, Mac's web browser. This Missing Manual book is amusing and fun to read, but Pogue doesn't take his subject lightly. Which new Leopard features work well and which do not? What should you look for? What should you avoid? Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Leopard Edition offers an objective and straightforward instruction for using:
Leopard's totally revamped Finder Spaces to group your windows and organize your Mac tasks
Quick Look to view files before you open them
The Time Machine, Leopard's new backup feature
Spotlight to search for and find anything in your Mac
Front Row, a new way to enjoy music, photos, and videosEnhanced Parental Controls that come with Leopard Quick tips for setting up and configuring your Mac to make it your own
There's something new on practically every page of this new edition, and David Pogue brings his celebrated wit and expertise to every one of them. Mac's brought a new cat to town and Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Leopard Edition is a great new way to tame it.

Dave Prochnow Build and Program Over 20 Challenging Design Projects in Just 30 Minutes Each with the New Generation of LEGO® MINDSTORMS®

More powerful and intuitive than ever, LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT is a new robotics toolset that enables robot enthusiasts and hobbyists to build and program all kinds of projects. The LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT Hacker's Guide explores this new generation of LEGO MINDSTORMS, providing a collection of projects, how-to expertise, insider tips, and over 500 illustrations to help readers become expert NXT hackers.

This cutting-edge guide describes new advances that make LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT such a great robotics resource. The book explains the all-new NXT intelligent brick…the interactive servo motors with rotation sensors that align speed for precise control…the ultrasonic sensor that allows robots to “see” by responding to movement…the improved light and touch sensors that let robots detect color and feel…and much more. The LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT Hacker's Guide features: Expert, insightful commentary by a member of the LEGO MINDSTORMS Developer ProgramA hands-on account of the new technologies and expanded sensor capabilities of LEGO MINDSTORMS NXTA collection of 10 hacking projects with step-by-step instructions for creating things ranging from solar power to ZigBee® technology to tank tread feet [“projects” appears twice.]A portfolio of 12 exciting design projects featuring R. Buckminster Fuller's Geodesic Dome, Rem Koolhaas' Seattle Central Library, and the world's first NXT wristwatchComplete disclosure about a “secret” game that is hidden inside every LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT kitAn in-depth guide to the NXT programming languageA special LEGO factory kit offer available only for readers of this book

Inside This Groundbreaking NXT Reference• Your First Robot • Stupid RCX Tricks • Save Your RIS • As Smart as a Brick • MOVE IT! With Servo Motors • Hmm, I Sense Something • Yes, But I Don't Know How to Program • Testing, Testing; Oh, Trouble Shoot • Katherine's Best Hacking Projects • Katherine's Design Fun House • NXT Programming Language Guide • NXT Elements • NXT Resources

DK Publishing "This book is not a book about a toy. It is a book about an idea, a set of values, and a long-term commitment to empowering children to use their creativity and build their imagination."So states Lego Group president Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen in his introduction to this fascinating, visually exciting tribute to Lego bricks and the people who play with them. Lego "maniacs" are no mere invention of Lego Group's industrious marketing machine. Enthusiastic fans of the ingeniously designed, colorful plastic building blocks do indeed exist, and in vast numbers—as of 1996, an estimated 300 million children and adults had played with Lego bricks since the first one rolled off the presses in 1949. (How many yellow knob-headed Lego people populate the earth today? A cool 2.3 billion.)

The visual wizards at Dorling Kindersley have labored together with the staff at Lego to assemble a hefty, photo-rich book essential to the library of any maniac (or maniac emeritus). The Ultimate Lego Book recounts the company's early history as a one-man operation back in the 1930s and subsequent creation of its first plastic "automatic binding brick," to the contemporary construction of myriad Legoland theme parks.

Trivia buffs will appreciate the playful but detailed graphic time line (first Lego window, 1957; first wheel, 1962; first dolphin, 1995). Everyone will love the pages of imagination-stretching constructions, from the small but clever (an unmistakable Elvis, complete with pompadour) to the overwhelmingly detailed (a meticulous model of Grand Central Station) to the downright strange (a life-size space helmet with visor and gas mask). The Lego universe includes a Mona Lisa replica, a 10,500-piece pelican, and even a yellow submarine. Enjoy! (Ages 6 to 106) —Paul Hughes

Erica Sadun “This book would be a bargain at ten times its price! If you are writing iPhone software, it will save you weeks of development time. Erica has included dozens of crisp and clear examples illustrating essential iPhone development techniques and many others that show special effects going way beyond Apple’s official documentation.”

—Tim Burks, iPhone Software Developer, TootSweet Software

“Erica Sadun’s technical expertise lives up to the Addison-Wesley name. The iPhone Developer’s Cookbook is a comprehensive walkthrough of iPhone development that will help anyone out, from beginners to more experienced developers. Code samples and screenshots help punctuate the numerous tips and tricks in this book.”

—Jacqui Cheng, Associate Editor, Ars Technica

“We make our living writing this stuff and yet I am humbled by Erica’s command of her subject matter and the way she presents the material: pleasantly informal, then very appropriately detailed technically. This is a going to be the Petzold book for iPhone developers.”

—Daniel Pasco, Lead Developer and CEO, Black Pixel Luminance

“The iPhone Developer’s Cookbook: Building Applications with the iPhone SDK should be the first resource for the beginning iPhone programmer, and is the best supplemental material to Apple’s own documentation.”

—Alex C. Schaefer, Lead Programmer, ApolloIM, iPhone Application Development Specialist, MeLLmo, Inc

“Erica’s book is a truly great resource for Cocoa Touch developers. This book goes far beyond the documentation on Apple’s Web site, and she includes methods that give the developer a deeper understanding of the iPhone OS, by letting them glimpse at what’s going on behind the scenes on this incredible mobile platform.”

—John Zorko, Sr. Software Engineer, Mobile Devices

The iPhone and iPod touch aren’t just attracting millions of new users; their breakthrough development platform enables programmers to build tomorrow’s killer applications. If you’re getting started with iPhone programming, this book brings together tested, ready-to-use code for hundreds of the challenges you’re most likely to encounter. Use this fully documented, easy-to-customize code to get productive fast—and focus your time on the specifics of your application, not boilerplate tasks.

Leading iPhone developer Erica Sadun begins by exploring the iPhone delivery platform and SDK, helping you set up your development environment, and showing how iPhone applications are constructed. Next, she offers single-task recipes for the full spectrum of iPhone/iPod touch programming jobs: Utilize views and tablesOrganize interface elementsAlert and respond to usersAccess the Address Book (people), Core Location (places), and Sensors (things)Connect to the Internet and Web servicesDisplay media contentCreate secure Keychain entriesAnd much more

You’ll even discover how to use Cover Flow to create gorgeous visual selection experiences that put scrolling lists to shame!

This book is organized for fast access: related tasks are grouped together, and you can jump directly to the right solution, even if you don’t know which class or framework to use. All code is based on Apple’s publicly released iPhone SDK, not a beta. No matter what iPhone projects come your way, The iPhone Developer’s Cookbook will be your indispensable companion.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls Wilder While Laura Ingalls grows up on the western prairie, a boy named Almanzo Wilder is living on a farm, in New York State. Here Almanzo and his brother and sisters help with the summer planting and fall harvest. In winter there is wood to be chopped and great slabs of ice to be cut from the river and stored. Time for fun comes when the jolly tin peddler visits, or best of all, when the country fair comes to town.

This is Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved story of how her husband Almanzo grew up as a farmer boy far from the little house where Laura lived. The nine Little House books have been cherished by generations of readers as both a unique glimpse into America's frontier past and a heartwarming, unforgettable story.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls Wilder America's Original Pioneer Girl

Meet Laura Ingalls, the little girl who would grow up to write the Little House books. Pa Ingalls decides to sell the little log house, and the family sets out for Indian country! They travel from Wisconsin to Kansas and there, finally, Pa builds their little house on the prairie. Sometimes farm life is difficult, even dangerous, but Laura and the family are kept busy and are happy with the promise of their new life on the prairie. Laura and her family journey west by covered wagon, only to find they are in Indian territory and must move on.

Notable Children's Books of 1940 — 1954 (ALA)
Horn Book Children's Classics 1976

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls Wilder