April 13, 2010, LEGO Idea Conference : Bilund, Denmark. Scientists, academics, and technology innovators from around the world gathered at LEGO headquarters for the LEGO Idea Summit.  The concept was innovation through the increasingly integrated worlds of technology and building using the imagination.  The commonalities and analogies between LEGO, software and building architecture were highlighted in the sessions.

In both the enterprise, private sector and consumer space we clearly face a massive influx of information. And with that comes a lot of noise. How do we handle this?  Education and re-educating our educators.

Richard Stephens, SVP, Human Resources & Administration for the Boeing Company describes the skills re-tooling challenge brought on by technology.  His concern? That today’s youth need to be better equipped for the uncertainty of tomorrow’s problems. (Little did he know an educated workforce would be scratching their heads stymied about quite the uncertain problem a mere 2 days later.)

“Today’s education system of knowledge transfer is not equipped for problem solving. Information learning is not the issue.”  Information is all too easy to find. Education needs to be more about teaching the skills for intelligent decision making.

He continues “Excellence in the future workforce will be defined not by memorized data and information but by capacity and capability, driven by imagination and creative intelligence.”

“We are attempting to educate and prepare students (hire people in the workforce) today so that they are ready to solve future problems, not yet identified, using technologies not yet invented, based on scientific knowledge not yet discovered.”

Professor Joseph Lagowski, University of Texas at Austin

April 14, 2010, LEGO Kids Tech Challenge: Bilund, Denmark. This one day workshop harnessed inspiration and creative ways to come up with techniques to teach children through technology that hasn’t been invented yet. LEGO is a natural tool for getting girls interested in technology, because it makes it easy to visualize just how creative you can be with science (more on this later) and bridges the gap between art & technology.

The keynote speaker, Peter Hesseldahl (journalist & writer) spoke of advances and changes in the software industry. He states, that the way to make money is not by creating standalone products with more and more features, but instead through integrating with existing services. There is already so much out there – why build another email tool or social networking platform?

“There is diminishing yield for enhancing a product. The value add comes from integration. Take a look at what Apple and Nike did by combining the iPod with the shoe to enhance the experience of using both products.”

Parasiting Principle

Mr. Hesseldahl speaks of the parasiting principle – meaning, leverage existing platforms and leverage ambient resources.  “There’s a lot already out there – don’t create new technologies and instead leverage existing resources such as:

• social networks
• GPS, compass, sensors
• power
• screens
• loudspeakers

“There’s a lot of information in the air already and in kids pockets”

April 13, 2010, LEGO Idea Conference : Bilund, Denmark. Scientists, academics, and technology innovators from around the world gathered in Bilund for the LEGO Idea Conference.  The concept was innovation through the increasingly integrated worlds of technology and building using the imagination.  The commonalities and analogies between LEGO, software and building architecture were highlighted in the sessions.

But what does it do?

Mads Nipper, head of innovation at LEGO opened with a video – the scene from the s movie, Big. The Tom Hank character is a boy trapped  in the body of a man. After listening to a lengthy explanation of why market forces would make the Gobot toy successful – Tom Hanks plays with the toy and says “I don’t get it.”  Market conditions aside, an ideas longevity comes from its appeal factor.

Mads commented that for girls, LEGO models appealed to them with aesthetic & context. Where boys would immediately ask, “But what does it do?” 

Some of the ladies raised an eyebrow at this comment and believe this differentiation only goes as far as the appeal value of model. The general consensus was that once you add technology as a integrated given (more on this later), the lines differentiating girls and boys blur. Girls want to know: “What does it do?” when they spot a motor attached to a LEGO model.

“architecture is the concept of reshaping the surface of our planet to conform to the way we want to live.”

Foundation work takes 1/3 of the time and cost

The keynote speaker and architect, Bjarke Ingels comments that the initial phases of a build are the most patience testing as nothing is visible for a third of the time, as foundation is work is done for plumbing, lighting, wiring – and then suddenly the work starts “coming off the ground” and you can see progress.

Hello from the Queen and Goodbye from the Princess

Bjarke’s team is also working on another project to build Sweden’s Arlanda airport hotel.  Instead of a conventional box, it is shaped like a triangle. The white exterior of the impressionistic building undulates around the panes of glass. From a distance, arriving from the airport,  the walls become a canvas. Each side shows the profile of 3 royal ladies of Sweden. Queen Victoria welcomes you from the airport. “And on the way out you see the beautiful face of Princess Mandy, so you are sure to come back,” says Bjarke. 

Source: http://www.arlandastad.se/

A subtle secondary layer paints the canvas at night, painting the image with color. How is it done? The rooms inside the hotel are painted in colors to enhance the rasterized image.

Little Mermaid goes to China

Bjarke Ingels identifies architecture as the concept of reshaping the surface of our planet to conform to the way we want to live. 

He was also the mastermind responsible for moving the Little Mermaid to the People’s Republic of China and tells the story of pleading to the Parliament of China.  “This was during the economic crisis so that day Parliament convened for 2 hours on the global economic bailout of China. The remaining 2 hours were spent in discussion about relocating the Little Mermaid.”

Apparently the Chinese (along with 150 other nationalities in the world), had grown up with Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales and would enjoy a pavilion which showcases the original Little Mermaid. Apparently the exhibit was due to open May 1st. Showing pictures of the work in progress, which looked very much like…um… a work in progress, Bjarke comments - “There is a substantial part of the Chinese population working on this project”.