To Rent or Own...LEGOs that is...

Ok, so this is my second LEGO related post in as many; however there is a new start-up that is attempting to take the LEGO world by storm....or at least make it more affordable to build the newest sets without the clutter. It's called Pleygo and their concept is to get subscribers in a similar fashion to many of the online TV and movie streaming businesses. You create your Wishlist and voilà, they send you the newest LEGO set for you to create. Once you've finished your masterpiece, take a picture to preserve that momentous occasion and toss it back in the box and mail it back so your next one can arrive.

They theorize this will keep your home free of the clutter and the LEGO builder's interest piqued as new and exciting sets are changed out regularly to allow for hours of new creating. I would agree that getting new things is at minimally a temporary high, however this feels like it's a plan destined to fail. Remembering way, way back to when I was a child, I rarely recall trying to build the precise building or vehicle that the set was designed to create and instead enjoyed the creating process of new and exciting things that I thought up on the fly. In many ways, LEGOs are just a tool that allow people to express their creativity in a physical form. The creation process is much more valuable than the "can you follow the step-by-step instructions" of creating the Taj Mahal in LEGOs. We as adults have all the time in the world to get our fill of step-by-step instructions and mindless hours assembling furniture from IKEA! This is the part that I think Pleygo has missed the boat on regarding their LEGO rental concept. I for one want to see what an individual can create given a blank slate, a bucket o' LEGOs, and the time to perfect their masterpiece. The imagination is where we begin the process of problem solving at an early age. Should we lose focus of this most important skill, then we will deprive ourself of the one trait that truly sets humans apart from the animal kingdom.

To read more about this endeavor: http://www.dailycandy.com/everywhere/article/148281/Pleygos-Lego-Rental-Service?vwink=dc:synd:outbrain_Article:148281


- Design is what you make it.

The Colorful World of LEGO

At least that's how one typically thinks of those snap together blocks that every kid has played with, built with, and created amazing things....if only for a short period of time before they took it apart to create again. I admit, since I was a little kid I loved my LEGO sets. I never followed the designs on the package, rather opting to create new and exciting (at least to me) structures, vehicles, and places that only my imagination understood. All the colors of the rainbow. Mixed together and rarely sorted. Well that is about to change for this generation of designers. LEGO has created a new series, they call it Architecture Studio. It's a monochromatic (White and Clear) set for the modernist inside each child. This set looks drastically different from it's older brother of opaque and colorful versus lack of color and transparent. Will it provide the same kind of love and interest as the original? The initial thought is a resounding yes, only time will tell; but this architect does believe it will be around for generations to come just like the original.

http://archrecord.construction.com/yb/ar/article.aspx?story_id=189192450

- Design is what you make it.

Breath of Fresh Air

What is safe and unsafe? With new products constantly hitting the market, only time will tell. According to Consumer Affairs, a class action lawsuit has been brought upon SPF (Spray Polyurethane Foam) as being carcinogenic.
So I pose the question, what is one to do when new products enter the market and there hasn't been a true design study to verify the impact (positively or negatively) by that product? Just keep reading about the products is all one can do for now.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/homeowners-claim-spray-in-insulation-remains-toxic-071513.html

- Design is what you make it.