ismael chang ghalimi

LEGO

As a kid, my days were spent attending school, watching TV, and playing LEGO. There is no other toy that will foster a child’s creativity while teaching advanced mechanics principles, subtle arithmetics concepts, and real-world 3D geometry, all with a healthy dose of practical sense. As a grown up, I have played with the first a second generations LEGO MINDSTORMS, but ended being frustrated with the complex user interface. So when I read in Wired’s last issue that LEGO was coming up with a third generation called NXT, I got excited again. Just read the specs: NXT Intelligent Brick, USB & Bluetooth interfaces, 3 interactive servo motors, 4 sensors (ultrasound, sound, light and touch), intuitive programming software, and support for both PC and Mac. A LEGO hacker’s dream! May, when is my birthday again?

[...] As mentioned in this previous post, I love playing LEGO. A couple of months ago, May and I built the Star Wars Imperial Star Destroyers (Ref. 10030, 3,104 pieces). We had so much fun building it that May recently bought Vader’s TIE Advanced (Ref. 10175, 1,212 pieces) and the Imperial AT-ST (Ref. 10174, 1,068 pieces). May picks the pieces up, and I do the assembly. Next, we might get the Death Star II (Ref. 10143, 3417 pieces), or try to get our hands on the now discontinued Snowspeeder (Ref. 10129, 1,457 pieces). And we are eagerly waiting for the rumored release of the collector’s edition Millenium Falcon. [...]