Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Christoph Bartneck
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Ideal Order Paperback – November 26, 2015

See all formats and editions
Dr. Rob Park's life is out of order. His estranged wife is leaving him, the relationship to his daughters is strained and his academic career is at a dead end. He escapes into the cult of LEGO and the study of classification systems. By sorting his collection of LEGO bricks he reconnects to his daughters and he maintains his sobriety while maneuvering in the bizarre world of academia. Prof. Dr. Smith and his newly found Adult Fans Of LEGO help him to find a new structure for himself, his brick collection and his family.
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    200 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    November 26, 2015
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1519301448
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1519301444
  7. See all details
Next slide of product details
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now

Editorial Reviews

Review

The whole book whilst interlaced with the LEGO theme really is about the lead character's life changing and morphing into his new self. Having something to focus on to escape from a crisis I'm sure is something most people can relate to. Overall it was an interesting read, certainly an interesting angle, not only as it's told from the mans perspective, but it's also quite raw. - Ryan McNaught, LEGO Certified Professional

There are parts in it that every AFOL, particularly thosewithyoungfamilies, will relate to. The discussions between theprotagonistandhis colleague quite enlightening and you may well learn alotaboutdifferent approaches to nomenclature and taxonomies and howtheyrelateto sorting and naming LEGO parts. - Huw Millington, Brickset

A nice reading book that we AFOLs will identify with as we the protagonist return to the world of LEGO. - HispaBricks

About the Author

Dr. Christoph Bartneck is an associate professor at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. He published over 150 scientific articles, chapters and books. The media frequently covers his research work on robotics. Working for the LEGO Group reignited his passion for the brick. He uses LEGO bricks for teaching courses and he is the author of the acclaimed LEGO Minifigure Catalogs. Christoph is the a founding member of New Zealand's biggest LEGO Users Group and the Imagination Station, New Zealand's first play and learning center using LEGO.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (November 26, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 200 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1519301448
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1519301444
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Christoph Bartneck

Christoph Bartneck

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Dr. Christoph Bartneck is an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering at the University of Canterbury. He has a background in Industrial Design and Human-Computer Interaction, and his projects and studies have been published in leading journals, newspapers, and conferences. His interests lie in the fields of Human-Computer Interaction, Science and Technology Studies, and Visual Design.

He has worked for several international organizations, including the Technology Centre of Hannover (Germany), LEGO (Denmark), Eagle River Interactive (USA), Philips Research (Netherlands), ATR (Japan), and The Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands). Christoph is an associate editor of the International Journal of Social Robotics. The press regularly reports on his work, including the New Scientist, Scientific American, Popular Science, Wired, New York Times, The Times, BBC, Huffington Post, Washington Post, The Guardian, and The Economist.

Customer reviews

3.1 out of 5 stars
13 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Janine
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2016
Verified Purchase
Interesting, witty, honest (sometimes uncomfortably so). A thoughtful exploration of human relationships.
Helpful
 Report
Pale2Hall
5.0 out of 5 stars Read it cover to cover
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2019
As a Lego enthusiast who really enjoys taxonomy and sorting I really enjoyed this book.
Helpful
 Report
tom alphin
3.0 out of 5 stars A warm story about the LEGO hobby (wrapped in the painful aspects of the human experience.)
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2017
At face value, The Ideal Order is a book about an adult who rediscovers his love of LEGO. In doing so, he stumbles through the rabbit-hole into a world of AFOLs (Adult Fans of LEGO), and Taxonomies for organizing his LEGO bricks. These sections of the book are written with enthusiasm, and are a pleasure for dedicated LEGO enthusiasts to read.

It turns out that the rabbit hole is also infested with uncontrollable (and overly detailed) medical disorders, a destructive marital crisis involving two young kids, professional challenges, unexpected non-translated Japanese language text, and difficult to follow narration.

If you are an enthusiastic AFOL and have a background in academia or technology, you will find interesting discussions around taxonomy development and the LEGO hobby in this book; don't feel bad if you decide to skip the graphic sections - they aren't central to the part of the story you want to read anyways...
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Mathias Lang
3.0 out of 5 stars Enter the world of an AFOL ...(Adult Fan of Lego)
Reviewed in Germany on January 9, 2017
Verified Purchase
I hope I don't spoil to much here, but a few words about the content of the book must be spend: the book is about an assistant professor who has two daughter in the LEGO age. He re-discovers his love for LEGO while playing with them and building old sets and as the title promises, he spends a lot of thought of how to sort LEGO bricks into the best order. The reader learns a bit about academic procedures and is introduced into Lego FAN groups, while getting to know the protagonist and his world better and better. Despite of the topic of LEGO, this is not a kids book! Aside from the academic life and all the theories of sorting perfectly and academic background, which probably is not so interesting for most kids, a good part of the protagonists world is about his wrecked marriage and the fights he has with his wife. The bad mood and the tensions with his wife prevail through the whole book, even reach a violent level. This would be too disturbing for a lot of kids, I think. If you read it "only" for the Lego part, be at least prepared, that this book is not all about LEGO. Although disturbing to read, I cared for the protagonist and his kids, this kind of struggles happen and one have to deal with them ...Not always a light topic, but interesting insights nevertheless.
One person found this helpful
 Report
Tunneller
1.0 out of 5 stars One Star
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 27, 2016
Verified Purchase
Too much off-subject dross, written in very stilted language.
Report