Linux is not just for the serious. It can also be a lot of fun once you understand the fundamentals. The book, ‘Linux Toys: 13 Cool Projects for Home, Office and Entertainment‘ shows users how they too can create and use their very own Linux based projects.

I think that this a super cool. It reminds me of those project books that we all grew up with as children. Almost every generation had them. The projects ranged from woodworking to handicrafts. Well today, we can have fun very similar to this with Linux at the base.

Linux Toys: 13 Cool Projects for Home, Office and Entertainment could borrow the old Linux Gazette slogan, “Making Linux just a little more fun”. This book’s target audience is novice users, and it makes a good gift for a friend entering the penguin world from the easiest and more playful side. The toys covered include a music jukebox, television recorder/player, arcade game player, home broadcast center, telephone answering center and toy car controller.

The chapters on toys that require hardware tinkering all are illustrated with plenty of pictures and include suggestions on how to not hurt yourself and your toy. The authors explain each step clearly, and their support continues with a companion Web site, www.linuxtoys.net.

The most interesting section of the Web site is the one where new Linux toys are proposed and built. They go from combining two or more of the book projects to entirely new stuff, such as home automation or timeshifting radio.