Lo! Behold. Genius LEGO machine. Creative Amaze-Balls!

(-: Wanna play LEGO :-)

Did you know... LEGO is an abbreviation of the Danish words "leg godt" meaning "play well"

LEGO is much more than a child's toy. It's a cult and culture among curious and creative minds.

Serious LEGO players - call them Lego architects, engineers, even Lego robotics creators - and hardcore fans are united via forums, websites and services worldwide. Among the most popular is LUGNET - International Lego Users Group Network, global community of LEGO enthusiasts.

What started as a family-owned toy shop in Denmark by the Kristiansens circa 1932 (The LEGO Group is still owned by the same family) is today a household name showing no signs of waning.

Among the most loved brands in the world, the 6 Lego Brand Values: Imagination, Creativity, Fun, Learning, Caring, Quality - have enthused and inspired kids - of all ages - for generations.



The amazing LEGO Brand Framework I found on Jarther Taylor's Twitter stream.


The Most Insane Lego Machine I’ve Ever Seen

The post (in blue below) was originally published by Jesus Diaz, Editor, Gizmodo: the go-to authority for gadget news and digital culture.

Jesus seems a bonafide LEGO aficionado and gadget geek. I loved the sheer energy and passion he's written the article with. Apart from the writing flair, the piece truly carries breath-taking content... The LEGO Great Ball Contraption is unlike anything I've seen. Creative Amazeballs !!!

Long Live Ideas, Innovation and Creativity. Anyway, that's enough chatter. Hit "Play".




Madness. This. Is. MADNESS! Its creator calls this machine the Lego Great Ball Contraption. I don't know what to call it. Gjhiqjmvcdzz. Askjgsprgnyasdkfnipjreg. Thqruwm—-I've no words to describe the awe that I've experienced watching this video. It surprised me at every step. I've never ever seen any contraption so glorious and crazy.

Built in his house by Lego genius Akiyuki over the course of two years, for a total of 600 hours of construction time, the machine has staggering dimensions: 17 modules that process 500 balls for a length of 101.7 feet (31 meters) at a rate of one ball per second. The total size is 5 by 21 feet (1.5 meters by 6.5 meters).

But this is not just about its crazy size. It's about what this thing does. The modules are pure genius. Some of them should have their own video, like the archimedes screw or the basket shooter. Here is the list of modules, in order:

1. Ball factory
2. Zigzag stair
3. Zigzag lift
4. Pneumatic
5. Cup
6. Screw T1
7. Basket shooter
8. Mechanical train
9. Screw T2
10. Screw T3
11. Spiral lift T2
12. Elevator & coaster
13. Fork
14. Spiral lift T1 & step
15. Catch & release
16. Belt conveyor & pinball
17. 5-axis robot S750

It uses every trick in the book. The more I watch it, the more I'm convinced that LEGO should hire him to demonstrate the power of their bricks all around the world. Heck, give the man control over all your inventory, Lego. He's the kind of guy that would build a full-size mecha factory out of your bricks. [Thanks D4rKlar!]


Bonus:

Although no connection to Lego, here's another mind-blowing, meticulously mounted, painstakingly executed shot-in-one-take ad for Honda titled The Cog. (The ad has its own page on Wikipedia!)





Coming back on topic: 'Lego House' - a popular song by Ed Sheeran (also with it's Wikipedia page) carries a metaphorical reference to a Lego House as resilience in life. Really neat track.


Ed Sheeran - Lego House (Official Video) from Ed Sheeran on Vimeo.


Where Lego dreams come true

There's very little that can't be (or hasn't already been) built with LEGO. From pharaohs to castles to... you name it, think it, build it. LegoLand Parks, Hotels & Resorts are where it all comes true.

Earth Park by Sachiko Akinaga, LEGO Champion (View Image Gallery)

Virtual Dreams

You can now play LEGO online. Build, publish and share your virtual brick & tile creations over the web. Google has taken LEGO to the virtual world via Build With Chrome.

Sign-off...

The true beauty of LEGO lies in its universal like-ability and cultural connectivity.

Children all around the world love playing LEGO. Some kids never outgrow them ;-)

Just like little Dee who's well and truly gone and LEGO-fied yours truly! 

Have fun with content. It's good for you. And your brand.

Fun has a funny way of catching on. When you're having fun, people feel it, sense it and get in on it. It's the equivalent of not taking oneself too seriously. NASA and Gotye get it. Brands should too.

Here's a brilliant, bang-on-brand example from Volkswagen: The Fun Theory.

In recent times, one of the most significant achievement for all humanity (along side the Olympics) has been NASA's Curiosity rover landing on Mars.

While the actual video of the landing (below) went wildly viral, here's the parody with hilarious remixed lyrics spotted on Mashable of the joy that erupted at the base station. It's called:

"We're NASA (and we know it)". A spoof on LMFAO's "I'm sexy (and I know it)".




Curiosity Mars Landing - Full HD Video. Congrats NASA, JPL, MSL on the incredible feat.




In the creative world, a sure sign of success is when your work gets imitated. In the digital world, you know you've made it when the parodies land up on YouTube.

Another example of having fun is Gotye who took crowd-sourcing talent to a new level by creating a "Best of the spin-offs" - a mash-up of all the user-uploaded versions of his worldwide hit song "Somebody That I Used to Know" ft. Kimbra.



The Original Video with 315 million+ hits. Be warned! This song ain't catchy... it's contagious!



Among the better ones of the thousands of parodies that got the whole world to take notice.


Gotye himself took notice and rehashed the online clips into a "Somebodies" YouTube Orchestra.

Top Gun: F-15 dogfights - Awesomeness at High Altitude!

High-speed awesomeness... straight out of Top Gun. Only difference, this is real.
For these jet fighter pilots, there are no retakes, no post-edits and no trick shots.

Some of the coolest content I've seen in a long, long time. Hold on tight. Enjoy your flight.


Read more on Business Insider.