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> They don't make a "big bucket of generic lego" anymore, at least I can't find it at Toys'R'Us.

Bullshit. It is even featured on the main page of legoshop.com

http://shop.lego.com/product.asp?p=4411

Legos are awsome. I buy about 1 set a month for my childs (okay, we probably now have 20K pieces...).

Some sets are better than others, but specialized pieces are not the problem (it is amazing how you can recycle those). The problem is that:

1/ Lego pieces last forever. You run out of reason to buy new ones.
2/ You ability to build don't scale with the number of pieces. (Contrary to computers, it takes a *lot* of pieces/time to do something big). Hence the 20K pieces are not *that* usefull

And for people that says that todays set sucks, it is because they have not tried things like http://shop.lego.com/product.asp?p=8455 (amazing)

I give you, LEGO Video Games.

Actually some of the Harry Potter sets have been the best that LEGO has done in a while. Check out the car in the "Escape from Privet Drive" set. http://shop.lego.com/product.asp?p=4728&cn=90&d=20 &t=3 That's not one big piece, but made up of many little pieces. And one of my personal favorites of the past few years.

Star Wars has introduced a lot of new, larger LEGO elements, but you still can't top the "Imperial Star Destroyer" http://shop.lego.com/product.asp?p=10030&cn=8&d=5& t=3 for hours of LEGO fun.

Actually some of the Harry Potter sets have been the best that LEGO has done in a while. Check out the car in the "Escape from Privet Drive" set. http://shop.lego.com/product.asp?p=4728&cn=90&d=20 &t=3 That's not one big piece, but made up of many little pieces. And one of my personal favorites of the past few years.

Star Wars has introduced a lot of new, larger LEGO elements, but you still can't top the "Imperial Star Destroyer" http://shop.lego.com/product.asp?p=10030&cn=8&d=5& t=3 for hours of LEGO fun.

I am an AFOL (Adult Fan of Lego), and I think that they are the coolist thing ever. Check out some of the more interesting LEGO sites on the net:

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/recent.cgi A massive gallery of uber cool models made by AFOLs. There are some really amazing models posted here.

http://www.brickset.com/ A lego set refrence that has just about every lego set ever made. Want to get a list of every classic space set made in 1978? This is the place.

http://www.bricklink.com/ Want 150 tan 1x3 bricks? Buy them individually from fellow collectors all over the world.

http://www.lugnet.com/ LUGNET is the Lego User Group. It has an interface to all all of the Lego USENET groups, and is an easy way to keep on top of all the relevant lego news.

http://shop.lego.com/ Of course there is LEGOs homepage. Online shopping, and all sorts of other interesting stuff. They just released a program on the lego site that allows you to build virtual lego models. That isn't really amazing, since LEGO cad programs have existed for years. However, they seem to be ramping up to allow people to build virtual models, and then order the parts to build them online! Every lego fan's dream come true...

There is much more, but that is a quick rundown of some of the major sites. Indulge yourself, you know you want to....

Here are a few things that spring to mind. I have two youner brothers-in-law (12 and 13) that I need to find gifts for and they are particularly hard to shop for.

Legos - This is a classic. I'd stay away from the sets that are designed to build a single item and try to buy bulk lego boxes. If you have a technically curious child to shop for, the Lego Mindstorms kits are awesome. Link here.

A model train set. For a kid interested in learning about this kind of thing, it's a great experience. This isn't a gift for everyone; I think most kids wouldn't give it a second look.

A Bicycle. Every kid should have one (provided you live somewhere that it's reasonable to ride). Lots of excercise, time outdoors, and a good social activity.

This is a little offtopic from your original question, but don't forget about not-so-classic but still fun toys. Two years ago I gave my brothers-in-law a copy of Ico for the PS2 and they fell in love. Their parents basically bought them whatever video game they wanted, which amounted to whatever was popular at the time. I like to think that I opened them up to the idea of playing games that required a little more thought than the average shooter. They've started buying less mainstream games since then, and I think it's helped them become more well rounded (they went from 'Halo is t3h best ever!' to 'Hey, have you tried Katmari Damacy?') which is a refreshing change. I'm not saying that one video game did that - I also made a point to show their mom the ESRB ratings on the games that she'd been buying them. Being educated about what's available for your kids is important, and it's nice to see Slashdot encouraging folks to look into not-so-hip but good presents.

Can anyone recommend any great games that have come out recently that will generally get overlooked due to the flashier titles (e.g. HL2, Halo2, Metroid Prime 2, etc)?

And not just for kids either... this has been seen on slashdot before, but the things people can do with Lego Mindstorms is simply amazing. An expensive set to be sure, but it's a toy that will scale up as the child grows older, and it's probably the most user friendly robotics set ever created. Of course, for $179.99 US (MSRP) you might want to just get one for yourself and ignore the kids altogether.

http://www.ni.com/company/robolab.htm/ http://www.lego.com/eng/service/faqs.asp?section=C onsumerService-FAQ-TechSupport&catid=1E65DEDE-9A63 -4C69-9FE2-445BF90ABEC1&faqid=3280&tech=tr ue/ It usues LabVIEW instead though which for children I would think is a lot easier

See here (January 2004) and here (March 2004)

There was quite a kafuffle shortly after Christmas of last year when LEGO announced their shift in direction. Quite a large number of people were very concerned that LEGO would be dropping Mindstorms. Flurries of posts on LEGO discussion lists and even letters directly to LEGO were filled with remarks much to the effect of "What?!?!? Why is LEGO doing this?" LEGO issued the January press release above to abate those concerns. Also mentioned above is a March release in which they restate the Mindstorms is one of their core products and they will *NOT* be dropping it.

First Lego League is also very dependant on Mindstorms, and I don't think they're going away anytime soon.

See here (January 2004) and here (March 2004)

There was quite a kafuffle shortly after Christmas of last year when LEGO announced their shift in direction. Quite a large number of people were very concerned that LEGO would be dropping Mindstorms. Flurries of posts on LEGO discussion lists and even letters directly to LEGO were filled with remarks much to the effect of "What?!?!? Why is LEGO doing this?" LEGO issued the January press release above to abate those concerns. Also mentioned above is a March release in which they restate the Mindstorms is one of their core products and they will *NOT* be dropping it.

First Lego League is also very dependant on Mindstorms, and I don't think they're going away anytime soon.

No more appropriate? Maybe not. But anyway:
Java: http://lejos.sourceforge.net/
C: http://bricxcc.sourceforge.net/nqc/
ASM (called LASM fro LEGO ASM): http://mindstorms.lego.com/sdk2/default.asp
Forth: http://www.hempeldesigngroup.com/lego/pbForth/home Page.html

So, yeah, if it's small enough, it's been done.
-AC

They expect to break even this year.

One of the chief difficulties in developing the technology comes from the environment where computer chips live. Heat and vibration in this environment can cause chips to get out of the precise alignment needed for proximity communication. Sun is currently tinkering with different techniques and different packages to prevent, or correct, these effects.

Solution

Not even including the cost of housing the media, or the mechanisms for reading/writing, the cost alone is prohibitive --

You can't buy 1x1 bricks singly, and the cost of a green baseplate (from the LEGO store) is US$5. If you were to use plates for the reduced size, you get 16 1x1s in a US$5 pack, which has another 68 pieces you don't need ( )

The cheapest I can find pieces for are about US$0.06 per piece. We'll assume they'd give you the 15% discount for bulk orders, which would mean about US$68.75 per KB (7/8 populated, as per spec).

Not even including the cost of housing the media, or the mechanisms for reading/writing, the cost alone is prohibitive --

You can't buy 1x1 bricks singly, and the cost of a green baseplate (from the LEGO store) is US$5. If you were to use plates for the reduced size, you get 16 1x1s in a US$5 pack, which has another 68 pieces you don't need ( )

The cheapest I can find pieces for are about US$0.06 per piece. We'll assume they'd give you the 15% discount for bulk orders, which would mean about US$68.75 per KB (7/8 populated, as per spec).

Not even including the cost of housing the media, or the mechanisms for reading/writing, the cost alone is prohibitive --

You can't buy 1x1 bricks singly, and the cost of a green baseplate (from the LEGO store) is US$5. If you were to use plates for the reduced size, you get 16 1x1s in a US$5 pack, which has another 68 pieces you don't need ( )

The cheapest I can find pieces for are about US$0.06 per piece. We'll assume they'd give you the 15% discount for bulk orders, which would mean about US$68.75 per KB (7/8 populated, as per spec).

You know, on one hand, I can recognize and respect that. On the other hand, for some reason I have trouble thinking of VB as anything but the Duplo of programming languages.

It's capitalized legOS, and it's an open-source OS for Lego Mindstorms.

Dude, you had a deprived childhood. This is Lego

The most frustrating thing about the big trak was that it never got its turning radii correct... if you told it to turn right 90 degrees, it was always off by several degrees, enough that it would subsequently bump into a wall or corner.

This is a running problem with most batteries when operating a motor. Unless the battery is entirely solid state and doesn't decay over time, the voltage it supplies drops as it gets used up. Problem continues to exist today with Lego Mindstorm robots as well. To correct for this, one would want to put a sensor which senses the rotating shaft on the motor -- keep rotating motor until it's gone through the proper amount of degrees instead of just supplying driving voltage for about the right amount of time.

The AeroScout Location System can locate the tags which I believe is in use with Lego's Kidspotter Wi-Fi tracking watch. The tag itself seems to be very small. Privacy concerns, anybody?

It's not a *bad* likeness, but Lego has
done a much better job.

It's not cheap (Lego never is), but it's such a
great set of parts I'm considering getting
a second one.

Also, the set's been out for a while, so it's
due for retirement. Get it soon.

This is great, but if you're looking for an easy and eductional introduction to electronics/embedded control then LEGO has really done already this with Mindstorms. And provided a great interface for learning basic process-oriented logic through their PC programming application. It's like Turtle-Logic++..

I think the more important value of the eBlock concept is the purpose stated on the site; to make it easy to create custome electronic devices for the home and everyday use. Too bad the physical interface of these isn't as straight forward as LEGO or Capcela (a product-line whose day has sadly passed)...

2-cents,
Levendis47

This is great, but if you're looking for an easy and eductional introduction to electronics/embedded control then LEGO has really done already this with Mindstorms. And provided a great interface for learning basic process-oriented logic through their PC programming application. It's like Turtle-Logic++..

I think the more important value of the eBlock concept is the purpose stated on the site; to make it easy to create custome electronic devices for the home and everyday use. Too bad the physical interface of these isn't as straight forward as LEGO or Capcela (a product-line whose day has sadly passed)...

2-cents,
Levendis47

LEGO: Mindstorms

I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. =D

I really wanted to use some moderator points in this thread but NOBODY got it right!

I bet that now their lego servers look like this ;-)

The free advertising is great, the problem comes when your quality name becomes widely associated with shoddy products.

Example (completely fictitious and anecdotal): You spend a lot of time and resources to ensure that your Trampoline(tm) brand exercise products are fun and safe, but you don't pay enough attention to keep your trademarked name secure. The Profit-From-Kidz corporation releases a line of shoddy trampolines responsible for the deaths of 35 tots (really cute, photogenic tots). Global headlines trumpet the dangers of "trampolines", the market collapses, your company folds. If your trademarked name had been protected, headlines about the dangers of the Profit-From-Kidz Suspended Exercise Spring Mat would have had much less impact on your business.

Why do you think the makers of a certain type of interlocking construction toy are so rabid about protecting their trademarks? The PR difference between a headline about a child choking on a "construction brick" and a child choking on a Lego(tm - please don't sue me) is huge.

The Dalai Llama
when my cult goes international, I'll want 25 cents everytime somebody says llama...

Ofcourse, they should also be able to afford the Lego sets. I love Lego, and had 2 sets when I was a kid...they used to keep me engaged for days at a stretch.

Sometimes, I feel like going out and buying a set or two, but they're too expensive for my liking. For any decent sized model train set (stations, wagons, etc) , you could end up paying around $200.00.

Take a look at the prices on their Train set page. Any decent sized kit is $150+

In general, I wouldn't mind paying around $100.00 for a *general* set of bricks....but these specialized kits are *too* restrictive, and after building the model, you usually have to buy a different set to build anything else.

At least the folks at Lego got it right.

Their new "Mos Eisley Cantina" set, despite having a dewback-riding stormtrooper that wasn't in the original, has Greedo and Han sitting in their booth and they gave Han a gun, but Greedo doesn't have one. There's no way he could have shot first.

See it here

Relive the Battle of Hoth

LEGO(R) my Eggo(R)!

...that we're "more technical" because we have better toys. Having any modern Linux distribution is like having a honking great Lego (tm) collection (top toy, and it runs under MS-Windows as well). Having MS-Windows is like having Barbie dolls - sure they look pretty, and have all of these neat (and expensive) accessories, but after you've posed them in variations of six different ways, that's about it for imagination. For kids, it's time to rip the legs off and see what makes them go.

The shiny stuff in modern Linux distros (KDE, GNOME etc) is like modern Lego in that it is kind of pre-built. This takes some of the fun out of it but also saves doing some repetitive tasks (e.g. "assemble Bob the Builder model") and more accurately represents small objects.

PS, I very seldom "compile my own software" (although I've been doing a lot of it this last week for customers). When I do, I sing halleliujahs for the ability to do it, sadly absent in much MS-Windows software. But for 99% of what I do, eminently suitable "shrink-wrapped" versions exist, and most stuff is modular enough that BASH will glue it together if the existing stuff falls short.

Oh... that's right, you don't have BASH. Well, try the CygWin suite which includes it, and/or pull down a free PERL and have a go with that as a glue language.

I haven't had time to er, use usenet for ages. Google's interface is a pretty good newbie gateway to it.

You could just buy them bulk bulk and if you don't see what you want they do special orders

at LEGOshop.com - their aimed at getting girls more interested in LEGO.

Hear, hear! Those creator, designer and inventor sets are excellent, and Lego should be commended for "getting back to their roots," so to speak.

I'll sheepishly point out that Lego's FAQ asks and answers the question I implied above: there is a Windows XP edition of Lego's Movie Maker software available. (Oh, and the FAQ also confirms that, yes, the Studios product line is done.)

I'll sheepishly point out that Lego's FAQ asks and answers the question I implied above: there is a Windows XP edition of Lego's Movie Maker software available. (Oh, and the FAQ also confirms that, yes, the Studios product line is done.)

I'll sheepishly point out that Lego's FAQ asks and answers the question I implied above: there is a Windows XP edition of Lego's Movie Maker software available. (Oh, and the FAQ also confirms that, yes, the Studios product line is done.)

What you want are the Lego Designer and Inventor series sets. They consist chiefly of traditional Lego bricks, include several designs in each set, and, by God, they don't seem to be advertisements for anything! The pieces are versatile, and you should be able to use them to build many models not envisioned by the original builders. The product line leads up very nicely to the Technic sets (which were called "Expert Builder" sets when I was a kid).

If I had more disposable income, I would buy up every set in this series.

These robots were constructed from the recently dropped line of Lego MindStorms products!!

"Hearsay has it that a product range like LEGO MINDSTORMS is no longer in focus. This is not true. On the contrary, MINDSTORMS, CLIKITS and BIONICLE are all good examples of products the company wants to stake on." SOURCE: http://www.lego.com/eng/info/default.asp?page=pres s

You mean to tell me that this stinker of a themepark had nothing to do with their losses?

Dolemite
_____________________

Land Busters
Air Blazers
Sea Riders

Land Busters
Air Blazers
Sea Riders

Land Busters
Air Blazers
Sea Riders

Ask and you shall receive.

And I assume you've seen bricklink which is not Lego affilated.

Also, try going to one of the LegoLand stores, like Legoland California. Bulk bricks by weight! Ultimate in badass Lego buying.

That would be cool they could even do a Web page with online ordering. The it would be nice if they had a pick n'mix system in their shops :-) :-).

That would be cool they could even do a Web page with online ordering. The it would be nice if they had a pick n'mix system in their shops :-) :-).

That would be cool they could even do a Web page with online ordering. The it would be nice if they had a pick n'mix system in their shops :-) :-).