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The Mac Made of Lego

Posted by michael on from the no-user-serviceable-parts-inside dept.

Anonymous writes "We've had lots of PC based case mods, but I've hardly hear of any Mac ones! I guess Mac owners like their boxes how they are. Until they break; the BBC are running a story about a Mac owner who converted an old Apple by modding the machine with lego."

86 of 189 comments (clear)

  1. first lego post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    and remember, its LEGO no matter how many! Not "legos" GRR!!

    1. Re:first lego post by notanatheist · · Score: 4, Informative

      Hey now, mod the poor guy (or gal) up for being politcally correct. LEGO is a trademark for those litte plastic bricks that fit together so well. Just like Kleenex and Rollerblades, facial tissues come from other manufacturers and inline skate are made by many. Too bad Tyco's plastic building blocks don't have the cult following LEGO does. Then again, they suck in comparison.
      That's all from me, a once proud LEGO brick collector :)

    2. Re:first lego post by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Mod someone UP for being P.C.? Are you kidding? P.C.-ness is horribly repellent. It needs to go the way of the dodo. Obviously legos are called that, and some European corporation can stick it where the sun doesn't shine if they don't like it.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    3. Re:first lego post by fucksl4shd0t · · Score: 3, Funny

      P.C.-ness is horribly repellent.

      So, if PC-ness sucks so badly, how does PowerPC-ness stack up?

      --
      Like what I said? You might like my music
    4. Re:first lego post by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 2, Funny
      If you want somebody else to follow your rules, you have to follow theirs. Anything else is the worst sort of hypocrisy.

      I think it's just the normal kind.

    5. Re:first lego post by Phroggy · · Score: 2, Funny

      So, if PC-ness sucks so badly, how does PowerPC-ness stack up?

      Like a ton of bricks.

      --
      $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
      $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
    6. Re:first lego post by Kris_J · · Score: 1

      And for that post you win an adheasive medal strips.

    7. Re:first lego post by Kris_J · · Score: 1

      Crud. medical.

  2. But... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    does it run linux?

    1. Re:But... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      I can't be certain whether it will run Linux. Probably, with some effort. I haven't tried. There'll no doubt be plenty of trouble^wfun to be had with ethernet drivers.

      Daniele

    2. Re:But... by PhoenixK7 · · Score: 1

      Yes, but I don't know if you really would want to bother. I've tried getting it running on a 1400 (which came after the 5300 and it was somewhat painful to install, and the media bays wouldn't work. Perhaps the 5300 is better supported. I don't know)

      The kernel needed can be found here

    3. Re:But... by moof1138 · · Score: 1

      I installed mkLinux on a 5300 many years ago. It was a pain. I wound up using SCSI disk mode and basically using the powerbook as a target hard drive. But then fstab gets confused thinking that the internal drive is SCSI, so you have to mount it after the install and fix fstab. It ran dog-slow, and I could never get a driver for the PCMCIA ethernet card I had. That was years ago. It looks like there is a project here: http://nubus-pmac.sourceforge.net/ that would be better suited to get a more modern Linux installed.

      --

      Hyperbole is the worst thing ever.
  3. Modular by digicosm2 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've heard of modularity being good, but this is ridiculous.

    1. Re:Modular by mactov · · Score: 2, Funny

      LEGO was the original plug-and-play. Heck, it is plug-AS-play.

      --
      OK, now what?
  4. auction... by klip04 · · Score: 5, Informative

    The owner is auctioning this off on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item =2729209921&category=171

    1. Re:auction... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      A lot of slashdot stories wind up just being ads but this is ridiculous. I guess that's one way to pump up the price on ebay.

    2. Re:auction... by Dylan+Zimmerman · · Score: 1

      Great, so now we can slashdot the guy's auction. 37,629 visitors already and it has two days left. I wonder if this is going to end up like that horible Cheeto did. Some clowns bid it up to millions of dollars and eBay cancelled the auction.

  5. Mac users generally don't need or want by Bold+Marauder · · Score: 2, Troll

    tacky 'add-ons' such as case mods.

    Enough care and thought goes into the design of macintoshes that things such as non-usb peripherials and case mods are about as desireable as tennis shoes for a goldfish!

    We all know the various arguments surrounding the macintosh and when they get what they get for software, compared to the x86 platform, but ones thing is clear

    On hardware, with regards to clockspeed as well as esthetically pleaseing cases, apple is second to NONE.

    And this is even counting the one button mouse, too. ;)

    1. Re:Mac users generally don't need or want by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      From the article:

      "Once I finally had it built, my girlfriend used it to write her doctoral thesis on feminist metaphysics."

      I doubt *anyone* knows just what Mac users want. Least of all Mac users.

    2. Re:Mac users generally don't need or want by CountBrass · · Score: 1

      Did you actually READ the article (God forbid a slashdotter should do that before responding !).

      He did it to save a PowerBook with a defective video connector that otherwise would have had to be thrown away.

      People like you make us true Apple believers look like religous zealots :-(

      --
      Bad analogies are like waxing a monkey with a rainbow.
    3. Re:Mac users generally don't need or want by TomSawyer · · Score: 3, Informative
      Did you actually read his POST?

      He was addressing why you hardly ever hear of case mods for Macs. i.e. It's like buying a BMW and then slapping a "wing" on it. You're supporting his point by pointing out that the lego case wouldn't have been created had the PowerBook not been facing the trash heap.

      --
      If you disagree then it must be overrated, redundant or trolling.
    4. Re:Mac users generally don't need or want by MidnightBrewer · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Actually, Mac users have been some of the biggest case mod fanatics, especially if you live in Japan. Just like people customize the Volkswagen bug with colorful patterns and paintings, so do people customize their Macs. There's even a traditional kimono designer in Kyoto who will customize your PowerBook with an original design if you want to spend the cash.

      As for other Mac users modding, just Google it, or check out the original /. story.

      You know...Kyoto is only about an hour-and-a-half from here by train...and $300 isn't too bad, considering...and I've got a TiBook...

      The mind boggles.

      --
      "Give a man fire, and he'll be warm for a day; set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life
    5. Re:Mac users generally don't need or want by commanderfoxtrot · · Score: 3, Funny

      Have a look at his girlfriend's site: there's an interesting (?) page about sexual reproduction.

      So that's what feminist metaphysics is about!

      --
      http://blog.grcm.net/
  6. BBC case mod news? by carpe_noctem · · Score: 4, Funny

    A case mod on a site that wasn't slashdotted in 10 minutes? Whatever is this world coming to?

    --
    "Quoting famous computer scientists out of context is the root of all evil (or at least most of it) in programming." - K
    1. Re:BBC case mod news? by Bold+Marauder · · Score: 3, Funny

      Goodbye!

      It's saturday night, I'm sure that most slashdot readers are in bed with their SO's or out partying on the town.

      Hello.

    2. Re:BBC case mod news? by SweetAndSourJesus · · Score: 2, Funny

      I don't think you have a clear picture of the Slashdot demographic. For many, Slashdot is a substitute for SOs and social activity.

      Some of us are just really high and bored.

      --

      --
      the strongest word is still the word "free"
    3. Re:BBC case mod news? by Bold+Marauder · · Score: 1

      Some of us are just really high and bored.
      Why, I had no idea such was the case, Mister SweetAndSourJesus; how bizzaro!

    4. Re:BBC case mod news? by skinfitz · · Score: 1

      /. spider is coming soooooon...verrry sooooon [aboleo.net]

      Dude, that link is /.'ed

  7. see also by SweetAndSourJesus · · Score: 5, Informative

    The Compubrick 160, SE, and 6100.

    Freakin cool Macs.

    --

    --
    the strongest word is still the word "free"
  8. Let's Melt These Legos... by jcbnetwork · · Score: 5, Informative

    Apparently this little mac is currently working as a web server, right there:

    http://lego.apple-juice.co.uk/index.html

    Let all go visit it and see how the winning bidder reacts when he receives a melted pile of legos.

    1. Re:Let's Melt These Legos... by Alan+Partridge · · Score: 1

      "a melted pile of legos"

      that's "LEGO bricks" you fucking idiot

      --
      That was classic intercourse!
    2. Re:Let's Melt These Legos... by ilctoh · · Score: 2, Funny

      And its not /.ed! Maybe legos are the secret, not beowulf clusters?

      --
      How many slashes would a slashdot dot, if a slashdot could dot slashes?
    3. Re:Let's Melt These Legos... by Alan+Partridge · · Score: 1

      Damn! And I was so close.

      It's a fine line between stupid and clever.

      --
      That was classic intercourse!
    4. Re:Let's Melt These Legos... by Alan+Partridge · · Score: 1

      What? ALL of them?

      Where did you find this out?

      --
      That was classic intercourse!
  9. Oxford English Dictionary 2005 entry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    GEEK (n) A person that owns Apple(tm) products and fixates upon Lego(tm) products. UBERGEEK (n) A GEEK that Attempts to combine products already steeped in Geekiness: Especially a person that renders Lego(tm) JPEGS on an Apple using 3rd party software.

    1. Re:Oxford English Dictionary 2005 entry by branchstudios · · Score: 1
      GEEK (n) A person that owns Apple(tm) products and fixates upon Lego(tm) products.
      Actually, I don't think LEGO fans or Apple fans are even on the chart.

      The door resists!
  10. Creative by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    "We've had lots of PC based case mods, but I've hardly hear of any Mac ones!" I guess it's because those mac users aren't very creative, no matter what those turtleneck wearing beatniks tell you.

    1. Re:Creative by edmo · · Score: 2, Informative

      I guess it's because those mac users aren't very creative

      there are 2 reasons for case mods;

      First, to add more drives, fans, motherboards, or what have you to your case(and yes I've seen a multi motherboard PC). Mac users want computers that work reliebly and well, not computers that will take up large amounts of our free time getting it to work right(and I call myself a geek) Playing w/ computers this way can be fun, but a functional computer is better...

      Second, to make the computer look better, Have you seen apple cases? They are stylish & functional, and how many PC cases open as easily as the G4 tower or apples laptop line?(No, imacs aren't easy to open, but if your goal is to spend time working on computers[see firs point] they you shouldn't mind)

      --
      Don't save your orgasms for Heaven; Heaven knows we need them here.
  11. ahhh it has a little lego man and flowers! by polished+look+2 · · Score: 1

    cute

  12. His girlfriend's site... by mrklin · · Score: 1, Offtopic
    From his page:

    "A surprising number of people have asked about the doctoral thesis my partner wrote on this machine. Just to clarify, it was written using it, not about it (i.e. it was about feminist philosophy, and not what nerds do in their spare time)."

    Her site is VERY interesting.

    1. Re:His girlfriend's site... by mrmeval · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The self aggrandisement is annoying and pathetic and not needed, her work might actually stand on it's own merit. The self aggrandisement will probably convince most that it's not worth even a look.

      So I read that one paper and if you can seperate the childish assemblage of words most consider shocking, what is left while quite thin in substance is not too bad and not as annoying as some of the feminist diatribes.

      --
      I'd go on a Vegan diet but the delivery time from Vega is too long. --brownkitty
    2. Re:His girlfriend's site... by The+Cydonian · · Score: 1, Insightful
      There is nothing interesting here. No reasearch. No unique ideas.

      The trick in appreciating works such as this in understanding what subject they claim to be in. This lady, who, incidentally, seems to have done sterling work on herself in reducing the difference between men and women, at least in terms of her intro pic[1], is actually working on a PhD dissertation on feminist metaphysics.

      Now, do you what that means? I don't. A google search returned some might find interesting, but for mere mortal CS majors like me, even the intro paragraphs, which generally are the easiest, will take some time in parsing.

      In particular, the first sentence itself is a stumbling block.

      The very term "metaphysics" is repudiated by many feminist philosophers, especially those engaged primarily with twentieth century French and German philosophy, because it connotes a pretension to ahistorical universalism, as if philosophical accounts of the real could transcend the whole cloth of our cultural, historical, and embodied rootedness.

      Note that, the ignorant reader, such as me again, will again have to google for terms such as "ahistorical universalism", on twentieth century French and German philosophy and on how "the modernist conception of the self has been "made strange" by a number of feminist philosophers". In particular, I will probably have to read up on on a collection of essays on post-modernism.

      So, is (the going-to-be) Dr. Yasmin doing some ground-breaking research? For sure, post-modernism is, after all, the cutting-edge of liberal arts. Does it make any sense to me? Of course not. Is this why I shifted from liberal arts to comp sc? Yup. Am I procrastinating from doing my comp sc project? Definitely. Should I care? Yes, but only about the project being procrastinated against. Should you care about any of this shit, post-modernism, feminist metaphysics, ahistorical universalim or even my project? Nope, not really.

      --
      More than mere navel gazing.
    3. Re:His girlfriend's site... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      "The self aggrandisement is annoying and pathetic and not needed, her work might actually stand on it's own merit. The self aggrandisement will probably convince most that it's not worth even a look."

      a) it's ironic
      b) she didn't write it

      "So I read that one paper and if you can seperate the childish assemblage of words most consider shocking, what is left while quite thin in substance is not too bad and not as annoying as some of the feminist diatribes."

      It's not a paper. It's a lecture. i.e. it was written for students, in this case, first year undergraduate students, most of whom are as indifferent or hostile to the idea of feminism (not to mention feminist philosophy) as many of the correspondents here appear to be. I can confirm that as a lecture intended to command the attention of 250 usually bored and restless undergraduates, and to force them to think a bit more carefully about the subject, it had the desired effect.

      For those who had some trouble comprehending its content or purpose, the lecture puts forward and discusses a number of different positions concerning sex and gender. None of them are novel, nor are they meant to be. It's an introduction to the subject, not the last word on it.

      Thank you for your kind attention.

      Daniele

    4. Re:His girlfriend's site... by oren · · Score: 1

      "A surprising number of people have asked about the doctoral thesis my partner wrote on this machine. Just to clarify, it was written using it, not about it (i.e. it was about feminist philosophy, and not what nerds do in their spare time)."

      I think it is next to impossible to come up with two subjects with less common ground...

      And anyway, by sticking to Lego and computers, nerds at least get something out of their spare time. In contrast, non-nerds who try to figure out female philosophy are simply wasting their efforts.

      Example: his girlfriend accepted him spending his evenings building this case, rather than being with her, for a whole month. And then actually used it! Any would-be expert in female philosophy would have predicted she'd dump him after the first week or two. :-)

    5. Re:His girlfriend's site... by Ataru · · Score: 1

      The tagline, "... because she's cleverer than you", obviously hit a nerve didn't it? Here you are, geek, clearly the supreme intelligence in the universe, and someone is purported to be smarter than you. Inconceivable! And she's a woman!
      You have been well and truly trolled.

    6. Re:His girlfriend's site... by mrmeval · · Score: 1

      Intellegent self-confident women are a treasure, do not doubt this as they are rare in American society. If you have ever had the extreme pleasure of talking to a woman who is intellegent, self-confident and comfortable with both. Who knows what you know or more and can discuss it at length with friendship and good cheer, you will know just how precious they truly are.

      Many women from birth are hammered into the barbie box and some even believe this is normal and proper.

      I don't particularly care for self aggrandisement and find it suspect and mostly annoying from anyone.

      I read the lecture and found the wording annoying mostly because what the author seemed to be trying to say had merit. After reading the anonymous posting I can see the reason for that wording. I misunderstood that documents purpose, it seems that the author was trying to get a point across by the only means that would work to a group indifferent or hostile to the concept. I can accept that, it was a from prudishness that I made a snap judgement.

      --
      I'd go on a Vegan diet but the delivery time from Vega is too long. --brownkitty
    7. Re:His girlfriend's site... by mrmeval · · Score: 1

      "It's not a paper. It's a lecture. i.e. it was written for students, in this case, first year undergraduate students, most of whom are as indifferent or hostile to the idea of feminism (not to mention feminist philosophy) as many of the correspondents here appear to be. I can confirm that as a lecture intended to command the attention of 250 usually bored and restless undergraduates, and to force them to think a bit more carefully about the subject, it had the desired effect."

      I would not have thought that hostility would be a problem for todays young adults when feminism was the subject, but thinking on it 10 - 20 years ago I was hostile to the subject of feminism as it had been ground into me quite firmly. I'm not hostile to the concept now, but it is quite difficult to grind off what someone else has written on your soul. Please bear with me as I am working on it.

      --
      I'd go on a Vegan diet but the delivery time from Vega is too long. --brownkitty
    8. Re:His girlfriend's site... by Ataru · · Score: 1

      Well actually, to be honest, I know Daniele and Carol. Or should I say, Carol and Daniele. Eheh. Anyway I used to be one of Daniele's "Awkward Moments".

    9. Re:His girlfriend's site... by The+Cydonian · · Score: 1

      Golly, I'm a troll? Amusing.

      --
      More than mere navel gazing.
    10. Re:His girlfriend's site... by Daniele+Procida · · Score: 1

      "I would not have thought that hostility would be a problem for todays young adults when feminism was the subject."

      Probably if anything people are more hostile to feminism now than they were a couple of decades ago, or at least indifferent, as they sink further into depolitical apathy.

      By the way, it's just been pointed out to me that the text of the lecture on the website ended abruptly in mid-sentence, about one third of the way in. No wonder some people found it unsatisfactory. Very bad, that was my fault. It's fixed now, and actually makes sense.

      Still, you'd have thought that some of these clever critics would have noticed such a thing, if they'd actually bothered to read what they were dismissing.

      Daniele

    11. Re:His girlfriend's site... by shilly · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Oi! Dipshit! If it's all so fucking obvious to you, how comes you can't even tell the difference between her views and other people's views?
      This:
      "And that is why men and women live out different gender roles; not because it is in their nature to do so, but because something in the society is causing it. In an ideal society, these gender-neutral rational capacities and so on would mean that men and women would"
      set out the liberal feminist position. Previously, she had set out the biological determinist position; later, she sets out other positions. She never said that that was what she believed.
      Don't be such a smart-arsed twat and think you have all the fucking answers. The greatest minds the human race has produced, from Aristotle to Darwin, have put time and effort into thinking about gender difference and people will continue thinking about this for the rest of all time. It's only straightforward to simpletons.
      Save your comments for when you can understand these ideas, have worked out why he called himself Johannes de silentio, and have worked out what he would have to say about your self-confidence.

    12. Re:His girlfriend's site... by theLOUDroom · · Score: 1

      Yikes. Easy killer.

      Look, of course gender differences can be an interesting field of study, but that's when it's studied. You know, research?

      She never said that that was what she believed.

      You clearly misunderstood what I wrote. It would have been much more interesting if she had taken a postion.

      Save your comments for when you can understand these ideas, have worked out why he called himself Johannes de silentio, and have worked out what he would have to say about your self-confidence.

      What a typical arts-student response. You don't know anything about this topic unless you've read THIS book. (The obvious implication being that, since I haven't read a book that you have, I don't know what I'm talking about.) What matters is ideas, not how many books you've read. If your ideas are worthwhile, you shouldn't need to pull that kind of crap. You should be able to restate the idea which you think is important. If you can't.......

      Link

      --
      Life is too short to proofread.
    13. Re:His girlfriend's site... by shilly · · Score: 1

      Matey, if you think that the only worthwhile study is research, there are some theoretical physicists, mathematicians and philosophers who'd like to have a chat. Gender differences aren't merely an interesting field of study, they are an important field of intellectual inquiry.

      As for the rest of your reply: did you even read the end of her lecture? She finished by saying "I haven't done much more here than give you a potted account of four main positions on the question of sex and gender. They all contain nuances, subtleties and variations within them and between them that simply haven't been mentioned." In the light of that, it's pretty stupid to complain that it's not intersting enough because she hasn't set out her own position. She wasn't trying to. She wasn't writing for you.

      As for Kierkegaard: I'm not an arts student, so it's impossible for my response to be typical of arts students. Way back when, I studied science (molecular biology of the cell, to be precise). I have read some Kierkegaard, though.

      The irony of your complaint that I haven't explained his ideas for you would really only be apparent to you if you were to read this book. Really. One of its central tenets, and I am doing it no justice at all because it is impossible to do so in a short space, is that there are concepts that cannot be readily understood in a glib sentence or two, that there are ideas and points of view that require a lifetime's study. The point is well made because my paraphrase of this argument is trite. While this is partly down to my abilities as a writer, it is also because some ideas are complex and require effort to explain and to understand. The original is anything but trite.

      You appear to contend that an individual should be able to understand pretty much any idea without the need for an understanding of the background or context. This isn't true in science and it isn't true in other fields of human inquiry or endeavour either. What certainly is true is that people regularly make tits of themselves by sneering at the idea of expert knowledge outside their own areas of competence.

    14. Re:His girlfriend's site... by n5vb · · Score: 1

      Oi! Dip----! If it's all so ----ing obvious to you, how comes you can't even tell the difference between her views and other people's views? [remainder of rant snipped]

      Obviously I didn't set my threshold high enough ..

  13. but... by djupedal · · Score: 1

    his hit counter increments each time the page is reloaded, not just on unique visits...how retro is that? :)

  14. Re:Lego meltdown by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Hey, dude, you might be interested to know that computers don't actually get hot when they're very busy. If the components stay powered on all the time and the hard drive stays spun up, the computer's temperature won't fluctuate more than a degree or two.

    That's why your post got modded down. Because it wasn't funny, and the way it wasn't funny was stupid.

  15. I'm holding out for a computer IN one lego. by mrmeval · · Score: 1

    But I'd need to weld it to a bolt through a bone so as not to lose it.

    --
    I'd go on a Vegan diet but the delivery time from Vega is too long. --brownkitty
  16. Gobs of Mac Mods by green+pizza · · Score: 5, Informative

    There are plent of Mac case mods...
    http://www.applefritter.com/hacks/index.html

  17. Brought back from the dead with LEGO? by The+Moving+Shadow · · Score: 3, Funny

    Building a case from LEGO for a working PC / MAC is something I can believe. But bringing back a dead Powerbook solely with LEGO? Somewhere the article must lack an explanation... Otherwise i am going to revive my dead ultraTNT2 gfx card with LEGO! Overclocking with LEGO anybody?

  18. Re:Lego meltdown by DMUTPeregrine · · Score: 1

    Computers do get hot when very busy. Now, it's not much hotter than when they are not busy, but it's still hot. And the CPU is the biggest heat source (Well, not with me. Mine's hot enough to freeze an egg... and no fan, just very old) In any case, a newer cpu can burn through a good amount of solder and motherboard in a very short time if it's heatsink/fan falls off. Don't tell me it doesn't get hot. Also, the fluctuation depends on the quality of your cooling system.

    --
    Not a sentence!
  19. yeah yeah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    >I guess Mac owners like their boxes how they are.

    At this price, its understandable :)

  20. LEGO? Hah! by lxs · · Score: 5, Funny

    Fear the power of the K'nexintosh!

  21. ...the twins, both six years old...- well, duh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Yeh, OK, so it is possible for twins to have the birthdays on different days, but what are the chances of that happening AND the article being written inbetween the two days?

  22. OMG!!!! by Viceice · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...And now I've been picked up on Slashdot. I'm sure I can handle it though: I have a 100MHz 603e PowerPC processor and 32MB of RAM!...

    SlashDot Him! He's taunting us!

    --
    Sometimes I wish I was a plumber, then I'd know how to deal with other people's shit.
  23. I've got just one question... by Zathras11 · · Score: 1

    for this obvious left-leaner. What did you do
    with the notebook's case? I think it is great
    that he saved a computer from being dumped, and
    someone will get some use out of it, but since it
    now resides in a Lego case, he did SOMETHING with
    the original case... And no, this is not flamebait,
    I really want to know! The old case is somewhere.

  24. Re:Laptop by Zathras11 · · Score: 1

    LOL. I wish I had my moderator points back! FUNNY!

  25. The whoop-de-do-o-meter is bottoming out!! by MadChicken · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So he made a Lego BOX. I have some very young friends that could do the same. I'd help them out with the little person and the flower...

    Seriously, what's the big deal? Why did it take "a long time" to come up with this, and "over a month" to build it?

    And how can you use Lego bricks to fix a broken video connector?

    --
    SYS 64738 NO CARRIER
    1. Re:The whoop-de-do-o-meter is bottoming out!! by jo_ham · · Score: 1, Redundant

      The video connector that broke was the connection to the internal LCD screen - a terminal failure requiring replacement of the entire logic board.

      However, the external Apple video connector used to connect to a CRT/LCD monitor is still working.

    2. Re:The whoop-de-do-o-meter is bottoming out!! by Hognoxious · · Score: 1
      The video connector that broke was the connection to the internal LCD screen [...] However, the external Apple video connector used to connect to a CRT/LCD monitor is still working.
      So why didn't he just remove the built-in screen (Or fold it and add an external keyboard), making it effectively a slim desktop model?
      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  26. Four more lego cases... by henele · · Score: 4, Informative

    A mini-itx project and three atx.

  27. lego bricks binary? by Black_Logic · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Lego has great computer-like qualities - it is a binary toy; everything is either connected to something or it's not.

    That's stretching it a bit, isn't it? I'm binary too, I'm on the toilet or I'm not. My car is dirty or it isn't. My binary armpits stink or not... :)

    What was his point with that remark?

    --
    Ansi's and stupid tricks!
    1. Re:lego bricks binary? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      "That's stretching it a bit, isn't it? I'm binary too, I'm on the toilet or I'm not. My car is dirty or it isn't. My binary armpits stink or not... "

      I thought I'd posted a reply to this earlier, but evidently something went awry. Anyway, at I have put up a hastily-assembled set of pages about the Lego Mac, including one which says a bit more about this. Unfortunately it doesn't discuss the question of being half on and half off the toilet, which can be a problem (e.g. after having too much to drink) but which shows that being on the toilet, unlike being a piece of Lego, doesn't inherently entail a binary relation with things.

      Perhaps you won't find the reasoning very persuasive, but there it is. (The pages also answer some of the other questions that have been asked here and elsewhere.)

      On a different matter, I had linked to this Slashdot discussion from the web site running on the Lego Mac (great! I've been Slashdotted), but removed it after seeing some of the more unpleasant and vicious comments (about feminism in general, and my partner in particular). How odd some people must be. OK, I made a computer out of Lego, but in most respects I'm a normal human being, not some festering bundle of spite. Why are you afraid of women, odd people?

      Daniele

    2. Re:lego bricks binary? by chrysrobyn · · Score: 1

      Lego has great computer-like qualities - it is a binary toy; everything is either connected to something or it's not

      My old roommate was a math major. Awesome at just about everything in math except for statistics. This guy could do things that I couldn't even comprehend -- except for statistics.

      Me: Hey, Eric, what are the odds that I'll pull a ten of clubs out of this deck of cards?

      E: There are two possibilites. Either it will happen, or it won't. Therefore, 50/50.

      Me: Hey, Eric, what are the odds that, by running into this wall here, you'll pass straight on through?

      E: I won't fall for that one again.

      Me: But we learned in physics that there's a finite possibility you'll pass straight through the wall. What are the odds?

      E: 50/50. Either I will, or I won't. But I probably won't.

      He still can't wrap his brain around it. He teaches high school math now -- and has another teacher take over when it comes to statistics and probabilities because he just doesn't believe it. Fortunately he refuses to penalize his students because they believe the propaganda that is probabilty and statistics.

  28. freeLEGO project by andy666 · · Score: 2, Funny

    i think this is a good argument that LEGO should not cost money, but you should have to pay someone to pull them apart when you want to use them for another project (it can be quite painful, don't you think ?)

    there could be netLEGO, openLEGO......

    oh wait....this just in.....LEGO is dead!

  29. Wonderful... now where's the comercial application by zakezuke · · Score: 1

    Many people have bought small cases back when they picked up their first computer. I think you know the type... two 5.25 inch drive bays, 2 3.5 inch bays, a couple internal.

    Lego building blocks actually have a level of modularability that I can see being of great benifit to case design. If you need extra drive bays, just buy more building blocks. Need removable storage, just do it in building blocks.

    While I wouldn't nessicarly trust Lego blocks to create anything industrual, little memories of taking my legos in the bath tub and having them fall apart come to mind, i'm sure the design can be advanced just a little bit, perhaps by providing locking screws for each of the little Lego tops.

    --
    There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
  30. Re:Wonderful... now where's the comercial applicat by Unregistered · · Score: 1

    or just stack drives on the floor of the case. this is ill adides if you have pets that go in your room

  31. Mac fans were modders before the PC modders... by MsGeek · · Score: 3, Informative

    Just to reinforce...Mac people have been modding their Macs long before the "leet case modders" have been. http://www.applefritter.com/ has the evidence.

    --
    Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
  32. The PowerBook 5300 (guts of LEGOmac) was a POS by youbiquitous · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The 5300 was the worst PowerBook ever.

    The fabled battery fires weren't the real problem with these things - the flaming batteries never actually made it into the hands of customers. However, the problems were endless - screen bezel plastics separating, crappy screen hinges. Poorly designed power adapter port (which, when it broke, necessitated a logic board replacement). No level 2 cache (which, speed-wise, crippled the 603 processor). No built-in ethernet or modem even though the previous models of PowerBook had both... I had a PowerBook 5300 that went through a half dozen warranty repairs. I've read that Apple extended the warranty on the 5300 to avoid class-action lawsuits.

    For a while there was also a 5300 trade-in offer, this got a lot of the things out of circulation so Apple wouldn't have to keep losing money fixing them. I got $1000 CAD off a 2000 model PowerBook G3 by sending my PB 5300 back to Apple. They didn't even have to work to qualify for the offer.

    --
    "Clean up the air and treat the animals fair" - Captain Beefheart
    1. Re:The PowerBook 5300 (guts of LEGOmac) was a POS by Gsus411 · · Score: 1

      Amen. That sucker was by far the crappiest laptop I have ever had the misfortune of using. A friend of mine bought one off of e-bay. He couldn't get it to work, so he gave it to me.

      The thing barely worked. The internal bracing was brittle, so it cracked, leaving the thing feeling not solid at all. The eject buttons for the PCMICA slots were on a tiny circuit board, perpendicular to the mobo. It was secured by only the leads that soldered it to the mobo. Broke off pretty quickly.

      Not to mention that the screen is crap. Oh yeah, it unexpectedly died. I was happier with my PowerBook 180, which is so much older.

      And it's strange to see perfectly normal PowerBook 5300cs's on e-bay for $200 at times. Bleh.. not worth it at all. I can't even give this piece of crap away.

  33. Ummm... by XnetZERO · · Score: 2, Informative
    There are plenty of people that mod their Mac cases... One of the major trends is to take them apart and paint them new colors, etc... I've seen one with a lcd built into the front of the case, neon lit interiors, etc... No, I don't collect the URLs to these things so rather than "guessing" that Mac users don't mod their cases, why don't you rather look and find out?

    Perhaps the most bizarre mac case I've seen was one that was modified to double as beer tap.

  34. Eccentricity? by SparkyTWP · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "Many computer enthusiasts design their own base units, but a complete re-build from a different material is a rarity, underlining typical Mac eccentricity."

    Uh, this has been done on the PC mod scene years ago. How is this an example of mac eccentricity?

  35. sigh. by drinkypoo · · Score: 1
    Once I finally had it built, my girlfriend used it to write her doctoral thesis on feminist metaphysics."

    I can't even decide what to say about this.

    You know, I just cut up a mac IIci motherboard which was working perfectly because I am putting a mini-itx system in the case. I wonder if this guy is going to come for my blood now :/

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  36. Gameboy Advance SP Feminine Hygiene Case by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I'm planning on making a new case for my gameboy advance SP outa a tampon box. I wounder how much I could sell it on EBay for.

  37. hardly anyone mods macs? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    I beg to differ :) check out www.modyourmac.com. Its nowhere near complete but its a start! And, while I dont tend to work in lego, I have to admit that the powerbook piece was a good design. A non-standard application of a household object in regard to a computing element. We need more things like this! Mod your mac! void your warranty! Earn your Band-Aids! ....but thats just my opinion.

    www.modyourmac.com

  38. OH No! by neildiamond · · Score: 1

    He's going to totally get sued by Steve Jobs for selling an original Apple computer on E-Bay.

  39. Why Apple case mods are tabu! by ratfynk · · Score: 1

    Most Apple users do not have the skills necessary to mod. They get really irate if you change anything, or even suggest that perfection is not already theirs.

    --
    OH THE SHAME I fell off the wagon and use sigs again!