Lego

LEGO Photo is a free photo-manipulation app that automatically creates pointillist versions of your snapshots using virtual Lego blocks.

As with similar fun-with-photos apps, you can either use pictures from your device or you can snap a new pic from directly within the app. Once you choose (or take) a picture, the app spends a few seconds "Lego-izing" the image. You then tap the screen to see the transformed image, and then continue tapping to cycle through numerous different palettes, from primary colors to shades of gray. Once you're done, you can save your creation to your … Read more

I'd like to give a tiny Golden Globe to all the fine people who put together these incredibly detailed Avatar Lego dioramas. That's my kind of 3D.

Many of these are repurposed from older Lego sets, such as Halo and (gasp!) "Toy Story," which in a way is an apt metaphor for Avatar itself, no? Either way, another win for the hobbyists! (More photos after the jump.)

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Admit it, you've often wondered what you'd look like if someone were to build you out of Lego blocks. Unless you're a celebrity (or a famous, inanimate object) chances are slim someone's gone through the expense and effort to do so. With a firm grasp on your inner desires, Lego has come up with an iPhone app called Lego Photo that re-creates the multicolor, brickscapes based on any photo you've taken, or have stored on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

All you have to do is pick a photo from your library, or snap one … Read more

It wasn't all keynotes, lectures, and roundtable discussions at last week's BlackBerry Developer Conference in San Francisco. Programmers, business folk, and even some journalists got a chance to test their skills maneuvering a motorized robot through an obstacle course--using a BlackBerry Storm as the controller (video below).

A development group within BlackBerry-maker RIM conceived of the Robot Challenge, and constructed four bots from a Lego Mindstorm set. It also built four identical obstacle courses that include a zig-zag gauntlet, a ramp, and a shooting gallery. Players who weren't able to get their robots over the finish line … Read more

Do you feel like you need one more music game for the holidays? It's getting pretty strained, isn't it, between The Beatles: Rock Band, Guitar Hero 5, DJ Hero, Band Hero, and now this very family-friendly-oriented spin on Harmonix' franchise, Lego Rock Band. Taking two gaming hits--games based on Lego, and Rock Band--and combining them sounds like a slam dunk, but how does this all work out? We played it and have our thoughts.

Good news: you won't need new instruments. Lego Rock Band uses the same drum/mic/guitar compatibility system that's finally starting to become an industry norm. The other fun thing about Lego Rock Band is its weird, whimsical settings and sense of humor. All the Lego games, from Indiana Jones to Star Wars, have shared a Charlie Chaplin-ish winking humor with frequently cute/bizarre overtones, and the rock "battles" aboard pirate ships and other settings makes for music videos worth watching in the background. Other than that, it's standard Rock Band stuff. The game is developed by TT Games, the group responsible for all the other Lego titles, so it feels consistently similar to what you might be expecting, except with a Rock Band engine attached.

Bad news: 45 included tracks span pop and mainstream, and the game will also access the online catalog of Rock Band DLC tracks--but only ones that are considered family-friendly. That means some songs won't make the import cut. The censorship is annoying, but the Lego versions of rock stars almost make it worth it.… Read more

SEATTLE--In one corner of the exhibition hall, hands sift through bins searching for rare pieces missing from vast collections. In another area, a giant Lego person rides in circles atop a brick rendition of the Segway scooter. In between are myriad Lego creations large and small.

It was all part of BrickCon 2009--a four-day festival devoted to Lego, the Danish creation that celebrated its 50th birthday last year.

On display were pieces of Lego art, replicas of real cities and even visions of an apocalyptic future crafted from the signature blocks. For those seeking to build on expansive collections, … Read more

In the world of submicroscopic physics, things happen that really can't be observed. So when scientists at Johns Hopkins University need to see an example of interactions between various nanoparticles, they simply make blown-up versions of what they're studying--with Legos.

In the video above, Manuel Balvin demonstrates how different sized ball bearings move differently through a gravity-driven field of pegs. The same reaction can be assumed to work at the nano level, meaning the research can be done more practically.

And these aren't special science Legos, these are the same off-the-shelf toys that we've all loved for years. … Read more

Even though I'm an adult, I'm known to pull out the bucket of Legos and play fairly often. They're great for sparking the imagination--and that's now true in the kitchen, as well.

The Rolling Cookie Cutter from Lego allows you to make cookies in the shape of Lego bricks. The roller cuts cookies into 2x2 squares, one of the standard sizes for Lego pieces, with each cookie measuring about 1 inch by 1 inch. The Rolling Cookie Cutter uses plastic for the actual cookie cutter, mounted on a stainless steel handle with a silicone grip.

The … Read more

James May, co-host of U.K. car show "Top Gear," has a new gig for entertaining engineers and toy lovers alike.

The show, "James May's Toy Stories," engages the public in extreme building with favorite childhood toys and films the communal construction in progress.

While the show won't air until spring on BBC Two, photos and videos of the projects are already showing up online.

May's show includes the construction of the first house made almost entirely out of Legos. It's located on the Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking, Surrey, England.

The … Read more