The Geek Church

Hello again, dear readers! Once again, we see that LEGO material can be used to make just about anything. Of course, we’ve covered stories about the LEGO Lee Enfield sniper rifle and AK-47 in the last two weeks. Now here’s more breaking news about what happens with human imagination and LEGO building blocks come together to create something. Recently, Kuniko Maeda and Mario Minale from the Dutch-based design shop Minale Maeda made a full-scale model of the classic Gerrit Rietveld Buffet table.

That’s right, dear readers. After hearing Jack Streat’s LEGO gun creations for two weeks, now we find out about two guys from a Dutch design shop using LEGO blocks to create furniture. Furthermore, it took about twenty-five thousand blocks to make this replica of the Gerrit Rietveld Buffet table. As you can see from the photo above, the LEGO version bears a striking resemblance to its real-life wooden counterpart.

Now it seems that LEGO might have a future in the furniture industry as well as weapons development. However, I found Streat’s LEGO guns from two weeks ago to be more interesting than this LEGO table, though. Full-sized LEGO versions of real firearms that actually shoot projectiles are more fascinating to me personally. Thus, we continue to see evidence of the unlimited applications for using toy building blocks. Ah LEGO, is there anything you can’t do?

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Recently, a defense contractor named Northrop Grumman was given a project to develop combat airships for the U. S. Armed Forces. These aerial vessels will be used specifically for deployment in Afghanistan to keep a constant watch on the country.

Furthermore, these combat airships will be housed and launched from an massive air base designed to float continuously over Afghanistan. This air base is called the Long-Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV), which seems to be resemble an aircraft carrier. The air base is intended to float over certain global locations of interest like Afghanistan at a height of 20,000 feet and monitor the landscape with a series of sensors. The LEMV’s sensory view is designated as the campaign view. Meanwhile, combat airships are also designed for surveying combat areas and their view is known as the Real-Time Strategy (RTS) view. Lastly, foot troops with helmet cams and embedded sensors will be responsible for the First Person Shooter (FPS) view.

Of course, the idea here is to gather more information for making better decisions during military operations on every level of personnel to achieve greater mission success and lower casualties in active duty. Personally, I have to wonder how realistic it is to be developing combat airships to be deployed from a huge, flying fortress. I’d hate to think how much Americans will have to pay in taxes to cover the cost for all that high-tech equipment.

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Of course, children’s safety is very important when it comes to bicycling at a young age. Bikes for kids who are new to bicycling usually come with training wheels attached. Then there is common safety equipment such as helmets, elbow pads, knee pads and wrist guards, which teenagers and adults should also be using. However, some people seem to take an extreme approach to bicycle safety for children through unconventional methods. For example, Italtrike recently designed a tricycle with features for extra safety.

Their tricycle is called the oko-Plus. It has a padded seat with a three-point safety harness and a front wheel that can’t make turns beyond 45 degress in order to avoid jack-knifing and toppling over. Furthermore, the oko-Plus also uses a completely enclosed chain-drive with the foot pedals attached to the sides of it instead of on the front wheel. Other features of this tricycle include handbrakes, adjustable handlebars (and the seat is also adjustable) capable of nine different positions, enabling the same child to use the tricycle from age two to age five.

Now that’s quite a list of safety measures for a regular child’s tricycle. Personally, I think Italtrike might have gotten a little carried away in emphasizing safety for users of the oko-Plus. Nonetheless, their efforts show a passion to protect children and that’s a noble goal to be respected. This tricycle is available for $146.

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Currently, the BP oil spill remains at large as a serious threat to the natural environment surrounding it in the Gulf Coast. Right now, more than one hundred and fifty gallons of oil is still flowing out of control. Although beaches are likely to be affected first, the wetlands of Louisiana are also in considerable danger. In comparison to sand, swamp areas and weeds would be greatly contaminated by the oil spill with little hope of ever being cleaned up. However, designers at a firm in Florida called Greenboat Scientific have devised a solution to oil pollution in swamps.

They’ve developed a watercraft called the Weedoo workboat. Initially, this vessel was created as a eco-friendly alternative to the gas-powered airboats commonly used in the South. The watercraft has been redesigned to carry several times its own weight in oil-soaked weeds, surface oil and other forms of swamp contaminants.

The Weedoo is made of ten foot lightweight fiberglass and foam and runs on a propulsion system powered by a rechargeable battery. Furthermore, this watercraft is operated with fingertip joystick controls, allowing it to maneuver through the shallow areas of the wetlands with great ease. The vessel actually works like a farm tractor. It has a quick-change system that’s able to connect to a variety of additional equipment as attachments, which include the extractor conveyor system, a forklift and a swing-arm cutter.

Greenboat is preparing to mass produce Weedoo waterboats by the hundreds and they expect to make one per day at this time. In addition to stopping oil pollution in the swamps, mass production of the watercraft would also provide employment for Florida residents afflicted by the oil spill. Thus, the creation of the Weedoo seems to be a big step in the right direction for solving the oil spill crisis.

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Even though it’s the location for the World Cup this year, South Africa is facing an energy crisis. Unfortunately, electricity is not an abundant power source for running machines and buildings within the country. So, a non-profit group called Solafrica has stepped up to help South Africa by developing a series of portable solar stations as an alternative power source.

These portable, power stations are made of a compact system with solar panels and accumulators without complex wiring to draw energy from the Sun and use it as a power source. Currently, Solafrica plans to use these power stations to entertain residents of the country who can’t afford to attend the World Cup and lack an electric-powered TV set for watching the games. Then they intend to set up the power stations at various schools in South Africa after the World Cup to satisfy existing energy needs.

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LG just unveiled a special hybrid air conditioner to help the people of Korea. This device is an environmentally-safe hybrid air conditioner called the F-Q232LASS, which uses solar energy as an alternative to electricity in powering the machine.

The F-Q232LASS works by collecting solar power through a solar cell module located on the top of the device, which is kept outside. LG claims that the special air conditioner will help people save money on their energy bill and of course, the machine is designed to be eco-friendly.

According to LG, the F-Q232LASS is also able to help reduce at least 212kg of carbon dioxide within ten years. However, the company has not given information explaining how this device works in reducing carbon dioxide pollution.

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Flying cars, drill machines that take people underground, rocket boats and cars that turn into submarines. These types of vehicles have long been products of a writer’s imagination shown in literature, television, action flicks and movies of science fiction. In the real world, we just don’t have the technology to create such things in this present age. But the constant advance of research and experimentation seem to point us to a future with many possibilities. For example, what if you could have a yacht that was also a submarine for traveling underwater?

Recently, some designers conceived such a concept. They call it the U-010. According to its design, this vessel would be 66.5 meters long, made in the style of a regular yacht and it would be powered by diesel and electric propulsion.

Of course, it’s just an idea on the design table. However, the technology might become available to actually build the U-010 someday. As human beings, we do tend to consider the future and wonder about the things that are to come. Nevertheless, I think concepts like this yacht submarine are better off being considered things of literature, television and film. After all, just because designers conceive a new idea doesn’t mean it’s eventually going to become a reality?

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Last week, we saw the LEGO Lee Enfield sniper rifle. Now LEGO Technics and Jack Streat are at it again, developing weaponry with the classic toy building material that can actually shoot projectiles. This time, they’ve created a fully-functioning AK-47 gun as a follow-up to their sniper rifle.

Mr. Streat took two weeks making this weapon and clearly, his work has paid off. This LEGO version of the AK-47 comes with two removable magazines containing twelve bricks each, a basic red and black color scheme and a bolt-action mechanism for firing “brick” projectile rounds. This LEGO gun seems to be capable of firing two to three rounds in one single shot while last week’s sniper rifle only shot single rounds.

Obviously, this LEGO AK-47 is another achievement made possible through the human imagination and brilliant engineering. So, that leaves me to wonder what’s next for LEGO Technics and Jack Streat. Will it be more styles of firearms, other types of hand-held ordnance or nuclear and mechanical weapons of mass destruction? Remember, dear readers, that with LEGO, the possibilities are endless.

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If you consistently follow the latest news in conceptual and recently developed technology, then you’re probably familiar with the idea of an electric-powered bicycle. Many electric bikes have been developed in Japan before. But according to Crunch Gear, the design of most of those models usually end up being ugly or unattractive. However, Yamaha just unveiled a new model called the PAS Brace-L, which is intended for young and older male consumers.

According to Yamaha, this new model was conceived for guys who want an electric bike for their personal enjoyment but never got one since most designs for existing models are physically unappealing. Furthermore, a truly desirable electric bicycle could serve as a trendy way to exercise or get to work.

The PAS Brace-L runs on an 8.1Ah/25.2V lithium-ion battery and features options such as an assisted travel range of 47km in its standard mode and 37 km in its power mode. The battery itself takes at least four hours to fully charge. This new electric bicycle will be available in Japan on July 15 for $1,630.

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As the E3 2010 conference in Los Angeles gets underway this week, Microsoft is already grabbing people’s attention with the recent demonstration of their new motion control system, Kinect (previously named project Natal). There were several games for children, groups and adults shown at the event and you can expect game developers such as Konami, Lucas Arts and Turn 10 Studios to be involved with the launch of Kinect as well. Popular titles like Star Wars and Metal Gear Solid are scheduled to arrive on the new controller system in the near future.

The Kinect device itself consists of a RGB camera, 3D depth sensors, and a multi-array mic and it also has a motorized tilt function. Microsoft intended for it to be a new kind of dashboard interface controller for the X-Box 360. In order to use it, you first log-in by waving your hand. Then your hand movements will control a cursor on the screen, allowing you to make selections on the displayed menu and browse through featured content. This new motion control system is designed to respond to your voice as well. According to Crunch Gear, Kinect might be the closest thing resembling the technology seen in the film, Minority Report so far.

With Kinect, Microsoft is taking a more direct approach to the concept of motion control than Nintendo or Sony. On the Wii and the PS3, motion control relies on the use of an actual hand-held controller. While the absence of a more conventional controller could lead to some problems in gameplay, there is definite potential with the user interface for Kinect. Thus, Microsoft’s new game control system may spark the beginning of a new age where hand-held controllers for PC and console gaming would be obsolete.

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