Filled with first-hand accounts of ambition, greed, and inspired engineering, this history of the personal computer revolution takes readers inside the cutthroat world of Commodore. Before Apple, IBM, or Dell, Commodore was the first computer maker to market its machines to the public, selling an estimated 22 million Commodore 64s. These halcyon days were tumultuous, however, owing to the expectations and unsparing tactics of founder Jack Tramiel. Engineers and managers with the company between 1976 and 1994 share their experiences of the groundbreaking moments, soaring business highs, and stunning employee turnover that came along with being on top of the PC world in the early days.

The Story of Commodore: A Company on the Edge

Business & Money

Bagnall, Brian

Biography & History

Variant Press

Over two dozen fun and challenging projects using the next generation of LEGO® MINDSTORMS™ and the Java™ programming language LEGO® MINDSTORMS™ NXT is an incredible new kit for building and programming your own robotic inventions. Maximum Lego NXT introduces a diverse set of projects, building tips, programming code, complete 3D rendered building instructions and hundreds of illustrations to help you realize your robotic dreams. Using Java™, the most popular and easy to use programming language available, this book will give you endless entertainment and exploration. It introduces the new LEGO® NXT kit, including the NXT intelligent brick and Bluetooth™. Maximum NXT includes: • Easy to follow instructions by the author of Core LEGO® MINDSTORMS™ Programming • Explanations for all available sensors and expansion products available for the NXT kit, including unique projects interfacing a video camera, cell phone, GPS, data gloves, and many more • An exciting collection of 14 robots, including a chess playing robot, an exoskeleton for your hand, a Mars Rover, a robotic arm you can control through the Internet, a 3D object scanner, soccer robots, and many more • Introduces over two dozen in-depth programming projects including navigation, mapping, precise robotic arm control, voice control and global localization • Artificial Intelligence concepts including Vision analysis, Rodney Brooks' Subsumption Architecture, and Reinforcement Learning • Exciting projects that use third-party sensors like compass, tilt sensor, and port expanders • A full chapter on building with the new LEGO stud-less brick paradigm. • A complete tutorial on programming Java™ • How to install a free development environment for leJOS NXJ, the Java™ Virtual Machine for the NXT • Foreword by Søren Lund, Director of LEGO MINDSTORMS Maximum LEGO NXT is the ultimate LEGO MINDSTORMS guide: • Meet NXT • leJOS NXJ • Java for Primates • The leJOS NXJ API • LEGO Parts • Building 101 • Bite into Bluetooth • Grabby Robots • Sound • Robots with Vision • Standing Tall • Localization • Mapping • Path-finding • Hands &amp; Exoskeletons • Network Robotics • Scanning • Behavior-Based Robots • Expanding the NXT • GPS &amp; Harsh Terrain • Speech • Appendices • Index

Maximum Lego NXT: Building Robots with Java Brains

Computers & Technology

Computer Science

NXT Power Programming delivers everything you need to create the robot you've always dreamed about. This is the definitive guide to C programming by the developer of some of the most powerful and popular development tools for LEGO MINDSTORMS. John C. Hansen presents a comprehensive yet friendly set of tools that allow you to create almost any robot you can imagine. 
Inside, you'll find an ingenious set of projects that explore the complete arsenal of NXT functionality. At the heart of these projects is Versa, a versatile mobile robot platform utilizing modular attachments.
Master the Art of:
• NXC, a C language for the NXT
• BricxCC, a full featured programming environment
• Sensors and Motors
• Utilities for Music, Sound Sampling, Graphics and more
• NBC, an Assembler Language for the NXT
• Building Robots without Bricks
• Handheld Arcade Games on the NXT
• An Intruder System using a Sphere Cannon
• NXT to NXT Bluetooth communications
• NXT to Bluetooth devices
• The latest sensors from HiTechnic and mindsensors.com

LEGO Mindstorms NXT Power Programming: Robotics in C

Hansen, John C.

Filled with first-hand accounts of ambition, greed, and inspired engineering, this history of the personal computer revolution takes readers inside the cutthroat world of Commodore. Before Apple, IBM, or Dell, Commodore was the first computer maker to market its machines to the public, selling an estimated 22 million Commodore 64s. Those halcyon days were tumultuous, however, owing to the expectations and unsparing tactics of founder Jack Tramiel. Engineers and managers with the company between 1976 and 1994 share their experiences of the groundbreaking moments, soaring business highs, and stunning employee turnover that came along with being on top of the PC world in the early days. This second edition includes never-before-seen photographs, updated information, a full index, a timeline, and new interviews including Commodore cofounder Manny Kapp and Commodore marketing guru Kit Spencer.

On the Edge: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore

BRIAN BAGNALL

The first biography of 11-term congressman and Internet phenomenon Dr. Ron Paul, this comprehensive volume includes never before published private interviews with Ron Paul, his wife, Carol, plus close friends and associates. Tracing the life of this self-made man through painstaking research, this book covers his formative years spent in Pennsylvania; his careers as an Air Force flight surgeon and, later, an obstetrician; and, finally, his political journey from U. S. Congressman to presidential contender. Known as "Dr. No" for his refusal to spend taxpayer money unnecessarily, Paul repeatedly overcame substantial opposition to become a nationally recognized political figure, grabbing the spotlight in American politics despite a media that was determined to ignore him. This compelling portrait also chronicles how Paul's 2008 campaign broke several fund-raising records through its innovative use of the Internet, culminating in a new movement for freedom.

Ron Paul: A Life of Ideas

Biographies & Memoirs

Christopher Horner

Karen Kwiatkowski

Leaders & Notable People

Filled with first-hand accounts of ambition, greed, and inspired engineering, this history of the personal computer revolution takes readers inside the cutthroat world of Commodore. Before Apple, IBM, or Dell, Commodore was the first computer manufacturer to market its machines to the public, selling an estimated 22 million Commodore 64s. Those halcyon days were tumultuous, however, owing to the expectations and unsparing tactics of founder Jack Tramiel. Engineers and managers with the company between 1976 and 1994 share their memories of the groundbreaking moments, soaring business highs, and stunning employee turnover that came with being on top in the early days of the microcomputer industry. This updated second edition includes additional interviews and first-hand material from major Commodore figures like marketing guru Kit Spencer, chip designer Bill Mensch, and Commodore co-founder Manfred Kapp.

Commodore: A Company on the Edge

With fun projects, tips, instructions, illustrations, and programs, this comprehensive companion to the powerful Mindstorms NXT robot kit will help LEGO popularize robotics in the way that the iPod did for digital music. This second edition to programming on the NXT helps users make the most of the latest LEGO Mindstorms NXT release for further robot enhancements. Included is an ingenious set of projects that explore the complete arsenal of basic and advanced NXT functionality. At the heart of these projects is Versa, a versatile mobile robot platform that utilizes modular attachments.

LEGO® Mindstorms™ NXT™ Power Programming: Robotics in C

Continuing the story of Commodore where the previous book, Commodore: A Company on the Edge left off, this book takes a look at Commodore's most tumultuous years. How did the Amiga, a computer now widely regarded as having been five years ahead of its competition, fail to win in the marketplace? The author takes an in-depth look at the people behind Commodore's plunge into irrelevance and bankruptcy. The often unflattering picture that emerges is one of executives who had little understanding of how to market their product to the public and a company struggling to remain relevant. Told through interviews with company insiders, this examination of the now defunct company traces the engineering breakthroughs and baffling decisions that led to the demise of Commodore.

Commodore: The Amiga Years

With user-friendly instructions for the leJOS NXJ software, this accessible manual is the perfect launch into LEGO Mindstorms NXT, an incredible kit for building and programming robots. Using Java, the most popular and easy-to-use programming language available, this book helps engineers and amateurs alike design and build their own customized robots, programmed however they desire. A diverse set of projects is accompanied by building tips, programming code, complete 3D-rendered building instructions, and hundreds of illustrations. The NXT intelligent brick’s Bluetooth capabilities are introduced, as are the newest available parts, from GPS to the RFID sensor, in this useful handbook that serves as the perfect compliment to the LEGO NXT kit.

Intelligence Unleashed: Creating LEGO NXT Robots with Java

Although much has been written about his unique brand of politics, very little has been told about the personal history of Ron Paul, the man that many credit with being the founder of the modern Tea Party. From his formative years spent in Pennsylvania and his early careers as an obstetrician and a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon to the 12 terms he has served in Congress, this comprehensive volume reveals all of the experiences that shaped Ron Paul into the politician he is today. Landmarks in his congressional career, such as his famously libertarian voting record and his consistent clashes with both Democrats and Republicans, are covered in detail, while more recent chapters chronicle Paul’s work with the Tea Party movement, describing its core concepts and how they stem from his ideals. Unapologetically fascinating, this account of his successes and failures demonstrates exactly what it took for Ron Paul to grab the spotlight in American politics.

Ron Paul: Father of the Tea Party

Rink, Jason

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