ping ping.
i am in houston! but i havent even gotten my arduino yet 
haha. its in the mail.. going to make a robot
Glad to hear I am not alone in Houston!
Sparkfun, modern device and Jameco ship very fast so you should have yours quick.
I got my arduino maybe a month ago, then bought arduino clone kit I put together. Been a learning experience to say the least.
I basically have three interests: Computer science, Environmental sensing, and maybe something mechanical, like Robotics.
Good luck on your robot.
Steve.
my robot hardware is coming from budgetrobotics.com and they are on vacation for the next couple of weeks so it might take a while. :P.
Good to hear that the sparkfun stuff will come in quick. I can start playing around with my arduino with my 16x2 character lcd and the xbee.
where is a good electronics shop in Houston (near galleria area) ? I found Ace electronics or something but they are only open during the day when I am at work.
I highly doubt there is going to be a shop like sparkfun in the Houston area.
That said, there is a shop on Fondren, maybe near 59, that has a huge variety of semiconductors, test gear, and used stuff. I think it is called Electronic Parts Outlet, but could be wrong. I seem to remember robotics there too. One could spend hours there.
There is also altex electronics which is 290 at West Road. I bought my solder station and other stuff there. They have a good selection of networking hardware, cables, power supplies, pc components, and the usual computer store stuff, but very little in the way of robotics stuff.
I was at some other HUGE electronics place near the Galleria right off the loop. Kind of like a Fry's but I forget the name.
But, I would say you are going to be disappointed with the selection in Houston. BUT, Just repeat after me, UPS is your friend...
Steve.
Electronics parts outlet was awesome.. really cool store. I just went there yesterday after work. I need to go on a weekend when I have more time.
glad you liked it! ;D
Hey, I'm from Houston too -- I live downtown.
I do spend a lot of time at EPO. When it comes to surplus motors and such, they're hard to beat. Sure, they don't carry arduinos, and finding the right connectors for your project is hit or miss, but man, I can't stop going there =)
!c
Anyone know of a similar place in Austin? Fry's and goodwill have become disappointing.
You might also want to check out http://www.sharpbots.com/. They call themselves the 'society for houston area robotics projects'. I listen to their mail traffic from freelists.org but haven't been to any meetings.