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7 Insights from Apple’s Garage Startup

jkellerps — Sat, 15 Dec 2018 16:30:25 +0000

Do you have a garage, basement or spare room? If so, you may own valuable commercial real estate. Apple Computers, Disney and Google all started in garages. Learn 7 steps to make your garage into the next successful startup space. 1. Identify Your Interests Steve Wozniak, affectionately known as “Woz” grew up loving electronics. But […]

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The Birth of an Invention

jkellerps — Tue, 16 May 2017 09:45:54 +0000

Farming changed forever when Cyrus McCormick introduced the mechanical reaper to the world. Although Cyrus brought this invention to its birth, its origins are more complex. Learn 3 stops on the timeline of invention, and see a LEGO® combine. When Cyrus was about 7 years old, his father Robert began tinkering with the idea of […]

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Micro-Scale Millennium Falcon

jkellerps — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 23:30:56 +0000

Who doesn’t love an old, clunky spaceship that can outrun the emperor’s own finely-tuned fleet? I enjoy seeing LEGO models of Han Solo’s Millenium Falcon, but there are few versions that I have enjoyed more than Chris Walley‘s micro-scale. I asked Chris for three tips on how to build a beautiful micro-scale, and the last […]

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How an Artist Invented Texting

jkellerps — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 02:00:11 +0000

Aptitude is everything. Or is it? Little Sammy Morse was an artistic boy and wanted to become a painter, but his parents didn’t think relying on art for a living was such a good idea. After Samuel spent a year working as a clerk at a publishing firm, his parents paid for him to study […]

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Generate Ideas Like a Rocket Scientist

jkellerps — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 13:30:53 +0000

Half a century before his time, Robert Goddard took a quantum leap in scientific speculation. His 1920 scientific paper proposed that rockets could propel themselves through space even without an atmosphere to push against. His idea defied the conventional understanding of cause and effect, resulting in a mocking New York Times editorial that concluded: “Of […]

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Round Pegs and Square Holes

jkellerps — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 10:00:38 +0000

If I gave you a pile of rectangular bricks, what would you build? Many would build a wall. My 3-year-old would certainly build a tower. People expect a square wall from square bricks, but they are more impressed by a curved arch from those chunks of masonry. Masterfully demonstrating the “wave technique” in this surfing […]

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Escaping the “Brick Blahs” with Birgitte

jkellerps — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 13:30:06 +0000

Have you ever wondered how some artists display such amazing creativity? Builder Birgitte Jonsgard took the time to share a few secrets and an interesting visual trick. JD: Birgitte, how do you escape the “blah” to find creative inspiration? Birgitte: Creativity is not the easiest topic to say something sensible about. It is such an […]

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Discover When to “Stick” Out Failure

jkellerps — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 01:00:39 +0000

You have likely used a Post-It® Note, but do you know who invented them? Originally discarded as a failure, the adhesive that made the World’s favorite sticky note was ignored for years. Tasked with developing a high-strength glue, Spencer Silver accidentally made the weak adhesive we now find on Post-Its®. But he didn’t dream up […]

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Do You Know the Story of the LASER?

jkellerps — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 00:40:47 +0000

Because he was not part of the elite scientific establishment, the inventor of the LASER struggled his entire life to receive the credit he deserved. Curious, adventuresome and somewhat creative as a child, Theodore Maiman wasn’t afraid to look at things a little differently from the crowd. Maiman started his experiments early. At three and […]

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A Simple LEGO Kingdom

jkellerps — Tue, 07 Mar 2017 10:00:05 +0000

Bad news: there is no formula for creating an awesome LEGO castle like this one. Although Igor Elshin (Sunder_59) built this model more by feel than by a set of rules, he was able to share a few pointers with me. Looking over Kazum’dar Castle from a bird’s-eye view, I was impressed by the clean […]

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How About Some Stinky Tofu?

jkellerps — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 11:43:22 +0000

Whether or not “stinky tofu” is one of your favorite foods, you will like the rich detail of this modular LEGO street scene. Detail, color, minifigs, and food make this LEGO Ideas project worth checking out. See some of the modules below. The braised snacks car uses foods of warm colors (red, yellow, orange, and […]

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We Have a Winner! …And a Body of Work.

jkellerps — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 11:38:33 +0000

This playful caricature of “Hank” from Finding Dory is just one example of the creativity DOGOD Brick Design builds into his plastic sculptures. DOGOD is the winner of Master Builders’ first contest with his Charlie Chaplain model shown below. Pixar films are a great source of unique faces for builders to tackle. But sometimes it’s […]

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