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Toys

The LEGO Desk 110

Posted by Hemos from the lego-prints-on-thumbs dept.
It's a prety amazing sight to see. Check out how a full size desk is made of LEGOs - complete with drawers, and holes for wires. 35,000+ blocks of joy, and a lot of glue. Yum.
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The LEGO Desk More

The LEGO Desk

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  • This guy [ericharshbarger.org] has also built a Lego Tux [ericharshbarger.org].

    Any question of the coolness of Lego is now removed. :)
  • Is your sports car useful? In any way? I have a theory that it's easier to stay out of an accident if you have good brakes, cornering and acceleration. I.e. a sports car. They may not crash as well as a Mercedes, but they won't crash as often either (if you're a good driver).

    A lego desk is less functional than a regular desk. It costs far more. It is a demonstration of the lack of maturity of the person who ordered it.

    Does anyone else remember when legos were toys? Now they're on the same level as plaster of paris or stretched canvasses. Consumable art media. The previous lego projects here like the gun and the big lego Tux were at least disassemblable.

    This is just a silly art project that some tasteless joker decided that he'd whine about until he got. I'm not faulting the artist for creating it, he wouldn't have even thought of it without being under contract.

    Another reason I'm disgusted is the wastefulness of the whole project. Legos wouldn't need to be so expensive if people didn't keep using them up permanently in art projects. Lego went to a lot of work to make their bricks reusable.

    We're in a spoiled, wasteful society. The lego desk is a demonstration on a higher order than almost anything I can think of.
  • wow, LEGO computer case I'd never thought of that. That'd be the cooolest. Gotta go up to the attic now.
  • Maybe Legos is just an American thing. In the UK, we'd probably refer to a desk made out of Lego (i.e. collective noun, or irregular pluralisation - cf. sheep). Legos, like Hemos, just sounds a wee bit odd; the ~os ending jars.

    Me, I'm happier with the +es pluralisation of words ending in o than the +s ending:

    Potatoes [dictionary.com] - good
    Hoboes [dictionary.com] - good
    Solos [dictionary.com] - not good
    Legos - grim.

    Only reason I can come up with is that the +s pluralisation tends to lead me to (think about) mispronouncing the word.(Cue for a Lin-ux / Line - ux subthread here...)

    So, no, I can't deal with it. Sorry. Have to protest this one.

  • Tyco made some blocks several years ago that were very similar (and cheaper). The dimensions were right (plus a few different specialized pieces) but true the finish was different. While I didn't like them as much (I guess I was spoiled), they were good structural elements. I usually used them where they couldn't be seen and built "veneers" out of original legos.
  • I really hate this kind of garbage. I'm assuming they're doing it for the same reason that Band-Aids are now "Band-Aid brand bandages" and Jello is now "Jello brand gelatin dessert" and the like: trademark dilution.

    It's not really their fault I think. Companies have to show that they're protecting their trademark if they want to keep it. By putting all those disclaimers and maybe launching a half-hearted lawsuit every once in a while, they can say to a judge "hey, look, we've actively protected our trademark.". They probably don't really care if you actually use it incorrectly.
    --
  • Build a house and that'll impress me :)
  • And just how did these phsicists learn all of these properties?

    We all know they have collections at home and play with them still :-P

  • Mirror (Score:5)

    by a.out ( 31606 ) on Sunday August 27, 2000 @05:41PM (#824036)
    Seems the site is *really* bad right now, Might have something to do with the fact that they are serving all of their pictures through a cgi script ?. Oh well.

    Mirrored HERE [dhs.org]
  • I would think that the desk made from LEGO(tm) bricks is not the only flat surface in his office.

    I have a desk with one computer, and a nice computer table with two computers. Desks are not the right height for typing anyway -- a table designed for computers is.

    All I'm saying here is that if I had a desk made of LEGO(tm) bricks, I could write just fine on my computer table. The desk would be more for the coolness factor.

    Surely a guy who can demand a desk of LEGO bricks gets more furniture than just the desk?
  • Right about now =)

    Woz
  • Here's a Canadian Newspaper article [brickshelf.com] that came out a few days ago about this. It includes some interesting information from a LEGO representative.

    (the article isn't online so it's a scan)
  • Actually, here are a couple oc lego cased systems I found via Google:

    http://people.netscape.com/toms/c ubicl e/computer/ [netscape.com]
    'http://www.hard ocp.com/news_images/2000/january_2000/1-15-00b.htm l [hardocp.com]
    etc. I think the idea of a lego case has been dead-horsed around here before too, but I am too lazy this Sunday to look it up.

  • Paper? What are you using that stuff for? Be more worried about the marks on your face when you sneak naps at work. I though keyboard face was bad.

  • Never mind...dont yell at me...when i reloaded the page to see my post i noticed that a mirror got posted....la la la...
  • Once Again: Users with high karma start at 2. that's just the way it is. spread the word: the more people know, the less times we read posts asking about it.

    ----------

  • I keep seeing IIRC in posts and I don't think they are implying the same thing as the IRC chat client.
    Someone care to clue me in on this one?
    Any searches I do on it refer to IRC chat.

    This is bothering me enough to lose sleep.

    Bob.
  • ...do we have to make everything into lego then post it on Slashdot?

    As long as it's something new and interesting...why not?

    And also, what's the point of a lego desk if it's glued together? Might as well be a wood desk with a lego top.

    I'll venture to say that the 'point' is different from person to person. It could be that the person who requested the desk wanted to make a statement to their coworkers, or to the management of the place (ie, 'See how important they think *I* am?').

    Gluing it together is extremely important when dealing with something as large as a desk. Think about trying to move it if it's not glued. I dont think the bricks would hold together with that much weight pulling them apart if you lifted the desk.
  • "If I Recall Correctly"

    --
  • The model of Tux was mentioned in a Quickie -- here. [slashdot.org]

    (which is why I didn't submit a story about the Lego desk, but that's not important right now).

    --
  • With such a large surface and so many 1x1 bricks the guy could have actually made an image. All someone would have to do is open a nice desktop image (like some wallpaper of a nature scene or a space scene or hell, render something cool) and then convert it to a 2-bit (4 color) image. Scale to the size of your LEGO desktop.

    Well, this isn't a new idea, someone's already beat you to it.

    A quick search for mosaic on lugnet brings up a few interesting images.

    • Audrey Hepburn [geocities.com]
    • Someone's wife [brickshelf.com], along with screenshots of the MosaicMaker app and images.
    • And finally, the homepage for MosaicMaker [lugnet.com].
  • I'd hate to see what would happen if you tried to solder on that thing =)
  • On the mirrored page did anyone else notice something odd in the background of pictures 20 and 21? I may be having eye problems, but it distinctly looks like some kind of lego woman next to the fireplace.

  • why dont ya just go here [acronymfinder.com] next time you see an acronym?

    ugh. or are you just being sarcastic?

  • I can just see it now! Open-Source LEGO or OSL!

  • Re:Is LEGO a proprietary standard? (Score:5)

    by Grant Elliott ( 132633 ) on Sunday August 27, 2000 @01:41PM (#824053)
    The main reason Lego bricks are more expensive than their imitation counterparts is the molding process. Lego spent a great deal of time and money perfecting their molding process. The plastic used is much stronger and holds color better than those plastics used by the imitators. In addition, Lego molds their product to a seemingly absurd tolerance (.0005 cm, I believe). It isn't as crazy as it sounds. If you start building a complex model, you'll be thankful for the accuracy and strength of Lego bricks. The other companies do attempt to make their bricks the same size. However, they cut back on costs in the molding process. As a result, the pieces don't fit as well. They are cheaper; they just aren't nearly as good.

    From its earliest days making wooden toys, the Lego company prided itself on quality. Every toy got three coats of paint. One line of ducks was actually recalled in order to have the third coat applied. Lego might cost more, but you get a much better product. And of course, Lego offers a much larger variety of pieces than any of its competitors (especially Technic pieces).
  • Damn. I just told my wife that some foolish company in Seattle caved in to the capricious whims of some programmer and bought him a desk made of Legos. She told me to start looking for another job.
  • Okay, I really want to know. Who was it that actually got this? This person must have been massively in demand. I bet he's out there reading /. right now! Who are you, we want to know! Someone else must know as well, the HR department, someone at the compnay, someone must be able to leak the information! I'm looking forward to finding out. ;)

    Joshua

  • LEGO: Not Open Source... (Score:3)

    by tagishsimon ( 175038 ) on Sunday August 27, 2000 @01:54PM (#824056) Homepage
    LEGO have a fairly blunt attitude to the protection of their trademarks and brand ... their legal rubric [lego.com] talks in terms of protection of "characteristic product features".

    They are also dogamtic about the use of the LEGO trademark on websites- Hemos, take note, assuming you ever bother to read posts... I know this was covered well last time Lego was mentioned but, one more time, from the above linked page:

    Proper Use of the LEGO Trademark on a Web Site

    If the LEGO trademark is used at all, it should always be used as an adjective, not as a noun. For example, say "MODELS BUILT OF LEGO BRICKS". Never say "MODELS BUILT OF LEGOs".

    I suppose it is too much to ask that this is the last time we'll ever see the LEGOs word on /.

  • Re:The joy of a tight labor market. (Score:5)

    by Jeff Mahoney ( 11112 ) on Sunday August 27, 2000 @01:57PM (#824057)
    .. yeah, and that the case itself could interlock onto the desk surface.

    Having lego drinking glasses and other such things would do wonders for desk neatness.. nothing could tip over!

    The guy who built this stuff is my new hero.

    -Jeff

  • . . . writting on one of these things. Holy crap! Why do I keep getting these little holes in my paper!?


    Ethan Jewett
    E-mail: Now what spa I mean e-mail site does Microsoft run again?

  • I'm pretty sure if I were to get a lego desk, I wouldn't want a smooth top either. The fun you could have just building stuff stuck on top of your desk...

    Writing (by hand, you know; I think some people still do this) wouldn't be a problem with one of those desk-protector/calendar underlay thingys, but I'm sure the impression patterns from the dots on arms (and elbows, ouch!) aren't going to be much fun. Of course, there's always going to be the problem of cleaning it...
  • Bah. Some people actually get PAID to program Visual Basic, too. I believe you can even get certified...
  • AT&T's lawyers were working overtime a decade and a half ago trying to enforce a similar convention on the word `unix' .. everyone had to use `unix' as an adjective, as in `the unix operating system'. Guess what? It didn't work. It's not suprising that it din't work. It is an attempt to use the legal process to coerce the population into using language a certain way, and people will always resist that, and use language in their own damn way, thank you very much.

    LEGO will discover the same thing .. it's like trying to control the flow of the tides by legislation. Totally stupid, and unworkable.


  • All the links are broken, but I'm willing to assume that this thing is totaly amazing. Still, I'm really not impressed by these large scale models, I think Legos are best when used at their intended scale (based on 'lego men'.) I can't believe anyone would spend their time sticking together thousands of blocks to make sheets. At this scale, all you end up using are thick 2xwhatever blocks, making hundreds (thousands if you count all the crap they're making now) of accent pieces useless. This incredible expenditure of pieces can't stack up (intended) to the intricacy of something like a space ship or Technics robot built at the proper scale. If you want to make a show off desk, take up wood working.

  • Re:He was actually PAID to do this? (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    certified being the operative word ;)

  • Re:Why the glue? (Score:3)

    by Chris Pimlott ( 16212 ) on Sunday August 27, 2000 @06:24PM (#824064)
    How the hell does this guy write on anything?

    With the stylus that clips onto the side of the screen of course.
  • Could you perhaps build me a lego car, complete with working components? What it might cost a couple grand? Sounds good to me...I'll just drive it home! Parts are easy to replace aswell...just rebuild em!
  • All you have to do is get those smooth top finishes that they have and move it around to whereever it is needed.
    A lot nicer for the finshed look than a blotter I would think.

  • I think you would have to be certifiable in the first place to want to program in visual basic!

  • I don't think they have anything to worry about. I've never heard the term "Lego" to refere to anything other then Lego brand bricks.

    Even the mostly compatable non-lego bricks are never called "Lego". People usualy say something like "It's not a lego, but it'll probably fit."

    -Andy
  • im used to reading about things which actually matter on here.

    Reading on some dude who has a desk made of Lego and thinks Alice in Wonderland is called Alice From Wonderland isn't one of those things.

    There were some good stories over the last week after months of garbage. Please let's not go back to dark times of such.

  • I think I speak for all of us when I say lighten up.
  • That level of perfectionism does sound absurd, but then I remembered how many of my lego pieces ended up with teeth marks on them. (Sometimes, that's the only way to get it apart.) In retrospect, I can see how anything cheaper would have broken much too quickly.

    Lego has been showing up on /. pretty often lately. Makes me wonder, is there anybody alive who hasn't ever played with legos? (Well, outside of underdeveloped countries, naturally.)

  • Carbon Fiber LEGOs please, (Score:3)

    by fudboy ( 199618 ) on Sunday August 27, 2000 @07:12PM (#824072) Homepage Journal
    Yes, if there are any LEGO Group employees listening, I would like to see your blocks made out of carbon fiber or space-age ceramics or something. Then we could build actual tools and machines from them, as they'd be quite strong.

    There are added benefits:

    whatever material you choose will revolutionize that material's place in the world. The volume of LEGO production is so immense (are you up to billions per year yet? per week, maybe?) that the infrastructure needed to supply this material will get a big boost and drive prices down in all industries using this material (palm and laptop cases, auto components, etc) This will be good for everyone.

    With cheap and simple gluing techniques and immensly sturdy brick materials, people could build actual structures and drive the building supplies home in a compact car. This is good for Europe in particular, but maybe also in places like Siberia, Africa and Bangaladesh for all sorts of natural disaster/infrastructure reasons.

    Let me add that I am assuming another LEGO form factor would be developed, with full sized structures in mind. I'm thinking in the 40-60cm range.

    :)Fudboy
  • LEGO is a substance. if you need to use an 's' then say LEGO blocks, or LEGO Bricks. But never never say LEGOs.
  • http://xyu.dhs.org/brad/lego/images/desk_20.jpg That looks like a lego clock in the background at first glance -- does it to anyone else? Wonder what other household devices in that house just happen to be made out of little plastic blocks? PS I agree with an earlier post -- there must be no two year olds near this house!
  • > Back OT Are you really using OT as an abreviation for "on topic"? Do you not see the potential confusion this acronym will cause? How can be ever know whether the O is for "off" or "on"?

    Care about freedom?
  • when will we have what we all deserve?
  • Why do you think he wanted his lego bricks at work?

  • Ouch... (Score:4)

    by Legolas-Greenleaf ( 181449 ) on Sunday August 27, 2000 @01:01PM (#824078)
    wouldn't that hurt the bare bum?

    it would leave an interesting pattern, but still...

    i've looked at love from both sides now. from win and lose, and still somehow...

  • More stuff I gotta buy now.

    Sucks to be an impulse buyer.

    But I sure have a lotta kewl toys! =)

    Vote [dragonswest.com] Naked 2000
  • You know, this is truly amazing. Not that the guy got his desk, but that the company agreed to it to begin with. If I was that person's boss, I would probably take them into my office, sit them down, and quietly ask them if they were out of their tiny little minds.

    Of course, this is what comes from having a market where anyone with real skills is a prime target for headhunters. I bet the reason the person who gets the desk made that really cool request is to insure that they would never have to leave the job they were on, then someone agreed to all their terms. Amazing. I would really love to know what the owner of that cool desk does for a living.

    And, just think, someone could actually put a lego computer case on that lego desk...

  • Looks that way to me as well. Also looks like a LEGO bust is in the background as well (as mentioned in a previous post).

  • He was actually PAID to do this? (Score:3)

    by R3 ( 15929 ) on Sunday August 27, 2000 @12:59PM (#824082)
    One heck of a profession!

    Maybe LEGO should come up with certification or something:

    LCBB - LEGO Certified Block Builder

  • He's a programmer.
  • Unfortunately, it's a lot easier to find flaws in someone's design than it is to design something yourself. I deal with this every day where I work [timberjack.com], with sales, marketing, and even the guys on the assembly line critiquing my work. Some points are valid (like yours about the desk), but it's not hard to miss some of the finer points like that if you're going at it from scratch.

    Good idea aside, how often do *you* take your desk apart for modularity? I never have yet. You'd give up a lot of sturdiness by the Lego desk modular, unfortunately.

    I want my kitchen island made out of Lego...

  • Why the glue? (Score:3)

    by cot ( 87677 ) on Sunday August 27, 2000 @01:00PM (#824085)
    I would have thought one of the "cool" things about a lego desk would be the ability to reconfigure it. Gluing them all together makes that kind of hard.

    I would have thought that you could design it such that the normal locking action of the pieces was strong enough to keep it together.

  • Woah! Cool! (Score:3)

    by Accipiter ( 8228 ) on Sunday August 27, 2000 @01:07PM (#824086)
    The guy who requested this desk must have some real serious value because A) He had the balls to ask for this, and B) The company *agreed*!

    Anyway, you don't get the full scope of the desk until you check out the pictu res [ericharshbarger.org].

    He doesn't say how much he was paid, but he says that it was "worth [his] time."

    Two Words:

    Very Impressive.

    -- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?

  • Anyone who knows anything about lego knows you can get flat topped blocks - i'm sure they had lego chairs in mind when they designed them!
  • The story shows that the top is NOT flat, so you could use this like these tables at McDonalds that had the LEGO's covering the top. Imagine, this guy could make a back and shelves for it and play with that. Me? I'am trying to get my boss to get me a cube out of LEGO's, think expansion ;-)

    ________

  • You make anything out of lego!! Well, I hope not ANYTHING... But what next? Lego H-Bombs? Maybe a Lego computer... hmm.. then I could shape my computer box to whatever shape I need it. Lego video cards... we could even build lego cars... Well I'm at it let's have lego pants and jackets!!

    Don't let me mislead you, I love lego as much as the next 20 year old guy, but come on, do we have to make everything into lego then post it on Slashdot? A couple of weeks ago it was a lego train (but that was really cool). And also, what's the point of a lego desk if it's glued together? Might as well be a wood desk with a lego top.

    Let's say for example I built myself a lego building. Would I glue it? No, because if I glued it together then I wouldn't be able to reshape the building on a whim, which would defeat the purpose of lego. Taking it apart and putting it back together (but let's ignore the fact that it'd probably break easily without glue)

  • Re:Disgusted (Score:3)

    by Wonko42 ( 29194 ) <(ryan+slashdot) (at) (wonko.com)> on Sunday August 27, 2000 @02:29PM (#824090) Homepage
    Next time someone asks for such a stupid thing, why not try to talk them into donating to charity? Wasting thousands of dollars on a glued together lego desk is so far beyond reasonable that it can't even be expressed in words.

    So you're saying that anything that costs a lot of money and isn't entirely necessary is unreasonable? By this logic, if I get a raise and decide to buy a new sports car, in spite of the fact that my current car is in perfect working order, it is unreasonable for me to by the sports car. I should, instead, donate my extra money to charity. Is that what you're saying?

    I say: If you've got extra money, spend it on whatever the hell you want.

    --

  • Re:The joy of a tight labor market. (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    If I had that kind of power I wouldn't waste it on a stupid LEGO desk. What about a better computer, or health benefits, or stock. Not some useless and impractical piece of plastic furniture.
    ----------------
    well, if he's working in the computer industry, he's already getting all that and more.

  • Re:Lego toilet (Score:3)

    by DickBreath ( 207180 ) on Sunday August 27, 2000 @02:37PM (#824092) Homepage
    Imagine the difficulty of cleaning the bowl.
  • I remember seeing mention of this in a LEGO manual somewhere years before the web. They've always tried to get people to use their name the way they want, and they will never win, any more than people will stop calling non Kleenex tissues "kleenex", and non Thermos liquid storage "thermoses".

    I think when these companies ask people to use specific terminology it's more so they can say, "We tried to tell them, but they insist," rather than because they actually care. If I had a product and people called my competition by my name, I'd be stoked.

    "Hey, hand me that crag, would you?"
    "It's not a real Crag(tm), it's just a crag-like device."
    "Yeah, whatever. Hand it to me, smart-alek."

    huh-huh, that would be cool.
  • Or does being an asshole just come easy to you?
  • After looking at all of those pictures, I've come to the conclusion that there's no way this guy could have any kids. I couldn't even get close to a tub of legos with my 2 year old running around.
    --
    *Condense fact from the vapor of nuance*
    25: ten.knilrevlis@wkcuhc
  • Proper Use of the LEGO Trademark on a Web Site

    If the LEGO trademark is used at all, it should always be used as an adjective, not as a noun. For example, say "MODELS BUILT OF LEGO BRICKS". Never say "MODELS BUILT OF LEGOs"

    I really hate this kind of garbage. I'm assuming they're doing it for the same reason that Band-Aids are now "Band-Aid brand bandages" and Jello is now "Jello brand gelatin dessert" and the like: trademark dilution.

    I call them Legos (I'm sure they'll be irritated that I don't all-cap them, either), as does everyone I've ever spoken too about them. Whether it's convenient for their lawyers or not, when only one famous product comes from a company (Netscape, anyone?), that product tends to be referred to by the company's name.

    Deal with it.

    --
    -Esme

  • Add to that a couple of mindstorm modules and you could have a desk that detects when you enter your office, then turns on your computer, welcomes you and even follows you throughout your house if you ask him too.

    Wow... I want one
  • This lego desk: http://hugin.ldraw.org/LEGO/By/M%F8bler/Skrivebord -alt I love google. It knows everything.
  • Is anyone else wondering if this desk thing is like the oft-repeated Ozzy and M&Ms story? He put the bullshit requirment in his contract to ensure that it was actually read?

    ----
  • This is not only idiotically expensive but ridiculously wasteful.

    Waste is an unwanted byproduct from the process of converting one type of energy into another. A wasteful engine gives off a lot of heat when converting chemical energy into torque. This desk is not a waste because it is wanted. Whatever your pet cherity is, you didn't further it by making this post. The best thing about free enterprise is that the people who produce the most get to decide what's important. If you don't produce anything, you can't give it away.

    Idiotically expensive just means you wouldn't pay that much for it. Something is worth whatever someone else is willing to trade for it. That isn't waste. As long as both parties in a trade participate voluntarily and have all the correct information they need to judge whether they wish to participate, then there is no waste. Waste would be if the transaction was taxed, because then there would be energy lost to an unwanted byproduct.

    How do these things occur? Does Lego sponsor such or are they truly just some doofus's whim?

    If the guy were that much of a doofus, he wouldn't be worth the desk. I doubt Lego had anything to do with this project other than making the materials and inspiring those involved. They don't need publicity. They have a quality product that sells itself.

    Next time someone asks for such a stupid thing, why not try to talk them into donating to charity?

    Next time you feel like making an emotional ('disgusted' was the subject) post because you're jealous that someone has enough resources to spare to get what they want, why don't you spend the time you would have spent posting working for your favorite charity? My favorite charity is Libertarianism, so this post is not a waste because I get to spout my self-centered tripe on a public forum and I feel like I might be convincing someone to go along with my view point. I'm probably wrong, but I value the feeling I get. Did you get your times' worth when you posted about what someone else should do with their resources? I doubt anyone was swayed by your arguments, so if that was your objective, it's very likely your energy was wasted. Heck, from your point of view, my post is a waste because it's not what you want. :)

    Wasting thousands of dollars on a glued together lego desk is so far beyond reasonable that it can't even be expressed in words.

    I guess it would have been ok if he'd made just a chair? Or just a lamp? Or a cupholder to protect his dead tree desk? That wouldn't have been far beyond reasonable? It's the audacity of making an entire desk that bothers you?

    This desk will probably last for decades, at least as long as a wooden desk, possibly longer. It will provide years of entertainment for all who own it, it serves as an excellent complement to the constructor, the company who bought it, and the employee who receives it. It is a work of art, and it is functional. A normal company would have bought modular cube-farm desks and would not have accepted this employee's demand. Your accusation that this work is wasted is short-sighted and almost as self-centered as my assumption that you care what I think. :)

    Anyway, thanks for playing.
  • Yes, I agree. The plural of Lego is Lego. I cringe when I hear people say "Legos".
  • This got a score of 2???
  • I built one of those in high-school out of a 386 motherboard I had leftover from an upgrade, but it fell apart too much. :) So then I upgraded to a cardboard box. Not esd safe, but when you don't have a stable income, it beats buying a new case. :)
  • Are you aware of how much real office furniture costs? I'm not talking special redwood mahogany whatever-the-heck desks; I'm talking about the standard desks you'd find in any well-set tech office. Hell, the furniture in my research labs at my University's CSE department is all ergonomicly designed, which is to say expensive. I'm not sure if the price comparison is as disparate as it could be.

    -JimTheta
    ---
  • I would have thought one of the "cool" things about a lego desk would be the ability to reconfigure it. Gluing them all together makes that kind of hard.

    But one of the uncool thing is having some tyke disassemble it, on "Bring your child to work" day.
  • Wouldn't have the strength. The engine would still have to be metal, so then you'd need a metal chassis(sp), and therefore you'd basically got a normal car, with a lego shell. Which btw- would crumble when going over the first bump, or hitting another car.

    I've heard of picking up the pieces after a car accident, but... :)

    ---

  • One word: Capitalism.
  • Seeing what the guy did with the desk border (a repeating pattern of 1x1 bricks in red, blue, yellow, and white) something occured to me...

    With such a large surface and so many 1x1 bricks the guy could have actually made an image. All someone would have to do is open a nice desktop image (like some wallpaper of a nature scene or a space scene or hell, render something cool) and then convert it to a 2-bit (4 color) image. Scale to the size of your LEGO desktop.

    For example, if the total desktop is 640 x 480 LEGO units in size, that's more than enough resolution for a very impressive image.

    Damn, if I ever built my own lego desk, I definitely think that's the way to go. Maybe this is the next step in LEGO? Lego dithered art?

  • Actually, what the original poster was refering to was not a computer CASE made out of LEGO blocks, but, a computer made out of LEGO blocks.

    The computer in question was a mechanical computer made of Tinker Toys. If it's indeed the one that I'm thinking of, it's a very task specific 'computer' that does one thing - play Tic Tac Toe. It's a pretty interersting contraption to look at - damned complex.

    I would toss a link to the original /. article here, but, I can't find it anymore :-/

  • Having looked at this, does anyonw know why there aren't any blue and yellow blocks available?

    It would be better if there was a larger selection available - although I can see the trees being used in some landscape somewhere...

  • If he wanted, he could coat the main area on the top with a couple hundred pieces of Part #3493 [slashdot.org] to make it somewhat smooth enough to write on, I guess.
  • If I had that kind of power I wouldn't waste it on a stupid LEGO desk. What about a better computer, or health benefits, or stock. Not some useless and impractical piece of plastic furniture.

    Honestly, some people just don't deserve their "good fortune".

  • Why are you so critical? (Score:3)

    by Trans ( 209035 ) on Sunday August 27, 2000 @01:13PM (#824113)
    I'd be laughing my ass off now if I were him. Come on man, have some fun!
  • I can see it now, a company is created devoted entirely of making furniture out of Lego because other Nerds will start asking for Lego Desks, and why not a fully adjustable lego chair? You could save money by ordering bulk directly from Lego. The possibilities for things made out of lego is endless, Legoland is a great example. Me, personally i'm waiting for a car that is built entirely out of lego. Entirely, the engine and all, of course it wouldn't be a internal combustion engine, but a nice electric one would be interesting.

    ---
  • True, but that just seems more annoying to me. How the hell does this guy write on anything?

    While it would be nice to be able to build a hutch/printer stand/etc on top of the desk, it would still be a lot more flexible if you could change any of it.

    But since the person who ordered it was apparently some overpaid weenie that was being catered to by a stupid high tech company, he probably wouldn't reconfigure it anyways.
    A true geek would have no pride in using a LEGO desk unless he made it himself.

    I bet after using it for a bit he'll want a normal desk.

  • Re:Woah! Cool! (Score:4)

    by Accipiter ( 8228 ) on Sunday August 27, 2000 @01:24PM (#824116)
    Woop!

    Seems this dude does lots of other cool models [ericharshbarger.org] as well. This guy sure knows his Lego.

    Also quite impressive, is his Model of Tux [ericharshbarger.org]!

    -- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?

  • No, not at all. That would totally miss the point of the whole thing.

    The problem is that Lego doesn't sell all of their pieces in bulk yet.

    --

  • I suppose this would require a design made from modules. Each module would be glued together. But the modules are simply snapped together to form a sturdy desk. With a little bit of work, the desk could be reconfigured to whatever degree the modular design permitted. [Without any insmod, depmod, etc.]
  • Ok, now there's no excuse not to start building your own large-scale Lego project. You can now order Lego pieces in bulk [lego.com]. How cool is that?
  • I wanna crapper made o'Lincoln Logs an'an erector sports car.

  • Absurd Design? (Score:3)

    by Luminous ( 192747 ) on Sunday August 27, 2000 @02:59PM (#824121) Journal
    I am curious why the designer of the desk didn't desing it so large sections were glued together and then interlocked. Let the entire top of the desk be three sections so other sections can be snapped on. Need to do some writing, snap on the flat surface and the pen holder. Going to be doing some heavy duty computing, snap in the ergonomic sections.

    Also if the entire desk is actually several components, then shipping becomes easier.

    A more impressive design would combine the computer and the desk, but until I get the money, time, and skill to do it, I guess I should just sit back and be impressed.

  • How the hell does this guy write on anything?

    Write? What do you mean by wri... ahh, that's that old analog medium of communication. You mean people still use that? :)

    :wq!

  • Building some Lego Mindstorms into the thing would open more posibilities.

    How about adjusting height/tilt of the table top for different types of work with the touch of a button? Code locking the drawers, remote controlling stuff, automatically rearanging the desk (moving mousepad, phone etc for lefthand/righthand users) emptying the pencil sharpener when it's full and so on... Hey, it might even remote controll a small robot to carry out the trash and bringing your favourite refreshment for you!
    ---
  • The site is under stress, so if you just want to see a big picture without going thru the intermediate page, here' s a link [ericharshbarger.org].

  • Is LEGO a proprietary standard? (Score:3)

    by zlite ( 199781 ) on Sunday August 27, 2000 @01:27PM (#824132)
    Given how expensive LEGO is and how simple the APIs are (pretty much raised dots spaced X on blocks shaped Y) you'd think there'd be a host of generic clone/competitors. But there aren't. MegaBlox come close, but if you've tried to mix and match LEGO and any of the look-alikes, you'll find that the substitutes don't fit well and are made from a different plastic with different surface finish and color. Kids reject these imposters every time.

    Why is this? Does LEGO sue anyone who makes an exact clone? Surely any patent expired long ago (plenty of other people make raised-dot-and-hole building blocks). Can you copyright *dimensions*?

    I know the brand is the big thing, but as a parent with LEGO-hungry kids (actually they're into Duplo, the toddler-size blocks, which are obscenely expensive) I'd happily buy a no-name if it worked. But there's nothing out there that does. Is this market failure or something more sinister from LEGO HQ?

  • Offtopic but interesting... (Score:4)

    by plastik55 ( 218435 ) on Sunday August 27, 2000 @01:28PM (#824135) Homepage
    Some physicists are in the habit of using Legos for making small adjustments in optics. This is because the studs have high enough friction that you can tweak two blocks relative to one another and they'll stay in the position you set them at. it stays bent. My freshman physics prof gave a demonstration on interferometry this way; he had a mirror mounted on a stack of legos (IIRC), which he could tweak by hand until it was at the right position.
  • Actually. Lego does sell in bulk. It was on /. a while back.
    http://slashdot.org/articles/00/06/14/1242242.sh tml

    The link to the site is....
    http://www.lego.com/bulk

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