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Posts with tag lego

'Donkey Kong' Recreated With LEGO Bricks

by Thomas Houston, posted Aug 14th 2008 at 4:23PM



Dan Kressin recently built a LEGO recreation of Nintendo's classic 8-bit title 'Donkey Kong' using a LEGO Mindstorms system (a collection of programmable LEGO bricks, motors and sensors). While you can't actually play the game (maybe a feature in the next version?), you can sit back and relive some of your childhood memories of sitting in front of the tube, tapping away at your Nintendo Entertainment System. Though we spent thousands of hours of our childhood playing with LEGO blocks, we've never seen a LEGO creation like this -- Donkey Kong throws plastic barrels, Mario jumps, and yes, even the 'Donkey Kong' theme song plays.

Need to know how this thing was actually put together? Check out Kressin's Web site, and you'll find a video of the 'guts' of the contraption after the break. [From: LEGO Donkey Kong via: Unplggd]

Continue reading 'Donkey Kong' Recreated With LEGO Bricks

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LEGO Comes To the Classroom With WeDo Robotics

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 3rd 2008 at 2:01PM


There was a time when the world was more innocent and Lincoln Logs in elementary classrooms were a given, but now that teachers are looking to squash every ounce of fun between 8AM and 3PM (okay, so maybe we just had a rough experience or two), LEGO's taking the back door in. The WeDo robotics kit is marketed toward elementary schools and the younger kids within them, with each package containing 158 blocks, gears, levers, etc., a USB hub for connecting to your Mac / PC, OLPC XO or Intel Classmate, a motor, one motion sensor, one tilt sensor and a CD with a smattering of sure-to-be-riveting activities. Mum's the word on pricing for now, but considering your tax dollars will be paying for 'em, it's not like you'll really benefit from knowing.

[Via BoingBoing]
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Computer Programming for Kids

by Evan Shamoon, posted May 17th 2007 at 12:56PM

The MIT Media Lab has developed a free programming tool called Scratch, which is designed with one clear mission: Keep it simple. The program allows anyone to create his or her own interactive programs without a lick of code. Aimed at children, the software does not require knowledge of computer programming languages such as C or C++. Rather, it uses a building block metaphor in its graphical user interface (GUI), making it accessible to anyone who's comfortable using such basic operating system concepts as folders and windows.

Building a program is as easy as selecting an object or character you get from the built-in menu. You can also use images you've created or even snagged off of the Web. You place the object in the main window, where you can then drag actions and sounds on top of it. But don't take our word for it. Watch the above video to see how to make a cat move across the screen in just a few simple steps.

In many ways, the tool is similar to building with Lego blocks, which is only fitting since one of Scratch's researchers, Professor Mitchel Resnick, invented Lego Mindstorms, an educational robotics toolkit. The name Scratch was inspired by the way DJs take different parts from different places to create something completely new.

The software is for Mac and PC and available as a free download. A companion Web site allows kiddies to upload and share their programs. They can also take parts from other people's projects to use in their own.

If you listen closely, you can actually hear the thousands of programmers who are right now telling their kids, "Back in my day, we had to program everything by hand, uphill and in the snow!'

From BBC

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