Hasta La Gadget!

Robot toys aren’t what you’d normally expect from Microsoft’s developer-focused Build conference, but that’s just what the company served up today. In a chat about developer tools, Microsoft’s VP of Web Services Antoine Leblond demoed a version of Lego Education’s unreleased Mindstorms EV3 platform using — what else? — a brick-built robot and a Surface tablet. Citing the Win RT APIs that let users interact with device-specific protocols (i.e., USB, Bluetooth, etc.) Leblond was able to stream live video of his face, using a separate Windows tablet, to the tank-like franken-toy. All whimsy aside, this MS / Lego collaboration’s less about giving kids a neat, remote spying tool and more about making programming fun and approachable. You know, STEM stuff. And we’re all for it.

Filed under: Robots, Software, Microsoft

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Japanese artist Rie Hosokai, of Daisy Balloon, created this amazing piece of high Lego fashion for Tokyo’s "Piece of Peace" charity exhibit at the Parco Museum. Structurally it’s simply stunning (albeit a bit Disney Princessy). The construction, contour and shape are based on Hosokai’s balloon dress. As an item of haute couture, it’s not so utilitarian. But as an avant-garde work-of-Lego-art it’s simply stunning.

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LEGO is a family-friendly brand, so I can say with a high degree of certainty that they’ll never release an official line of Game of Thrones minifigs. But that didn’t stop one enterprising LEGO fan from creating a line of custom Game of Thrones figures.

LEGO customizer miniBIGS has created this series of five Game of Thrones minifigs, including Eddard Stark, Jon Snow, Arya Stark, Tyrion Lannister and Daenerys Targaryen (complete with one of her baby dragons.) Each one is made using genuine LEGO parts, custom pad-printed similarly to how factory LEGO bricks are printed by Citizen Brick.

Each of the minifigs perfectly captures the spirit of the characters from the TV series. I love the little wine cup for Tyrion, and how Arya has her needle. Though it seems as if they got stuck after season one. I mean, where’s Melisandre? What about Mance Rayder? Still I’d be happy if he even added an oversized Hodor minifig. And I want a Joffrey minifig, just so I can melt him in the oven. Hopefully, these guys are working on some more.

The individual figures sell for $15(USD) each, or you can grab the set of five for $65.

It’s a great time for Lego: there’s going to be a movie based on the building bricks, and the company just announced its latest set. As a part of Lego’s Cuusoo project, fans are able to send in designs and ideas for future Lego sets, and the Mars Curiosity rover won this round, beating out

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That’s right, folks. An official Lego movie is coming, and it brings all sorts of nostalgic action that looks to be a flick for the whole family. Warner Bros. just released the official trailer of The Lego Movie, and it gives us a glimpse of what to expect when the movie sees a theatrical release

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