The BASIC interpreter eats up around 600 bytes in the Arduino RAM, leaving about 1.4 kB for BASIC code. Not much, but more than the lowest-end BASIC Stamp.

Technically, the extras in the Arduino Basic Kit aren't anything a savvy consumer couldn't order piecemeal, but there's something nice about having everything ready for you in one place.

Youngsters interested in technology might get a kick out of working with real computer hardware and software during their summer break. Parents, ...

Thankfully, Arduino forum member Romano d'Ezzelino has put together a series of reference cards that show the basics of a number of common connections.