Virtual Worlds News ran a short story on LEGO Universe, the upcoming MMOG which is descendant of certain efforts at SPU-Darwin some ten years earlier. Includes a bit of history behind the new product. Is this in fact proof of Darwin’s theory of evolution?
http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/09/lego-universe-f.html
The reunion … and our trip … there were still so many people to hang out with, so many places still to visit.
Thank you, Lone, for getting it all together!
–julian
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The seminar at the Vingsted Center. which by the way was very elegantly arranged by Merete Hess, is still a very strong memory from the Darwin time. And I am sure that many of our “not-Danish” collegues had a good insight in Danish traditions. Among the many memories from the seminar I remember two things very vividly. We had to canoe our way on the beautiful Gudenå in Vejle Ådal to the Vingsted Center on a clear and sunny September day. Of course my canoe tilted- and I tell you the water was cold! I lost my breath completely and also my ability to think clearly - I tried to crawl into the nearest canoe, which naturally is a very irrational thing to do. Dan Foss was in that canoe and he certainly was a lot more rational than I was. He grabbed a very good hold of my upper arms and helped me to the river bank. Thank you, Dan! With the two gigantic welts that this “life-saving” help left on my arms I certainly had some explaining to do, when I returned home from the seminar.
The other memory is from the evening when we all gathered around the campfire, which was very nice - “hyggeligt”, as we would say in Danish. We sang a lot of songs, and I’m sure that evening showed a new side of the Danish culture to our foreign collegues.
We all learned a lot - professionally as well as socially - during the two days seminar.
Billund is planning a brand new very large vacation and adventure park including a number of summerhouses. As far as I can tell some of the houses might be ready for renting next summer. The activities will be ready in 2009. Please check: http://www.lalandia.dk/billund/ (Unfortunately there is only a Danish version of this site as far as I can tell - but I’m sure that you’ll get the picture.)
For my interview at SPU-DARWIN, I flew in from Boston after meeting with the LEGO Futura office on Newbury Street. I changed planes in London and flew directly into Billund and walked down the steps directly on to the tarmac. Breathed in the air and realized what the fresh smell of agriculture is. I had this sensation of standing on the edge of the world about to embark on an adventure, seeing the trees, LEGOLAND, and the huge factory buildings surrounded by cows. The thing that stands out the most from my interview process was not all the future colleagues I would work with but the psychological test and the interview that HR subjected me to. All I can remember about was multiple pair choice questions what was most like me or least like me. Then the interview and the final question, “What do like most about your father?” All I kept thinking was all my effort to get a job escape Boston, (my other job option was in Dallas) just to find out that I was unsuitable to work in the corporate world or worse. I was released from the fancy corporate building and walked back to the industrial warehouse that would be Darwin’s first second home. I finished up my meetings and fly out from airport at the end of the world. A few weeks later and 90-page fax from Billund, I was employed and moving to Denmark. To the day I still wonder what the criteria for the test was, what was my score, and I still admire my father’s sense of humor.
The years with Darwin were very exciting years with very exciting people! That’s why I am looking very much forward to seeing you all again at the reunion in Billund on 21.-22. June 2008. If you need information about this event or have any ideas for the event please contact me: mail@lone-klercke.dk.
What was so important about Pizza 4D is that Lars-Jørgen was willing to try new things. It wasn’t just for the business, it was because he wanted to see for himself. Without Pizza 4D, there may not have been an AVCL, and in turn, there may not have been an SPU-Darwin.
Alex was only ten months old when we moved to Denmark, so much of our initial exposure to LegoLand was in the Duploland section.
There’s a monorail in Duploland. It’s not fast, of course, and not very long - it takes less than two minutes for the ride. I remember it as being about twenty feet up, providing a good view.
One day, early spring 1996, I had just put Alex in the front car. Just as the train started I realized the attendant hadn’t checked to make sure he was strapped in, so I went over to take care of it. After finishing, I couldn’t step down - the train was out of the station, and there was no more platform. Before this could really sink in the train was at full speed and I was hanging on, twenty feet over Duploland.
It’s a slow train. There’s no problem holding on. Alex told me later he thought I was going with him and he was more interested in looking around anyway. After a while I was able to climb into the car, so I could enjoy the view too.
The attendant saw the whole thing and seeing that I wasn’t actually in difficulty, let the ride continue. He thought it would be more dangerous to stop the ride and back it up, perhaps even more dangerous than letting it continue. In the end it turned out to be not a big deal. When I told LBJ about it on Monday, he had already heard about the incident. Besides the speed of him already knowing, it was curious because I never told the attendant who I was, he just knew somehow.