LEGO’s 40334 Avengers Tower was offered as a gift with purchase (GWP) in 2019. For such a small model, it captures the iconic building from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) perfectly. And, it included a mid-transformation Tony Stark/Iron Man minifigure and tiny Quinjet. It is like a little brother to my minifigure-scale Avengers Tower MOC.
My friend Mark and I have been on a decade’s long quest to find copies of Space Station L-4 (1977), an educational Earth Sciences television program produced, written, and directed by Paul Lally, who I interviewed in 2013 about the show, and distributed by Children’s Television International (CTI).
Unfortunately, we have not yet been able to obtain copies of Space Station L-4.
Obvious starting places like Google, YouTube, Bing, Yandex, etc. yield no video, screenshots, or substantive information.
I’ve tried interlibrary loan requests without any success.
There was a mention 6 years ago on Reddit’s r/ForgottenTV that linked to my interview with Paul Lally with a couple of commenters mentioning their fond memories of the show.
Most recently, I discovered video order directories including Bowker’s Complete Video Directory and The Video Source Book in the Internet Archive that list the series and individual episodes, which were available for order from CTI in Virginia (apparently no longer exists and a more recent San Diego address seems defunct but there is a branch of this organization that seems to remain incorporated in Maryland) and GPN in Lincoln, NE (also no longer exists–the owner retired). I am sending letters to the agent listed for the Maryland branch of CTI and Steve Lenzen of GPN in the hope of them having stock available or a reference to who might have tapes for sale.
Below, I’m pasting the series and episode information from Bowker’s Complete Video Directory 1998, pp. 2158-2159 in the hope that it might lead someone with info about how to obtain the series to my website and who would be kind enough to reach out by email to my address in the info box to the right or via my social media links on the About page.
Space Station L-4. 16 cass. (1977). Science—Environmental Studies. 240 min. Rights: Group; Broadcast. Viewers imagine themselves on space station L-4, 440 miles above the earth. Their mission: to study & monitor life support systems for planet Earth & share this information with all countries needing assistance. By dramatically demonstrating modern equipment, techniques & methods of scientific investigation this video teaches how we are seeking to safeguard the future of our natural environment & prepare for human survival. GPN. tchr's. guide: $3.50; VHS, Set (Order #: E374):
$351.20.
Space Station L-4, Vol. 1: The Changing Earth; Earth Measurement; Atmosphere; Water. Science—General. B&W and Color. 60 min. Juvenile.Ages: 9-13. G. Made-for-Video Movie. Children’s Television International. VHS (Order #: ST-1): $79.95.
Space Station L-4, No. 1: The Changing Earth. (1977). Science—Environmental Studies. 15 min, Rights: Group; Broadcast. Develops an awareness within students that the earth is constantly changing. GPN. tchr's. guide: $3.50; VHS (Order #: E374): $29.95.
Space Station L-4, Vol. 2: Soil; Earth Limits; Energy; Gravity. Science—General. B&W and Color. 60 min. Juvenile.Ages: 9-13. G. Made-for-Video Movie. Children’s Television International. VHS (Order #: ST-2): $79.95.
Space Station L-4, No. 2: Earth Measurement. (1977). Technology. 15 min. Rights: Group; Broadcast. Demonstrates how technological advances enable us to increase the accuracy of measurements. GPN. tchr’s. guide: $3.50; VHS (Order #: E374): $29.95.
Space Station L-4, Vol. 3: Human Life Support; ‘Human Communication; The Order of Nature; Cycles. Science—General. B&W and Color. 60 min. Juvenile Ages: 9-13. G. Made-for-Video Movie. Children's Television International. VHS (Order #: ST-3): $79.95.
Space Station L-4, No. 3: Atmosphere. (1977). ‘Science—Environmental Studies. 15 min. Rights: Group; Broadcast. Helps students understand the effects of the interaction between the earth's surface & living things. GPN. tchr's. guide: $3.50; VHS (Order #: E374): $29.95.
Space Station L-4, Vol. 4: Things in Motion; Reach ‘Up; Reach Out; Reach Far Out. Science—General. B&W and Color. 60 min. Juvenile. Ages: 9-13. G. Made-for-Video Movie. Children’s Television International. VHS (Order #: ST-4): $79.95.
Space Station L-4, No. 4: Water. (1977). Science—Environmental Studies. 15 min. Rights: Group; Broadcast. Presents the interrelationship between water, the earth's surface & living things. GPN. tchr’s. guide: $3.50; VHS (Order #: E374): $29.95.
Space Station L-4, No. 5: Soil. (1977). Science—Environmental Studies. 15 min. Rights: Group; Broadcast. Continues to demonstrate the interrelationship to ecology by looking at how soil, water & living things affect each other. GPN. tchr’s. guide: $3.50; VHS (Order #: E374): $29.95.
Space Station L-4, No. 6: Earth Limits. (1977). Science—Environmental Studies. 15 min. Rights: Group; Broadcast. Shows students that the earth & its components are finite resources. GPN. tchr's. guide: $3.50; VHS (Order #: E374): $29.95.
Space Station L-4, No. 7: Energy. (1977). Science—Environmental Studies. 15 min. Rights: Group; Broadcast. Reveals that the sun is our energy source. GPN. tchr’s. guide: $3.50; VHS (Order #: £374): $29.95
Space Station L-4, No. 8: Gravity. (1977). Science—General. 15 min. Rights: Group; Broadcast. Shows students how man & his environment are both affected by gravity. GPN. tchr's. guide: $3.50; VHS (Order #: E374): $29.95.
Space Station L-4, No. 9: Human Life Support. (1977). Science—Environmental Studies. 15 min. Rights: Group; Broadcast. Makes us aware that we all interact with our environment. GPN. tchr’s. guide: $3.50; VHS (Order #: E374): $29.95.
Space Station L-4, No. 10: Human Communications. (1977). Anthropology. 15 min. Rights: Group; Broadcast. Develops an awareness of humans as communicators. GPN. tchr's. guide: $3.50: VHS (Order #: E374): $29.95.
Space Station L-4, No. 11: The Order of Nature. (1977). Science—Environmental Studies. 15 min. Rights: Group; Broadcast. Promotes the observable patterns in nature. GPN. tchr’s. guide: $3.50; VHS (Order #: E374): $29.95.
Space Station L-4, No. 12: Cycles. (1977). Science—Environmental Studies. 15 min. Rights: Group; Broadcast. Develops student understanding of physical & biological cycles that naturally occur. GPN. tchr’s. guide: $3.50; VHS (Order #: E374): $29.95.
Space Station L-4, No. 13: Things in Motion. (1977). Science—-Environmental Studies. 15 min. Rights: Group; Broadcast. Helps students understand that we increase our use of fuels as we explore space. GPN. tchr's. guide: $3.50; VHS (Order #: E374): $29.95.
Space Station L-4, No. 14: Reach Up. (1977). Science—Environmental Studies. Exploration. 15 min. Rights: Group, Broadcast. Demonstrates how we have increased our knowledge of the environment through space exploration. GPN. tchr's. guide: $3.50; VHS (Order #: E374): $29.95.
Space Station L-4, No. 15: Reach Out. (1977). Science—Environmental Studies. Space Exploration. 15 min. Rights: Group; Broadcast. Enables viewers to better understand how our explorations of space have actually changed the dimensions of environmental research. GPN. tchr's guide: $3.50; VHS (Order #: E374): $29.95
Space Station L-4, No. 16: Reach Far Out. (1977). Science—Astronomy. Space Exploration. 15 min. Rights: Group; Broadcast. Takes viewers one step further in the search & inquiry process by showing how we are looking for life in outerspace. GPN. tchr’s. guide: $3.50; VHS (Order #:E374): $29.95.If you know where I might find a copy of Space Station L-4, please send me an email at my address to the right or via my social media links on the About page. Thank you!
Soon after the Nintendo Game Boy launched in 1989, I was gifted one. Being able to carry video games with me wherever I went was a ground-shaking experience. Even though I enjoyed Castlevania: The Adventure, Batman: The Video Game, Alleyway, Super Mario Land, and F-1 Race, I always returned to Tetris for hours of play eliminating lines while driven by the best chiptune music. Yet, all of these games were immersive experiences that were available nearly anywhere. Unlike a console, you didn’t have to monopolize the family TV. You had your own albeit small and black-on-green screen, a window to miniaturized interactive worlds.
Eventually, it became a habitual companion everywhere I went, including Italy with my high school Latin Club (though, I didn’t play it on the trip–I let my friend Brian hold it on the trip to play Star Trek, which he had bought to play even though he didn’t own a Game Boy). This nylon belt pouch was my favorite on-the-go accessory for carrying my Game Boy. The main compartment held the Game Boy with a cartridge loaded. The back pouch accommodated extra batteries (stretched) or a manual or sheet of paper with codes. And, the two front click button
The industrial design of the Game Boy was well thought out. It was as pleasant to hold when I first got it when I was 12 as when I was a teenager or now in middle age. It has a good weight that is balanced. Playing for hours doesn’t fatigue my fingers, hands, or arms.
As long as the ambient lighting it good, the non-backlit screen is pleasing to watch during extended game play.
The cartridges and cases are equally designed well. The long oval space above the game’s logo sticker allows for easy grasping of the game cartridge when removing the game. The power switch locks the cartridge into place when turned on.
Despite how much I love the Game Boy, I think that Nintendo has become a garbage company by the actions of its executives to unfairly bully and litigate against its fans instead of acknowledging fair use rights and finding ways to work with its fans (see TechDirt for details and the long history of Nintendo’s actions toward fans). I suppose it all comes down to control on Nintendo’s part. When the Game Boy first launched, control was built into the product. And, there wasn’t yet a widespread medium for participatory culture that the Internet made possible that could riff and build on new cultural art forms like video games. Now we can but Nintendo tends to take a copyright maximalist approach to their IP and most fans who get caught in the company’s crosshairs don’t have the deep pockets to establish their fair use rights through litigation. It’s for those reasons that I haven’t bought any Nintendo products in many years and I encourage others to do the same. There are good games made by better people on other platforms that are as enriching, engaging, and entertaining.
Since posting the original version of my Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Pedagogy Bibliography and Resource List in April 2023, I have continued to add resources that I find through my research and daily online reading. I’ve added 61 articles and books to the bibliography since August 2023 for a total of 382 MLA-formatted references. Also, it has 55 online groups and resources linked at the bottom. Whenever you access the bibliography, you can check the bottom of the page to see if I’ve recently updated it–I always add the date for any updates.
I hope that the bibliography might be useful to you! If there’s something that my bibliography is missing, send me an email (details in the “Who is Dynamic Subspace” widget to the right) or connect with me on social media (links on my About page).
I originally built the LEGO Death Star set over some days after moving back to Atlanta for the Brittain Fellowship at Georgia Tech. Of all the LEGO sets that I’ve assembled over the years, I think this one brought me the most joy. It encapsulates major scenes from both Star Wars (1977) and Return of the Jedi (1983) and it does so in a compact, three-dimensional narrative form of haptic play. The Death Star playset permits playful time travel as minifigures are moved from space to space, interrupting the narrative in unexpected and interesting ways. It invites remixing and transformation in its solidly constructed spherical platform. The set juxtaposes before and later
After moving to Brooklyn two years later to begin my job at City Tech, I brought it to my office (very carefully in a large carry bag), but it didn’t seem as interesting or inviting to students who dropped by during my office hours so I brought it back home at the end of the semester. I eventually sold it on Craigslist to free up space for other projects, because unfortunately, it did take up a lot of room!
Below are wide shots of the Death Star.
Below are close-up shots of the individual scenes.
