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The Boring Co. will sell giant ‘Lego-like’ building bricks
Apparently flamethrowers weren't enough. The next merchandise Elon Musk's Boring Company will sell are life-sized Lego bricks that you can use to build your own structures. The bricks are made of rock extracted during The Boring Company's drilling, and according to tweets from Musk, they interlock and have a "precise surface finish" so they could double as affordable housing materials. Initially, they'll be sold in kits to recreate versions of ancient Egyptian structures like pyramids and the Sphinx. It stands to reason that Musk could use these to build the Hyperloop infrastructure and stations, too.
Bricks puts a new spin on the old block-busting genre
Putting a new spin on an established game mechanic isn't easy, and when you're talking about a game idea as simple as bouncing a ball off of a block, innovation is even more difficult. But against all odds, the new iOS game Bricks manages to pull it off, thanks to simple motion controls, a gorgeous aesthetic, and a relaxing vibe. Unlike most block-busting games, Bricks doesn't simply stack of a bunch of destructible blocks in front of you. Instead, the objects you need to hit are arranged in a huge ring around your ball, and tilting your phone causes the ring to spin. This means that even a handful of blocks can give you problems, especially if your sphere is zipping around at a particularly high rate of speed. Thankfully, you have a bit of control over how quickly your ball moves, as each level starts with you physically flinging the ball around the play area. If you send it on its way gently, you'll have an easier go of things, but if you're looking for a challenge you can zip it extremely fast. As the levels fly by you'll be introduced to a bunch of items and features that will change the way you approach each level. From portals, layered blocks, shields, and temporarily indestructible objects, your skills will definitely be put to the test. Each level is procedurally generated, meaning you'll never go through the same collection of levels twice. This leads to endless replayability, as your selection of levels is essentially infinite. That's a pretty crazy value for the game's US$0.99 price tag. The game's musical score is also a treat, with relaxing tunes that won't stress you out, even if the gameplay itself does just that. It helps make the game a nice kick-back-and-chill experience, rather than a game you'll want to play in short bursts. The only drawback is that thanks to the game's motion controls, it plays better if your phone is laying on a flat surface, which isn't always ideal for your posture. Regardless of that, Bricks is a definite must-buy for App Store veterans and newbies alike. You'll learn it instantly but spend many hours trying to outdo yourself.
Brick-Force Season 3 trailer highlights Bricksaga update
If you like brick-by-brick construction in a sandbox environment coupled with a first person shooter, have we got the game for you: Brick-Force! Here, players fight out matches in maps they build themselves. And now Season 3 - Bricksaga brings even more to the experience. Along with a new medieval setting (complete with wizards and knights), Season 3 introduces a host of new goodies to the game, including features, costumes, weapons, and even new game modes. Players can now use interactive bricks and portals as well as doors, windows, trap doors, and spike traps to add a previously unknown dynamic and variety to matches. Additionally, level progression has been revised, match assignments have been improved, and players can unlock equipment on a regular basis. Check out all the action in the trailer below. [Source: Infernum Productions press release]
Back to the Future DeLorean reaches Lego form in mid-2013, likely won't reach 88MPH (video)
Team BTTF has been pushing for months to get a Lego rendition of Back to the Future's AMC DeLorean as an official kit. Persistence pays off: Lego's Summer Review has approved the two-person group's project as its next Cuusoo set, both for its realistically affordable design and in response to the "massive appeal" fostered when geek culture took notice. While we don't know how closely the design will follow the templates created by M. Togami and Sakuretsu, it's safe to say there will be a brick-based (and sadly non-functional) Mr. Fusion in the mix. We'll have to wait until mid-2013 to buy a set for ourselves; that's arguably early when Back to the Future II won't take place for another two years.
Lego and Google Chrome team up, want to cover Australasia in your models and plastic bricks (video)
Lego has allied itself with Google's Chrome browser, creating a web app that lets users craft their own houses, creatures and models, and then delicately place them across the whole of Australia and New Zealand. Celebrating 50 years of pre-teen Lego architecture in the Land Down Under, you can grab a plot of land from the source, start throwing some bricks together now and share your creations on the very public map and Google+. According to Australia's Daily Telegraph, Lego Build hopes to roll out globally through Chrome later this year, but one continent should keep us busy until Google's I/O conference kicks off later this week.
Storybricks' alpha web client goes public
Attention, all would-be MMO creators: The Storybricks alpha client has been made public, allowing players to utilize their creative urges to create in-depth adventures that can be shared with fellow players across the globe. The site seems to be getting slammed at the moment, so some patience may be required before you get your hands on the game proper, but if you're at all interested in Storybricks' particular brand of tale-weaving, it's definitely worth a look. And stay tuned because later today we'll have a hands-on impression of the alpha client as well as an interview with the folks behind it all. In the meantime, though, just click on through to the alpha client below and jump right in.
Storybricks alpha video shows how you can choose your own adventure
Ever since the Storybricks toolset was announced, a common question people have had is, "That sounds great, but how easy will it be to actually make my own MMO world? Will I need to be a master programmer or something?" The answer is, apparently, quite easy. The Storybricks devs took a few minutes to put together an alpha gameplay video showing how simple it is to set up complex social interactions between characters. As players piece together the "bricks" that dictate a character's mood, actions, and responses to the player, every encounter in the game turns into a "choose your own adventure" that has a variety of outcomes. One of the situations that was shown is that of a player encountering an irritated wizard. In the first attempt to interact with him, the player pesters the wizard, which prompts the wizard to unleash a zombie. If the player apologizes, the wizard is astonished, unsummons the zombie, and asks to be the player's friend. But in a second attempt, the player chooses to zap the zombie instead and then punch the guard that comes to investigate. This outcome leads to banishment from the city. Storybricks is currently seeking funding via Kickstarter. It's certainly a promising system fraught with possibilities, so give it a look-see after the jump!
Step aside Arduino, TinkerForge is the new sheriff in mod-town (video)
Does Arduino coding bring you out in a cold sweat? Perhaps what you need is the new open-source gear from TinkerForge. The modular system is designed for even novice users to whip up fully functioning robots in a matter of minutes hours. You start with a 4 x 4cm Brick, which you program over USB, but it won't do anything until you add accessories in the form of Bricklets: switches, joysticks, motors, accelerometers and LCDs. You can stack up to eight Bricks to expand the potential of your projects, including a step-down transformer and a (forthcoming) WiFi unit. If the rules-based programming software is too easy for you, the hardcore can bust out their mad C, C++, C#, Java and Python skills. The first models are available today, Bricks cost between €30 ($40) - €50 ($70) and Bricklets cost €3 ($4) - €20 ($25). Head on past the break to catch the press release and a video of some of the brilliant ways you can use this technology, including an infra-red theremin, self-positioning telescope and robots -- so many robots.
LEGO Universe goes F2P today
Free-to-play conversions have been in the news a lot lately, with games as diverse as Age of Conan and Champions Online throwing open their doors with various flavors of free access. LEGO Universe is the latest freemium convert, and today is the official kickoff for the brick-building MMORPG's new membership tier. So what can you do for free in LEGO Universe? Two adventure zones and one player property area are available for starters, and the game also offers up a decent selection of free mini-games, build options, and basic functionality (including the ability to sample faction gear and collect up to 10,000 coins). The LEGO Group is clearly looking to entice gamers to upgrade to a full membership, though, as it only costs $10 a month and it unlocks the full game including over 15 adventuring zones, access to upcoming expansion content, and the ability to join in competitions and community events. Head to the official LEGO Universe website for a full listing of free-to-play offerings and subscriber benefits. You can also click past the cut to see a new free-to-play trailer featuring gameplay and world-building highlights.
KT's EV-F600 Bricks phone lives up to its name
Billed as a designer device with a clean, simple interface, Korean carrier KT has introduced the rather oddly-named EV-F600 Bricks -- which, now that we think about it, really isn't that odd of a name at all considering how very brick-like the phone appears to be. The aforementioned interface seems to be a pretty clear-cut Windows Phone 7 rip, accompanied by 7.2Mbps HSDPA, WiFi, a 3.2-inch WQVGA display, and 2 megapixel camera that serve to take it just a little downmarket from your average WP7 release. Look for it in your choice of white or black for 400,000 won (about $360).
Inhabitat's Week in Green: slim skyscrapers, electric vehicles and the machine that lays brick roads
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. It's been a monumental week for green transportation as team Inhabitat hit the Los Angeles Auto Show to scope out the hottest up-and-coming eco vehicles - including the winner of the 2011 Green Car of the Year award, the Chevy Volt! We were also blown away the UK's first all-electric supercar while Honda announced plans to produce an all-electric version of its city-friendly Fit. Of course, clean green vehicles require a steady source of renewable fuel - which is where we were excited to see Washington DC install its first public EV charger while London announced plans to install 1,300 charging stations and Singapore fired up the world's largest biodiesel plant. This week we also looked at several amazing upgrades to our built environment, starting with the Tiger-Stone - an automatic brick laying machine that rolls out roads like carpet. Meanwhile researchers revealed a new way to repair our crumbling concrete infrastructure using genetically modified bacteria, and Taiwan unveiled plans for several futuristic skyscrapers that are wrapped in greenery and powered by the sun. Finally, this week we also brought you coverage of the latest and greatest green building technologies from one of the year's biggest green design shows - Greenbuild 2010. Speaking of high-tech green design, check out this handy solar charger shaped like a beetle and don't miss out on a chance to win a brand new Windows Phone 7!
Lego Universe revamps website and opens the creation lab
One Lego brick after another, you build for months on end in the Lego Universe. You want your creation there with you, physically for your fingers to grapple with. You purchase your creation and an exact replica of every virtual Lego brick you used to mold your online creation is sitting on your desk the following week. That's one of the interesting and genius ideas being planned for Lego Universe, and the website for the game was recently revamped and offers new interactive features for Lego fans of all ages. The one part of the site that stands out is the creation lab. Users can submit their own Lego designs, stories, and even art to help inspire the development team. The Lego Universe is all about user created content, players sharing their own stories through the Lego medium, and the site is already harnessing a strong community. There's also a new Lego Universe logo, and this post that talks about the process the team undertook including tapping into the user submissions and using them as a synergy to get to the final version. The Lego Universe beta is rumored to start in August and those who sign up for the Lego Universe newsletter will be notified when signups go live before the news is announced on the site. Devs, please don't nerf the red bricks in the first patch!
LEGO Universe announces upcoming features
The upcoming LEGO Universe has recently announced the in-game currency plan they have in store for us. Apparently, you will be able to earn your LEGO bricks by spending more time in the game. "The more you play, the more you get to build things", says LEGO Group director of business and development, Mark William Hansen. The bricks will be traded for coins which players earn in-game.But one aspect of this news that we find particularly interesting is the real-world component that will be introduced. Users will be able to order physical versions of their online creations to be delivered to their homes. These aren't FigurePrints of your WoW characters, these are real LEGO bricks -- potentially up to 6,000 types -- for use in producing your game creations.
Breakout in World of Warcraft
One of the things I really don't like about World of Warcraft, or any other MMORPG, is the waiting that is involved in getting a group together. This can be a real problem in raid environments, where it often times can take half an hour or more just to get the group set. I've been a raid leader before, so I know that they are busy and there isn't much they can do about the time we all just sit there on vent chatting with each other.One of things that I've recently came across to help ease the wait is a little in-game game of bricks, a.k.a. breakout. Breakout is the game that I used to play back in elementary and middle school on the old Macs* where you'd bounce a ball around, breaking (you guessed it) bricks. The ball is bounced off a small platform that you move with your mouse. Pretty simple, and mindlessly entertaining. Lately I've been enjoying a version of this game called WoWonid, which is an Ace2 addon I found via my addon updating with the WoWAceUpdater. It's a good enough implementation of the game (and quite impressive when you consider that it's done in LUA and built using an interface that's designed for game addons). The controls are simple enough, and just like the old Mac controls: move the mouse left or right to move the platform, bounce the ball, pwn.
Walkin' on Game Boys
Have a hankering to pave your outdoor areas with the souls of Game Boys? Have a great deal of money to sink into such a project? The answer is here, friends: Game Boy garden bricks. Shipping charges for those outside of Europe are painful -- and the bricks themselves aren't cheap -- but these handmade accents are definitely unique.Gives new meaning to something being bricked, eh?[Via Wonderland]
Apple Geniuses are reportedly unbricking iPhones
Apple continues posting warning signs around their stores, cautioning customers that unlocked and modded iPhones fall outside their warranty. And at the same time, Apple Geniuses around the country quietly are reportedly accepting bricked iphones, slipping into the back and returning with functioning units. We're not sure whether they're doing a low-level reflash or just swapping units out. We have reports of at least four customers who walked in with iBricks and walked out with iPhones. It is unclear at this time whether these customers unlocked their iPhones or not--we're also receiving reports of iBricks from people who never unlocked or modded their units. Thanks to Ronald Ishak and "Martyn".Update: Bolding added to existing text for clarity and emphasis.
CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XVIII - Gates sez Sony "bricks" would sell well
While we aren't sure if this is just another lashing from the lingering bitterness ole Bill is surely feeling from Sony's most recent criticisms, Mr. Gates has unwillingly volunteered himself for yet another episode of CE-Oh no he didn't. Shortly after praising Apple's iPod, he apparently felt a few brash phrases were in order to bring the world back into balance, and balance he did. In an interview with CNET, Microsoft's chairman explained that he knew very well the pain "of being a year late" -- presumably in regard to how belated the Zune is in hitting the iPod-filled DAP market -- but continued on by stating that he "wouldn't change positions with Sony in a million years" when referring to the Xbox 360's head start in the next generation console race. But fun and games turned staid when Gates remarked that "Sony could make 80,000 bricks, and people would buy them." While we can't quite decipher the true meaning of "bricks," we're fully aware that the stakes have been raised once again, but Sony might try fixing a few lingering problems of its own before crafting a rebuttal this time around.[Via 1UP]
