I'm a fan of Lego robotics. I've written over half a dozen books on the Lego Mindstorms NXT robotic system, and tinkering and prototyping with the NXT just never gets old. (And there's a NEW system ...

Raspberry Pi has received the lion’s share of attention devoted to cheap, single-board computers in the past year. But long before the Pi was a gleam in its creators’ eyes, there was the Arduino.

Diving into the world of DIY electronics can be quite daunting and overwhelming. There's the matter of picking the right components to use, learning the hand tools, and understanding the software.