Just in time for the fiftieth anniversary of the movie Jaws comes the Official Jaws LEGO Set!
Click on the pics to enlargen (you're gonna need a bigger browser):
At a hundred and fifty bucks this is actually a pretty good deal for a LEGO set this large.
Click on over to GeekTyrant for more photos of this amazing set!
Well, I'm now a liar and worse.
A little over ten years since I vowed that I would never, EVER do it, I am indeed selling my much-loved Yoda hand puppet signed by "Weird Al" Yankovic.
It's really out of my hands (no pun intended). For reasons which I don't care to disclose publicly, some financial resources have come to be required. That's just the way things are right now.
Mom bought me the puppet in 1980, a few months after The Empire Strikes Back came out in theaters. I was six years old and distinctly remember that night at the toy store. Long story short this puppet - which has maintained PERFCT condition despite the years and miles traveled - went with me to a book signing by "Weird Al" Yankovic in June of 2013. Al's eyes lit right up when he saw it! And he was very glad to sign it.
It's Star Wars. More to the point it's Yoda. And it's been on the hand of and signed by the greatest parodist in the history of the arts. For those reasons and more, it's a very precious possession of mine. And now I'm prepared to let it go.
I thought long and hard about how much I'm asking for it. This is such a unique item, and it really does matter to me that this will go to a good home. In the end I had come up with a substantially larger figure. However eBay's system doesn't think I'm a "power seller" just yet and it's restricted me to bidding starting much smaller.
So if any of this interests you, click on the link above and learn more. If you would like to bid on it, I wish you all the best.
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| "AYYYYYY ain't got no-BAAAH-day!" |
It's not all LEGO: though the company makes tiny rubber tires for the minifig-scale vehicles, it's yet to enter the market in competition with Michelin or Goodyear. But that detail aside, the Super Awesome Micro Project funded and built by Australian Steve Sommarito and Romanian Raul Oaida is practically 100% LEGO blocks. Total number of pieces: about half a million. |
| 1-Point-21 jigawatts of LEGO awesome! |
And yes, it even has minifigs of Marty McFly (with skateboard) and Doc Brown! Incidentally, CUUSOO designers who see their ideas on the store shelves get 1% of the profit, and the two guys who collaborated on this model are donating their cut to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.- Jabba's Palace was first built by the B'omarr Monks, who continued to live within it and practice their religion long after after Jabba the Hutt took over and made it his headquarters.
- The Hagia Sophia was a Christian basilica until 1453 when Ottoman Turks forced their way inside, slaughtering thousands of innocent people whose blood poured into the streets of Constantinople. From that time on Christians were forbidden from worshiping within their own building.
Got that? Good. Because it only makes the claim by a group of Turkish Austrians that LEGO's new Jabba's Palace set from its Star Wars line is "racist" and an affront to religion all the more ridiculous.
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| LEGO version of Jabba's Palace (left) and Hagia Sophia in Istanbul (right) One is a place that has known murder, slavery and intolerance toward others. The other is a children's toy. |
From The Telegraph article...
Austria’s Turkish community said the model was based on Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul and that the accompanying figures depicted Asians and Orientals as people with “deceitful and criminal personalities.”Hit the link for plenty more of this ludicrous story, including a statement LEGO released in response to what the Turks are insisting.The Turkish Cultural Community of Austria released a statement calling for Lego to apologise for affronting religious and cultural feelings.
The anger was provoked by “Jabba’s Palace”, a model of the home of Jabba the Hutt from Lego’s Star Wars product range based on the blockbusting series of science fiction films.
Jabba is the large slug-like creature who holds Han Solo captive in the film Return of the Jedi, and his palace is the setting for several crucial scenes, including using Princess Leia as his slave.
Jabba’s domed home and accompanying watchtower bare, according to the statement, an unwanted resemblance to Istanbul’s great Hagia Sophia, and another mosque in Beirut
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The Jabba case came to light after an Austrian Turk complained to the organisation after his sister had bought his son the box set.
Austria’s Turkish community also took issue with the figures that went with the palace, including Jabba.
“The terrorist Jabba the Hutt likes to smoke a hookah and have his victims killed,” said the statement posted on the organisation’s website.
“It is clear that the ugly figure of Jabba and the whole scene smacks of racial prejudice and vulgar insinuations against Asians and Orientals as people with deceitful and criminal personalities.”
The crimes associated with the figures, the statements adds, include terrorism, slavery, murder and human sacrifice.
Taking into account that many of the Lego figures carry weapons, the Turkish organisation also urged parents “not to buy toys of war or toys of discrimination” as the model goes against the “peaceful coexistence of different cultures in Europe”.
As an indication of the anger felt over Jabba’s Palace, the organisation said it was considering taking legal action against Lego for inciting racial hatred and insulting human dignity.
How about some more comparison? Like, how the Turks in Austria are claiming that "The crimes associated with the figures... include terrorism, slavery, murder and human sacrifice."
There are numerous accounts written by those who survived the conquest of Constantinople about how Sultan Mehmet II allowed his soldiers to plunder the city for three days: butchering anyone who got in their way, stealing from homes and separating families. Mehmet II took the city's most beautiful young women - and men - to be in his private harem (those who resisted were beheaded). Many boys were pressed into the service of the Janissary corps. Not long after the conquest, the Ottoman Turkish sultan sent several thousands of children to each of the major potentates of the Muslim world to be slaves.
So far as we know, the only criminal activities that Jabba the Hutt and his gang engaged in were spice-smuggling and gun-running.
Nor do I ever recall Jabba employing suicide bombers, declaring jihad against anyone or even declaring that Luke's announcing himself as a Jedi as being "blasphemy". Come to think of it, Jabba tolerated a lot of "coexistence of different cultures" at his court.
Yup, Jabba the Hutt and his palace are insulting to certain cultures and religions, no doubt about it...
Ooh-boy...
From computer scientists at Harvard University comes some new software that will let you print highly-detailed and fully-ARTICULATED action figures! And it's pretty insane how the software does it too: it takes an animated 3-D character and automatically figures out where all the movable joints will be, and figures-in how to manufacture those joints in a real-world model. In other words you could take a picture of Shrek and turn him into a fully poseable toy. Or print your own Star Wars: Clone Wars action figures. Which no doubt Lucasfilm's licensing department would have something to say about that (and you thought Games Workshop's lawyers were bad...). But all the same, the Harvard thinkin' dudes are planning to make their software available commercially. Eventually. Click on the link above for some groovy pics and video of the process in action.
Yes, it really works too.
Apart from the chamber (which remains solid metal), this .22-caliber pistol is entirely printed plastic. It fires 200 rounds with no apparent wear or damage to the weapon. It was manufactured with an older 3-D printer and about $30 of resin, but its gunsmith - who goes by the Internet nom de plume "HaveBlue" - reckons that it could be made for as little as ten bucks.
So in the very near future, it may not be that big of a hassle to go out and buy a guy at all. Just download the 3-D model from a website like The Pirate Bay or Demonoid and in a few hours time you'll have a fully-functional firearm to defend your home and loved ones with. And with the cost of 3-D printers dropping to the point where one can be sitting in your living room...
I can already envision some politicians are going to hear about this and decide "something must be done about it, think of the childrun...!"
When 3-D printers are outlawed, only outlaws will have 3-D printers :-P
Unfortunately in the past few decades Erector Set has faded because of plastic building toys, electronic gizmos and the like. It sadly looked as if there might be the first generation since Erector's invention by A.C. Gilbert a hundred years ago that had never heard of the toy.
Until this week.
Look! Officially licensed Gears of War Erector Sets!
Coming to Toys R Us later this month, Erector is releasing four sets based on the insanely popular video game series. Each set also includes action figures of Marcus, Dom, Anya, Locust Drones and other characters from the franchise.
My heart is already lusting horribly for that King Raven model. Maybe if I'm really good this year my girlfriend Kristen will put it in my Christmas stocking (hint-hint :-)
Mash here for more details and tons more pics of the Gears of War Erector Sets. And I'm digging that Armadillo model, too.
I'm looking at this and the only thing that I can honestly muster to mind to say is "Oh. My. God."
Fortunately more tactful minds prevailed and this light was pulled in favor of a full-hand version (I spotted it on sale at Toys R Us yesterday) but even so: where the hell was the due diligence on this thing? I mean, this was really manufactured and marketed.
But hey, at least the Atari 2600 game is no longer the worst-ever piece of E.T. merchandise...
Dang! But I am soooooo going this route if I ever get hit with male-pattern baldness :-P
Artist and designer Elroy Klee came up with a rather radical notion: LEGO wigs! GeekTyrant has more pics of his work.
Great work Elroy! But I have to wonder: what was it like to tell three beautiful women "Here, I want you to wear LEGO on your head..."?
But still... a real hoverboard!! Now we can all die happy :-)
And not only that, but it's fully functional too! PLUM B's LEGO Lancer shoots rubber bands. And yes, the chainsaw bayonet even revs-up to make mincemeat out of those pesky Locust grubs and Lambent mutants!
Now if only we could have this sitting on the shelves at Toys R Us in time for Christmas...
I never want to have to write a summary sentence like that again.
Sophia Heesch, a teenager from Germany, was recently on a TV show in that country called Wetten, dass...? (translated into English it's "Wanna Bet...?") demonstrating her... talent. Sophia, without looking at it, can be given a Star Wars LEGO minifigure and just from sucking on it and feeling with her tongue, can tell whether the minifig is Han Solo or Yoda, and even more unusual characters like the ASP Droid.
Here is the clip of Sophia showing off her amazing powers!
Wetten, dass...? is a German game show, so apparently Sophia won some money. Remember that next time you yell at your kids for putting toys in their mouths :-P
Up early, prepping for four performances of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever today (three this morning and afternoon for the county's elementary students, and a closed performance tonight). Then four more across the weekend.
And there's a chance of wintery weather for Saturday. As if the kids in the cast weren't excited enough already... :-P
According to this "toy"'s description, "EVE is the lifeblood of the underwater city of Rapture, the setting for Bioshock and Bioshock 2. It is the substance that fuels the bizarre powers of the genetically-engineered splicers' plasmids, and it is the fight to control this precious resource that has nearly destroyed the underwater city. This Play.com exclusive EVE hypo prop replica is based on the in-game models, and features a light-up LED feature for that authentic eerie blue glow!"
Yuck... but still awesomely kewl!
Behold the commercial from about 45 years ago...
And if that adult looks familiar, it should: that's Hal Smith as the thief and the commercial's pitchman. Smith will forever be known as that lovable town drunk Otis Campbell on The Andy Griffith Show.
I remember about two decades ago when every Toys R Us had an aisle devoted to toy guns. Seems like we had a lot less real-life crime then than we do now. Maybe we should let children be children instead of expecting them to be miniature adults, and allow them to live out the "good guy/bad guy" fantasy. That's the kind of thing that has gone on since time immemorial and it's only been in the past number of years that the "child experts" (who never seem to have children of their own, hardly) have done their damndest to change that.
Well, anyway: it's a "swell" commercial, I think. Especially that machine gun!!
But don't take my word for how awesome a place Sci-Fi Genre is. Look who else thinks so too:
Yup, Robin Williams himself, who word on the street has it is not only an avid Warhammer 40,000 player but that he also collects and plays a wicked kewl Eldar army! Maybe someday he'll show up again and I can play him with my Orks (and I've heard Will Smith and Billy Crystal are also into Warhammer 40,000: maybe Sci-Fi Genre could host a celebrity tournament or something...)
Their website is at scifigenre.com. Tell 'em you heard about 'em on The Knight Shift!
Behold...
It's 35,200 times smaller than an actual train.
Now that is some practical nanotechnology! :-)
