danny316p

Genuinely shocked to see that you've been back - I had it in my head that you had disappeared forever. It's good to "see" you again and exciting to hear that things have been going well for you while you've been "away".

(post copied and mildly edited from https://www.patreon.com/DanPikora/posts/profile-picture-127689643) I've decided to begin rotating through zoomed-in highlights of my creations as profile pictures. The first is live on Patreon, Flickr, Discord, and now - my BZPower profile! This one is based on a snapshot I took at Bricks in the Six 2024 while the lights were out to show lit LEGO models clearly. I had converted one of my Metropolis Square skyscrapers into a Moonbase module, which glowed nicely with a battery-powered floodlight. Additional photos of Charm City LUG's cyberpunk layout that this was built for have been made available to my collaborators in and around Charm City LUG and to my Director-level Patreon supporters.

I hadn't intended it as an experiment in which platforms were the most active, but since my last post on this BZPower blog was an identical "form letter" also posted on Flickr, Patreon, Discord, LinkedIn, etc, etc, it gave me a gauge of which places people actually read, and where posts can actually reach people. While the response wasn't immediate, I was surprised to find that over time, BZPower actually had more responses (and higher quality responses) than any platform I check regularly. As much as there's more possibility with higher-traffic platforms, it'd be silly to ignore the apparent fact that writing here currently has better reach than the big platforms. I'm not sure how much I should post here. With various health and travel considerations blowing up any chance of a predictable routine or schedule in life for the foreseeable future, I'm not posting anywhere consistently lately. I like Patreon Quips - that feels like it could become a good "discovery" platform without the baggage of Meta, Twitter, or TikTok. My private plans have included trying to syndicate more things to multiple platforms, but I believe that sort of automation isn't a possibility here. I've been working on building out my semi-private library on Flickr and supporting those efforts with Discord and Patreon. The Patreon system will never be profitable, but it has given me more control over who sees what and which events I pursue. The goal is to eventually get to the point where travelling to LEGO events could pay for itself - as of 2025, I have begun attending certain events only because my Board of Directors told me to, and a few event organizers and key participants have shown interest in my MOCs, games, presentations, and documentation efforts. 2026 has been a bit flat, what with taking a few months off and trying to deal with various personal issues - but I'm trying to stick with it as much as possible (give or take occasionally procrastinating with things like writing a BZPower blog entry). Feel free to let me know what you'd like to see here. The links on my BZPower profile are current for keeping up with me. I'm most active on Discord, followed by Flickr.

I've just noticed that I did not comment again here when I had a proper Hindbærsnitter - I did have a few while I was there, and they were great!

I've now tried a Makronsnitter, which contains hindbaer (raspberry) as well as almonds and hazelnuts. I can confirm that this is very tasty.

Related baked good question: where's a good place to try an Æbleskiver around here?

That is excellent advice and exactly the sort of thing I was looking for. There's actually a Super Brugsen right near my AirBNB, so this should be easy to find. I noticed Billund Bageri has expanded some of their menu selections such that older recommended names aren't the same - I was mostly after kanelsnegle the first time I went, and I think they have 5 different varieties of that now, none of which had names that made sense with what little Danish I know. So much has changed since my 2019 trip that 2013 might as well be the stone age now. They've actually removed the marching band guard outside of LEGOLAND Billund since the I Love Billund set was designed, and that only came out this year!

I am spreading this as wide as I can in hopes of not accidentally missing anyone I might want to see on my trip or anyone that might be offended by not getting looped in. This May 5th-June 13th, I will be in Billund, Denmark for an extended dream vacation around the LEGO Inside Tour (May 20th-22nd). Spending over a month there means plenty of time to actually do everything and see everything. If you'll be in the area and are interested in meeting up, yes, that includes time to see you. I know during my 2019 trip, I pushed people away because I was really there to see The LEGO House, LEGO HQ, LEGOLAND, the Teddy Bear Art Museum, Loplet, Skulpturpark, etc, etc, etc... but this time, I'll have plenty of time to soak up the art, culture, and history of the place at a more leisurely pace. I've already booked my flights and arranged for lodging in Billund - beyond that, I'm travelling on foot or by transit. I am open to advice on who/what to see while I'm there - my photos will eventually turn up on Flickr. I'll be packing light on the way out and leaving room for souvenirs, but if there's something you want brought to Billund from the States, let me know and I will see what I can do. My usual interest in autographs will be skimped on (booklets are heavy), but I am already entertaining a few requests for boxes of cereal. While I'm open to bringing some things back, I anticipate needing to ship stuff back beyond what will fit in suitcases (historical finds aside, there are already a few exclusive shopping opportunities lined up). In case you're reading this somewhere I don't check, I am reachable through e-mail at dp316tracking@gmail.com (but might reply from a different e-mail address).

This is funny to look back on - I ended up renting an apartment for a few years, then moving back in with my parents when safety issues made living in Philly too difficult. The job fell apart after a few reorgs, although a stellar personal 2019 and a promotion that could not be celebrated in early 2020 had me on a good track before the world fell apart.

Welcome back! Does this mean we'll see you at some events in the near future?

Hey, if we can encourage kids to be "master breakers", why can't we encourage them to be arsonists too? I mean, that's why the cities are all cops and firemen, right? This is much funnier for those of us old enough to remember when LEGO invented fire...back in 1993. It was nearly impossible to get your hands on enough flames to build a burning building until 1998, when this set came out: https://brickset.com/sets/6580-1/Land-Jet-7

Weren't the G1 alarm clocks made by a different manufacturer? It's hard to keep track of who LEGO licenses things out to.

Having something less permanent than Krazy Glue is definitely appealing. Then again, with the variety of brackets and Technic elements that can be used to brace things today, I find that there are very few situations where normal LEGO pieces won't hold well enough already. To make matters worse, LEGO has started making more and more SNOT pieces to the point where most places I've been tempted to use glue, tape, cutting etc over the years are now moot - I could make the pieces stay where I want by swapping out old parts for the newer ones. I wish we'd tried getting video here - we were allowed to intentionally break some samples of glued bricks at their booth. The real fun would probably be intentionally using this weak glue on something that would eventually be worn down, so the MOC would seemingly break free in the middle of a convention. I'm convinced that with proper planning, LEGO pieces alone could un-glue themselves. On second thought, this might help with less-sturdy GBC designs, too...

In general, we all need to do a better job of preserving our own history. I don't know what's up with this specific case.

Won't it go out of business faster if people can't get in to buy things?