Subject:
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Re: Very Long super ramble...
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.general
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Date:
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Fri, 19 Nov 1999 19:35:13 GMT
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Viewed:
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640 times
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In lugnet.general, Timothy Culberson writes:
> Hello.........
>
>
>
> Wow....this is weird.
>
> Where to start...
>
>
>
>
> I'll start by introducing myself. My name is Tim Culberson, living in
> Saint John NB, Canada. I'm 18 years old.
> ... Funny thing, this, Lugnet.
>
> At this point in time you should either be thinking one of three things:
>
> A. This guy is a nut....at which point you'll probably stop reading
> here.
> B. If you're still reading, you maybe recognize my name a little bit
> C. You're asking yourself why you are still reading this post.
>
> Let me tell ya something....I'm actually an old timer around here...but
> most people would disagree at first. I've been part of the online lego
> community since sometime in 1995 or 1996....I'm not exactly sure. But
> anyway, what seems to happen with me is that I tend to stick around for
> a while, and then lapse into temporary dark ages for a bit, and then
> return, like I'm doing right now with this post. The last time that I
> probably posted on Lugnet was probably sometime in early 1999. For some
> odd reason, every year around this time I begin to become re-interested
> in Lego....it's that season.
>
> For you other old timers out there (some of which, of course, are much
> older than I am)...I thought I'd bring up some past memories that have
> crossed my mind (the happening of the crossing of my mind I will explain
> later).........Consider this a look back at the past few years of the
> online Lego community....this dates back to the days when there was no
> lugnet, web pages were grey with black text, RTL was the online LEGO
> community's way of communicating, and TLG......well....they had just a
> little bit more respect from me. I figure every other aspect of life in
> this world is having some sort of "memories as we approach the new
> millenium" thing....why can't I. In no particular order...here they
> are...
>
> ...I remember my first thought to look up Lego on the internet....using
> the infoseek search engine I typed in the greatest word in
> history....L-E-G-O. To my great surprise it turned up an exceptionally
> large number of results for the internet as it was at that
> time....probably 20-30 hits at least! I eventually looked for a Lego
> newsgroup....and came across alt.lego. There were very few posts each
> day in the group...so then I found what is now known as RTL....standing
> for rec.toys.lego. It was great...almost 100 posts most days....very
> good for newsgroups at that time. Hence, my life as a member of the
> unofficial online Lego community began.
>
> ...By the time a few weeks had past, I'm sure I had looked at every
> lego-related we page that there was to find....a task that would take
> months of 8 hour days to complete now. The LEGO faq I had read over
> probably a couple times.
>
> ...Some really interesting things happened as time went on...
>
> LEGO erected an official web site....and it was garbage to say the
> least. The largest portion of content was a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo
> which warned that if lego fans who had lego related web pages didn't
> soon place disclaimers on their pages they would send the hired goons
> after them. It's interesting to think of all the things RTL readers
> were mad at TLG for concerning their web page. How dare they not give
> any e-mail address at which someone could write them, why didn't they
> have an online catalog. Why didn't they pay attention to what "adult"
> lego users wanted. This latter argument, I'm sure, continues to flare
> up around here by times.
>
> Some of the interesting suggestions that were posted over and over again
> on RTL still have me convinced to this day that TLG was "watching" us.
> Probably the most posted suggestion/complaint was that TLG should make
> Star Wars LEGO sets, and many vowed that if they ever did that they'd
> buy all of them a hundred each. Of course, myself being a great
> pessimist, thought that it would not happen in a million years. I, like
> many, were shocked and amazed when the announcement came forward that
> TLG had teamed up with Lucas Films to release star wars LEGO sets.
> I also remember a particular group of threads that focused on an
> Egyptian-type LEGO theme. Interestingly enough, I never thought
> anything of it when TLG released adventurers....until I was searching
> dejanews.com one day and came across the threads of which I am
> speaking. My jaw dropped as I put a + b together.
>
> ...There was great sadness the day that news spread all across the
> internet that James Jessiman, the one and only original creator of
> L-Draw...a progam most current online LEGO users are more than familiar
> with, had passed away. It was interesting when one day James happened
> to e-mail me in response to a post I had made in RTL with a little tip
> about his L-Draw program. He told me how he didn't like to post it too
> publicly because of a fear that TLG would track him down and threaten a
> sue. Thankfully, his memory lives on in the ongoing project at
> ldraw.org. Thanks to Tim Courtney.
>
> ...What ever happened to that "send the minifigs on a trip all aournd
> the world" "minifig world tour" project anyhow.....?
>
> ...I remember a particular time on RTL when some jerk purposely flooded
> the newsgoup with excessive posts all supposed "want" ads. His username
> started with an M...but I forget what it was now...
>
> ...Lou Zucaro...and Pause Magazine's Lego reference guide...and his
> announcement that he was discontinuing it's development...
>
> ...The growth of the internet Lego auctions...
>
> ...And finally, the evolution of the internet Lego Super Hero who's been
> here through it all.....Mr. Todd lehman's official announcement and
> long-term plan for what we now have as a common household term, the one
> and only Lugnet. Lugnet shook the online Lego commnity like a giant
> quake. Our hobby was brought to an entirely new level, and now we are
> seeing it emerge as never before. (pretty dramatic eh? Hey Todd, if I
> get my nose any browner can I have a free membership? :) (the membership
> announcement I will later discuss)).
>
> After mentioning some of the names of people past and present who are
> and were involved in the online LEGO community, I think I'd like to now
> make a list of old timers that I remember from quite a way back, and
> mention their achievements. Sorry if you're reading this and I forgot
> you...these are just the people that I remember as long time Internet
> LEGO geeks. Thanks goes out to you guys, wherever you are (and if
> you're reading this (surely you're not STILL reading this whole thing),
> drop me a note and feel proud).
>
> Lou Zucaro - for the Pause Magazine lego reference guide. For many
> years it served us well. I'd like to have a nickel for every time I
> visited that site.
>
> Jacob Sparre Anderson - you've just been around for a long time. And I
> almost got your name mixed up with James Jessiman - but I realize that
> you're alive and well, even though you probably don't know who I am.
>
> Ed Boxer - what can I say oh what can I say. You're LEGO castle
> inspired us all to tears. We drooled and we cheered. This was a record
> LEGO creation. And then all of your amazing creations to follow...WOW
>
> Tim Courtney - as mentioned earlier, thanks for the ldraw.org.
>
> David A. Karr - I'm not sure if you're still around here, but I think
> that you're web page was the first ever internet LEGO-related web page
> that I ever visited. Make me feel all mushy inside.
>
> James Jessiman - I've said it all
>
> Suzanne Rich - Legopolis has always inspired me immensly.
>
> Calum Tsang - another one from the old school - you know you definately
> have an eye for the town theme.
>
> Gail Meagher - my Maritime Lego friend - You're the only other canadian
> on the east coast that I know who is into those special plastic bricks.
>
> And Todd Lehman - your dedication to this Internet LEGO community, both
> past and present, thank you Todd.
>
> ...Again, sorry if I missed you...but these are all people who have
> inspired or affected me as it relates to LEGO in some way.
>
> Well well well well well.....Alrighty then. You're not seriously still
> reading this are you?
>
> Well, just in case....I shall now explain my madness.
>
> See, the other day, I emerged from one of my temporary dark ages. Alot
> of things have been happening in my life since about last June. I
> graduated from High School...I worked all summer, I lost my time to look
> at a single piece of Lego...I moved away from home to go to
> college....I've been swamped with college so much that I haven't had
> time to look at a LEGO piece - even as I write this useless piece of
> binary bandwidth waste I should be doing homework. When I moved away
> from home I left it all behind - all my LEGO I mean. I wasn't sure if
> I'd ever bother to touch a piece again. But just the other day, a week
> or two ago maybe, I was watching TV....and there was a segment on some
> cheesy talk show (Oprah Winfrey I believe), on the founder of
> Amazon.com. this founder, I don't know his name and I'm too lazy to
> look it up, mentioned on Oprah that he and his wife were avid LEGO
> fans. I began to get that jittery feeling all over my body. I was
> feeling the urge to LEGO it up....just to swim in a bucket of LEGO
> again....but how? I have no LEGO, and I'm too much of a starving
> student as it is to go out and buy new LEGO...
>
> I fired up the computer and went straight to Lugnet.com. The feeling
> was getting worse.
>
> Every day for the past week or two I've had this feeling. I would break
> out in cold sweat for no apparent reason. I was unable to concentrate
> properly. I was in serious need of a fix.
>
> The oddest thing then happened to me. After ignoring LEGO for some
> time, and then finally just "happening" to read some Lugnet groups, I
> get that e-mail announcement from Todd. Coincedence or sign from above?
>
> I fixed it...
>
> I got home from school today, and walked down the street to the bus
> stop. I got on a bus and traveled east....I was getting shaky. I got
> off the bus and spent a good hour or so just looking at
> LEGO...everywhere.
>
> Do you know how long it's been since I've bought a LEGO set....AGES!
>
> I bought the 7414 Star Wars Naboo Fighter at a 20% discount at Zellers.
> I got home and didn't even build it right away. I put away the
> groceries, cooked a good meal and washed my dishes. And finally I
> couldn't put it off any longer. I built the set.
>
> I was simply amazed. I've seen nothing but garbage sets from TLG for at
> least the past 2-3 years. They've come out with such poop as Town Jr.,
> Ninjas, and Time Cruisers in all that time.
>
> I don't know what it was, but the Naboo Fighter had an impressivly nice
> and amazing design. The set was actually a decent size. I realize that
> Star Wars was the best thing that TLG ever did for itself. They
> couldn't be cheap a$$e$ on the parts, and they didn't make any
> unneccesarily large fartatious pieces because the ship had to resemble
> to some degree that of the real star wars one. The battle droids (which
> are also my favorite Episode 1 Star Wars machine & technology)
>
> The set has given me hope.
>
> Unfortunately now I can't eat for a couple weeks...but I have LEGO in my
> possesion again.
> I did something tonight which I have never given any LEGO of any kind
> the honour of. I gave it the honour of sitting on top of my computer
> case. Something has to be a pretty special object to hold a position
> there.
>
> So anyway, that's the story of me and my LEGO. I now have Green Day's
> "time of your life" and Sarah Maclachlan's "Memories" running through my
> head and I'm about to cry....but I've said it, and now I'm through.
>
> Thank you for listening.
>
> -Timothy Culberson
> t_c_c@yahoo.com
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> Are you STILL reading this??
tim ~
thanks for this post. as a newcomer (rtl since march 99, lugnet since aug) i
have been curious about the history of the on-line lego community. thanks for
filling in the gaps, and welcome home from someone who moved in while you were
gone.
later ~ craig~
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Very Long super ramble...
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| In lugnet.general, craig hamilton wrote: [snipped tons'o'lines] [more snippage] [getting there...] (...) Craig, you must learn to snip when quoting! ;) Steve (25 years ago, 19-Nov-99, to lugnet.general)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Very Long super ramble...
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| Hello......... Wow....this is weird. Where to start... I'll start by introducing myself. My name is Tim Culberson, living in Saint John NB, Canada. I'm 18 years old. ... Funny thing, this, Lugnet. At this point in time you should either be thinking (...) (25 years ago, 18-Nov-99, to lugnet.general)
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