LEGO:
I'm sure that if you've grown up any time after the 70's, you'll know a thing or two about LEGO. If you're older than that, it's those damn expensive things that your kids asked for when they were growing up, some time after the 70's.
If you still don't know, Google LEGO, and you'll get an endless list of results that could take several days to sift through all of the interesting things in. Just about anything you can think of has been made out of LEGO at one point of time or another. There are several theme parks around the world dedicated to this magnificent and ageless toy. The interchangeable bricks are made for ages 0-100, and bring a joy and frustration all their own, and if you have never played with them, you should try it, even if only so you can say that you have. You need not be a rocket-scientist, an engineer, an artist, or even very creative or imaginative to enjoy LEGO in some respect. It is the simplest concept that has become something quite astounding. And there is an element of deeper complexity that isn't clear on the surface - something as brilliantly simple as the Fibonacci Sequence permitting the infinite complexity of a Mandlebrot set.
Very simply, the basic LEGO element is a block, hollow on the inside, with 'bumps' on the top arranged in a linear array in equal distances in two directions. I think the basic, most recognizable element has two rows of four bumps. These can be stacked on top of each other, and next to each other in a manner that permits them to interlock, and create structures, artwork, and any number of things. They are available in an array of colors, sizes, and even thicknesses to be sure. As the toy has advanced from its humble beginnings in a wooden toy shop in Germany in 1932, 'special' pieces have been developed from the mini figures, to wheels, to wings, antennaes, tools, canopies, etc. There are hundreds of different LEGO elements available today.
Growing up as a child, I did not have the latest video game systems, or the coolest bike, or skateboard. I have never owned a pair of roller blades, or a hockey stick, or ice skates, and my collection of hot wheels fit neatly into just one carrying case. The toy that permeated my memories of growing up was, you guessed it: LEGO.
But you see, I didn't have every LEGO set I wanted either. Even back then, LEGO was very expensive. One of my childhood friends, to my knowledge, had the first LEGO set in the United States, when his father traveled to Germany for business, and brought it back as a gift. I'm certain that has no bearing on the eventual import and marketing of LEGO over here, but suffice it to say that his LEGO collection was the target of my envy. I wrote in for the shop at home catalogs, and I drooled over the photos of the available sets for endless hours, dreaming in my head of an unlimited budget, and the orders that I would place. Oh, the things I would build. Another childhood friend traveled to Germany while in Elementary School, and brought back with him a stack of German LEGO catalogs for me to drool over. Things that weren't available over here, things I would never have imagined. And of course, they were the latest, and greatest. I managed to stop drooling long enough to thank him, I think.
But since Mom couldn't afford to keep me drowning in new LEGO sets, I would disassemble the sets in my mind, trying to figure out how they were built. Then I would spend countless hours trying to build them myself with the parts that I had. Most of the time, I would roughly succeed, proud of myself for my work-around to their special parts that I did not have. Sometimes I would be stumped, and all of my attempts failed to measure up to their intended subjects. But most often, I would learn about another way of combining elements to achieve a result. Something to make my models stronger, more robust, lighter, uniform in color, etc. This kept me thinking of how to do it differently. How to make something with what I had. Resourcefulness, if you will. Oh, sure, sometimes you just HAVE to have the right tool. But most of the time, you can get by without it.
As I got older, my models changed from simple to complex. A Mini figure-scale F-14 Tomcat, with retractable gear, and sweepable wings. A 'low-boy' trailer, and forklift trailer with a forklift for my 'Highway Rig' (5580-1). I worked for years to develop front suspension and steering for the Car Chassis (8860-1). Long-travel independent suspension on the same scale that wouldn't require some sort of sliding drive-shaft. Monster trucks, and tractor-trailers to haul them. An entire LEGO city on top of my desk, with a race circuit, and pits, and racing teams. A two-story house, with a zip-lock baggie filled with water, covered with Kleenex as a water-bed. My Brother and I made stop-motion movies, and elaborate scenarios with our LEGO creations. I once built a crane that would hoist 3 lbs from the floor up to the bed, suspended by the top bunk. In High School, I used a programmable robotic arm to show how container trains and semi-trucks have combined to increase the efficiency of product delivery over long distances. But I don't envision my accomplishments to be anything out of the norm for kids who grew up with LEGO. Still, it has inspired, or at least provided the foundation for the career that I am striving for. It has given me a means, and methodology to design. Because of LEGO, I want to be an Engineer.
It seems all too simple when boiled down that way, and there is still so much more to it. Now, to be sure, I've never built any kind of extravagant model like an Aircraft Carrier that is 15 feet long, or a life-size Jack Sparrow. Nothing that I have built with LEGO will or should ever be displayed in a museum, and there are hundreds if not thousands of people with better brick building skills than I. But LEGO has never been the end to me. Only the start. And so, it is LEGO that makes me who I am.
What was your favorite toy growing up? What part of you did you discover during your childhood?
2011-05-31
2011-05-30
In Memory
Memorial day:
Just a little note to say thank you to all who serve this country so that I may retain my freedoms.
And in memory of all those who have paid the ultimate price for this country and all of its flaws, I say Thank you.
Just a little note to say thank you to all who serve this country so that I may retain my freedoms.
And in memory of all those who have paid the ultimate price for this country and all of its flaws, I say Thank you.
2011-05-26
Why I am me, Part 2
Disneyland:
If you go to Disneyland, California Adventure, Disney World, Disney Sea, Disney Paris, or anything else that Disney owns and operates, and you don't have a good time, it's your own damn fault. I don't care if you are 5 or 50, there is something for everyone at every single one of these parks.
I've lived within 50 miles of the original park in Anaheim all of my life, and I love it. Can't get enough. I visited the park hundreds of times when I was a kid. I was fascinated with everything about the place growing up. Was never a big fan of the parades, the quality of which, I kind of miss now. Like the Main Street Electrical Parade for example. That was another LP that I nearly wore out. From what I can recall, I think Pirates of the Caribbean was my favorite ride growing up until I was tall enough to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. BTRR is still my favorite ride in the park, though Space Mountain is quite a bit of fun once you get past the pesky queue. Star Tours got a little old once you'd ridden it a couple of times, and Indy was just never worth the wait.
Still I went. My Dad got my Brother and I Annual Passes (the cool ones with no blackout dates) my senior year in High School, so we went for Christmas (apparently), and all that we could, every chance we got. That was when Disneyland became more to me than an amusement park. Oh, sure, I was still plenty amused. But people watching - usually while waiting for someone was a fantastic past-time in the park. Listening to the partial conversation of someone walking by, or watching a group of people approach the hub from as soon as they came into view at the head of Main street. Sometimes, the people watching was better than standing in line for a ride. So good, in fact, that it didn't matter if we got on rides or not - watching a child throw a tantrum, and the parents try to save face was more fun than riding the teacups. Listening to two girls cackle "Oh my God"s at each other about some guy that was checking them out was better than Small World. And by far the best, and most memorable - Indiana Jones had just opened, and they were still distributing those little glyph translation cards so you could interpret the glyphs on the walls as you enter the temple. Of course, we'd already been on it like a hundred times, so we already knew what they all said. This couple in front of us had a serious PDA issue, and they were getting on my nerves. We came around this corner, and all snuggled up next to each other, they held the card up to share in the translation. In the deepest, most bellowing voice I could muster, I read the inscription from the wall, "Only the blind shall see" Immediately freaked out, they quickly darted glances in every direction, trying to find out where the voice was coming from. My Brother makes a good straight-man. I could barely hold it in. Who knows if they figured it was me or not, but it never seemed like it. But that was more fun than the ride.
There was a period of time where I didn't go at all. My wife and I had our first date there, like 15 years ago. But after that, I didn't go much. Thankfully, a little over a year ago, my wife insisted that we go for her Birthday, and get ourselves annual passes. The park has now become something more than amusement. Sure, we go for date nights, special events, take friends when they are in from out of town, etc. but most of the fun to me, has been discovering the little things about the park that seem to be lost to everyone else.
My favorite thing about the park is the little details. I know it's been there for 55 years, and I know it wasn't always this way, but I like that every nook and cranny that you can get into has some detail in it that just 'makes' it. That completes the illusion. That fully removes you from your daily life. It is those details that so many other places lack, and which so complete the atmosphere. You can't find those anywhere else. Though, I did like it a little bit more when you couldn't see anything outside of the park while inside.
Recently though, I have really been getting into the history of the park. The fact that it has been there for 55 years, and there is that much attention to detail, while astounding in and of itself has led to making keeping track of that history, and those little details even more entertaining. I can't remember the year it was when I first came to the park, but I do remember, and enjoy recalling, for instance, when Splash Mountain was not there, or the Nature's Wilderness train was still sitting, defunct, on the banks of the Rivers of America. I love seeing the progress of the park, in all of its successes, and all of its failures. How many of you remember when McDonald's invaded Frontierland? But knowing the little things about the park makes each visit more magical. Studying, and researching, and learning about the facts, and tid-bits of the ideas and inspiration, and process that went into building a ride, or what used to be there, and then going there, and seeing it with that new fascination and wonder, and knowing more than the average Joe about why the old man coming to see how my eggs are is a big deal. Despite the monster that it has become, I think Walt would have appreciated that those marks of history are still everywhere around the park, and might give a smile if I told him why I loved his park so much. And so, it is Disneyland that makes me who I am.
If you go to Disneyland, California Adventure, Disney World, Disney Sea, Disney Paris, or anything else that Disney owns and operates, and you don't have a good time, it's your own damn fault. I don't care if you are 5 or 50, there is something for everyone at every single one of these parks.
I've lived within 50 miles of the original park in Anaheim all of my life, and I love it. Can't get enough. I visited the park hundreds of times when I was a kid. I was fascinated with everything about the place growing up. Was never a big fan of the parades, the quality of which, I kind of miss now. Like the Main Street Electrical Parade for example. That was another LP that I nearly wore out. From what I can recall, I think Pirates of the Caribbean was my favorite ride growing up until I was tall enough to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. BTRR is still my favorite ride in the park, though Space Mountain is quite a bit of fun once you get past the pesky queue. Star Tours got a little old once you'd ridden it a couple of times, and Indy was just never worth the wait.
Still I went. My Dad got my Brother and I Annual Passes (the cool ones with no blackout dates) my senior year in High School, so we went for Christmas (apparently), and all that we could, every chance we got. That was when Disneyland became more to me than an amusement park. Oh, sure, I was still plenty amused. But people watching - usually while waiting for someone was a fantastic past-time in the park. Listening to the partial conversation of someone walking by, or watching a group of people approach the hub from as soon as they came into view at the head of Main street. Sometimes, the people watching was better than standing in line for a ride. So good, in fact, that it didn't matter if we got on rides or not - watching a child throw a tantrum, and the parents try to save face was more fun than riding the teacups. Listening to two girls cackle "Oh my God"s at each other about some guy that was checking them out was better than Small World. And by far the best, and most memorable - Indiana Jones had just opened, and they were still distributing those little glyph translation cards so you could interpret the glyphs on the walls as you enter the temple. Of course, we'd already been on it like a hundred times, so we already knew what they all said. This couple in front of us had a serious PDA issue, and they were getting on my nerves. We came around this corner, and all snuggled up next to each other, they held the card up to share in the translation. In the deepest, most bellowing voice I could muster, I read the inscription from the wall, "Only the blind shall see" Immediately freaked out, they quickly darted glances in every direction, trying to find out where the voice was coming from. My Brother makes a good straight-man. I could barely hold it in. Who knows if they figured it was me or not, but it never seemed like it. But that was more fun than the ride.
There was a period of time where I didn't go at all. My wife and I had our first date there, like 15 years ago. But after that, I didn't go much. Thankfully, a little over a year ago, my wife insisted that we go for her Birthday, and get ourselves annual passes. The park has now become something more than amusement. Sure, we go for date nights, special events, take friends when they are in from out of town, etc. but most of the fun to me, has been discovering the little things about the park that seem to be lost to everyone else.
My favorite thing about the park is the little details. I know it's been there for 55 years, and I know it wasn't always this way, but I like that every nook and cranny that you can get into has some detail in it that just 'makes' it. That completes the illusion. That fully removes you from your daily life. It is those details that so many other places lack, and which so complete the atmosphere. You can't find those anywhere else. Though, I did like it a little bit more when you couldn't see anything outside of the park while inside.
Recently though, I have really been getting into the history of the park. The fact that it has been there for 55 years, and there is that much attention to detail, while astounding in and of itself has led to making keeping track of that history, and those little details even more entertaining. I can't remember the year it was when I first came to the park, but I do remember, and enjoy recalling, for instance, when Splash Mountain was not there, or the Nature's Wilderness train was still sitting, defunct, on the banks of the Rivers of America. I love seeing the progress of the park, in all of its successes, and all of its failures. How many of you remember when McDonald's invaded Frontierland? But knowing the little things about the park makes each visit more magical. Studying, and researching, and learning about the facts, and tid-bits of the ideas and inspiration, and process that went into building a ride, or what used to be there, and then going there, and seeing it with that new fascination and wonder, and knowing more than the average Joe about why the old man coming to see how my eggs are is a big deal. Despite the monster that it has become, I think Walt would have appreciated that those marks of history are still everywhere around the park, and might give a smile if I told him why I loved his park so much. And so, it is Disneyland that makes me who I am.
Why I am me, Part 1
I am perhaps a little strange. There's probably a reason for it, but I haven't bothered to figure out the reasons for everything I do, because I kind of like who I am. But here, now, for the first time ever, I will attempt to explain away some of the reasons I do what I do, and like what I like. So, I present to you, the first installment of "Why I am me":
Space:
I like space. Space vehicles, Satellites, the sciency stuff about space. Space. Space. What is your favorite thing about space? Mine is space. I have always liked space. I don't know where it comes from really, but I do know that when I was younger, it wasn't so much about the people that made going to space possible; the Engineers, Scientists, Planners, Schedulers, Chemists, Electricians, Production and Assembly, Seamstresses - the hundreds of thousands of people that worked for contractors and sub contractors and all of that - no. It was the vehicle. I have been fascinated with machinery for longer than I can remember. My Mom told me that when I was four, I wanted to be a garbage truck. Not the garbage man - the garbage truck.
So for the longest time, my fascination was about the devices that got us there. The Space Shuttle was-is probably the biggest influence here. I am too young to have known anything about Mercury, Gemini or Apollo when I was younger. I remember as a kid, my Brother had an LP that recounted the first Shuttle mission. We must have listened to that thing a million times. I can still hum the lame theme song that they came up with for it. Looking around a bit, I thank the internet for connecting to some of my childhood memories, because now I can buy that very LP on sites like ebay and the like. But I recall my Brother waking me up for Shuttle launches - I'm still not a morning person. That was about the only thing that could get me out of bed in a flash. It was so exciting to listen to Hugh Harris' distinct voice go through the countdown. Intensity growing as he counted from 10, 9, 8, 7, six, we are go for main engine start, whe have main engine start, 3, 2, 1, Liftoff! Watching the rockets lift the Shuttle into the air, and on its merry way was something that I could never get enough of. If they showed the engineering replays on TV back then like they do on NASA TV now, I would have sat and watched every angle they could have given me. I also know that my Dad played a part in the influence as well. Once, we went up to Edward's AFB to watch Discovery land. I'll touch on that more later. But it was always the vehicles. How cool is the Shuttle that it launches on rockets, and carries that giant tank, then turns into an airplane, and comes back to earth, and land where "it" wants to. All of the mechanisms that thing must have on board. I still drool just thinking about it.
Even more recently, launch vehicles like Boeing's Delta II have come to hold a dear place in my heart. I was more inclined to follow Mars Pathfinder, or Spirit & Opportunity than I was to somehow connect with a live astronaut. Call me an Engineer - I want to see what makes it tick. I'm still learning things about launch vehicles, and complex systems, and how they all play a role in taking man into space, but I am learning more and more that it is not the machines, which are still just as fascinating, but the people that designed, built, and maintain them that make them what they are.
That stated, I am now learning to truly appreciate, rather than simply akowlege the existence of, the people involved, as well as everything that came before dawn of , April 12th, 1981. I am learning just what a big deal it was when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, and how much work actually went into getting there. I am learning about characters like Eugene Cernan who just yesterday, gave a speech about the 50 years since President Kennedy challenged us to go to the moon (my favorite speech ever). I am learning just what upstanding citizens they were, that did the work to get us to where we are today. All of the companies that have been involved in building rockets, landers, rovers, space stations, space suits and everything else that we had to have. Did you know that Playtex was involved with Apollo? Do you know where the Shuttles were built? There is so much that can be known or discovered about what has already happened, that it could consume the rest of your life. Part of me would be content there.
But the rest of me wants to do more. I want to design. To produce. I want to build things. To figure out how to use all of these skills and talents, so somehow contribute to accomplishing something that has never been done before. I want to be part of exploration, and research, and the discovery of what else is out there, or why we are where we are. And so, it is space that makes me who I am.
Do you like Space, launch vehicles, and our accomplishments there? Tell me about it!
Space:
I like space. Space vehicles, Satellites, the sciency stuff about space. Space. Space. What is your favorite thing about space? Mine is space. I have always liked space. I don't know where it comes from really, but I do know that when I was younger, it wasn't so much about the people that made going to space possible; the Engineers, Scientists, Planners, Schedulers, Chemists, Electricians, Production and Assembly, Seamstresses - the hundreds of thousands of people that worked for contractors and sub contractors and all of that - no. It was the vehicle. I have been fascinated with machinery for longer than I can remember. My Mom told me that when I was four, I wanted to be a garbage truck. Not the garbage man - the garbage truck.
So for the longest time, my fascination was about the devices that got us there. The Space Shuttle was-is probably the biggest influence here. I am too young to have known anything about Mercury, Gemini or Apollo when I was younger. I remember as a kid, my Brother had an LP that recounted the first Shuttle mission. We must have listened to that thing a million times. I can still hum the lame theme song that they came up with for it. Looking around a bit, I thank the internet for connecting to some of my childhood memories, because now I can buy that very LP on sites like ebay and the like. But I recall my Brother waking me up for Shuttle launches - I'm still not a morning person. That was about the only thing that could get me out of bed in a flash. It was so exciting to listen to Hugh Harris' distinct voice go through the countdown. Intensity growing as he counted from 10, 9, 8, 7, six, we are go for main engine start, whe have main engine start, 3, 2, 1, Liftoff! Watching the rockets lift the Shuttle into the air, and on its merry way was something that I could never get enough of. If they showed the engineering replays on TV back then like they do on NASA TV now, I would have sat and watched every angle they could have given me. I also know that my Dad played a part in the influence as well. Once, we went up to Edward's AFB to watch Discovery land. I'll touch on that more later. But it was always the vehicles. How cool is the Shuttle that it launches on rockets, and carries that giant tank, then turns into an airplane, and comes back to earth, and land where "it" wants to. All of the mechanisms that thing must have on board. I still drool just thinking about it.
Even more recently, launch vehicles like Boeing's Delta II have come to hold a dear place in my heart. I was more inclined to follow Mars Pathfinder, or Spirit & Opportunity than I was to somehow connect with a live astronaut. Call me an Engineer - I want to see what makes it tick. I'm still learning things about launch vehicles, and complex systems, and how they all play a role in taking man into space, but I am learning more and more that it is not the machines, which are still just as fascinating, but the people that designed, built, and maintain them that make them what they are.
That stated, I am now learning to truly appreciate, rather than simply akowlege the existence of, the people involved, as well as everything that came before dawn of , April 12th, 1981. I am learning just what a big deal it was when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, and how much work actually went into getting there. I am learning about characters like Eugene Cernan who just yesterday, gave a speech about the 50 years since President Kennedy challenged us to go to the moon (my favorite speech ever). I am learning just what upstanding citizens they were, that did the work to get us to where we are today. All of the companies that have been involved in building rockets, landers, rovers, space stations, space suits and everything else that we had to have. Did you know that Playtex was involved with Apollo? Do you know where the Shuttles were built? There is so much that can be known or discovered about what has already happened, that it could consume the rest of your life. Part of me would be content there.
But the rest of me wants to do more. I want to design. To produce. I want to build things. To figure out how to use all of these skills and talents, so somehow contribute to accomplishing something that has never been done before. I want to be part of exploration, and research, and the discovery of what else is out there, or why we are where we are. And so, it is space that makes me who I am.
Do you like Space, launch vehicles, and our accomplishments there? Tell me about it!
All Shiny and New
No, not the love boat. My blog.
I've never had a formal place to put whatever I want, and I know there are a million such places on the interwebs, so if you have come here by accident, I hope you enjoy. If you have sought me out, thank you, and if you don't like it, these are not the droids you are looking for - move along.
I've never had a formal place to put whatever I want, and I know there are a million such places on the interwebs, so if you have come here by accident, I hope you enjoy. If you have sought me out, thank you, and if you don't like it, these are not the droids you are looking for - move along.
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