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Rob Deakin is a Lego fan and incredibly passionate about supporting children with developmental issues through organized Lego play.

Rob has seen first hand the powerful benefits of Lego for children with Autism and Asperger’s in helping them to communicate, learn to play and develop social skills. There is increasing research and evidence that Lego is useful because it is both open-ended, but with a specific structure and order when building. Rob is part of a team that has established a foundation called ASD Aid. GeekDad recently featured a piece on ASD Aid that is committed to supporting the development of children on the spectrum through the use of Lego-based therapy and play.

Together with a number of people, Rob is looking to establish two Melbourne-based Lego play clubs specifically for kids with Autism or Asperger’s and their families and he is holding a benefit on the weekend of Melbourne’s annual Brickvention Expo which showcases the best of Australia’s AFOL (Adult Fans of Lego) creations.

On Saturday evening of the expo, ASD Aid will be launching their program for 2012. I’m told it will be a fairly informal event where you can wander around and see the amazing creation whilst enjoying a glass of wine with significantly less crowds than the 15,000+ expected through the exhibits over the weekend. The evening will include the opportunity to hear a talk from Ryan McNaught – Australia’s only Lego Certified Professional.

If you are in town, this is one worth supporting on Saturday, January 21. From 6.30pm onwards there will be finger food and a bar will be available for drinks - you can book here.

Or, if you’d like to know more about the work Rob has been undertaking and supporting you can drop him an email at info@asdaid.org.

Lego VW Camper Van, photo by Nathan Barry

As soon as I saw Jenny’s post about the Lego VW Camper Van back in October I knew I had to have it, just as she did when she first saw it. I was a good boy all year, so I was fairly confident that my letter to Santa would achieve the desired result and so it was with great excitement that I unwrapped the large, rattling, box on Christmas Day. It made me feel like I was 14 all over again, as I pored through the two-part, 115-step instruction booklet and plotted when I could dedicate a whole day to the build.

The big difference from when I really was 14 is of course that I now have a little “assistant” to help with the building. She was almost as excited as me as we sat down at the kitchen table a few days later to start what turned out to be a seven hour build-a-thon. Another difference is the fact that I knew I probably wouldn’t take the model apart and dump the bricks in with the rest of our collection later, so I wanted to try to capture the fun of sitting there, sometimes with her on my knee, as we built the Camper Van step by step. So I set up my iPhone onto the tripod, fired up the iTimeLapse app and set it going with a 30 second interval. I also had my DLSR around to photograph each step, but I won’t bore you (or anyone else) with those!

As we progressed through the build, every now and then Dulcie would get bored and go off and pester her Mum, but never for long. She was always drawn back to the Camper Van, sometimes just helping me sort the bricks from the 16 individual bags, sometimes actually building the sections with me or even on her own as I found the pieces. At other times she went off into a little world of her own, building things out of the pieces I hadn’t got to yet, including a great little glass house reminiscent of the Farnsworth House — further proof that girls don’t actually need the new girlified Lego Friends range, they just want it!

By the time we were nearly complete, one of the dogs from the Belville range appeared and started joining in the fun, waiting for the Camper Van to be complete so he could go for a ride in it, as he was the only thing we have that was about the right scale for it! Watch for him towards the end of the video, and see if you can spot these other great moments that I’ll cherish:

• The moment I decided I should give the Camper a right-hand drive conversion, as I live in the UK
• The appearance of a white substitute brick because there was one missing from the set. It turned up on the very last step, incorrectly built into the rear wheel arch!
• My assistant’s constant ‘energy boosts’: grabbing chocolate coins from a pink box
• Doggie’s Tyre Tower

It’s a fantastic model, and it’s all the little touches that really make it: the Lava lamp, the folding table/chair/bed, the tiny sink, and the pop-up roof — they all bring back memories of the vacation two years ago when we rented one for a week. It now sits proudly on the shelf of my study, while we await the lottery win so we can afford to buy a real one!

It’s the 11th Day of Geekmas, the penultimate day of this year’s celebration. And do we have fantastic prizes for our next-to-last winner?

Yes. Yes we do.

Of course we’re including the Philips Wireless HDMI Net Connect, which will get you one step closer to a life without cords. It’s provided by our sponsor for the 12 Days of Geekmas 2011, Philips.

Also included in today’s giveaway is a copy of Book Creator for iPad from Red Jumper Studios, the LEGO Collection (containing The LEGO Book and The LEGO Ideas Book ) from DK Publishing, a Kre-O Transformers set from Hasbro, a solar-powered Logitech Wireless Keyboard K750 for Mac, a Thor Hallmark keepsake ornament, a Portal coaster/cookie cutter set and a bonus $10 off $30 coupon code from our friends at ThinkGeek.

Check out today’s GeekDad HipTrax Stocking Stuffer to hear me try (and repeatedly fail) to say the phrase “unfettered by the tethers of mortal men,” and to hear Doctor Octoroc’s amazing track “The Legend of Noel.” Then enter for a chance to win by filling out the form below before 11:59 PM EST tonight.

Feel free to subscribe to the GeekDad podcast in iTunes (see the button on the sidebar), or directly through the RSS feed. You can also download GeekDad HipTrax Stocking Stuffer #11 via this link.

Problem with then embedded form? Try a direct link.

Giveaway rules:

Open to North American residents only.

One entry per physical address.

Must be 18 or older to enter.

Winners will be chosen at random from a given day’s entries.

Winners will be notified via the email supplied at time of entry, and in the following day’s giveaway post.

Prizes are supplied by 3rd parties, and GeekDad.com cannot be held liable for items damaged or lost in shipping.

Today marks the 9th Day of Geekmas, and today’s prizes combine some of the best we’ve offered thus far.

Of course we start off with the Philips Wireless HDMI Net Connect, a great gadget that’s sure to help with your holiday entertaining. It’s provided by the sponsor of the 12 Days of Geekmas 2011, Philips.

Also included in today’s giveaway are a copy of Book Creator for iPad from Red Jumper Studios, a custom kid-size super hero cape from Power Capes, a Kre-O Transformers set from Hasbro, a LEGO Darth Vader Hallmark keepsake ornament, a Yoda Nutcracker, a Lightsaber Candlestick and a bonus $10 off $30 coupon code from our friends at ThinkGeek.

Check out today’s GeekDad HipTrax Stocking Stuffer to hear about my family’s newest Christmas tradition, and to hear John Anealio‘s “Is a Chupacabra Kosher.” Then enter for a chance to win by filling out the form below before 11:59 PM EST tonight.

Feel free to subscribe to the GeekDad podcast in iTunes (see the button on the sidebar), or directly through the RSS feed. You can also download GeekDad HipTrax Stocking Stuffer #9 via this link.

Problem with then embedded form? Try a direct link.

Giveaway rules:

Open to North American residents only.

One entry per physical address.

Must be 18 or older to enter.

Winners will be chosen at random from a given day’s entries.

Winners will be notified via the email supplied at time of entry, and in the following day’s giveaway post.

Prizes are supplied by 3rd parties, and GeekDad.com cannot be held liable for items damaged or lost in shipping.

We have a few tables in our living room that hold an assortment of coffee table books of interest to my wife — most of them hold little or no interest to me. That’s why I’ve recently introduced a few new titles to the collection that will hopefully provide a balance to The Force, ensuring that visitors will understand that our house does not revolve solely around Martha Stewart and artwork of the Renaissance period.

I’m honestly not certain how long these three books will survive in the wild before being tranquilized, roped up, and shipped back to the zoo that is my upstairs office. One can only hope that they’ll be allowed to enjoy as much time as possible in their new habitat before the sheriff discovers the misunderstood and totally innocent newcomers’ presence and lays down a new law for the land.

But until this happens, I’ve got three nice big hardbacks that are enjoying some time in the natural sunlight versus the harsh, fluorescents and the barely-there glow from the LCD panel on the desk. Maybe you can provide a better home for one of these titles. I sure hope so…

The Cult of Lego by John Baichtal and Joe Meno

John’s a fellow contributor here at GeekDad.com and I’ve known Joe since about 2007 when I first met him at the FIRST Lego League World Festival in Atlanta carrying his camera everywhere and making certain to not miss any worthwhile shots of Lego robots in action. Joe’s also the editor-in-chief of BrickJournal magazine, a periodical that covers every aspect of the Lego hobbyist world. These two have joined forces to release what is likely going to be considered the quintessential book on Lego hobbyists.

It’s a full-color, 290 page book that attempts (successfully, in my opinion) to cover as much ground and provide as much variety on the various Lego hobbies, interests, designs, celebs (yes, there are Lego celebs), and much more. Through twelve chapters, ranging from one of the most perfect essays on the history of the company all the way to how Lego bricks and technologies are being used in real-world business, medical, and research organizations, the reader is given as complete a rundown of the who, what, where, why, and how of one of the most recognized companies and products in the world.

They’ve included short interviews with AFOLs (Adult Fans of Lego), a two-page glossary of terms to get you up-to-speed on Lego-speak, an extensive collection of photos and discussion related to the fascination with minifigs (those little Lego people), and photos and interviews with creators of some of the most outlandish Lego designs around.

The authors haven’t missed anything that I can find — software design, dioramas, Bionicle, trains, roller coasters, world records, comics, and, my favorite, Lego robotics. (The Lego Mindstorms robotics kits are how I came to be reintroduced to Lego after so many years away.) Okay, yes… there’s a very good chance that they have missed something, but given the sheer number of fans throughout the world and the unbelievably large number of things that can be done with Lego, you have to give the authors a lot of credit for gathering one of the most comprehensive collections of photos, interviews, and back stories on what is, for all practical purposes, a book on plastic.

If you consider yourself a Lego fanatic… or if you have a spouse or child that grew up or continues to have a fascination with Lego, this is one of those books that is sure to bring a smile. My 4 year old son has caught the bug and is starting to make some interesting stuff from the simple plastic pieces — when I sat down with him and we went through the book together, he couldn’t finish. He jumped off the couch and ran straight for his own collection of pieces, obviously inspired by something he saw in this well-done book.

The Simon & Kirby Library: Crime

When I was a young teenager, a family friend who had collected comics for years dropped by with a box for me. Inside was a collection of comic books consisting of somewhere between 100 and 150 comics. Most of them were dog-eared and yellowed, but I didn’t care as they were free. There were a handful of Sgt. Rock and a nice collection of The Unknown Soldier. (This fellow liked his war comics, I guess.) But also inside that box were a handful of comics that didn’t match what I considered to be comic-book material — strange titles filled with violent stories of criminals such as Al Capone and John Dillinger. I’d heard of these men, but it seemed strange to be reading comic books about their exploits and crimes. Those comics were eventually traded away for who-knows-what, and I’d since forgotten all about them until I saw a recent new book that sparked a memory of those old crime story comic books.

Joe Simon and Jack Kirby are legends in the comic book industry — I owned an anthology as a kid of their Captain America stories, and their artwork and style were often recognizable, even at a young age. Folks often refer to the Golden Age of comics, and if I recall correctly, Simon and Kirby are considered masters of the period. Recently a review copy of The Simon & Kirby Library: Crime showed up on my doorstep, and I wasted no time in finding a comfortable chair to see what the book had to offer.

With over 310 pages, I expected it to take a few weeks to read the entire thing. In reality, it took about three days. Titles such as Pay Up or Die, I Worked for The Fence, and I Was a Come-On Girl for Broken Bones, Inc., should give you a general idea of the tone of the book’s 34 stories. While most are supposedly based on real world criminals, there are some that left me really wondering. I knew of Dillinger and Capone, but Simon and Kirby really went all out to include some of the most colorful bad guys of the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s. (There’s even a western thrown in there about the first bullet-proof vest worn by a Texas outlaw.)

There’s a bit of history at the beginning of the book that tells how these kinds of comics weren’t welcomed with open arms by the general populace, forcing Simon and Kirby to stop penning and drawing these kinds of tales in lieu of other, more well-known characters. I can almost imagine mothers of the day discovering a pile of these comics under the bed and calling the police to ask whether they should be worried about their children turning to a life of crime.

But it’s a different period today — there’s honestly nothing in these pages that would disturb most kids these days. And though the artwork and dialogue is dated, I still think there’s something to be said for reading these classic tales with a bit of an understanding of the time period during which they were originally created. I enjoyed the flashback to my own youth when I first read a couple of similar tales. Almost like a graphic novel history book of sorts, the Crime collection offers up a fun and curious look back to a time when comic books were often considered dangerous, and the subjects of the tales were real-life criminals featured on the day’s headlines. Joe Simon recently passed away, and hearing that news after reading this book made me realize that just like traditional literature, comic books also have their own versions of best selling authors and can just as easily be considered rebellious during their day. I took great pleasure in reading these tales of violence and lawlessness as I imagined myself a teenager back in the day hiding the pages inside A History of the World, worrying a bit that my teacher might discover it and report it to my parents. RIP, Joe  Simon.

The Hammer Vault by Marcus Hearn

When I was in middle school, I had to ride the bus home. The bad news was that I lived just outside the city limit and the bus would drop me off about a mile from my house, forcing me to have to jump numerous fences of neighbors’s small plots of farm land (with their permission, of course) to make my way home. If my neighbors ever watched my progress through their lightly wooded fields, they might have wondered why in the world I was often running full-tilt with a book bag over my shoulders.

The answer was simple — for about two years, one of the television channels in my neck of the woods ran these old 1950s and ’60s horror and sci-fi films from about 2:30pm to around 5pm (when the local news came on). I am firmly convinced that this time period was selected because the TV stations knew that most parents were working and that young boys (the target audience, I’m sure) will watch anything that has blood, breasts, and monsters in it. And they were right. I don’t remember half of the movie titles, but I do remember the acting and dialogue was horrible. But the movies just had this air of being something Mom and Dad Won’t Like.

I’ve always like horror movies, and I grew up knowing the names Bela Lugosi, Peter Cushing, and Christopher Lee. I also grew up knowing about Hammer Films. I may not have known the titles of so many of these movies I watched as a kid, but after reading The Hammer Vault, I now recognize at least a couple dozen or more.

The Hammer Vault is the history of Hammer Films. For horror buffs, this is not one to miss. Full-color movie posters, black and white behind-the-scenes photos, interviews with actors and directors, snippets of scripts, and tons of secrets related to the movies that got made, the ones that didn’t, and the ones that maybe should never have seen the light of day. Most of the films covered in this book are movies I’ve never seen… and likely never will. But the ones I have seen (so many years ago) popped back in my memory easily enough. I even enjoyed reading about one of my favorite actresses from those films, Caroline Monroe. (She was the unfortunate helicopter pilot in the James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me.)

The book definitely isn’t for kids — when it moves into the 1970s era, there’s the occasional topless photo or movie poster, and even though the gore is fake, some of the movie stills could easily be disturbing to a younger audience.

The subtitle of the book is Treasures from the Archive of Hammer Films, and that’s exactly what the book is — a trove of movie scenes, posters, and candid photos with the actors smiling and laughing with makeup applied, waiting for the director to yell Action! I have fond memories of these often slightly tacky, tongue-in-cheek flicks and their low-budget effects.

Hammer is still around, though. I didn’t realize until I read this book that Hammer was responsible for the movie version of the novel, Let Me In, that I’d read a year before the film was released (the movies was so-so, but the novel was outstanding, IMO). And now I’m hearing some good things about an upcoming Hammer Film titled The Woman in Black (with Daniel Radcliffe). I’m now wondering if my son will one day come home from school to find these modern Hammer films running in the afternoon, creating a new fan of Hammer Films and its legacy of having fun being scared.

It’s the 8th Day of Geekmas, and we’re helping to ease you back into the work week with another amazing giveaway.

Up for grabs today is the Philips Wireless HDMI Net Connect, the perfect holiday gift for that media-minded loved one. It’s provided by this year’s 12 Days of Geekmas sponsor Philips.

Also included in today’s giveaway are a copy of Book Creator for iPad from Red Jumper Studios, a LEGO Star Wars Collection (containing the LEGO Star Wars Character Encyclopedia and LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary ) from DK Publishing, a Kre-O Transformers set from Hasbro, a LEGO Darth Vader Hallmark keepsake ornament, 30 postcards from the innovative Postagram App, a Darth Vader Nutcracker, a Lightsaber Candlestick and a bonus $10 off $30 coupon code from our friends at ThinkGeek.

Check out today’s GeekDad HipTrax Stocking Stuffer to learn about the flexibility afforded to Netflix, Hulu, YouTube Movies and Amazon Prime Instant Video users by the Philips Wireless HDMI Net Connect, and to hear Paul and Storm‘s “March of the Ungrateful Uncles.” Then enter for a chance to win by filling out the form below before 11:59 PM EST tonight.

Feel free to subscribe to the GeekDad podcast in iTunes (see the button on the sidebar), or directly through the RSS feed. You can also download GeekDad HipTrax Stocking Stuffer #8 via this link.

Problem with the embedded form? Try a direct link.

Giveaway rules:

Open to North American residents only.

One entry per physical address.

Must be 18 or older to enter.

Winners will be chosen at random from a given day’s entries.

Winners will be notified via the email supplied at time of entry, and in the following day’s giveaway post.

Prizes are supplied by 3rd parties, and GeekDad.com cannot be held liable for items damaged or lost in shipping.

It’s been a good year for geek entertainment news. A Song of Ice and Fire finally saw another book published, Star Wars found its way to Blu-ray, and The Walking Dead had success on the small screen, among many other fun stories. But, perhaps, the best was saved for last.

Today, it was announced that everyone’s favorite building toy, Lego, will be partnering with Warner Brothers to create a variety of sets and collectibles based on The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. (No word of a video game tie-in yet.) This intersection of geekiness is so incredible, it’s almost difficult to put into words.

Further details and announcement of sets will be announced in the near future at a special site for the product line. In the meantime, we can all dream about what scenes and settings the kits will portray. Is it too much to hope for the Battle of Five Armies?

via Brothers Brick

Olivia’s Workshop is part of the new Lego Friends line, which is designed to appeal to girls. Photos courtesy of The Lego Group

After concentrating on the boys market for the last five or six years, our favorite manufacturer of plastic building blocks is trying to capture the other 50 percent of the kids market with Lego Friends, a new line aimed at girls aged 5 and above.

Lego has spent the last four years researching, designing and testing the new characters and sets in hopes of avoiding the errors of previous attempts to appeal to girls. It looks like the company might have actually done it this time.

A new Ladyfig.

Leading the range are the new Ladyfigs — a variation on our beloved minifigs that looks like the outcome of Polly Pocket getting it on with Clutch Powers and ending up with something similar to the Mega Bloks (urgh!) Doctor Who or Marvel figures.

They’re slightly taller than regular minifigs, and a lot skinnier and curvier, but they fit perfectly with all existing Lego accessories and bricks — a massive improvement on the failed Belville range, with its oversize, non-customizable figures. Their hands can hold all the same cups, tools and, should you want to, weapons, that you already own; their hair is swappable with regular minifig styles and hats; and they can stand on regular blocks perfectly.

There are five main characters, most unfortunately following typical girlie stereotypes: animal-lover Mia, beautician Emma, pop star Andrea and “social-girl” Stephanie. Lego does toss a proto-geek in there with Olivia — her set (shown above) is an awesome she-garage complete with a microscope, a little robot, math equations and purple tools! Somebody please help me.

The other sets also follow the girlie theme with scenarios such as a café, an animal hospital and a beauty salon, but a couple at least are a bit less annoying — the aforementioned inventor’s workshop, a treehouse and a nice design studio, complete with laptop and camera. The thing that will excite the AFOLs out there the most, though, is six new colors for the bricks, including nice shades of lavender, purple, teal and turquoise — perfect for making Perry from Phineas and Ferb, according to Joe Meno (co-author, with our own John Baichtal, of The Cult of Lego). The Brick Blogger has some great photos of all the sets, boxes and a comparison of the Ladyfigs and minifigs.

Belville Dog and Puppy

I really can’t decide whether or not I like this new direction, and as @iamseb said on Twitter: “There already was lego for girls. It was called ‘lego.’”

Sure, it’s a massive improvement on the Belville range. Every time I go to the Big Shop in Legoland, those sets are marked down more and more, but I still have no desire to buy them, and, more importantly, my 5-year-old daughter shows no interest in them. I picked her up the dog and puppy set from a charity shop and it’s a constant annoyance that even the puppy is bigger than all the minifigs we own — but it did come with two hot dog sausages!

The Clikits range was just an abomination — jewelery and picture frames that you can decorate with Lego bricks? Come on, what’s the point of that? And thankfully, both iterations of the Scala range and the Paradisa sets passed right by me. (For a great infographic of the history of girlie Lego, check out this fascinating Bloomberg Businessweek article on the launch.)

The big pink buckets of Lego were great though, and indeed, those where the first sets we brought for our daughter. It wasn’t just for the colors of the bricks, either; the models shown on the boxes were perfect, too. Brick girls skipping with their brick mummies, little bunnies, ducks, cows and horses — all perfect introductions to building with bricks, as opposed to pre-molded figures.

One of the things Lego “discovered” in its research was that girls like to project themselves onto the figures and become part of the story — well duh! I could have told them that in two seconds. It never ceases to amaze me how my daughter can anthropomorphize just about anything and create a story around it — be it a minifig, a model of a shark or even just two bricks stuck together! She doesn’t need a full-on world populated with cafes and dog shows — she can make all that up by herself. If they really want to appeal to the “princess phase” that all girls go through, why not just make a big pink palace set with regular bricks? Or maybe follow the great success they’ve had with Lego versions of Star Wars, Harry Potter and Toy Story and team up with the Disney Princesses? Actually, I can’t believe I just typed that. I hate the Disney Princesses with a passion — that’s a silly idea.

The Friends range will be released in shops after Christmas. What’s that, you say? After Christmas? Yes, it seems like Lego is serious this time so the company is putting a ridiculous amount of money into marketing the new range and don’t want it to get lost among all the other toys fighting for your Christmas dollars. Apparently, if Lego waits ’til after the holidays, the stores will have entire aisles dedicated to displaying them and be able to give them prominent positions. You might not even find them with the rest of the Lego sets, as some stores are planning to put them right in with the rest of the girlie dolls.

I’m sure we’ll be there with Christmas money in hand ready to buy up the stock, and will love every minute of building the sets and diving into the new world of Heartlake City, even if it’s our own version of it.

For many Lego creators, you build what you know. That’s certainly the case for Warren Seely of rural Oregon. The 15-year old, nicknamed “The Lego Kid,” has amassed an impressive collection of working models of farm equipment that mirror much of the same equipment that keeps his family’s farm producing mint. Seely is homeschooled and was able to source many of his unique brick needs from the Lego Education site.  Seely has plans to become an electrical engineer and has begun taking classes at community college towards this goal. In the meantime, we hope Warren keeps building some awesome Lego models!

To celebrate the recent release of SpongeBob Surf & Skate Roadtrip, THQ is holding a fantastic contest here on GeekDad! Below you will find a teaser for the new game which is now available on Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS. Your task is simple: Count the number of times Patrick’s (the starfish) silhouette has been hidden in the background of the video. Fill out the form at the bottom of this post to enter, and be sure to put the total count — if the form doesn’t work for you for any reason, enter here instead. That is it. Winners will be randomly chosen out of all entries. The giveway is open only to residents of the U.S. and Canada, and all entries must be received by 11:59pm Eastern Time on Tuesday, December 20. So good luck, and please do not leave the correct answer in the comments — everyone can see those.

For the First Place Winner – We have a grand prize pack! They will receive the Xbox 360 Kinect Version of the Game and the Lego Krusty Krab Adventures set! Using the Kinect for Xbox 360, players can put their boarding skills to the test with either single-player mode or two-player split-screen action.

Also built into the game for a truly immersive experience is an augmented reality element – dipping a hand down will cause water to splash up beside the board on screen. Boarders can choose between six surfing levels, six skateboarding levels and seven different victory conditions for truly customizable gameplay. Using the Kinect camera, players can also strike poses to show off their gnarly moves and tricks.

For two Second Place Winners - We have a copy of the Nintendo DS version! On Nintendo DS, players will surf and skate across more than 100 maps and even carve up 10 snowboarding levels that are unlockable upon completion. The Nintendo DS version also features customizable boards and multi-card two-player mode to show them off.