What I’m Thankful For: Lego Technic/Mindstorms
I hope that everyone is sitting around a table being thankful for what they have. I am, of course, thankful for people in my life who love me and have made a difference, but I’m not going to ignore something that really helped me grow up. Yes, I am talking about Lego the “toys you grow up with”, and it was the subject of three books that I have written.
I’m sure that everyone has a pleasant Lego memory, and I’ll share mine when it comes to Technic and Mindstorms. It happened over thirty years ago when I got set 948 for Christmas, which was a few years after Lego started its “Expert Set” program. Before that, I was used to playing with the usual blocks, slates, and the usual Lego bricks.
However, these Lego sets were full of holes. Then you could put these axles and connector pegs in the holes, and make all kinds of weird things. It also had these gears, and the Go Kart that you could make had rack and pinion steering.
It was as if that someone gave me the ability to make technology, and the only thing that stopped me was the fact that I couldn’t buy more Expert set pieces. I went through a phase when I stopped building with Lego, and then I started up again, probably when I was too old.
High school ended, then college, and sometime during that time, Lego rebranded their Expert Sets into Technic. The pieces also went from being bricks into beams after about a decade, and I started collecting those. They also added some terrific motorized pieces as well.
What is really interesting is how you can use these Technic-al pieces to build just about anything. A while ago, I noticed that Apress had several books about their programmable Lego sets with Mindstorms, but not much on the Technic.
It’s really interesting that I essentially was given an assignment to write a book about Lego. This was back when I was writing books for a living, and I was pleased to rekindle my love for Lego Technic. What I really enjoyed was how the motors could really spring something to life, as I didn’t have the Lego motor as a kid.
There was something really healing about building a machine that could not only go, but could steer as well. We live in a world with so many problems, and it is nice just to sit down, create your own problem specifically so you can find a solution for it.
My first book, Practical Lego Technics, was really all about introducing readers to building the most basic structures in Lego Technic. I was able to craft cars, planes, cranes, forklifts, and helicopters.
The next book that I wrote was Lego Technic Robotics, which was actually two chapters from my first book that I just couldn’t fit in. I really enjoyed creating constructions that would move like robots, and managed to created robot arms, and then I managed to figure out how to make a Lego creation that could walk. It was something that I was never able to really perfect as a kid, and it felt like an accumulation of something very important.
Then, when I was at CES one year, I was introduced to Lego Mindstorms, the EV3 (or third) version. I have to admit that I liked how the motors were programmable, and they can do so much more than Technic. Not only do you have to learn how to build, but you have to learn to program as well. It’s a little tricky, and I can see why some kids have groups for these. I was pleased to work with Lego directly to receive the first review units of Lego Mindstorms, and so I wrote my last book for Apress with Beginning Lego Mindstorms EV3.
Sadly, I can’t spend my time playing with Lego all day, and I always thought that the creations I made could be much better if I only had more time. I don’t really even have the time to dabble in it today, but it is something that I encourage from anyone.
Also, do you want to hear more about the latest in technology? In early January, there is a big event in Las Vegas known as CES (Consumer Electronics Show). I want to go and report on it, but I need some help. I have a new GoFundMe site that will “Send Mark (me) to CES 2017”. Please click here and make a donation.
