Manatee

This is my Lego manatee for my science extra credit. My favorite part is how the head rotates completely using right-angle gears and an axle that goes the length of the body. I'm not sure if that got me any extra points though...

Space Shuttle

I was very impressed with the official knex model of the space shuttle. As usual though, I wasn't content with following their instructions - I wanted to see what I could come up with. I also wanted to do something different, give the shuttle model a more inspirational pose instead of being a couch potato on a knex launch pad. I made a stand which holds it on an angle and shows the shuttle soaring through the air.

Overall a bit too colorful for NASA's crowning achievement but I only had standard-colored knex pieces. Some things you have to leave for the pros...

Year Made: 2005

My Room

I have always shied away from buying furniture; the allure of making it by hand is more appealing. Although these aren't Lego creations, they follow my principle of making something for either an aesthetic or practical purpose. I am proud of these designs because I didnt have to invest in new desk; instead I used $5 worth of knex from a garage sale.

This was my poster for my school's National Engineering Week contest. It got honorable mention. I suppose the judges appreciate actual effort going into a poster more than printing out a bitmap.

However, I engineered the knex models to add more space and versatility to my workspace. The table in front of my computer has my food. My grandmother insisted that I always should eat at the table and I insisted that I eat in front of the computer. Therefore, I made my own table for my room.

I needed more space to hold my things, my phone, and my pens. I made a bridge in between my desks to add more space, threw together a mount for my phone (the knex piece emulate nails onto which my phone could hang from), and a tray for my pens/pencils. Both structures have plenty of triangles (one of the strongest shapes in nature) allowing them to each hold many books and efficiently transfer their loads to the ground or adjacent desks.