Resource highlight: Jain’s Intelligence Daily and the LEGO community history project

Jason Whittenburg is a clever, clever man. He’s been running Jain’s Intelligence Daily for some time now – a collection of very useful resources. My favourite one is the brilliant Classic-Space custom model report, which essentially aggregates pictures from Classic-Space into an easily viewable package. Very neat, and it saves a lot of time. Another useful feature is Brickverse Today, which collects feeds from a lot of different LEGO blogs (including Brothers-Brick!) and showcases them in condensed form with links to the full articles. But the best thing is that all of this info is collected in RSS-feeds, ready to go straight into your reader!

After Paul Hartzog raised the idea Jason added another feature: the AFOL history database (or the Adult Fan of LEGO history database). This is a collection of all the important dates that has happened in the LEGO community to help us collectively remember, rejoice, and in some cases, mourn.

Or at least it will be with your help. See, right now there’s only 23 entries in the database. Do you know of something that has, when we look back at it, put its mark in the community? When was that particularly influential model built? That major website started? And there was that funny discussion that has become a running gag…? Put it in there! The RSS feed is configured to ping on the day of every event.

Even if some parts of JID is very much space oriented, all community moments are welcome. Jason has provided us with the resources – let’s make it the best it can be!

5 comments on “Resource highlight: Jain’s Intelligence Daily and the LEGO community history project

  1. Dunechaser

    Nice write-up, Linus!

    What strikes me most is how nicely Brickverse Today is aggregating LEGO feeds. With ILENN down for the count, perhaps it can take the place for those who don’t want to “roll their own” set of LEGO feeds. The C-S custom model report is also extremely cool.

  2. ThePaleMan

    I have a lot of info for the AFOL History feed – I will see what I can do to get it to you soon.

  3. Bruce N H

    Very cool. I’ve added a couple of things to the history (Erik Brok’s death, start of the Brick Testament), and will go back and start adding some more things. Major fests are obvious. Maybe I’ll go through and add the different CCC’s. What about individual sites? Is it too self-serving to put up something like the birth of VignetteBricks? I’d like to think that it’s been influential. What about “When was that particularly influential model built?” What criteria do we use for this?

  4. jaydubya

    Thanks for the kind words Linus and thanks to everyone who has contributed. As for what is the criteria, I’m talking with a lot of AFOL’s in IRC about this and trying to come up with something. Submit whatever you want, I am saving everything though it may not get flagged right away for publication, I am saving everything so it can be reviewed from time to time. I will also be looking for some editors as so as I get an administration interface finished for moderation.

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