Everyone who has played minecraft knows what it is, the magical red dust that allows us to open doors and operate pistons... but how many of us know what it is really capable of?

Redstone is amazing! It's fantastic! It's spectacular! The possibilities are as endless as an actual computer, although using a much more time-consuming way, redstone is essentially the binary that runs your computer. Redstone is either on (1) or off (0), and from this you can create anything from a memory cell to an enitre CPU (central processing unit) and OS (operating system)!

There are many components of redstone:
-Redstone Dust
-Redstone Torch
-Piston (normal + sticky)
-Lever
-Button
-Door (wood + iron)
-Dispensor
-Pressure Plates (wood + stone)
-Repeater (also known as a diode)
-Trapdoor
-Noteblock
-Water/Lava (source blocks only)
-Opaque (solid) Blocks
-Transparent (see-through) Blocks

So essentially everything in the Minecraft is part of redstone, all intertwined and connected in a system that allows redstone to be as amazing as it is.

Whenever I play on a server, I'm always amazed to find how little most people know of redstone. What I know from a few videos and some time in SP, some people will pay me and give me items to do something I enjoy!

The main thing that evades most people is redstone torches... the fact that they can turn on/off is what allows for the more complex structures in most redstone contraptions. By simply powering the block a torch is connected to, it turns the redstone torch off. Simple. This is the rule that allows inverters, the original repeater, and drawbridges (2 rows of trapdoors strung together), and much more!

Another simple rule, blocks CAN be powered! Using a strong power source (torch, repeater, lever, button, pressure plate - anything with a power level of 15), if the power is directed into the block, the block transmits redstone to anything adjacent, above, or below the block! This allows for more compact wiring which is usually most people's problems, fitting wiring for a specific function into an already built structure (building machine then building around it is MUCH easier... but most people don't do that) and wiring can be a pain if you have restricted space...

Stemming from powering blocks, I mentioned opaque (solid) and transparent (derp) blocks being part of redstone. The above section refers to opaque blocks and their function, while transparent blocks do the opposite... theycannot transmit a redstone signal! This is important in the video I will mention later and when you're making something... "redston-ish" that you don't rage because it didn't work, simply because you fancy using glass, ice, leaves, w/e for your redstone blocks (meaning the block you use when making redstone machines that aren't decorative/visible - most people use wool).

I personally have made every thing in this amazing video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc6spHvGPtQ ) which shows some amazing machines/components using pistons (including my favorite, the PBMarray) and I have also made a binary decoder (shown in picture above) connected to a 7-segment display (think of old digital clocks, basically numbers made of 7 bars), these are the only "complicated" things I have ever made, and yet I know more about redstone than maybe 95% of people (I know, I'm so modest!), just making a few machines and knowing how they work can work wonders on your understanding of redstone (don't copy/paste or just download worlds, watch tutorials and build the machines by hand on your own SP map).

Why not give it a go? Everyone can put a pressure plate infront of a door, some can make a doorbell using a button and noteblock, while the select few can make whatever they imagine/have time for!
Learn more about redstone and optimize your Minecraft experience, amaze your friends, and HAVE FUN!