You want this. You all want this.

[mangosteen]

I hereby declare this cool enough to mindlessly propagate.

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000333056413/

"File this under “wish we had this when we were kids”: LEGO is starting a new program called LEGO Factory where you can download a desktop application that allows you to create a custom brick design. You can take the designs you create using the LEGO Digital Designer software, upload them to the LEGO website, and actually order a kit of LEGO bricks that will make the design you spec’d out. Sweeeeet! We really ought to finish this post but, um, we got some LEGOin’ to take care of — see ya!"

Actual LEGO Factory link: http://www.lego.com/eng/factory/default.asp?bhcp=1

Comments

[caulay.livejournal.com]

OK, that is cool enough.

And there are both PC and Mac versions. This is a good thing.

[madbodger.livejournal.com]

Lego is finally getting a clue as to what kind of people with huge disposable incomes
are buying their product. Says the guy who just posted a Mac screen saver to his LJ.

[xthread.livejournal.com]

Omigod that is so fucking cool.

Take me, take me now...

<Insert rant about the economic viability of really, really small scale manufacturing and desktop foundries and prototyping>

[blackanvil.livejournal.com]

Working on some small-scale rapid prototyping in steel concepts myself. mmmm, someday we'll have the in-home instatiator, capable of making what we want when we want it. :)

--doug

IIEEEE!!!!

[jyeshtha.livejournal.com]

OMGs!!! That's just way too spiffy for words (hence the girlish squeal)... Going to go and build a... a... damn... my imagination just stalled...

(pouts)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_nicolai_/]

You have no idea how dangerous that will be in the hands of geeks with real salaries and credit limits to their name.

[mangosteen]

Oh, I think I do. :)

One possibility that comes to mind is designing some 40-50 block vehicle/ship/doohickey, getting 30 kits of it done up, and handing them out as party favors.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_nicolai_/]

Or take several designs, and then give out the minimal union set of bricks for assembling all of them. See what happens.

[hopeforyou.livejournal.com]

Two words:

Escher blocks.

[drwex]

Oh good, they're finally getting this done. I saw a version of the proposal for this at the Lab in... mm, '98 I think. Height of dot-com craze and everything-can-be-done-on-the-Web silliness and was treated with arm's length disdain, iirc. Nice to see the idea survived in some form.

Neat!

[marmota.livejournal.com]

Aww. You had my hopes up that it was a custom *piece* designer... I was just geeking with lenny and hobbit the other day about the woeful lack of internal-tooth ring gears in the Technics product line. Still, it does look like a cool way to get bulk(ish) amounts of the more esoteric pieces! Now to just get the darn client to work under linux...

[kalimar.livejournal.com]

Eeee-VIL. That is all. We now return you to your regularly scheduled geeking.

Not to mention that there is a Death Star II model.

[danger-chick.livejournal.com]

Uh, BTW, you are coming to dinner tomorrow night, yes?

The Danzigers would love to see you.