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Inhabitat's Week in Green: hoverbikes, UFOs and a Lego Titanic
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. A couple years ago, Elon Musk unveiled his vision for the future of long-distance travel: the Hyperloop, a superfast train that would travel inside large tubes. The futuristic concept is a long way from becoming a reality, but Hyperloop Transportation Technologies CEO Dirk Ahlborn is already kicking around the idea of making it free to ride. Meanwhile, Musk has been trying to open Tesla dealerships throughout the US -- but some states are still holding out. This week, Texas upheld a ban on Tesla's direct sales model. Musk gets all the headlines when it comes to Tesla, but Ian Wright, one of the companies' other co-founders who left the company a decade ago, is back in the news. Wright is now converting fleets of gas-guzzling garbage trucks into electric vehicles.
Lego's 'Minecraft' competitor is real and ready to download
Yes, those rumors of Lego building a direct competitor to Minecraft were true: meet Lego Worlds. The sandbox game has launched on Windows through Steam's Early Access program for $17, and promises to do more than just let you sculpt buildings and fight off critters. You can alter the terrain on a large scale, and access ready-made drivable vehicles (including dragons) to get around the procedurally generated landscape. Not too surprisingly, there's also a big tie-in with Lego's real-world plastic bricks. You can play using a handful of old-school and current Lego sets, and more are promised down the road. Don't be surprised if you're eventually buying digital blocks at the same time as their physical counterparts arrive.
Lego appears to be building a 'Minecraft' competitor
Lego's new Amiibo-like Dimensions figures haven't even hit stores yet, but already the company appears to be taking on another gaming phenomenon: Minecraft. The world's biggest toy brand has begun including small flyers inside some of its sets advertising a new game called Lego Worlds, inviting players to "Explore. Discover. Create." Sounds exactly like the premise of Mojang's popular sandbox game, doesn't it? Lego may have gotten a little ahead of itself as the dedicated website for Worlds has yet to go live, but something tells us we might learn more about this mysterious title when E3 comes around next month.
Future 'Lego Dimensions' packs will work with the originals
Lego has something up its sleeve to lure you away from Skylanders and Disney Infinity: future-proofing its toys-to-life-game, Lego Dimensions. Along with the announcement that a handful of new figures will be sold in "Team" and "Fun" packs, the press release wasn't afraid to get passive aggressive about what separates it from the competition: "Future expansion pack purchases will continue to work with the LEGO Dimensions Starter Pack, even in the fall of next year. No compatibility chart necessary." That last portion refers to the aforementioned games' need to point out what does and doesn't work between different expansions and figurines in each game. Cheeky, yeah? That means the Joker and Harley Quinn minifig/vehicle Team Pack, and Superman and Bane minifig/vehicle Fun Packs won't have any trouble getting along with anything released in the future, it sounds like. Nor will a certain Timelord when he meets the likes of Doc Brown of Back to the Future fame and some more Ninjago characters.
'Lego Dimensions' will include 'Portal', Doctor Who and Homer Simpson
If the combined might of Batman and Gandalf wasn't enough to intrigue you, how about throwing in a Timelord (with a Scottish accent)? More details of the Skylanders-baiting Lego Dimensions game have been gleaned from a building instruction sheet for its Back To The Future set, with a catalog of level packs (read: figures and accessories) we're going to see alongside the game itself. As well as Doctor Who, expect to see a Portal 2 pack, as well as Jurassic World, The Simpsons and Scooby-Doo. You can also expect multiple figures from Lego's own brick-based franchises like Ninjago as well more characters from Lord of the Rings -- these will be part of "fun packs", likely to cost less than the aforementioned full-blown level add-ons. And if it sounds like a lot, remember: we haven't even seen the DC comics sets yet.
Lego's answer to 'Skylanders' and Amiibo arrives this September
Activision's Skylanders franchise has been a huge success, combining colorful toys with a video game platform that players can easily manipulate with their personal collection. Disney and Nintendo have followed with slightly different takes on the toys-to-life concept, and now Lego is jumping into the fray too. The company is partnering with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Traveller's Tales, the publisher and studio responsible for most of the existing Lego games, to create a new series called Lego Dimensions.
Small Lego case hides a grown-up computer inside
Let's imagine you've always found Lego computers cool and woke up today wanting to make one of your own. In that case, congratulations: Mike Schropp from Total Geekdom just published a design for a small (but powerful) PC that's perfect for you. Schropp went for the smallest design that could still house the latest Intel i3, i5, and i7 processors, USB 3.0, various ports (HDMI, LAN, audio, display, mic), multiple SSD drives, up to 16GB of RAM and even a CD/DVD or Blu-ray drive. He went through three iterations, before he managed to build a size (7.5 x7.5 x 5.5 inches) that he felt was perfect for this project (and didn't need too much Lego), equipped with a top-down cooling system.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: e-paper shoes, superhighways and solar ovens
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. Fans of green cars are eagerly awaiting the release of the Tesla Model X, but you won't have to wait to see what it looks like on the road -- a YouTube user spotted the new car cruising down the freeway in Palo Alto, California. The electric vehicle, which was originally supposed to be released in 2013, is now set to launch in the third quarter of 2015. In other automotive news, Mercedes-Benz has announced plans to release 10 new plug-in hybrid models by 2017. The new models will be designated with a simple "e" instead of the longer "plug-in hybrid" branding. Toyota is currently testing its i-Road three-wheeled electric vehicle in France. The i-Road is seen as a "last-mile" vehicle, and Toyota wants to see how it can integrate with public transportation to decrease traffic gridlock.
Here's how you make a 3D printing gun using Lego
What do you do if you want to 3D print in any direction, but can't buy a pre-made pen like the 3Doodler? If you're Vimal Patel, you build your own. He melded a hot glue gun with a powered Lego mechanism (really, Technic) to extrude filament in any axis. To call it bulky would be an understatement, but it works -- as you'll see in the video below, it can produce fairly complex objects as long as you have a keen eye and a steady hand. And if you want to try it, you can. Patel has posted his Lego Digital Designer file for the 3D printing gun, so it shouldn't be too hard to replicate the invention at home.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: 3D-printed buildings, wooden skyscrapers and UFO-shaped tree tents
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. The big news out of Silicon Valley this week is that architecture heavyweights BIG and Heatherwick Studio will be collaborating to design Google's new Mountain View headquarters. Following the announcement, Google published a video providing a sneak peek at renderings and models of the forthcoming Googleplex. In other green architecture news, UC Berkeley just unveiled the world's largest building 3D-printed from powdered cement. The "Bloom" pavilion is made of 840 printed bricks, and it glows like a lantern when it's lit from within. Rüdiger Lainer just announced plans to build the world's tallest wooden skyscraper in Vienna. About three quarters of the 24-story tower will be made from wood, saving 2,800 metric tons of CO2 emissions.
Google's fifth Science Fair rewards teens for saving the environment
Google's Science Fair competition regularly leads to clever inventions from teens, and this year's event (the fifth ever) is giving junior pioneers an extra incentive to strive for a prize. On top of familiar rewards, including $100,000 in scholarships and trips to the Galapagos or Virgin Galactic's spaceport, there's a Community Impact Award that honors efforts tackling environmental or health issues -- kids who clean up the planet or save a life may get special recognition. Teachers will also get their due through a new Inspiring Educator award. Young creators have until May 18th to submit their finished projects to Google, and you'll hear about the winners at a finalist event starting on September 19th.
Why hunt rare Destiny weapons, when you can build them in Lego?
Are you one of the millions of people who bought Destiny? Do you like Lego? If you fit that fairly specific demographic, then the latest creation from master builder ZaziNombies might get you more excited than a Thrall on a day out from the Hellmouth. Okay, we might have gone a bit overboard there, but this full-scale replica of the Ice Breaker is seriously impressive. Inside the game, you'd normally obtain this auto-regenerating exotic special weapon as part of a reward, engram, chest haul or even buy it from old squid face (Xur) on one of his good days, but if one of your talents is putting together little plastic bricks (without a manual), then it takes more than 2,100 individual Lego pieces and a whole lot of time. As it turns out, this Lego Ice Breaker isn't the first Destiny weapon that YouTuber ZaziNombies has created, but at an impressive 42.5 inches in length, it's definitely his best.
'Lego Jurassic World' game packs four movies' worth of brick dinosaurs
We have no idea how Jurassic World is going to turn out come summer, but we do know that it's getting Lego-fied for Lego Jurassic World. The game follows all three Jurassic Park stories in addition to this June's blockbuster, and it'll be available for basically every platform you can think of. Short on imagination? Well then, here's a list: 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Windows PC, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Phew. The dino-centric series has always had a bit of a mixed showing when it came to solid video game adaptations (the Sega Genesis movie tie-in and the Xbox's Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis were great, though), but the folks at Traveller's Tale have a pretty good track record with their Lego games.
Lego Jurassic World, Lego Marvel's Avengers announced
No word yet if Lego Chris Pratt will feature those Guardians of the Galaxy abs, but he will feature in the upcoming Lego Jurassic World. Also announced this morning is Lego Marvel's Avengers. Although that's quite exciting, there's still a part of us pining for regular ol' Lego Avengers, starring Emma Peel and John Steed. "We look forward to expanding the successful [Lego] series with this very exciting line-up of new LEGO experiences for players of all ages to enjoy on console, handheld and mobile gaming devices," said Executive Vice President and General Manager of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment David Haddad, betting his little blue bonnet. The slate of upcoming Lego games includes the aforementioned titles, along with Lego Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin, The LEGO Movie Video Game for mobile (more Chris Pratt abs!), which is actually out now, and Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (more Bat abs!) for mobile. There are plenty of apps to refine your abs on mobile also.
We want this amazing WoW LEGO lamp
There are some talented WoW players out there, like Bangoo H who built this LEGO Infernal that not only looks spot-on for the original, it lights up. Building the body half from gray bricks and half from semi-transparent green bricks allowed Bangoo to wire the model up with LEDs to make it glow for the appropriate fiery appearance. Though most of this looks like it could be put together with fairly stock LEGO parts, the head is the challenge: Bangoo used a the head of the Crystal King from the 2009 Power Miners set, to which he added light-up eyes to complete the Infernal effect. However, the set is a bit hard to find and would probably be the snag in recreating this Infernal for yourself. You can check out more pictures on Bangoo H's Korean-language blog or admire a full-sized image below the break where you can be dazzled by its light-up glory. [Via: io9]
Video: How to build a replica of the classic 1984 Mac out of LEGO
We recently told you about YouTube user Isaac Ray and his wonderful Lego animation videos thanks to a tutorial he shot demonstrating how to make a Lego Apple iMac. Now Ray is back with another brand new Apple creation, a Lego replica of the original 1984 Mac. It comes complete with a keyboard and a mouse, just like original, though you'll have to recreate the famous 1984 commercial set on your own. You can watch the creation of this beautiful design below.
Video: How to build a Lego Apple Mac Computer
Legos are for children of all ages, so whether you're an actual child or just having a little building fun as an adult here's a great video for your holiday week. YouTube user Isaac Ray specializes in making Lego animation videos and his latest shows you how to build an Apple Mac Computer (looks like an iMac) out of spare Lego parts. It's adorable, well shot, and something we're going to try to build this weekend while visiting family. You can, and should, check out the rest of Isaac's videos here.
Flickr Find: Menacing Darth Vader threatens to sever Yoda's powerful iPhone ties
Darth Vader threatens to cut the power supply for Yoda's mighty iPhone slab, while the Jedi master calmly looks on in this Lego minifig scene created by Flickr member Jim Petcoff. Wonder what revenge he has planned to thwart the power-hungry Darth from carrying out his objective? Did you know that TUAW has a Flickr pool? And that we encourage readers to submit their own Apple related images? Please join and share with our group as we'd love to see your photos.
Recommended Reading: NYC's new subway hub is an architectural marvel
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. How James Carpenter Gave NYC Subway Riders a Portal to the Sky by Shaunacy Ferro, Fast Company New York City's latest subway station is a really big deal. Fulton Center recalls an age when public transit stations packed in architectural prowess, and this hub does just that. The main element is the so-called Sky Reflector Net that not only bathes the atrium in natural light, but also reflects that light two stories underground thanks to a cable structure suspended way up above.
Using Lego to either save or destroy Manhattan
There was plenty of fun stuff going on at Expand, but certainly one of the highlights was a competition put on by Lego. The toy giant challenged participants to create a machine that either saved or destroyed Manhattan. (Poor Manhattan is always in the crosshairs...) Six participants got up and demoed their creations, which ranged from remote controlled street sweepers, to soothing music-playing robots and a violent bot that smashed anyone or anything violating its personal space. Ultimately though, winners had to be selected (this is a competition after all).
