A new building kit from Lego aims to give kids the chance to construct fun, motorized models that they can control.

In a video briefing, Simon Kent said that the special hardware and sensing technologies that are part of Lego Boost will allow builders of any age to “bring their creations to life”.

Kent is the lead developer on Boost, which became available on August 1 and is priced at CAN$200. He explained that the new system is the “baby brother to Mindstorms,” Lego’s robotics kit.

While programming Mindstorms is relatively complex, the coding language for Boost, which was developed for ages 7 to 12 years old, is simpler, and kids learn it progressively. Within five minutes of opening the box they have constructed something and have a basic understanding of how to code movement.

The first build is Vernie, a robot, and the sequence is quite deliberate: do some construction, learn a bit of coding, have some fun and play. Kids never spend too much time doing only one thing.

There are five models for which designs are provided:

• Vernie the robot
• Frankie the cat
• Guitar4000, a playable instrument
• M.T.R.4 vehicle
• AutoBuilder, which can be coded to assemble Lego bricks

But as with all Lego, you can also create your own models out of the kit’s 847 bricks. And you can use other Lego bricks to supplement your creations.

At the heart of all of this is Lego’s knack for instructional design. Using only cleverly designed pictures and step-by-step instructions, kids in every language and culture around the world are able to construct intricate models from hundreds of tiny pieces of plastic.

With Boost, those instructions are served up on a tablet, which is a required accessory. The screen is a perfect way to deliver Lego’s instructions, it turns out, because you can rotate and scale the image to better see how the model is coming together.

The tablet – not a smartphone – is also used to code movements and actions in the Boost models, and the system uses both the microphone and the speaker from the tablet.

Built into Boost are sensors that are used to gain an awareness of the environment. Among them are a tilt sensor also detects impact, and a combination sensor which detects colour and distance.

And while the basic Boost coding language is simple, as with all code it can become as complex as you want. The system is flexible so you can create your own code blocks that can be saved, and then assembled to result in some complicated movement and behaviour patterns.

With Boost, Lego has delivered another product that will have kids learning while playing, something the company does very well.

On Friday, Charles and I talked about the benefits of using Waze to navigate and its integration into Android Auto, the death of Jawbone, and a very cool example of how drones can be used for good.

This episode wasn’t podcast, sadly. If the audio shows up at any point, I’ll post it.

This week, evidence that drones can be a force for good, and why we can’t make fun of Jawbone anymore. But first, a bit of jealousy from Apple Carplay users as Waze gets Android Auto integration.

Android Auto users get Waze integration

The Waze traffic and navigation map is getting better for Android users. The service, which combines map information with real-time data on traffic from multiple sources, including drivers on the road, has now been integrated into Android Auto.

What that means is that Android Auto users can get the Waze functionality on the console screens of their vehicles, and use steering wheel buttons and touch screen controls to use the app. Not to mention voice commands.

Android Auto is available from almost all of the major auto manufacturers as well as in aftermarket stereo systems.

I’m a fan of Waze, and am patiently awaiting news that it has also been integrated into Apple’s Carplay. But Waze is a Google product, so that might take longer to happen.

Jawbone, which made the Bluetooth headsets we love to mock, is folding

It was only around 10 years ago that we were all making fun of a stereotypical business executive who was fond of talking on a mobile phone using a wireless device stuck into one ear.

Those in-ear headsets were at the forefront of wireless transmission using Bluetooth. They were prominent: you couldn’t miss them sticking out of our ears. And we were so arrogant, seeming like we were having conversations with ourselves, pointing to our ear when passers-by looked at us in disgust.

Well, Jawbone, the company that developed those earpieces and established a market for them, is shutting down.

The story is that this is all a result of Jawbone transitioning from Bluetooth headsets and speakers to connected health products. It also likely has something to do with the fact that Jawbone and Fitbit have a protracted legal battle going on around alleged patent infringement and theft of trade secrets.

Sometimes drones aren’t so bad

I’ve been known to rail about people using drones to do stupid things like chase wildlife and spy on others.

I’m even more concerned that so many people are purchasing and using the damn things without giving a thought to things like safety and privacy.

And don’t get me started about the slippery slope that is drone warfare. Hasn’t Call of Duty taught us anything?

But occasionally I’m reminded that, when used for good, drones can have a place in polite society.

The video below is footage from a drone that was flown – by a professional UAV pilot and with permission from the Monticello Dam – over a bell-mouth spillway constructed in Lake Berryessa, a reservoir in Napa County, California that provides electricity to the San Francisco Bay area.

The spillway is an overflow mechanism, and this spring was the first time since 2006 that there was sufficient water in the reservoir for the “glory hole” to be used.

If you’re wondering, the diameter of the spillway is 22 metres (72 feet) at the opening, and it narrows to 8.5 metres (28 feet) at the bottom of a 61 metre (200 feet) drop.

At the bottom of it all are turbines and other equipment to generate electricity, one good reason the pilot didn’t fly into the middle of the falling water.

Just imagine what some of the people you see flying drones would do.

Andrea Montgomery was in the chair for Charles last week, and on Friday she and I talked about the Xbox Design Lab, how to adjust Facebook settings, and about upcoming Shopify Shop Classes in Western Canada.

This week, Shopify wants to help you start your own business and learn how you can manage Facebook’s annoying new settings. But first, spending some time in the Xbox Design Lab to create something awesome.

Personalizing Xbox One controllers is so much fun

When Skylanders Imaginators came out last fall, my kids discovered how much joy comes from being able to create your own character. They created dozens of characters, and then spent hours revising those characters, changing outfits and equipment and colours and catch-phrases.

There’s just something amazing about being able to invest your creativity into something that you then get to play with and become.

That’s the appeal of the Xbox Design Lab, which gives gamers the opportunity to create truly personalized controllers for their Xbox One systems.

First launched last summer, this summer the Xbox Design Lab added some new features that can become part of your personal controller, including new colours. rubber grips, and metallic finishes for D-pads and triggers.

My two kids, aged 10 and 7, have created over a dozen different controllers between them. That’s the easy and fun part, because anyone can work on, save, and share a design.

The real difficulty is in choosing which you’re going to order. My children still can’t decide which of their designs they want to order. Decision-making is tough, especially when you’re a kid.

It costs a bit more to make your own controller, between $100 and $123 (depending on the extras you want) as opposed to $75 for a stock model.

To get a premium, personalized controller, it seems to be worth the extra expense. Now each kid has their own controller; no more fighting over them.

How you can stop Facebook from using up your data plan and blaring at you on the bus

Facebook has updated its service again, and the company claims to be delivering features that users really want. While I don’t mind videos autoplaying in my Facebook feed, I have a hard time believing anyone wants the sound for those videos to automatically be on.

Imagine what bus rides are going to be like.

While Facebook is automatically enabling these “wonderful” features, you do have the power to disable them.

You might want to disable the autoplay video, because that will quickly eat up your mobile data plan. You should disable the autoplay audio because you respect the other humans around you.

Here’s how you can do that.

If you’re an iPhone user:

1. Tap the hamburger menu in the bottom right corner
2. Scroll to “Settings”
3. Select “Account Settings”
4. Select “Videos and Photos” and you can set Autoplay video to “never,” “on Wi-Fi connections only,” or “on mobile data and Wi-Fi connections”
5. Select “Sounds” and you can disable “In-App Sound”

If you’re an Android user:

1. Tap the hamburger menu in the top toolbar
2. Scroll to “App Settings”
3. Select “Autoplay” and choose your preference
4. Tap “Videos in news feed start with sound” to toggle it on and off

Shopify workshops can help you jumpstart that business idea you’ve got

Shopify is a company that supports commerce. It started out by providing services to online retailers, and has branched into supporting all flavours of retail.

The company already supports entrepreneurs and small businesses with things like free business tools, including barcode and QR code generators and templates for gift certificates, invoices, and shipping labels. This summer and fall, Shopify is staging workshops in major cities across Canada to help people learn what they need to know to set up a business with Shopify’s Shop Class.

The one-day program includes training on topics like building a brand, marketing techniques, and web design. Evening sessions highlight local businesses and entrepreneurs sharing their experiences starting out and seeing success.

Shopify’s Shop Class dates:

• Vancouver, August 1 through August 3 at Stanley Park Pavilion
• Calgary, August 15 and August 16, The Commons
• Winnipeg, September 7 and September 8, Plug In