A Dow-Jones reporter covering a recent American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting found that, "Perhaps the most original display of this year’s meeting — which wrapped up yesterday — was from Seattle Genetics. The company invited participants to place Lego blocks to build a huge model of an antibody conjugate — not-so-coincidentally, a type of drug Seattle Genetics is developing. That class of treatment uses a cell-killing drug attached to a type of antibody so that the large-molecule drug seeks out the cancer, then kills it.
In planning the assembly, the team required about 85,000 Lego pieces (mostly green ones).
To build the model, two Ohio State University professors/self-proclaimed Lego enthusiasts–Paul Janssen and Benn Coifman–were enlisted. Both are accomplished Lego model builders: Coifman has built more than 200 model trains from the small plastic bricks, while Jannsen got some attention recently for making an intricate
eight-foot-by-eight-foot model of the university’s football stadium.
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Paul Janssen's to-scale replica of Ohio Stadium
took more than two years to build. |
"Paul Janssen is 42 years old. He's an associate professor of physiology and cell biology and an associate professor in cardiovascular medicine at Ohio State University. He holds a Ph.D.
And he loves playing with Legos.
"People who haven't seen the Lego models built don't know what it takes, and they easily dismiss it," Janssen said. "But it's not playing anymore; it's using it as an art medium. I've seen many people who think it's a nerdy hobby, but I haven't met anyone who, once they've seen it, still holds that view."
Janssen began playing with Legos when he was around 4 but stopped once he got to middle school -- plastic bricks took a back seat to soccer and girls. Years later, however, he took his old toys out to play with his son, and it snowballed into a hobby.
This continued love for the toy propelled Janssen to construct a to-scale replica of the Buckeyes' famed Ohio Stadium ... entirely out of Legos. It took him four years to collect the pieces and more than 1,000 hours to actually build the horseshoe-shaped stadium -- a difficult task given the rectangular shape of the bricks."
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Something amazing to watch - two great LEGO MOC designers - V&A Steamworks vs. 2MuchCaffeine - going head-to-head for a month to determine who is the Iron Builder. In every MOC they have to include this tan arch piece:
2MuchCaffeine (Rod Gillies) - recently submitted this Shogun Showdown (June 4). I love Japanese-themed LEGO creations, and have a strong admiration for Rod's ability.
As IMDB says: "Nickname: the Japanese Walt Disney.... Hayao Miyazaki is one of Japan's greatest animation directors. The entertaining plots, compelling characters, and breathtaking animation in his films have earned him international renown from critics as well as public recognition within Japan. The Walt Disney Company's commitment to introduce the films to the rest of the world will let more people appreciate the high-quality works he has given the movie-going public."
Hayao Miyazaki is the director of such classic animation films as Howl's Moving Castle (2004), Spirited Away (2001), Princess Mononoke (1997) and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984).
The recent USA Today article chops a few years off his age, and makes a LEGO Certified Professional disappear (they said Ryan is one of only 12 - not 13) in the world!). They report, ""LEGO Love Boat," as it's being called, will be on display this month in Chicago at Brickworld, the world's largest LEGO convention. Made up of more than 250,000 LEGO bricks, the ship is McNaught's largest creation ever and designed to evoke the Princess Cruises ship that was the setting for the Love Boat television show of the 1980s. The LEGO ship includes over 450 miniature LEGO people "enjoying a fabulous cruise and the best holiday they have ever had," McNaught writes on his website, thebrickman.com. The vessel measures over ten feet long by nearly five feet high and includes powered functions such as a moving anchor, bow thruster and propeller. The lifeboat also can be raised and lowered.
