Not surprisingly, one of my favorite non-LEGO blogs is the MAKE Blog, where Cult of LEGO author John Baichtel joins tech/geek luminaries like Boing Boing founder Mark Frauenfelder to highlight everything from steampunk art cars to the latest adventures in 3D printing.

One frequent MAKE topic I’m fascinated by (though I certainly already have way too many hobbies) is Arduino. Dubbed “open source hardware,” it’s always fascinating seeing what just about anybody (especially kids) can do with these little boards.

John’s latest book, LEGO and Arduino Projects: Projects for extending MINDSTORMS NXT with open-source electronics, is part of MAKE’s own how-to series, and merges two logical, inevitable hobbies.

John writes in today’s Monday Jolt to introduce the book, and talks specifically about integrating the two systems, as well as how the two systems compare.

Head on over to the MAKE Blog to read John’s intro. You can pick up the book from Amazon.com.