Mojang's massive explore-em-up is now available for Xbox 360.

mama_faelynn writes, "My husband and I made an Epic Minecraft CaseMod for our 8 year old. 1200 1/2" blocks, weeks of time, flashing harddrive creeper eyes, our kid is over the MOON!"

Minecraft casemod

(Thanks, mama_faelynn!)

TheRealDuckie (and friends) is working on a complete, functional replica of Walt Disney World in Minecraft, and has posted an update to Reddit. The Magic Kingdom is largely down, with the rides all ridable, and working restaurants. Epcot is underway. The files are available as free downloads. — Read the rest

Marcus "Notch" Persson, of Minecraft fame, has outlined 0x10c, a spiritual successor to space-exploration classic Elite: "It's going to be a space game, and it's quite ambitious!" While you're waiting, be sure to check out MC-esque spaceship game Blockade Runner.

SgtGodswordBerserker has implemented a multi-function scientific calculator using Minecraft, a project that echoes the earlier projects to build a CPU and a 3D printer using the game engine and its primitives.

Specs: 6 digit addition and subtraction, 3 digit multiplication, division and trigonometric/scientific functions.

271kochu created a "fountain of cats" in Minecraft by building a structure that extended to the top of the world, then exploiting the game's simple flocking rules for virtual cats to entice the sprites to form a never-ending fountain that is a joy to behold. — Read the rest

The Humble Indie Bundle people are gearing up for their next event, the Humble Bundle Mojam, and this one's pure charity. Humble fans voted on which game they wanted to see the folks at Mojang (creators of Minecraft) make, and over the weekend, Mojang is going to build it, live and on camera, in 60 hours. — Read the rest

This summer, Lego will ship an official Minecraft "Micro World" set, with blocks designed to look like the primitives used for construction in the popular game/virtual playset.

Help Steve survive his first night in a strange new world. Avoid the creeper and start mining for resources that will help you survive and thrive.

Minecraft's defiantly unrealistic style notwithstanding, players appreciate the game's internal consistency and get frustrated at certain failures of verisimilitude. Chunk errors, for example, are squared-off seams in the world caused by glitches in the landscape-generation algorithm. Right out of the annals of reality is unrealistic comes Roraima Mountain, a pleasing reminder that you are living in a simulation and Notch is God. — Read the rest

Here's a MMO-Champion thread in which Ramsesakama sets out to recreate the World of Warcraft realm of Kalimdor in the maker-friendly game/environment Minecraft, in faithful 1:1 scale. Using procedural tools and a lot of skull-sweat, the task is undertaken, with awfully fabulous results. — Read the rest

Mineways is a tool that converts your Minecraft creations into 3D files that can be sent to the 3D printing bureau Shapeways, who will print them out in color plastic and send them to you. The tool itself is free/open and there's C/C++ source for you to download. — Read the rest

Are they coming too late to give for Yule?

Minecraft is about placing blocks to build anything you can imagine in the virtual world. You can build anything you imagine with LEGO bricks in the physical world. Minecraft and LEGO were meant to be together.

A trio of Ur-nerds have recreated the Game Boy's Super Mario Land using Minecraft. They laid 18 million blocks to accomplish the feat. It took 500 hours.

Each image is a masterpiece in block placement, dropping dyed wool blocks in the game's creative mode within the frame of a massive Game Boy created in the virtual world.

James Smith's entry to the Stockholm Green Hackathon was a Minecraft mod that adds carbon emissions to the game, which revolves around resource extraction and use:

When you burn some wood in a furnace, the mod calls out to AMEEconnect to do a calculation, and adds the result to a tracker in-game.

Depending on which side of the International Date Line your computer thinks you are, Minecraft for iPhone and iPad is available now. I'm looking forward to reading the reviews, but I'll probably buy it the instant it becomes available in the US. — Read the rest

[Video Link] My kids and I like the "Kids React to Viral Videos" series by the Fine Bros. This time, they interview kids about a Minecraft trailer. — Read the rest

The Edison Memorial Tower; the Basilica; the Golden Gate Bridge; the Eiffel Tower; the Vatican; the Globe Theater; and Fallingwater.

Brand sez, "My little girl (age 8) put together her costume this year based on her favorite video game creature: the Minecraft Creeper. I've seen a few creepers this year, but none as good as hers."

Sad Creeper has a candies

(Thanks, Brand!

Etsy seller CarryTheWhat created these 3D printed Minecraft pickaxes and swords. They're handpainted to your spec: "wood, stone, iron, gold or diamond available." There's a Thingiverse model for you to download and print at home, too.

(via Wonderlandblog)