aFrInati0n

@russellikeslegos you may click the YT link in my signature - but unfortunately with bricks we may be be able to use flywheels / gyroscopes like real RC-motorcycles have in their rear wheels... :D

Here is my story of how it came that I got Technic-Admin of Eurobricks - even though my part inventory may only contain less than 1% LEGO parts... My childhood experiences with LEGO As I was born in '84, I would believe my 1st contact with LEGO was possibly only after Germany united again around the '90s. So for my childhood I remember myself having some of the space sets from then (M:Tron and Blacktron) and later on some studded Technic Models (8862-1, 8849-1) I tinkered around with before other things got interesting in the later youth. For my childhood I would say it was a regular phase and nothing special or big. So my LEGO Childhood was no big or long one - just a part of my youth.. My Renaissance with Bricks since Corona As for many others, with the Corona restrictions on us staying at home, I remembered some recently discovered Bins from the attic of my grandmother who passed away the year before. Those bins brought back many of the nice childhood memories I had, so as time allowed I started tinkering again with the very little count of parts I had from my childhood. As I stumbled across some of the old "cabled" (9V) electronic components, I got interested in how that developed further and what is offered with modern technologies & also I realized that LEGO had somehow changed (studless technic mainly), which I found somehow looking cleaner to some amounts than studded builds. To some amount I was shocked by how clonky and big the remote control hubs were looking from LEGO, still using AA batteries, where the world understood LiPO as the better technology for long already. So my 1st new set got an alternative brand, as I found a cheap offer for a set containing obviously way smaller batt-/receiver-boxes & other electronic components (servo, motor). I was really amazed by the format of the alternative brand solution for having RC capabilities allowed in brick models. Since then I understand myself more like a parts-scavanger which is looking for functionalites than considering myself having much interest in Sets from vendors. I would believe since then I may have some inventory of 20-25k parts - still my original childhood LEGO may only be below 1% of that. How I learned about Eurobricks I would believe it was when I got the electronic components to tinker around with, as the thought came up "Ok ok, but RC for bricks feels still boring to me, is there any additional challenge you could try to achieve? I realized quickly that removing 2 wheels may be a good addition to think of a challenge for myself to be set as the goal to be achieved. At that time some people have posted some videos of their attempts of creating RC motorcycles within the brick-hobby. Two of them I consider my biggest friends in the hobby here, sharing similar interests then the ones I described above: @amorti, @piterx - Kudos for the two nicest guys sharing my niche interest, who always were helpful to get me into the topic and challenge and troubleshoot ideas and concepts together with me. Since I was in contact with both, I quickly learned that Eurobricks is a very appreciated place by many people and esp. THE PLACE to be if you like to have discussions about Technic and techniques - I quickly appreciated the forum for serveral reasons as a user It contained a massive contribution of wisdom into topics for a long time already It has an open and always felt encouraging Community Even the famous builders are around and seemed to be very approachable by everybody As the to-me interesting challenge was understood as wanting to build a working RC-motorcycle with / from bricks, the Technic Forum was the most interest forum to me from the beginning. What convinced me apply for the EB Technic-Admin position At some degree I realized that the forum software was outdated by some amount in difference to the vendors latest released version, which brought me to the conclusion: "May it be, they currently have no active Admin?!" It didn't took me long in my head to come up with the thought of "but don't you have the right skills for that, what holds you back?!" - so I remember myself wanting to pay back something to this great community & sent some application letter via Email to @Jim, basically applying out of nowhere for a position which was not vacant.. As it always goes in life, I would phrase.. Jim and the staff team were open to my idea, so we started slowly with testing the waters and me allowing to work on the TEST environment 1st, to show I have the right skills for the task - I think I delivered back then and we slowly progressed with handing me bigger work packages. In the end I was able to achieve the goal I had in mind: Allowing a very appreciated online community to have the most secure and stable running online forum they surely deserve! Why am I writing all this? I will always respect the LEGO traditionalist with their opinion & invest all my efforts for serving you in the best ways, whatever your believe is. I hope my own background may allow others to understand that even Fans of Alternative Brick Braneds may understand Eurobricks as a Community having most history with the brand LEGO. I have strong feelings for most of other Alternative Brands fans would fully respect the history of Eurobricks of being closed for the Brand LEGO for a very long time. I have the strong believe that most fears of the people may be bigger than any reality tested later... A big personal thank you to Eurobricks being the place for Builders and Creators!

@General Magma on any indivial opinion yes, but in the scope I understood for the staff making any decisions of the poll's outcome, I just wanted to point out that I would believe that being the least preferred ption we may identify already as a rought feeling in different to the other three options with more votes. *scnr to hide the ST-pun...

@Wolfpack Please don't think of the worst case - I would believe we would treat it in the best ways to respect the votings of the community to let us guide towards the best decision we understood working for the majority of people... I just want to tell, I personally would believe us suddenly saying "oh why not #4" may not ever get true.. At least I have strong hopes for that not happening..

What you buy is always only your decision :D But I have no clear answer in mind... for servos or parts with "wear" my stanc would be "replacements could be considered ok from third parties if the original product is not available from the original brand" - as this would still allow us to encourage creativity over parts-policing.

@JesseNight For me it is less about giving more "high talk" to them with more factual explanations, those are transparently on the table already - it is possibly more about the other side who would be good to understand of them only using basic talk which will render any dialog not happening. There is only one solution for scenarios of "basic vs high talk" known for possibly working out: One side needs to allow oneself to get to the level of the other. My deliberate choice is 'I do not want to be seen as a person using words which would be claiming something about the LEGO fans by using similar negatively connocated words, as I understand "basic talk can not be helped with more basic talk"'. So the only thing I am asking for is: "Could the other side think about allowing themself to give me the same respect I am already giving to them by not calling them something"? *1: I am referencing "Basic Talk" and "High Talk" to the concepts of a German management coach and prize winning book autor, I have read two books of, Peter Modler -- just the quick AI summary / translation, (as I believe he has no big english reputation) of the concept which is mainly understood in management-/corporate-communitcation regards *2: The terms from Mr. Modler being not the best - as those could also be understood to be blamy themself easily and then itself be understood as "basic talk". I am just using the terms of him, not really being happy with the used terms itself, if that helps please.

Sorry but I am not any of an CEO of those companies - therefore I could just speculate, but never "know it for sure" - can you?

Yikes, just found another edgecase we not yet discussed: How about a franchise suddenly being licenced "not-by-LEGO-any-longer" - would esp. the purist accept it as "we may consider that franchise then eligable for discussions of the other brand? https://www.brickfanatics.com/mattel-dc-licence-for-2026-means-for-lego The - to me - relevant paragraph: I just want to hand an example of "in the future there may be cases for franchises allowing a non-exclusive license to a second brand than LEGO" - or - "the franchise exclusively going to change the license to another company than LEGO".

I wasn't having that piece information till now - thanks for that! I would agree on that one. We just need to find the most convenient way to sort that multi-dimensional filtering into the best order, I would believe.

@Sven J I had to learn in the past, not all people are using the site in similar ways (I wans't aware the "Unread content" Streams being so popular to many people"). Also people may just start visiting the site with their favorite sub forums links, they are interested in. So I would agree, it being a good idea to think about such announcements. The statement is not false, but in the understanding of the receiving side it may allow some people to get offended as this may be considered blaiming them for not recognizing. Esp. if a user realizes he was not able to participate, the emotional stakes may be high already in that very moment. Since 2011 the term "clonebrands" may not really be fitting any longer, as you could understand the expired patent basically as "the system of interlocking bricks got public domain". Since the patent expired,other companies had believes of them legally participating in that by-then-opened-up-market from the regulations / laws allowing them to produce the same parts as long there is no 3D Design-Registration which would need to be considered applicable for singular parts.

I think the basis may be considered of any organization filing such CaD-letter / Notice to request removal, all is fine. As long as all requests are followed by distinct and fast responses & us not allowing us being the sharing platform somehow, nobody has to fear big things, I would believe. I would believe having enough experts within any sub forum, the community or even Mods/staff may be considered to have the skills and steady knowledge of knowing "this set is new and unreleased" - so I would consider us needing to moderate findings, based on an own stance of expertise.. but not sure of how much proactivity may be needed.. I would believe "if we assuring this constantly, it would create possibly less risk".

Sven, that could get a quiz on its own, ahahhahahah

I would count this addressing me mainly, as I am the most vocal here in the topic by posts. So first of all: I am very sorry if my personal stance /opinion got understood in other ways than I wished for! That's my bad then & I would be good for me to reflect a bit on that, which I will for sure do! Additionally I am personally open for a direct mention if my parts did not feel very appreciated - as I understand it being the legitimate social signal to be sent in such moments for the person somehow wrong understanding that there is a wish to do better. -- As stated in the other recent posting of mine, I am for myself making differences in thinking by the models of Kahneman. From that model I can understand people working with only their own opinion, but not even allowing to have the discussion on a level outside the own emotional state - the question I would like to ask: Do you see chances for such exchange (dialog on SYSTEM2) happening to allow "the other side" a (to them) logical explanation to get offered? My wish for those topics is just to have dialog on some commonly factual, logical base with people (of having another opinion I can totally respect as theirs!) to finally get over the barrier of emotionality to be able to discuss solutions which may help any communication-participant to allow to tell "oh yeah, that would help me to have less fears coming from my opinion". I would believe under the premise of the system patent being expired by "regulations in place within the markets where they are active, for them having all legal possibilitites to defend their IP". This is "for me as a singular entity" a good reason to argue "why should we in some bricks community bother ourselfes with such domains, as the companies are doing it naturally on their own." The individual opinion is respected all the time & for me my answers are not to convince them of anything, but instead to ask / challenge if they have a explanation for their position I could understand from my logical perspective. But can the wish for having a discussion "not only from arguments coming from emotionality" be understood as the one of a sane grown up person? I have the believe we are stuck at "SYSTEM1 answers vs SYSTEM2 questions" - and I would like to conciously not gear down here, as I would understand this as "I would need to get only emotional to have that SYS1-only discussion".. Instead I am asking if somebody of people having that strong opinion can think of him having some explanations for a SYS2-only dialog. Again, I am sorry if I may have created other impressions seems I may just have too pointy ears..

Some parts I can partially understand: by McGregor Daniel Kahneman I consider such opinions as "valid within the realm of the person considering the claim as true, based on only own emotions" coming from SYSTEM1 only. I can totally accept such person is using that construct for oneself as "enough reasoning" already - but in difference if that illogical claim is used in a case of communication happening, it is at least not respecting the rules of good communications as it does not allow to form a common ground with people from another spectrum ever. I really would like to get a SYSTEM2 explanation which may help me understand it as an argument - but again I believe nobody of having that SYSTEM1 believe dares to challenge this, as they have no SYSTEM2 explanation outside their personal emotional basis to offer... I believe the restriction for such people to not ever be able / wanting to move away from their limitations of only being able to stay in SYSTEM1, may only allow further emotional dissonance in them. Possibly those people can not ever answer on that level. I would interpret the inner grudge can be seen within the used voabulary, if I may remind the "clonebrands" term - from the explanations I heard, I would believe those are very well explanations which could be translated "unfortunatel another SYSTEM1 opinion only". Again, I totally respect their opinion as-is - but I would wish they could be convinced to at least try once to get over that inner obstacle in thinking I would attest for such given SYSTEM1 answers. That wish comes from my understanding that we can only have good dialog from people being able to communicate on SYSTEM2 - otherwise it is just an exchange of different opinion. * for the concecpt from Daniel Dahneman, where SYSTEM1 and SYSTEM2 are explained: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow