Lego Mindstorms Nxt-G Programming Guide (Technology in Action)

Hi,I received this book almost 2 months ago from now. I learned about this book when I was reading the "Mayan Adventure" of the same author Jim Kelly.Both books are very interesting and excellent written. However after reading the Mayan Adventure, I had the feeling I was missing something about the NXT-G programming language. I need a more indept review of all the NXT-G programming objects than described in the Mayan Adventure.I know you have the online reference, but it is not the same. So I bought NXT-G book and I liked it from the very beginning.If you like me to build your own creations (mechanically and program) this book is definatelly a must have. The explanations are very detailled and clear. Also it starts at beginner level. So everyone can benefit from it.The only very little comment I have to make is that some third party sensors (Compass Sensor - Accelleration sensor - color sensor) where not present in this book. I really regret that very much. However I can understand the reasons why those sensors are not included. But when you learn to master the basic in and outs of the NXT-G programming language, it is not that difficult for you to learn those other sensors as well.When you are using Mindstorms NXT-G programming language, don't hesitate and buy this book. It is a great reference and lay a very good foundation to make rock solid robotics programs.And when you have children or like exploring the unknown, I also advise you "The Mayan Adventure" which is about exploring a Mayan Tomb.Both books going hand in hand with each other. It will give you a funny way to learn about Robotics and how to solve daily life problems.Friendly greetings,Bad_Wolf

This book is very readable and well presented. It has certainly helped me understand how to tackle some problems that I was stumped with using the NXT-G programming tool. It does a good job of covering all the obvious stuff about how each program node works. However, it would have been nice to have a more on the general layout approaches that can be used to tackle certain programming goals - a "10,000 foot" overview of the design patterns that work with NXT-G. This is the area that I most struggle with, and one that's difficult to find a good textbook for. It's easy to document the settings for each program node; it's easy to understand how to create a single-stream application. What I find difficult is finding out how NXT-G should be set up to operate several programming streams in parallel, waiting for an event to happen in any of the streams. For example, a car going forward until it either detects something close, or a loud noise, or a light is shone at it, or it bumps into something. Nevertheless, it's a useful book to refer to.