Yearly Archives: 2011

Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

A few hours ago, the world learned that it had lost one of its most brilliant stars. Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs died after a lengthy illness.

Nearly every post I’ve written on this blog, every line of code, and every photo I’ve taken has made its way through the MacBook sitting here on my lap. But more importantly, Jobs inspired a generation of creative professionals to do amazing things with their imaginations. And no matter what kind of computer or mobile device you’re reading this from, I know that’s something all of you out there can relate to.

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New brick separator adds Technic axle pusher, tile-removing wedge

Paul Lee just got back from a trip to Billund, where he picked up a brick separator with some new features.

Paul says:

The brand new debricking tool. It’s smaller. Streamlined down to about the footprint of a 2 x 10 plate. There are many notable new features. There is a technic axle pusher for removing those stubbornly embedded axles. There are of course the standard top and bottom brick removing configurations. Also new is the pointed wedge at the back end of the lever, very useful for popping tiles and splitting plates that the other end can’t. It basically doubles as an ABS thumbnail. It’ll do whatever you would do with your thumbnail without ruining your manicure. Lastly, another nice added feature is the jumper plate offset in the underside, allowing the removal of jumper plates that the previous version of the tool could not handle.

LEGO in the White House

This is such a great photo. President Obama casually sits on a desk talking to three beaming winners from a science fair, each proudly holding their trophies built from LEGO.

Official caption: “President Barack Obama congratulates Google Science Fair winners, from left, Naomi Shah, Shree Bose, and Lauren Hodge in the Oval Office, Oct. 3, 2011.”

Thanks for the tip, Bruce!

日本郵便配達車 – Japan Post delivery van

Someone mentioned during the FBTB+TBB panel at BrickCon on Sunday that they missed the Japanese-focused LEGO models we used to feature, so I was very glad to run across this adorable little van by 1103spa (whose blog features some pretty cool Antarctic vehicles, too).

October 2011 LEGO sales & deals [News]

Between BrickCon and my birthday, October has been a great LEGO month for me for the last few years, but it looks like the rest of you out there can share in the joy with a plethora of LEGO sales throughout the month.

First off, LEGO.com is offering double VIP points for the full month of October, and it looks like all magnets are 50% off.

The new holiday set 10222 Winter Village Post Office has just been released.

And in case you missed it, 10220 Volkswagen T1 Camper Van is also out.

Not to be outdone by TRU’s Bricktober (which we won’t be supporting since they dropped FBTB, TBB, and Brickset all at once with no explanation a while back), Amazon.com has heavily discounted several large sets, starting with 7965 Millennium Falcon at 25% off, or $105.

25% off is nice, but Amazon has several more at 30% off, including 7066 Earth Defence HQ and 2507 Fire Temple.

Finally, if you’re in the UK, October 8th brings free LEGO sets from The Sun.

With which to light your way.

I had to do a double-take with this one. The thumbnail looked like it was just a lovely presentation of a small-ish lantern. But it was lovely, so I looked, and realized I was actually looking at a LEGO creation.

Luke Watkins said this was a random creation that took very little time, but I definitely appreciate the build and the thought that went into the presentation.

I Feel This Racing Stripe Is Quite Nice

The builder known as M_O_N_K_E_Y on flickr has been busy posting some fantastic creations. I was especially drawn to this orange mecha. I consider orange to be a bit of a difficult color to work with, in part because of a smaller part variety in the color, and it is well managed in this creation.

I like the look of the large, smooth cowlings accenting the spindly technical bits. It’s believable to me for a real world robot.

Not everyone wants to count down to Christmas.

I’d apologize for the amount of pictures in this post, but I’m not going to. I’m afraid that Jamie might just create a figure to come after me in my sleep. I’m compelled to post all that are available.

And let’s face it: these are AWESOME.

Jamie has started his annual Halloween advent, and the results are frighteningly spectacular, as expected. I do hope you continue to watch for his daily installments. They’ll get you in the proper Halloween mood.

Registration now open for Bricks by the Bay 2012 [News]

Bricks by the Bay logo As announced at BrickCon this past weekend, registration is now open for next year’s Bricks by the Bay convention, March 16-18, 2012.

Here’s the full announcement:

For the serious LEGO® builder we again will offer a LEGO fan convention! The event will be held Friday-Sunday, March 16-18. Benefits of attending the convention include:

Custom engraved name badge made out of LEGO bricks

Access to speeches, presentations, and discussion sessions

Show your models in the Grand Ballroom for convention attendees and the public

Become a vendor (additional fee applies) to sell LEGO and related products at the convention and public show

Exclusive discounts at the LEGO store (TBD)

Chance to receive free LEGO sets in Prize drawings and contests

The event theme this year is “Green.” It is inspired by the fact that St. Patrick’s Day takes place that weekend, but we’re not limiting it to that: any creative use of the color green, subjects relating to the environment, and of course Ireland or St. Patrick’s Day themed models are suitable. In 2010 our theme was “The Brick Artistic” and in 2011 it was “Creative Combinations.”

If you’re interested in attending the whole convention, read all about the Convention, Hotel, Registration, and Schedule, along with more information about the weekend’s
events.

Not sure if you want to come to the convention or just the public day? Read our FAQ to find out more.

Check out the Bricks by the Bay website for complete details on how to register. And don’t miss coverage of last year’s BBtB on The Living Brick.

TBB posts now available via FaceBook and Twitter!

A while back, we asked The Brothers Brick fans on Facebook whether they wanted to see links to TBB posts on their Facebook walls. The overwhelming majority said yes, so for all of you out there on Facebook, you’ll start getting TBB updates right from inside your second-favorite website! :-P

And for all of you out there who don’t want to filter past my own Tweets, which frequently contain hashtags like #poetry and #archeology, to get to the ones with #LEGO in them, TBB now has its own Twitter feed, @BrothersBrick.

Follow @BrothersBrick

LEGO Twitter bird by Fredoichi

(Everything seems to be working great with Twitter, but there appears to be a bit of a delay between here and Facebook. We’ll give it another try tomorrow…)

LEGO Cuusoo Now in Open Beta [News]

The LEGO Cuusoo website has been enabling Japanese LEGO fans to submit their ideas (cuusoo means “imagination” or “wish” in Japanese) and have them voted on and maybe turned into an official LEGO set. The site is now also open in English as a Beta.

LEGO Cuusoo satellite

For those who want to jump to the case, the link to register is here. You no longer need an invite, and are free to go and submit and vote for models. I’ve even submitted one myself. What will you make?

LEGO mecha by Dan Rubin

Here’s the press release:

Turn your model wishes into reality with LEGO® CUUSOO
LEGO consumers can now give their great ideas directly to the LEGO Group using the LEGO CUUSOO website. Ideas that collect 10,000 supporters could be selected to become part of the toy manufacturers’ product line

BILLUND, Denmark – The LEGO Group announced today that LEGO® CUUSOO, its new international web-based open innovation and crowd sourcing platform, is now available in open beta.

LEGO CUUSOO is an idea collection system that asks the Danish toy manufacturers’ consumers to submit and vote for their favourite ideas for new LEGO products. It can be found at http://lego.cuusoo.com

Ideas that are supported by 10,000 votes have a chance of being selected to become part of the LEGO Group’s product portfolio and sold in LEGO Brand retail stores and the LEGO online shop. Consumers who have their ideas chosen will earn 1% of the total net sales of the product

CUUSOO, which means ‘imagination’ or sometimes ‘wish’ in Japanese, has been developed with CUUSOO SYSTEM, a subsidiary of Japan-based Elephant Design that has worked with open innovation and crowd sourcing for more than 10 years.

The LEGO Group has worked with CUUSOO since 2008 on a Japanese site that has attracted hundreds of ideas and seen thousands of votes cast by a 20,000-strong community. Now the time has come to test the concept internationally.

The first Japanese product, the Shinkai 6500 submersible, went on sale in Japan in February 2011. The next Japanese LEGO CUUSOO model will be the Hayabusa unmanned spacecraft launched in the first quarter of next year. “Our fans and consumers have proved time after time that they have great ideas that can lead to products,” said Paal Smith-Meyer, head of the LEGO New Business Group.

“We have worked with our consumers in the past and continue to do so, for example in the LEGO Architecture series, which we developed with an architect and LEGO fan. LEGO CUUSOO is an attempt to gather more great ideas while streamlining the way we innovate and become inspired.”

“We see this as an investment in the future rather than for immediate sales gain. We are moving from a local Japanese pilot to see if the model is sustainable. We were pleased with the initial results, but we need to see how it will perform on a global platform with global distribution,” he added.

Announcing Creations for Charity 2011 [News]

The third annual Creations for Charity fundraiser has just begun. This is an opportunity for builders to donate custom Lego creations and raise money to buy Lego for underprivileged children during the holidays. In addition, it’s a chance for buyers to own an original Lego creation. MOC donations are currently being accepted until November 15, and the store will open from October 15 to November 30.

You can visit Creation for Charity’s new website for details and other exciting changes this year. Once again, I look forward to the generosity and enthusiasm of the Lego community to share our hobby with many children this holiday season.

Here’s a look at last year’s results and the amount of Lego that was donated.