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Posted in Public, . Tagged with 2008, barbara bratzel, brian davis, chris rogers, claude baumann, david levy, david martinez, eugene tsai, francis massen, jean mootz, jurgen leitner, nxt.
Science experiment leverages best-selling LEGO product to study outer atmosphere, proving play and learning go hand-in-hand
 Brian Davis presenting one of his robots at Brickworld, a LEGO fan event, earlier this year. | RENO, Nev. (July 29, 2008) – College professors, middle school students and robotics hobbyists unite today to launch seven robots into the Earth’s stratosphere to collect data, explore conditional effects and to set a world record as part of the High Altitude LEGO® Extravaganza. Joining The LEGO Group to support the science experiment are Nevada Space Grant, the University of Nevada-Reno, Energizer and National Instruments in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the LEGO MINDSTORMS® robotics platform. The MINDSTORMS robots will be launched from a desert location 30 miles east of Reno, Nevada into near space on an atmospheric weather balloon that will reach an altitude of more than 100,000 feet (30km). Once it reaches |
For more information on the HALE Project:
The HALE Project Report on The NXTStep blog
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LEGO Group Builds Consumer Driven Innovation to New Heights
by Joe Meno. 
Posted in Public. Tagged with 2008, adam tucker, architecture, article, john hancock, sears tower.
 The first set from BrickStructures, the Sears Tower. | -Leading construction toy maker further explores consumer and fan
driven product development with debut of first line of models developed
by brand enthusiast- CHICAGO (July 14th, 2008) – Continuing to explore the ways in which fans can drive innovation to the LEGO business, The LEGO Group today announced partnership with Adam Reed Tucker of Brickstructures Inc. to launch LEGO® Architecture. LEGO Architecture leverages the legacy of the classic LEGO brick’s 50 years of inspiring young builders and budding architects to express their own design ideas to take the experience further, making it possible for children of all ages to build and collect their favorite worldwide architectural sites through amazing replica models. Initially, LEGO Architecture will feature a pair of Chicago’s most famous landmarks: The Sears Tower and The John Hancock Canter. In the future, the line will offer other famous landmarks from around the world celebrating influential architects and movements that have shaped cities and cultures. With models developed in collaboration with architects, LEGO Architecture will work to inspire future architects, engineers and designers around the world with the LEGO brick as a medium. |
“My main objective with LEGO Architecture is to celebrate the past, present and future of architecture through use of the LEGO Brick. With products such as the line of souvenir sets and educational events, we wish to promote an awareness of the fascinating worlds of architecture, engineering and construction in a new and unexpected way,” said Adam Reed Tucker, president of Brickstructures, Inc. “The possibilities of the LEGO play experience are the perfect medium in which to drive and engage that awareness and excitement.”
| “LEGO Architecture is a milestone for LEGO Group, as it
is the first new business launched together with a member of the LEGO
community using the LEGO bricks as part of the business,” said Paal
Smith-Meyer, head of new business group at the LEGO Group. “After years
of development, this niche business stems from our exploration of new
business areas outside traditional retail toy markets. LEGO
Architecture exemplifies our philosophy that everything big starts
small and our aim to build new businesses with entrepreneurs like Adam,
who are passionate about the LEGO idea and our mission to inspire the
builders of tomorrow.” LEGO Architecture models can be found at specialty stores in the Chicago area including Love from Chicago at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg and Yorktown Center in Lombard, The Chicago Architecture Foundation Shop and in gift shops at the Sears Tower and John Hancock Center. For more information and a complete list of retail locations, visit www.brickstructures.com |  |
About Brickstructures, Inc.
Brickstructures, Inc., is a privately held company established to promote the use of LEGO Bricks in relation to Architecture. Established by architect Adam Reed Tucker from Chicago, Brickstrucutres, Inc, will act as creative developer and exclusive distributor for LEGO Architecture. Brickstructures will also arrange events and explore educational activities in conjunction with architectural firms, institutions and landmarks.
The LEGO Architecture Team wishes to extend a thank you to all parties who have participated in the foundation test throughout the city of Chicago.
The LEGO Group is a privately held, family-owned company, based in Billund, Denmark. It was founded in 1932 and today the group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of play materials for children, employing approximately 4,500 people globally. The LEGO Group is committed to the development of children's creative and imaginative abilities. LEGO products can be purchased in more than 130 countries.
LEGO and the LEGO logo are trademarks of The LEGO Group. ©2008 The LEGO Group.
Arealight's Magnificent Mid-Year Scoot-a-Bration!!
by Joe Meno.
Posted in Public. Tagged with 2008, contest, customization, customize, jared burks.
A LEGO fan building contest announcement from Fine Clonier's site:
Arealights' Magnificent Motorcycle Mayhem Shop is needing to break ground and he needs your help. He has loads of inventory waiting to be delivered to the AMMMS for the mid-year Scoot-a-bration. Everything must go go go go!!! In order for your favorite figure to drive a scooter off the lot, there has to be a lot to drive it off, so help him by building a store front and lot. This would be like most car/motorcycle lots for his scooters to be sold from (figuratively speaking). So it is up to you to construct the Motorcycle and Scooter Bike store. Why is Arealight so crazed about an AMMMS? Well he is wanting to highlight his scooter, which he is bringing back after popular demand.
You can construct it in any style you desire, be it hard core biker, weekend resort, European getaway, or whatever.
*The scenes appearance need a shop with a motorcycle on the property (so to speak), and it must be to minifigs scale.
*LEGO and custom motorcycles are welcome, at least one is required.
More information, including rules and prizes, can be found at this page.
LEGO® Collector`s Guide Publishing date: 26.06.08 / LEGO Collector – Premium Edition beginning of August 2008
We are happy to announce that the LEGO Collector’s Guide is about to be launched by Fantasia Verlag GmbH. The confirmed launch date will be the 26.06.08.
This bilingual (English/German) catalogue is for the fan and collector alike. It is a high quality product full of details. It comprises around 800 pages presenting nearly all sets produced by the LEGO Group since 1958.
Further, there will be a LEGO Collector - Premium Edition which will be very limited to 3.333 continuously numbered copies. The Premium Edition will be published at the beginning of August 2008 for a price of 39,90€. This high quality catalogue has a hardcover and is presented in a very decorative packaging with exclusive LEGO gimmicks.
The news release is attached.
Tom Williamson, an AFOL and "somewhat a filmmaker" (as he puts it) submitted a video in the Lipton Free Your Y contest onYouTube. You can see the video here:
You can vote for this video in the Free Your Y contest by going http://www.areyouyoungenough.com/freeyoury/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S80KPfhp-ckhere.
The LEGO Group Now Accepting Nominations for 08/09 LEGO Ambassadors
by Joe Meno.
Posted in Public, . Tagged with 2008, ambassador.
From the LEGO Group:
Hello LEGO Enthusiasts,
You
may have noticed already that the selection process for the LEGO Ambassador
Program will be slightly different this year. In the past we’ve selected LEGO Ambassadors based on
individual applications, which meant that the program was built on a very
individual basis. Now we would
like to make the process more broad reaching and transparent for all members of
the AFOL community. Therefore the
selection of LEGO Ambassadors will be based on nominations from your
clubs. In this way we give more
people an opportunity to have a say in who’s name gets put in the pot for the
selection process.
Who’s allowed to nominate?
- Any AFOL Community Group (online or on the map) will have the opportunity to submit nominations from their group (up to 3 people if they so choose). Not everyone can be selected for the program as we’ll still only have around 30 people when all is said and done. Each club can only have one person selected from that club.
- If you choose to submit a nomination it does not mean that your candidate will be chosen, but it does mean that your group will have just as much an opportunity to get involved in having a direct representative in the LEGO Ambassador Program. We will try to get a diverse group of people who are able to represent the whole AFOL community as good as possible.
- Groups can certainly nominate someone
already in the Ambassador Program, but from now on the program will have a two
term limit in order to have more room for people to be involved.
After a term out of the program, a previous Ambassador can be re-nominated.
- A group that submits a nomination for
the LEGO Ambassador program should be established and known within the LEGO
Community.
What should a nomination have in it?
- Name and age of the nominee.
- Where is the nominee from?
- Which Group does this nominee
represent?
- Does this person consent to being nominated (Please do not submit a nomination on behalf of someone you have not discussed with beforehand).
- Explanation of who the nominees are, what their activities are, and why they would be a good representative of their community (at least 3 testimonials from members of nominating group are required)
- Key interests of the nominee (themes, building styles, and some examples of their building)
When are Nominations Due?
May
24, 2008 by midnight GMT. If a nomination is
received after this time it will be automatically rejected.
Who should the Nominations be sent to?
What
might a LEGO Ambassador be committing to?
- In-depth discussion with other like-minded LEGO Fans.
- An opportunity to speak with LEGO Group representatives on what is important to the AFOL community.
- Occasional opportunities to give feedback on upcoming ideas for different parts of the LEGO Group (require NDA).
- A chance to submit their own ideas and ideas from the communities they represent on what they would like to see from the LEGO Group.
- Participation in projects which support the community like helping rebuild LEGOfan.org and many other community related projects.
From the 2008/09 cycle, LEGO Ambassadors will not be required to sign an NDA to join the program, but in the interest of the community, LEGO Ambassadors will be invited to give feedback on development projects which will require signing of an NDA. Discussions related to development projects will happen in a separate “top secret forum” for those who decide to sign an NDA. All discussions in the general LEGO Ambassador forum can and should be shared with the community. The decision on whether or not to take part in secret projects is up to the individual Ambassadors.
Another new aspect in the process will be that starting with this next cycle Ambassadors will only be able to serve for two consecutive terms. Current Ambassadors will not have their previous terms counted against them, and if chosen by their communities to apply for the program can serve for two more terms.
Thank
you all. Your nominations are very valuable for helping the LEGO Community Team
choose the next round of LEGO Ambassadors.
Tormod,
Jan, Steve
New Brickarms Accessories Now Available!
by Joe Meno.
Posted in Public, . Tagged with 2008, brickarms, customization, customize, will chapman.
Brickarms, provider of custom-made building-toy compatible weapons and custom minifigs, is proud to announce the addition of several new weapons and accessories to its line-up. All of Brickarms accessories are custom-designed and manufactured with exacting precision to achieve the highest possible quality, and these welcomed new additions to the Brickarms family of products are no exception!
 | In the continuing tradition of Brickarms accessories based on the weaponry of World War II, Brickarms is now proud to offer the service rifle that saw the US Army through the war: the M1 Garand. |
Will Chapman, owner of Brickarms and designer of all its custom weapons, also remains committed to providing detailed and accurate modern weaponry on the cutting-edge of technology. In this latest set of accessories, Will adds two great new modern weapons to the Brickarms line-up: the MP7 and MK48.
 |  |
| MP7 | MK48 with bipod (sold separately) |
Fans of sci-fi weaponry also have reason to be excited as these new items include a number of eye-catching pistols and rifles that would be perfect for any futuristic MOC. Each weapon is a unique design of Will Chapman inspired by the world of science fiction.
 |  |  |  |
| BA-M5 | BA-M6 | Auto-9 | PKD201 |
Says Chapman, "Beginning with the M41A from the Alien series, I've been fascinated with bringing popular sci-fi weapons to life at minifig scale. With Mold #3, I pay tribute to four more iconic sci-fi weapons. Each took weeks of design, multiple revisions, and the creation of injection-molded prototypes, to ensure each design met the high standards of accuracy and playability that are the hallmark of BrickArms."
These new arrivals to Brickarms also something previously unseen: accessories for your accessories! With several larger weapons now offered by Brickarms, the new monopod and bipod accessories are an excellent way to give your Brickarms accessories added poseability. One excellent feature of these accessories: they’re compatible with any minifig accessory with a barrel a minifig can grip!
 |  |
| Weapons with bipod | MK48 w/monopod |
Finally, by demand of Ian Chapman, Will’s son, Brickarms is now happy to offer a Flash Bang Grenade for use with all of your tactical minifigs!
Flash Bang
When asked about this item, Ian says, "The M84 Stun Grenade is my favorite new BrickArms weapon. My minifigs now have even more firepower than before. I'm glad my Dad let me help design it!"
All of these great new accessories are available for order on www.Brickarms.com now, so order today! Will has even more great ideas for the future, so keep your eyes on Brickarms for many new exciting developments to come!
Check this out - it's from an NXT from a Swedish builder!
What's really nifty is that this can be done with one NXT set. You can see pics and get instructions on how to build this at Tilted Twister.
Thanks to Geoff Gray for pointing to this, and Hans Andersson for building it!
Playing with Lights
by Joe Meno.
Posted in Public, . Tagged with 2008, lifelite, light, rob hendrix. e-lite.
 | The LEGO Company together with the Fantasia Verlag from Germany will be making a unique LEGO Collectors catalog. Over 750 pages of information on over 7500 sets will be in this book, with each chapter documenting one year of LEGO sets. You can read a press release on this in either German or English at the sidebar. |