Tag Archives: Technology

Check for cordyceps with this LEGO FEDRA scanner from The Last of Us

Like many, I’ve been glued to my TV every Sunday night to watch the next episode of The Last of Us, a show (based on a popular video game series) that supposes a world overrun with fungally-infected zombies. The remaining shreds of the US government, known as FEDRA, rely on handheld scanners to check citizens for potential infection of the mind-manipulating cordyceps fungus. And Julie vanderMeulen gives us one of those very scanners in LEGO form. Her construction has some wonderful clean lines, masterfully utilizing curved and straight slopes to give the device the proper shape. I love the simplicity of the trans-green screen, indicating an uninfected individual. The grid pattern made by the transparent 1×2 bricks replicating the lines of lights on the scanner from the show. But the perfect touch is her use of the gear at the top of the box, adding just a bit of technological texture to an otherwise sleek design.

FEDRA scanner

The circuit of life is a series of parallels

One of the great pleasures I find in creating art through LEGO bricks is the ability to merge two contrasting forces. It could be two colors in something as simple as a black and white build. Or it could be the complexity of a mature emotion like grief or loss expressed via a toy for children. In this case, Ralf Langer highlights the natural and the artificial in this computer board/forest hybrid. And, boy, does Ralf show off his prowess for both styles. The circuitry is sharp, precise, and clean; all stud-less with crisp corners and neat rows. Gradually, that regimented look gives way on the green medium to Nature’s chaos: curves, bumps, and rocky nodes galore! There’s a lot of great parts usage here, but my favorite has got to be the dual rows of Modulex bricks. These LEGO products of a slightly different scale are a rare sight in builds, but can provide some truly brilliant solutions to construction problems without straying from the brand.

CardBoardForest

Get some high fidelity from this tubular amp

Prepare yourself for the high quality sound coming from this valve amplifier by LEGO LowNotes. While built from LEGO, I have no doubt in the capabilities of this amp with a little imagination! The first thing that strikes me are the large tubes with those warm filaments. Red and orange transparent studs give the filaments that glowing look. Bars comprise the input/output needles in the center of the control panel with transparent doors for the glass. Valve amps are favored for their warm tones, higher fidelity, and softer clipping thresholds, and everything about this build is just as smooth and crisp. This build could easily blend in with any audio setup–the only thing to give it away is the lack of cords coming out the back.

LEGO Amp

This Agat-4 sure is a brick

Personally, I’m a bit of a caveman when it comes to technology. Working with computers sometimes feels like interacting with a magic tablet controlled by a temperamental spirit that doesn’t like me. While I shudder at the idea of diving into code, I have friends that program games on old computers for fun. Understanding the finer details of the process might not be my strong suit but it’s easy to appreciate the process and results of their efforts. Especially when those friends often build their own computers as well. So I can’t help but think of them when I see a model like this. Builder David Strenzler, otherwise known as Force of Bricks, has built a LEGO version of a Soviet computer from the era of the Apple II and the Commodore 64. Let’s take a look at this beautiful model of the Agat 4 8-bit computer.

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Can you hear me now? I said, can you hear me now!

Entering a new decade has left me feeling nostalgic for my youth and, since I group up in the ’90s, I was amused when I saw Qian Yj’s LEGO version of an early cellphone. Back then, such phones were such phones were nicknamed bricks due to their tremendous size. This particular model is about as close to a 1:1 replica as you can get, as illustrated by this image of Qian Yj holding the brick in-hand. His replica looks spot-on, from the numbered buttons to the thick antenna protruding from the top. Lime green tiles form the screen and are a perfect choice given the then-state-of-the-art LCD technology.

Cell phones in the 1990s

The Universal Serial Bus, connecting the world since 1996

The USB Type A plug has connected high-tech devices since 1996 — one of the things we take for granted for the past two decades, the Universal Serial Bus connector. Ubiquitous and functional (almost) every time — if you get the cable with the right connector on the other end. If there was an Oscar for the technology world, I think the USB connector should be honored with a lifetime achievement award. Working at a fairly large scale in LEGO, builder Joffre has created an excellent representation of the ever-present plug, with its iconic trident logo built onto the surface with a clever use of parts. So clean, smooth and perfect, you’ll surely need a second look to believe it’s all made of LEGO bricks.

Charging Cable

Hasselblad camera with working features made of LEGO bricks

Builder and photographer Helen Sham built a nostalgic Hasselblad 503CX and made it functional. The only thing it can’t do is take an actual photo (just yet), but it does come with the bells and whistles. This LEGO built camera has parts that can be separated as would the real Hasselblad. It includes a mirror for the viewfinder that will actually give you a reversed image of your frame. There’s a spring-loaded shutter button that gives you a real feeling of releasing the shutter and a running counter, had the camera have actual film in there. I’m more impressed that it only took Helen about 2 hours to put it together with an assortment of 1120 parts.

Click here to peek inside the camera!

There’s an app for that

In this technology-driven age, our devices have a big impact on our everyday life. We have devices to track our sleep, devices that shop for us, and devices we wear and carry with us wherever we go. With this collection of LEGO creations, nujumetru has captured the wonderful and sometimes disturbing relationship we have with our technology.

The Gang's All Here

See more photos of each model in the series after the jump

A reel-to-reel tape recorder that’s not really real

The digital era has pushed a lot of state-of-the-art technology into vintage obscurity, and one such piece of audio equipment is the reel-to-reel tape recorder. Imagine the tape removed from a tape cassette and wound onto a reel, press a button and twiddle some knobs and voilà, your slightly crackly audio recording will be transferred onto the reel.  Yul Burman has built a great looking LEGO version complete with reels, buttons, twiddly knobs and some bygone bling!

LEGO MOC Reel to Reel Tape Recorder

I want this on my shelf next to Carl Merriam’s vintage LEGO movie projector.

Chris McVeigh’s My First Computer DOS Edition [Review]

Even if you’ve not heard of Chris McVeigh, you’ve probably seen his builds in one way or another, especially his iconic Classic Mac that’s been featured quite a bit across the media. As a brick artist, Chris specializes in capturing fragments of details in tiny builds that give maximum impact. The other great part about Chris’s builds is that all of his build guides are available free for download and all you need to do to enjoy his wonderful creations are to source the bricks from sites like Bricklink or gather what you have from your very own stash. Of course, there are those that may not have the time or knowledge of the secondary LEGO market to gather all those parts, which makes purchasing a custom kit directly from the artist becomes a great option. For those that do, there’s no detail spared in the experience. Trust me on this, I’m going to bet that you’ll be impressed by the level of care and detail that Chris puts into this.

Read the full review

Tiny LEGO Mac built from Rasperry Pi with e-paper display

One of my favorite custom LEGO kits of all time is Chris McVeigh’s Mac, but German programmer Jannis Hermanns has gone one step farther by building a tiny Apple Macintosh classic case from LEGO around a Rasperry Pi Zero with an e-paper display and Wi-Fi running Docker.

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Jannis says in his blog post that he designed the case in LEGO Digital Designer, ordered the bricks (upon which he performed some rather shocking customizations to fit the display), and inserted the electronics he’d programmed himself.

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The whole thing — LEGO, e-paper display, Rasperry Pi, power supply, and Apple stickers — cost barely over $100, and Jannis provides detailed instructions on his website if you want to build your own.

The evolution of the electric-powered babysitter

If you’ve actually owned all three of these technological evolutions of television as depicted by Didier Burtin then you deserve an accolade! And maybe some help blowing out all the candles on your next birthday cake. The flat screen TV may be the last of its kind, as the only thing that’s growing are its huge cinema-like dimensions, and they make it easier than ever to “cut the cord” and move away from cable or broadcast services. I took the plunge two years ago – technically the only way I consume my media now is via streaming onto my flat screen. I’m willing to bet the next step are your tablet or mobile devices, with the ubiquitous TV set slowly going the way of the dodo. There’s no going back!

TV Evolution