No Starch Press releases ‘FIRST LEGO League: The Unofficial Guide’
Posted by Dave Merten 
Aug 20, 2008 at 2:37pm
FIRST LEGO League is an international program for kids ages 9 to 14 that combines a hands-on, interactive robotics program and research presentation with a sports-like atmosphere. It’s a kind of geek Olympics for about 100,000 kids every year—a sporting event and science fair in one.
But it can be tricky to create and successfully manage a FLL team. This is not meant to be a simple competition, and fielding a team requires some serious management and plenty of work. FIRST LEGO League: The Unofficial Guide is the first book to offer FLL participants some guidance as they field their teams. Current and aspiring FLL participants, coaches, and teachers will find advice on how to become better competitors, builders, researchers, and team members, and they’ll learn how to start and manage a team in a program that can be tricky to navigate, especially for newbies.
Written by two veteran FLL competitors, FIRST LEGO League: The Unofficial Guide is an all-in-one reference for FLL participants, from rookie coaches trying to organize new teams to veteran teams hoping for their next trophy.
“I was fortunate enough to attend the 2008 FIRST LEGO League championship in Atlanta, Georgia, and the energy surrounding the event was infectious,” said No Starch Press Publisher Bill Pollock. “Anyone can start a FIRST LEGO League team, but it can be confusing to navigate the rules and procedures that govern the competition. I hope that this guide to FLL will make it a whole lot easier for people to launch their own teams.”
FIRST LEGO League: The Unofficial Guide offers in-depth coverage of topics that both rookie and experienced teams will find useful, like team formation and organization; robot building and programming; and the complex structure of the FLL competition, including the Robot Game, Technical Interview, Project, and Teamwork. Using a combination of real-life stories and candid commentary from actual FLL teams, as well as recollections of their own experiences, the authors offer an abundance of helpful guidance and dependable building and programming examples.
Readers learn how to:
• Organize, recruit, and manage a team
• Find equipment, mentors, and funding
• Design, build, and program winning robots
• Tackle each of the four FLL components—from Robot Game to Teamwork
• Use strategies and techniques from FLL masters to increase their scores
FIRST LEGO League: The Unofficial Guide is the resource FLL participants have been asking for for years—the key to competing in and enjoying the FLL competition.
MacOSG members get a 35% discount off all O’reilly Media books. To get your discount code, just go here. Also, listen to the MacOSG Podcast, and if your member name is drawn, you can receive this book free! (see official rules) If you’re not a member yet, you can join here.
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Dave Merten
Dave was one of the founding guides at ‘The Mining Company,’ now known as About.com, in February 1998. Dave was their ‘Focus on Mac Support’ guide. In 2004 he started ‘G5 Owners Support Group,’ and in 2005, renamed it ‘Mac Owners Support Group.’ In 2006, he started the ‘MacOSG Support Corner’ column here at Macsimum News.
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