Google Reader Shared Post - Source URL AllThingsD

Google Reader Shared Post - Source URL AllThingsD

Google Reader Shared Post - Source URL GeekDad

You know Lego Master Builders — or at least you know their work. They are the geniuses who design the Lego sets you buy in the store. Now, Lego has cleverly turned the Master Builder designation into a series of lessons on Lego-building called the Master Builder Academy.

The Academy consists of a three-year run of models, delivered by subscription every two months. Individually, each kit is nothing really amazing — the first is a space ship model with a mere 178 parts. However, the instructions contain the true value of the product. In addition to the standard building step-by-steps, each booklet has tons of Lego building techniques, the sort of material most adult Master Builders had to learn on their own or by reading AFOL forums. For instance, one instruction includes the use of an L-shaped brick. A footnote mentions that this is to add structural support. Nearly every page of the instruction book has one or more of these tips. There’s even a dedicated MBA site with additional resources.

The Lego models that come in the MBA series are decent, small-scale models, not gigantic headliners but modestly challenging smaller kits. Intriguingly, each can be built into three different models, adding value to the product and encouraging kids to learn to use bricks in different ways.

Kit 1 is a trio of rocket ships, kit 2 teaches microbuilding, where you use as few bricks as possible to build your creation. Kit 3 builds three types of robot, kit 4 are airplane models as well as an exclusive MBA minifig! Kit 5 are animals and kit 6 are race cars.

The targeted audience of the Academy is kids 8 and up, and the skill level of the first set (the only one I’ve seen) seems spot on for this age group. Though honestly, what adult Lego fan wouldn’t want to become an official Master Builder?

Pricewise, the way it works is that you buy the first set for $29.99 and from there subscribe for the rest of the year for $69.99, giving you five more sets for a total of six. The total price of around $100 for nearly a thousand elements and over 400 pages of Lego lore sounds spot on.

Google Reader Shared Post - Source URL XKCD

New research shows over 60% of the financial collapse's toxic assets were created by power drills.

Google Reader Shared Post - Source URL The Daily What

Before And After of the Day: Missourian Aaron Fuhrman — a self-taught landscape photographer — has been traveling around Joplin, photographing heartrending panoramic shots of the devastation left in the aftermath of Sunday’s tornado.

Fuhrman lined up one of these panoramic photos with a Google Street View screencap of the same intersection to illustrate the comprehension-challenging extent of damage caused by the twister.

[buzzfeed.]

Tagged: Before And After, Joplin, Joplin Tornado

Google Reader Shared Post - Source URL Freakonomics

Back in 2005, Levitt wrote about Planned Parenthood’s clever strategy in response to people picketing one of its clinics in Philadelphia. The tactic, known as Pledge-a-Picket, worked like this: for every protester that picketed the clinic, people pledged to donate a certain amount of money (minimum 10 cents). The event raised a reported $40,000, and is now a part of the clinic’s annual calendar.

At the time, Levitt predicted that abortion clinics around the country would soon adopt the approach. It turns out, so has comedian Lisa Lampenelli. The Daily What reports:

Comedy’s Lovable Queen of Mean Lisa Lampanelli made good on her promise to donate $1,000 to the Gay Men’s Health Crisis for every Westboro Baptist Church member who showed up to protest her recent stand-up show in Topeka, taking to Twitter after the show to say “Thanks to these a-holes, $44,000 will be donated to the GMHC!!!”

She later bumped it up by $6k, tweeting “WBC inbreds counted 48 protesters, so I won’t quibble. I’ll make it an even $50,000!!!”

Best part? The donation will be made in the hate group’s name. Thanks WBC!

Google Reader Shared Post - Source URL TV Squad

Shared by Adam Fort
Once again FOX. Why do I even bother ever watching your network.

Filed under: Reality-Free, TV News

It's that time of year again, the upfronts, when TV networks decide which shows live and which shows die. This year Fox has become the first network to announce which shows are being culled, and it's bad news for Christian Slater. Again...

Fox announced that it's cancelling five of its live action shows: 'Human Target,' Lie to Me,' 'The Chicago Code,' 'Traffic Light' and 'Breaking In.' It also dropped the ax on some of its drama pilots, including the much talked-about 'Locke & Key' and 'Exit Strategy.'

Angry fans turned to Twitter to vent as the news broke late Tuesday, with 'Human Target' fans being among the most vocal. In fact, according to THR, they tweeted so vociferously that the show became a Top 10 trending topic.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Google Reader Shared Post - Source URL TV Squad

Filed under: Reality-Free, TV News

It's that time of year again, the upfronts, when TV networks decide which shows live and which shows die. This year Fox has become the first network to announce which shows are being culled, and it's bad news for Christian Slater. Again...

Fox announced that it's cancelling five of its live action shows: 'Human Target,' Lie to Me,' 'The Chicago Code,' 'Traffic Light' and 'Breaking In.' It also dropped the ax on some of its drama pilots, including the much talked-about 'Locke & Key' and 'Exit Strategy.'

Angry fans turned to Twitter to vent as the news broke late Tuesday, with 'Human Target' fans being among the most vocal. In fact, according to THR, they tweeted so vociferously that the show became a Top 10 trending topic.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Google Reader Shared Post - Source URL Darkgate Comic Slurper

Google Reader Shared Post - Source URL Not Always Right | Funny & Stupid Customer Quotes

(911 Call Center | Muskegon, MI, USA)

Me: “911, how can I help you?”

Caller: “Yes?! Hello! I live at [location]. My husband was stabbed by a madman! Oh, god! He’s outside my bedroom door! He’s knocking on it!”

Me: “Alright, ma’am, a police–”

Caller: “What?!”

(Suddenly, there is a lot of talking and a bit of laughing.)

Caller, to someone else: “You ****! You scared the **** out of me! A prank?! I called the **** police! I could have gone to jail!”

Caller, to me: “I’m sorry, ma’am. It’s a false alarm.”

Me: “Um, alright.”

Caller: “Actually, send over a cop car. I’m about to murder two men.”