Construx Oil Platform

Where does gas come from Dad? Well son, it is made from oil. Let's build an oil rig!

That's roughly the conversation that lead to us building our latest Construx creation. An oil platform is a challenge because it needs a ton of surface area, and needs to rise out of the sea and support itself. Each of the 4 supporting pillars is made from 27 tubes. That's 104 tubes total, so it took some time to build those. They sure are strong though. I'm sure they could hold 20 pounds, or more.

Some other features of the build:

• Lighted drill tower
• Helipad built from a case, with cargo helicopter
• Two cranes
• Support watercraft
• Sleeping quarters

Along with the Construx men populating the platform, you'll see some Fisher Price Husky Helpers. It is interesting how these Husky Helpers figures always end up in a pile of Construx. I have gotten half a dozen of them buying Construx off of eBay. For the most part, they fit Construx chairs, and their rugged theme fits with many of the things you can build with Construx, so they work well.
Sadly, the platform only lived for a couple of weeks as it was using up the majority of our knots and we couldn't build much else :(

What will we build next? What would you like to see us build?

The Big Wheel

This Construx creation was a ton of fun. I wanted to build something with a large rotation structure and the kids came up with the idea of a Ferris Wheel. This was also a great chance to use the huge quantity of seats that I have.
The challenges for this build were

• Determining a gondola width that could be built and still allow the wheel halves to connect
• Sizing the wheel based on the ability to make a circle. Construx generally build in straight lines. You have to convince them to be other shapes.
• Keeping the gondolas right side up. All of the gondolas rotate, but the weight of the figure alone wasn't enough to overcome the rotating piece friction. The glowing bells were added as a cool little hack. They glow in the dark which looks great. They add a little weight to help the rotation. Finally, they are just low enough that they scrape the ground if the gondola isn't level. The scraping rights the gondola for another trip around the wheel. It really looks cool when the wheel spins.

Step right up and buy a ticket!

Construx Antarctic Research Station

Continuing on our science theme, my boys and I moved on from our Space Shuttle and build a Antarctic Research Station. Our station is modeled after the Halley VI Research Station. It contains 4 main sections.

• Power Station
• Sleeping quarters
• Observation stand and lab
• Helipad and drinking water system

The whole thing is on skis, just like the Halley, and has joints to allow it to flow with the changing surface. We had lots of fun building it and even more fun shooting photos of it in the snow.
Leave a comment and let us know what you think. Construx!

Construx Space Shuttle

It started simple enough. The boys were home for Christmas vacation and we were playing Construx as we've been known to do. Since I love every minute with my Construx, I jumped on eBay to see what might be available. I found a great Space Shuttle set for a reasonable price and bought it. That was the beginning. When the shuttle set arrived, we quickly built it. It's a fun set with an opening cargo bay, complete with an arm to deploy satellites. Fun. Dreaming a bit, I wondered if we could add on some solid rocket boosters and the familiar fuel tank. That was trickier than expected. Building a tube that long that doesn't fall apart at the slightest nudge took some trial and error. Here is what that looked like.

Then we really started wondering. Could we build a full-on crawler and launch pad? Of course we could! This thing has treads, working lights, actually crawls and hooks up to a launch tower we built. This was so much fun, I just had to share it.

Use a Flickr Search as your Apple TV Screen Saver

Many people know that an Apple TV can display Flickr photos, but did you know that Flickr can be your Apple TV screensaver as well?

You can set it up to display photos of a particular Flickr user, but I find it even more powerful to use a search.

1. Start by accessing the Flickr item from the Internet menu.


2. Perform a search for your subject.


3. If you are happy with the results, choose to Save Search


4. Exit back out to the main menu and choose Screen Saver from the Settings menu.


5. Choose the Photos menu item, then Flickr, and then select one of your saved searches.


6. Select a theme for your screen saver and you are done.

I'm sure you can think of all sorts of searches that would be fun to have displayed. Maybe you are having a themed party but you don't have time to curate a slideshow. Perhaps you'd like to enjoy the colors of the season. Maybe you just like a good photo set, like Bike Bridges, National Parks, Cities at Night, or Tebowing!

Have fun

My Music Buying Evolution

• Sorry Target, Musicland has replaced you due to better selection.


• Sorry Musicland, I always hated you. The local indy record shop has replaced you due to better selection, better prices, and being within walking distance of where I live.


• Sorry local indy, Music Boulevard has replaced you due to way better selection, better prices, convenience, and it doesn't smell like incense.


• Sorry Music Boulevard, I love you, but CDnow has bought you.


• Sorry CDnow, the Amazon freight train has hit you. This is a good thing.


• Sorry Amazon, Apple iTunes has replaced you because they don't sell shiny discs which leads to convenience, previews, and music snacking.


• Sorry Apple, between (legal) free stuff, Amazon MP3, Beatport, and my existing collection, I don't buy much from you anymore.


• Sorry everyone, Rdio has pretty much replaced you all. I haven't spent this little for music since I was mowing lawns as a kid. I get more music than ever before. The experience isn't superb, but it's pretty good.

Who's next?

Books of 2010

One of my goals for 2010 was to read more. As a kid, I'd be in the library all the time, taking home armloads of books. This faded as I got older. I missed the books and made an effort to get back to them.

Here's what I read this year. Clearly I enjoy non-fiction. See if you can spot the lonely fiction book. You might also notice a few themes that are important to me right now. Have you read any of these books? Do you have recommendations on ones I might like?

Back to the Classroom

Apple and schools have always gone together. Everyone in my generation has stories about a computer lab full of Macs when they were growing up. In recent history, Apple offered the eMac, but that died in 2006 and never got a satisfactory replacement. Is the time right to get back in the classroom?

While I don't consider Macs overpriced, the low end iMac is $1199 and the cheapest Mac mini runs $699 before adding a display. Add in the cable clutter, and I'm not sure Mac minis are the best options for a lab. I found myself looking at what Apple has done with their A4 platform and iOS and wondering how it could fit.

Apple is killing it with their platforming. The iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Apple TV are sharing most of their components, and even boards. Given that these are selling in quantities measured in hundreds of millions, their margins are great and give them some pricing freedom (Apple TV for $99). iOS is solid and only getting better. What if Apple built a new eMac based on the iPad?


Stands result in compromises, so all we need is a proper desktop case and a keyboard. The keyboard is easy. We already have it. For the case, let's look back to the sunflower iMac. That's the one with the articulating arm that was designed to easily move the screen and then have it stay put. Why do we need this? This is the answer to Gorilla Arm. Apps such as word processing, reading, video lessons, and anything with a light use of UI can be used in the vertical mode. If you are painting, drawing, or playing a touch based game, grab the edge of the display and pull it down. It will look just as Apple has patented it. When you are done, toss back to vertical. Can't you see Jony Ive holding back a joyous giggle as he shows you how this works?

Unibody aluminum will hold up well to kids knocking them around. The high degree of recyclability sets a good example as well. The minimal power draw of the A4 will lower utility bills.

Speaking of bills, I'll price this at 5 of them. $499 buys you the eMac + keyboard + iWork suite. Pages becomes the AppleWorks of today's generation. After unboxing, go crazy in the App Store. Apps like The Elements, Brushes, Google Earth -- the store is popping with great apps that kids will love. No need to be a switcher later in life. Kids will grow up with it.

I also think there is value in the inherit limitations of iOS. When I wrote papers on a IIc, I didn't have distractions. The computer and app were the same thing. The iPad brings this focus back. Sure, multi-tasking is on its way, but the OS is still designed with a singular app as the focus. This lowers the computer literacy bar, encouraging kids to get on with the creation, rather than get bogged down in the process. It can also aid in administration. For example, Grade 1 gets their own screen of apps. No unnecessary windows. No launchers present when apps are running. It just keeps things simple.

Will Apple actually build something like I envision? I feel like their are bigger fish to fry for them, but I think it would be amazing to see them take it back a little and return to the classroom in a big way.

Favorite Hauls

Here are some of my favorite hauls with our Xtracycle Radish.

Bikes in bikes. Always fun.


The grandparents don't have cargo bikes, so I needed to take them a car seat :)


The library is always a good destination.


Take back bottles and come home with some fresh groceries.


One of many loads going to Goodwill as we declutter. I love how the FreeLoader bags just take everything. I thread their straps through bag handles and it works great.


Taking all 3 kids solo to daycare.


Entertainment for the kids that are in the other bike.


If we're going to a ski show or fireworks display, we can still fit a stroller for the little one. It is amazing to just roll right into the main crowd and lock up instead of parking a mile and a half away and hiking it along roads.


Selling my extra smart home wiring to a friend at work. I was told I just needed a trench and could have dropped cable at speed!


Parks are the most common destination. Why load up in the van to go 1 or 2 miles?

5 of The Now

I've had this playlist labeled July 5otn for some time now, so I guess it is time to post it. I love that Amazon has albums that include these tracks for $5. Can't beat that.

• LCD Soundsystem - Home
  
  This is definitely the album of the summer for me. The home theme throughout the record is heartwarming.


• Robyn - Fembot
  
  Why isn't this blowing up the radio? Catchy track, good lyrics.


• Chemical Brothers - Escape Velocity
  
  
  I have been lucky enough to see the Chemical Brothers live. The moment I heard this track, I felt like I was back at their live show. I dig the vibe.


• LCD Soundsystem - All I Want
  
  Delightful and emotional.


• Baje One - Computer Rock
  
  DefJux baby. Go download this for free. I love the freestyle at the end too.

5 of The Now

• Deadmau5 - Ghost N Stuff
  
  I'd go to any haunted house playing this :) Deadmau5 and Evil Nine should put on the disco-graveyard-ball.


• Booka Shade - Teenage Spaceman
  
  Dance music for when you're tired. I picture musical notes slipping under my outstretched body and carrying me away like cartoon ants at a picnic.


• Broken Bells - The High Road
  
  The Start. Boys and girls, Broken Bells have made an album. An album! Picking it apart track by track should not be done, but I did. Album - go listen.


• Broken Bells - The Mall & Misery
  
  The Finish. Album.


• Gorillaz - Stylo
  
  Groovy and chill. I overheard a kid at the mall calling this a "Staying Alive" rip-off. Thoughts?

5 of the Now

• Sinner DC - Digital Dust
  Sinner DC made my short list of albums of the year for 2009. I've been playing this so much, my kids now ask for it by name when they want to listen to music. I think this track is ripe for a slick commercial about external harddrives or cloud services. Ooooo, how sexy.


• Jurrasic 5 - The Game
  It's basketball season, so this is appropriate. Found on their Quality Control album, but my favorite is the live performance in DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist's Product Placement mix.


• Massive Attack - Pray for Rain
  
  I'm settling in to the new album. This is a standout. Plus there is a Tim Goldsworthy mix!


• Massive Attack - Paradise Circus
  
  So chill. Love this. Gui Boratto mix doesn't disappoint either.


• Evil Nine - Burn it to the Ground
  These boys are fun to follow on Twitter, and they'll dish out some good stuff every now and then. This is the old school Evil Nine that I still prefer.

2009 Albums of the Year

I figure I better get my albums of the year for 2009 in before February is over, sheesh.

There weren't many big albums for me in 2009, but the ones that made the list this year feel a little different than previous years.

• Porno Galactica - Romance In The New World
  
  Have to support these guys. I loved their live show and I dig the album. Nice work.


• Sinner DC - Crystallized


• Owl City - Ocean Eyes
  
  This is a fun album, you can't deny that.

Past albums of the year: [2008] [2007] [2006]

Building a Better Mobile Sports Site

One of the greatest effects to emerge from the iPhone influence is that web designers care a little more about alternate browsers. We've had technology to present alternate presentations of content for years, but other than working around browser quirks, few did anything with the knowledge that a user might have something other than a full screen 1024x768 browser running.

Today, many major sites have a mobile version, and quite a few have mobile versions specific for the iPhone. This is great for users. They get the content they want, in a package suitable to their device. Well, mostly.

There is still work to be done. Even the mega-brands, like pro sports leagues, seem to trip up a bit when building their mobile sites. As a sports fan, and a mobile Internet user, here is my take on two of these sites. The NFL and the NBA.



This image shows both the homescreen you get, along with a full page of scroll to give you a better idea of the experience you'd have if you were actually holding an iPhone in your hand.

What strikes me immediately is how little of the first screen actually contains content. Both sites include their logos and a Menu button. I don't know why I'd need a Menu button, but I get why the logo is important.

The NFL site hits me with some ads. I guess I can understand that. The NBA site does as well, but for its own products. I especially like how the NBA ads say "Click Here". For starters, no one clicks on mobile devices. They tap. Second, I really hope we get to a point where we don't have to tell people to "Click Here". It's like painting "Drive Here" in the middle of a highway lane. Are there still people waking from their Rip Van Winkle and whipping out an iPhone?

Both sites contain worthless headers like "GAME CENTER" and "SCORES". How many helmet to helmet contacts does it take before you are unable to recognize a score? Do we really need to waste the space to tell me something I already know?

Overall, I really like the NFL site. Once you scroll down a bit, you get a perfect mobile view. You see teams, scores, and the network they are playing on. That is perfect. That is exactly what I want and expect. Move the "Week x" links to the bottom and we're really talking.


Then there's the NBA. Here you see 3 views of the site, about a month apart. The most you can ever see without scrolling is the scores of two games. Even then, they don't seem to bubble the in-progress games to the top, so you have to scroll past info you've already been alerted to, possibly for a few hours while you follow the games of the day. The rest of the screens are filled with even more worthless stuff like a "Mibox" (what the hell is that and why should I care) and links to the D-league.

Hey NBA, NO ONE CARES ABOUT THE D-league. Why would you waste this precious space on routes out of the site that your user specifically just came to? The funny thing is if you go to nba.com, the D-league link isn't prominent at all. What made you decide that mobile nba.com users were the ones that needed to see giant links to the D-league and the WNBA?

I guess what I'm asking for is a simple experience.

• Don't treat me like an idiot with labels for things that don't need labels. You don't label the free-throw or 3-point line on the court do you?


• Today's games are more important than tomorrow's or next week's. Move that navigation to the bottom.


• Don't give me personalization features unless I opt to have them. Welcoming me as "Guest" is annoying, not helpful.


• Tell me where I can experience your product. That means, tell me what TV network is showing the game. Gold star to the NFL for already doing this. I absolutely LOVE this feature and it keeps me coming back every week.