Tumblr 101: Tips And Tricks To Get Started
Sebastian Thrun: Google's Driverless Car
Seminal Rock Band (Spinal Tap) Silenced by Evil Corporation (LEGO)
File it under 'News of the Obvious,' but, once again, the Man is putting down Rock'n'Roll. Seminal butt-rock band Spinal Tap (See? The Man won't even let us put an umlaut over the "n.") has been banished to a creative hell hole by the corporate overlords at LEGO Systems. According to the New York Times, a fan-created video portraying the Tap as LEGO figurines has been struck from a DVD of the band's 'Unwigged and Unplugged' tour -- at the Danish toy company's urging.
The video (embedded above) is the rock and roll creation of one Coleman Hickey -- a teenage Tap-head from Ohio who toiled over this heavy-duty piece of stop-action cinema for no reason other than glorifying his favorite herd of heavy metal heathens. Explaining LEGO's prohibition of the video's use in the DVD, company spokeswoman Julie Stern told the Times, "We love that our fans are so passionate and so creative with our products, but it had some inappropriate language, and the tone wasn't appropriate for our target audience of kids 6 to 12." Well, the video's still on YouTube, isn't it, Julie? How do you explain that? "YouTube is a less commercial use," she says." Right. So, as always, the Man's party line is: "Gimme Some Money." [From: New York Times]
LEGO Meets Tech: 10 Top Designs
James May's idea to build a two story, functional LEGO house might is ambitious, but taking the plastic blocks to another level has been a practice since the building bricks were invented. Building with the blocks requires patients, a technical mind, and a love for the toy. Here is a look at some of the most tech-savvy Lego-made projects around, from iPhones to the Darth Vader.
10. In tribute to the late Michael Jackson, the LEGO People do a stop-motion version of 'Thriller.' Both a construction and animation feat. [From: BoingBoing]
9. Novelist Norman Mailer's LEGO City of the Future was built in 1965 and stands at seven feet tall. He constructed it to represent utopia, and it holds 4 million imaginary people. [From: Greg.org]
8. Check out this massively detailed, large-scale LEGO battleship designed by a German father. A replica of the Harry S. Truman, the model weighed over 350 pounds. [From: Brickshelf.com, via TechEBlog]
7. Not only is it an exact replica of a V8 32-valve engine, but this LEGO version actually moves, powering a little motor, just like the real thing. Take a video tour, and watch the gears and pumps move like its metal counterpart. [From: Brickshelf.com, via HackedGadgets]
6. 'Donkey Kong' gets the block-treatment when a vintage Mindstorms system is used to actually recreate the classic video game. Watch the video here.
5. Amy Hughes recreated the Abston Church of Christ, and her kitties took a liking to the structure, resulting in the creepily funny "Cats in (LEGO) Church" Web slideshow series. As we all know, when cats are involved, the Internet listens... [From: AmyHughes]
4. Auctioned off in Michael Jackson's estate is a life-sized talking Darth Vader statue, asking "What is thy bidding, my master?" However, the cape, obviously, is made of cloth. [From: CNBC.com]
3. Making an entire career based on LEGO building, Nathan Sawaya has some of the most artistic designs on the Web. 'iPhone' (above) and 'Underneath' are particularly beautiful. [From: DesignBoom]
2. Music can be LEGO-ized too: Twenty of the most recognizable album covers of all time are represented in their plastic forms, with reinterpretations of classics like Nirvana's 'Nevermind' or Pink Floyd's 'The Division Bell.' Hey, even geeks need their music. [From: TheToyZone]
16 Grammys Looks That Weren't Working
Whitney Houston Autopsy: Cause of Death Determined?
Worst Movie Mistakes: Date Night Edition (PHOTOS)
Whitney Houston, Bobbi Kristina: Late Singer's Daughter Hospitalized
Adele Five-Year Break? Singer Plans to Focus on Relationship, Write 'Happy Record'
PHOTOS: President Obama's Kissing Technique
Jennifer Hudson Whitney Tribute: Grammy President Reveals Why Singer Was Chosen for Musical Memorial
Grammy 2012 Winners' List: Adele Sweeps Music's Biggest Night
How Hattie Lost 300 Pounds: 'I Was Ready To Do Whatever It Took To Survive'
3 Economic Misconceptions That Need to Die
5-Hour Energy: A Success Equal Parts Caffeine, Chemistry and Meditation
Matt Bomer Comes Out As Gay
People With Easy-To-Pronounce Names More Likely To Succeed, Study Says
Katy Perry Grammy Performance 2012: Did the Diva Diss Her Ex-Hubby With Revealing New Song?
Photos Of Dead Lacrosse Player's Injured Body Shown To Jury
Whitney Houston Dead: Stars React to Legend's Sudden Death
Grammy Awards 2012: The Best & Worst Of The Red Carpet!
12 Grammys Stars Who Gave Good Style
The Top 10 Slacker Colleges
15 Funny Valentine's Day Cards
Mystery Disease Kills Thousands
WATCH: 25 Million Tons Of Japan Tsunami Debris Headed Directly Our Way
Oprah Under Fire For Controversial Tweet
Remembering The People's Ballerina
PHOTOS: Thank God For Grown-Up Glamour
JUNGLE SURVIVAL: Marines Drink Snake Blood, Eat Insects
New Clues, Details Emerge In Powell Case
PHOTOS: Model Falls At Dennis Basso Show
Scuba-Diving Murder Trial: Prosecutors Drop One Charge Against Husband
PHOTOS: Kate Spends Valentine's Day Solo!
PHOTOS: Beautiful Scars
15 Funny Valentine's Day Quotes
Comments
2
Subscribe to commentsAlistair lovelessAug 12th 2009 11:30AM
I love how many companies have to go with MARKET RESEARCH and DEMOGRAPHICS. while all these tools can be very useful its also used as a catch all for all things corporate.
While it should be noted that the main demographic is young children, as end users, they are NOT the target market.
The target market is people with money, namely adults, or at the very least, people with children (not necessarrily adults).
When was the last time a 7 year old went on ebay and bought a indiana jnes lego figurine for 40 bux?
Way to wuss out Lego. Instead of taking free advertising and milking it and showing that you ENDORSE creativity, youve gone out of your way to come off as a prude company that comes off as worshipping the almighty buck.
How hard would have been to stike a deal, redub some audio, and show off this kids talent, with a tie in to rock band, and spinal tap and see the bigger picture and come off as Cool fresh, and make more money to your base market PLUS a niche market or two?
STOP LISTENING TO WHAT YOUR MARKET RESEARCH TELLS YOU AND LISTEN TO COMMON SENSE, LISTEN TO YOUR CUSTOMERS.
its way cheaper anyway. And you need less sniveling interns.
ChadAug 12th 2009 2:18PM
WTF! How does LEGO have any legal standing on this? If I'm a stage actor and a LEGO whatever is one of my props and my performance is videotaped and then sold how does LEGO have any say in the video at all? This isn't even about IP it's about not wanting to be associated with ST. How lame.