Nov 13 2009 Yeah, No: Video From Top of The Burj Dubai
This is a video taken from the top of the Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world, at 2,684 ft. Jesus, that's half a mile. Can you believe humans are even capable of this? I can't -- I shit my swim trunks on the high dive once. But, to my credit, I did do one hell of a cannonball.
This Video From the Tip Top of the Burj Dubai Makes Me Sick to My Stomach [gizmodo]
Thanks to Rick, who has dived off higher platforms into a cup of water. I mean, he died, but he did do it.
Sep 28 2009 Eat Your Peas: Construction Equipment Flatware For Kids (And Shameless Adults)
This set of Constructive Eating Kids' Utensils costs $20 but some of the proceeds go to funding health services for children. So that's cool. Plus, heavy machinery, how can you go wrong? BEEP BEEP -- back that thing up and dump some mashed potatoes IN MY MOUTH!
Transform mealtime into an educational, interactive construction zone! Construction-vehicle shaped fork, spoon, and pusher-scoop set makes learning to self-feed a fun activity.
* All materials FDA-approved, PVC/Phthalate/BPA-free
* Vibrant colors are stimulating and captivating
* An asset in the development of hand-eye coordination
* Dishwasher-safe
* Paint-free, lead-free
Okay, so they were really fishing for product attributes. When lead-free becomes a sellable product attribute for UTENSILS, you know you've hit rock bottom. That said, how much you want to bet that a study comes out soon touting lead is actually beneficial to a child's development? Trust me, these things are cyclical. Also, I make fake studies.
Thanks to Miss Bowser, who feeds her father, King Koopa, with an airplane spoon made from a real airplane.
Aug 28 2009 I Could Do Better: LEGO House Construction
Remember the story about the house in Britain that would be constructed entirely out of LEGO blocks? Well this is it, mid-construction. I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed that it has a wooden infrastructure. I thought the whole damn thing was gonna be LEGO, right down to the john.
This two-story Lego palace, which resides in the middle of a vineyard, sports a working bathroom, and is covered inside and out with bricks pieced together by 272 Legos. Over three million bricks were used to build the Lego pad, so doing some quick math here -- that's over 816 million Lego pieces!
I have no idea whether the math in that quote I used is correct or not, the important thing is that it's Friday and I am putting pants on for the first time this week and getting the hell out of here. Town, prepare to be painted red! With vomit. I like fruity drinks!
This Old House: UK Toy Master Builds House From Legos [geekstir] (with a whole gallery of construction pictures)
Thanks to jessica and Rogefgv, who once built a house of K-Nex but it was blown down by the big bad wolf and then he ate them. The end.
Aug 2 2009 You Did It Wrong: Building Demolition Fail
This is a video of a building demolition in Turkey (arguably my favorite country on rye) gone horribly wrong. Now I'm not saying I could have done better, but I totally could have. With fireworks.
Thanks to Lord Tarl, who once imploded a building simply by looking at it funny (and secretly pushing the detonator).
May 29 2009 46-Foot Long Self-Supporting LEGO Bridge
In an attempt to create the world's longest self-supporting LEGO bridge, a group of LEGOphiles in Australia have constructed this 46-foot long behemoth as part of the 2009 Australia Model Railway Expo. Now I'm not suggesting we start building real bridges out of LEGO, but I mean, we definitely should. And, to give you an idea of just how large this thing is, it's 46-feet. That's like ten of my penises laid out. Widthwise. Lad-- no?
Hit the jump for two more shots.
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May 29 2009 No, No, No: Japanese Killer Construction Bot
Wow, they're not even trying to make them look cute anymore. The Japanese born ROBOTOPS is a construction robot whose name is spelled in all caps because IT MEANS BUSINESS. The killing business.
The four-legged, two-armed robot is actually a kind of automated mobile crane with 29 functioning joints for picking off humans, and of course the occasional piece of construction material.
Using a high quality three-chip CCD camera, the robot can be operated remotely for particularly dangerous jobs.
And no, I didn't alter that quote at all. Finally, people are starting to get the picture. It's comforting to know I'm not the only one that sees a problem here. Seriously, Japan -- you know I love you (manga, sushi, worn panty vending machines), but this shit has got to stop. Because if not, well, Godzilla. Just sayin', we share a special bond (read: intercourse).
Japanese construction firm unleashes insectoid robot crane on humanity [dvice]
Thanks to cougar78, Aaron and John, who know the only good robots are the little guys from Batteries Not Included. Am I right? No, that was a test and you all failed.
Aug 6 2008 Radiohead's House Of Cards In LEGO Form!
Remember Radiohead's House of Cards video that was shot with lasers instead of cameras and then all the data was made available to everyone to do whatever they wanted to with it? Well Ian Mackinnon took that data and rendered the video in 3D using LEGOs. Wicked! I embedded the video in high-quality because the low-quality one was looking kind of blurry, but it's still not super. But hey, we work with what we're given, don't we? You wouldn't ask someone you allegedly love to use a pump, would you? No, because you respect what they were given. Even if they are 26 cards short of a deck. HIYO -- card tie-in!
Radiohead's House of Cards Video Rendered In 3D Using Legos [gizmodo]
Jun 12 2008 Chicago Building World's 2nd Tallest Building
Chicago has started construction of the world's 2nd tallest building, the Chicago Spire, which, when completed in 2011, will stand 610 meters (2,000 feet) tall. However, the accolade will be short lived, as the 612 meter (2,009 foot) Russian Tower in Moscow is scheduled for completion in 2012. The Chicago Spire will be the world's tallest residential-only building though, and have 150 floors with 1,194 condominiums ranging in price from $750,000 to $40 million (a nice place to visit but a better place to rob). Let's see, what else? Ah yes, the spire makes one complete 360 degree turn from top to bottom and "has been labeled as a giant 'drill bit' by the public and others in the media have likened it to a 'tall twisting tree' and a 'blade of grass'". Wow, those are the worst descriptions I've ever heard. These people are either pretentious a-holes are high as hell on their own 'twisted trees' and 'blades of grass'. Seriously, it's a giant freaking dildo.
May 19 2008 Dude Undresses Chick With Heavy Machinery
This is a video of some guy undressing a chick with a mechanical digger. I'm petitioning to make it an Olympic sport. It was apparently on some Italian variety show and at first I thought they were using a mannequin. But they're definitely not, it's a real chick (hence the lifelike picture there). At the end of the video she's only wearing underwear and a camisole top or something, so this may be considered a little NSFW. Unless you work for a construction company, in which case this should be required viewing. Anyway, the guy completes the task in just over four minutes, which was pretty impressive. But I could have done it in three -- with a bulldozer.
Hit the jump for the slightly NSFW video.
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Mar 31 2008 Seoul Commune 2026 Looks, Uh, Interesting
Since I know so many of you out there love conceptually crazy buildings, here comes another -- Seoul Commune 2026. Not exactly the design I would have gone for, but what do I know? I've only won the damn commune design competition eight years running. Anyway, Green Towers is to be built in Seoul, South Korea and cover approximately 400,000 square meters. Each of the 15 towers will range in size from 16 to 53 stories, and all will look ridiculous. What exactly was the inspiration for these things? Coral? Mushrooms? Misshapen dongs?
The towers' functions are separated into public, private, and commercial, offering purely-private rooms called "cells", communal spaces for public activity and welfare/medical facilities. The base of the 15 towers, where the park merges with the towers, creates the widest spaces of the site. Above, the first floor is 75 meters wide and extends up to the height of the first five stories. The ground floor space is reserved for pedestrians. Three walkways converge there and circulate around each tower's elevator core.
Screw it, I'd live in one.
Several more pictures of the ridiculousness after the jump.
Continue Reading " Seoul Commune 2026 Looks, Uh, Interesting "
Feb 11 2008 Dubai Building World's Tallest Arch Bridge
They do things differently in Dubai. They like their stuff bigger, taller, and more expensive than anywhere else. So it only makes sense that construction of the world's tallest arch bridge begins next month. The bridge will peak at 670 feet, have 12 lanes of traffic, and handle up to 2,000 vehicles per hour. Scheduled completion is slated for 2012, after $817 million in construction. Nice, Dubai, nice. You may soon own almost every single Guinness World Record, but you won't own one -- world's biggest drinker. I own that one, and I won't give it up easily. As a matter of fact I already had a whole bottle of Jack Daniels for breakfast. Literally, the whole bottle, glass and all. It's gonna suck to pass, but I'll deal with that when the time comes.
World's tallest arch bridge being built in Dubai next month [dvice]
Nov 26 2007 Life-Size LEGO Figure Is Cool, Cardboard
A man has made a life-size LEGO figure entirely out of cardboard and hot glue, complete with removable and rotating body parts.
All flat and rounded surface planes of the original LEGO man were measured to the 32nd of an inch and mathematically converted to recreate the LEGO man at 60" (5ft) tall. The proportions of the 60" final piece are accurate to the 16th of an inch, with cardboard thickness taken into consideration. All surface scores performed with X-acto at 1/2" intervals for rounded applications.
The whole project took about 50 hours from start to finish. I wonder if he's going to paint it, or if that would detract from the whole "it's made of cardboard" appeal. Painted or not, I do know one thing -- this would make the world's awesomest piñata. Fill that sucker up with airplane bottles and have at it. Ever seen a life-size LEGO figure bleed little liquor bottles? Me neither, but I just made it my life's goal.
Man Makes Life-Sized LEGO Minifig from Cardboard [boingboing]
Oct 4 2007 Nail Assist: For Struggling Carpenters
I'm building a pirate ship and taking it out to sea to rob and pillage the rich, so you better believe I can drive a nail straight. For those of you who can't, you should learn. For those of you that aren't into learning there's the 'Nail Assist' system. You put a nail in the tube, put it where you want, and bang on the big ass top with a hammer. Please note: Your wife will probably insist you do the cooking and laundry and that she'll handle the home repairs if you're caught with this thing. She may also cheat on you. Which you will deserve.
One more after the jump, just in case the concept is beyond you.
Sep 25 2007 World's Largest Pencil Video
Why put the roof on a house when you can build the world's largest pencil? That's exactly what these construction workers thought when they made an 18,000 lb., 76 ft. long (functional) writing instrument. It allegedly represents 1,900,000 small pencils and took two weeks to make. It's basically a tree that's been painted yellow. I need to get my hands on that bad boy, because I have a ton of oversized checks that need depositing.
World's Largest Pencil Video [techeblog]
Aug 21 2007 Japan's Plan For World's Tallest Building
Inspired by Mount Fuji, Taisei Construction Corporation has completed designs for construction of the world's tallest building. The X-Seed 4000 would stand at approximately 13,123 feet (4 km), nearly 700 feet (213 m) taller than the real Mount Fuji. The next tallest buildings don't even break 2,000 feet, how puny! While likely to never be built, the X-Seed would have up to 800 floors, and be capable of housing between 500,000 and 1,000,000 people.
Unlike conventional skyscrapers, the X-Seed 4000 would be required to actively protect its occupants from considerable air pressure gradations and weather fluctuations along its massive elevation. Its design calls for the use of solar power to maintain internal environmental conditions. Some estimate that the cost to construct the X-Seed 4000 structure may be somewhere between $300-900 billion US dollars.
Now I'm no astronomer or anything, but if I learned anything in grade school, it's that 13,123 feet is pretty much the distance to the sun. Which means that the top floor would be perfect for a natural sauna. You heard it here first, if they end up doing that I want credit.
A few more conceptual pictures after the jump.
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