The Steampunk Librarian

talking the talk and walking the walk of steampunk

nobody@vox.com(Steampunk Librarian) — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 11:09:30 -0800

Attention, west coast Steampunks! Go to the Dickens Fair in San Francisco this Saturday, for there will be a bonafide Steam Explorers Contest! The winner receives a copy of The Black Dossier, and I've read my copy and can vouch for its quality.

Another wonderful book is The Young Man's Book of Amusements, which fortunately is online - all 384 pages of it! - for one's reading pleasure. If you like this sort of thing, you may also like the offerings at Necromance, which has two brick-and-mortar locations but is also alive online. I particularly like the home decor items.

Another discussion/argument/debate about steampunk is afoot, which has sparked similar discussions on other parts of the web. Meanwhile, Les UX have been found not guilty for their latest escapade - restoring the Pantheon's clock in Paris. (To me, this is quite steampunk, what with the undercover efforts and repairing antique clockwork and all.)

And lastly, something which is not really steampunk at all, but is futuristic and weird and silly: a robot ladybug cleans restrooms and makes idle chit-chat with you if you like. I like the idea of a world with robot ladybug janitors.

(Also, not at all steampunk-related but also silly and fun: we're comparing Playmobil advent calendars each day over on Folderol, my other home. You can vote each day on which offering you prefer!)

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a few bulleted bits

nobody@vox.com(Steampunk Librarian) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 11:01:45 -0800

Another amazing modified PC is making the rounds. This one is made from wood and is incredibly detailed.

Andy Paiko makes stunning works of art from glass which should appeal to steampunky types - check out the Absinthe Fountain!

I had not heard of this mechanical theatre in Hellbrunn, Austria before, but I'd love to get a chance to see it (and the water-driven automata, too).

From Cassandra: the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, better known as the Doomsday Vault, has begun the "deep freeze" process meant to protect seeds from the world's crops.

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If you say you don't believe in steampunk, a green fairy falls down dead

nobody@vox.com(Steampunk Librarian) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 12:17:51 -0800

Today it's all about the Victorians. Well, except for this steampunk Dalek, courtesy of Danny (thanks, Danny!). Hee.

H.P. Lovecraft might not be Victorian, strictly speaking, but he certainly wanted to be. As part of their exhibit on all things Lovecraftian, a collection of computer games based on Lovecraft's works have been gathered together. Some are easier to install and/or understand than others (I know one game is French-only), but they're all beautifully spooky and worth a look.

Absinthe is worming its way back into mainstream culture. (Sorry, couldn't resist.) Many thanks to Cassandra for the story; for additional information on the green fairy, the wonderful Curious Expeditions site explains the history and the current state of the drink. Look out for absinth, it's not the same as absinthe.

Madame Talbot's website is so full of wondrous things to look at and click on that it'll take me hours to see everything, but a quick once-over was more than enough for me to recommend it!

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The future of the past is now the present

nobody@vox.com(Steampunk Librarian) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 10:41:44 -0800

The wave of steampunk popularity continues, which simultaneously delights and frightens me. It's even in Newsweek! There are new online communities springing up, like a buy and sell group and a Flickr pool of steampunk gear.

Voyages Extraordinaires, one of the oldest distinguished statesmen of steampunky goodness, is now in weblog format, hooray! Also, the genius behind the necropathic spectrograph and Lovecraftian antiquities has a weblog as well at Many Dead Things.

Many of us have seen the amazing props and weapons from Weta. Now they have a rival -- check out Kropserkel's fantastical guns! (The whole site is worth some hours of immersion.)

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the wait for the Black Dossier continues

nobody@vox.com(Steampunk Librarian) — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 12:42:15 -0700

Steampunky objects are popping up all over etsy, and they're taking notice over there. (I restrict my time browsing etsy, because I would spend all my money there easily.)

(If Squidpunk ever becomes a viable alternative, however, I've got a nice Cthulhu table just waiting for its day in the...night? Depths?)

A preview of the new volume of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is up at Entertainment Weekly, of all places. It looks mysterious and interesting, and why the hell are Mina and Quartermain so young?

Where are our jetpacks? They've been here for a while, says an article in Reason, and it's, well, reasonable. But we want affordable jetpacks, you see!

And lastly, for gaming types who like their action to take place circa 1904 - Covert Front 2: Station on the Horizon is finally here!

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A veritable avalanche of information

nobody@vox.com(Steampunk Librarian) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 10:49:10 -0700

JD_Flyer

Yep, that is my stained glass. Eeek! A slightly different version of the Angel of Death is at the show (the one pictured above now lives in Toledo, where she is happily reaping souls), as is the Cthulhu mosaic table I made over the summer and a bat-themed glass & wood box I made with Mr. Kazendei. If you're near Cincinnati this month, try to stop by and check out all the local artisans - I've seen a few pieces already and they're all very cool!

I went to San Francisco two weeks ago, and we went to an absolutely amazing store called Paxton Gate. It's highly recommended for anyone into science, history, or art...including steampunks!

Continuing on with the art/steampunk combo post...the always fascinating Instructables website shows you how to make your very own mad scientist goggles, and if you're especially hardcore you could try to replicate this voltmeter-ammeter bra. Eeek.

A gallery of tarot card designs shows how infinite the symbols behind the cards can be, while a gallery of old photos themed around crime and punishment show how it's possible to waste entire days and nights poking around Flickr.

If you want old-fashioned housewares and lighting, Rejuvenation is the place to go. I love the light switches!

Something fun for the futuristic transhumanists among us: a free downloadable pdf of Raymond Kurzweil's essays from 2001-2003. (Thanks, Bunny!)

Behold the museum of flashlights, bringing you a vast array of tiny lights throughout the years.

So what attracts a person to steampunk? A discussion on LiveJournal brings up all sorts of interesting points. The overall answer is the same one I have: we were always interested in this sort of stuff, we just didn't know there was a name for it!

(I also like this comment: "It's the constant feeling that I was born a century too early or a century too late.")

And finally, Unhallowed Metropolis looks like all kinds of awesome. The bios are especially great.

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brief bits and bobs

nobody@vox.com(Steampunk Librarian) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 12:31:14 -0700

Steampunk Magazine just came out with its third issue, and you should read the back issues, too.

John Danforth makes daguerrotypes out of modern images, and they are amazing.

The Mad Scientists make trivets using computer chips, and they are also amazing!

This water-cooled PC, however, may be the most amazing thing yet. I am in awe.

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things to see, touch and read

nobody@vox.com(Steampunk Librarian) — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 07:33:44 -0700

Feast your eyes on the amazing shrinking kilogram! I poked around a bit and discovered the Bureau of Weights and Measures has some very industrial/steampunk displays, as well as an incredible amount of scientific information on their website.

Over in Barcelona, meanwhile, Casa Battló is equally stunning, but in an artistic way. Check out the detailed photos of all the rooms, and look at the outside architecture. Wow.

An exhibit featuring some full-scale replicas of Leonardo da Vinci's creations has started in San Francisco. Oooo, ahhhh! I may actually get to see this in the coming weeks.

I believe I've linked to the Gothia Gazette before, but there's always new stuff to see there.

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Steampunk is coming to town (or near it, at least)

nobody@vox.com(Steampunk Librarian) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 12:02:24 -0700

Next week there will actually be some steampunk action in the midwest! The NeoVictorian SteamPunk TeaParty will take place in Bloomington, Indiana next Tuesday at the Axis of Evil. Sadly I won't be able to go, with it being a work night and all, but if anyone nearby checks it out let me know.

A nod to the past: consider burying your body, or at least placing a memorial stone, in the Great Pyramid. This is pretty fascinating.

Forget the wonders of the ancient world, how about the deserted wonders of the postmodern world? (I'm guessing that many of us who are interested in steampunk also find abandoned places fascinating.) There are two parts; the website is a little unstable due to all the attention it's been getting recently, but once the pages come up they are lovely.

Something a little more Victorian and mythological: the Cobweb Forest, a serialized story. It's very beautiful, and old-fashioned yet high-tech.

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the countdown to Halloween begins

nobody@vox.com(Steampunk Librarian) — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 11:39:47 -0700

Hello hello! During our Labor Day travels, we found that the Halloween stores have opened, huzzah. It's not too early to start plotting and scheming. Also, there's a lovely new Victorian Halloween site for the historically and/or steampunkily inclined.

Today, it's all about the gadgets! Steam bicycles (oodles of them), steam-powered salon carousels from days gone by, a steampunk lightsaber (from an even more civilized age, evidently), the amazing Phonofone for amplifying the sounds from headphones, and the even more amazing Inteli-Tube Pneumatic Transportation System are all presented for your examination.

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