11 posts tagged “conventions”

This week's steampunk entry consists mainly of steampunky people looking pretty. Enjoy and be inspired!

 

Exhibit 1: The tor.com meetup at Brooklyn's Way Station was well attended, from the looks of it.

 

Exhibit 2: The Oxford steampunk exhibition brought out the extremely well-dressed!

 

Exhibit 3: SteamCon in Seattle looks like a great success.

 

Exhibit 3.5: The poster for the new Sherlock Holmes film is out, and is not exactly steampunk but not really NOT steampunk, either. I am of two minds, obviously.

 

In more literary matters, a call is out for authors of steampunk romances. You have until next April to send in your masterpiece!

 

"Technology forecaster" Paul Saffo (who doesn't like the words futurist or futurologist) predicts an increasing divide between the rich and the poor in our technological future. Anyone who has read Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age can see the Vicky culture in the making...

Some places to visit as you get back to work this Tuesday...

 

Look at all the pretty steampunk people who went to Dragon*Con!

 

Check out the new steampunk links weblog!

 

Spend some time looking at the results of b3ta's steampunk Photoshop challenge. You'll be glad you did.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have found the ultimate steampunk, or at least the ultimate steampunk authentication. Hee.

 

Comic-Con is over, but the steampunk brigade was out in full force and even set a Guinness record, according to LA Weekly. And look at some of the merchandise that will be on the way soon!

 

On the other side of the country, Dances of Vice is getting ready for a Sunday brunch on August 6, with Voltaire appearing and the Japan TV station NHK shooting a documentary! Reserve a seat now before they're gone! (In a somewhat related vein, we're posting -- and encouraging others to post -- events over at the Steampunk Empire.)

 

The Falcon is a short stop-animation film that should appeal to any steampunky type.

 

Also bound to appeal: the LEGO work of V&A Steamworks!

 

Author Arthur Slade has started a "great moments in steampunk history" list over on his LiveJournal, and I hope it continues.

 

Monster Commute describes itself as having a "60s steampunk influence," which is a wonderfully anachronistic description. I support time anomalies whenever possible!

 

I also support steampunkish designs, like many on this list of 50 t-shirts. (Some, not so much. But they're all interesting, and available!)

Due to various real-life issues and a large amount of links to share, today's entry will be in bulleted, fragmented sentence format. Enjoy!

 

First off, Aloysius is conquering the legions of steampunks online and corraling them at the Steampunk Ning Empire. Events, photos, a forum, and much more are to be found! (He's a benevolent tyrant, so it's okay. I recommend you join!)

 

More events taking place this year include "Sphinx & Drinks" at the Egyptian Rosicrucian Museum in San Jose this July and WindyCon (featuring a steampunk theme this year) in Chicago this November. Start planning now!

 

The Punchdrunk theatre company recently had a wild gear-laden installation under London's Waterloo Station -- photos are online and there are rumors it may return in the fall.

 

You know steampunk is getting mainstream when there are actual "steampunk jewelry" suppliers online, by the way. Not that I'm complaining, as I'm one of the types who want this look and art in the mainstream so that it's easier and cheaper to find!

 

These steampunk rides, on the other hand, will never be mainstream, but they are amazing and worthy of wonder for that very reason.

 

And finally, for those of us who also love the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s: Dieselpunks!

Verily, the world is in peril, for immortal jellyfish are roaming the seas. If only we lived in a time of properly intimidating names!

 

The weekend of February 20 brings the Wicked Faire to New Jersey, and it looks as if it's heavy on the steampunk! The fair's website seems a little shaky, but there's a livejournal community with updates as well.

 

In nearby New York City, the Dances of Vice group has occasional events throughout the year, and even has Sunday brunches for those in town. Oooo.

 

Found via the Dances of Vice website: Purevile, fashioner of steampunky things!

 

A question for the Canadians: has anyone seen Murdoch Mysteries yet? Apparently it takes place in Victorian times and there will be a robot in an upcoming episode!

 

Hilary (of the excellent Spirits Dancing website) went to Nantes and got to see the mechanical creations of Royal de Luxe (you may remember their amazing mechanical elephant which walked through London two years ago). I think a group excursion to Nantes is in order!

On to steampunk links! You could travel the globe in considerably less time than Phileas Fogg did, but it's still expensive. (Plus you probably miss out on all sorts of wacky adventures.)

Reports are trickling in from the recent steampunk convention, and it sounds like a good time was had by all, especially the makers! And speaking of makers, Datamancer has a new beautiful ergonomic keyboard for viewing, and Jake von Slatt is working on a steampunk book with Jeff Vandemeer. Congratulations all around!

Scuttlebuggery is a slightly complicated but beautiful Flash game, full of absinthe and turpentine and spookiness. Go!

More game news: Gatheryn, an upcoming MMO game, looks beautiful. I am not well versed in the multiplayer online world, so this is purely a view from the sidelines - but it appears promising!

I had never heard of the UK's "sound mirrors" before this week, but apparently they are still standing, long after their use has faded.

An obituary of Martin Tytell also serves as a beautiful elegy for typewriters; those of us who love to fiddle with non-electronic devices can understand.

 

The Steampunk Convention is almost here! I've been on the west coast around this time of year recently, but will not be there this time, so will miss the convention. Sniff. However, J. Daniel Sawyer is convention-bound, and is getting himself up to speed with steampunk-themed films.   Similarly, you can study up on literature with this extremely useful guide to a steampunk scholar's library!

 

Since I'm not in California, this means I'm at home, and am actually going to a meetup of the Cincinnati-area steampunks this Friday. It's true! Stop by and say hi! (Cassandra's response to this news: "You mean you're not the only one in this city?" Pbbt.) If you're planning something similar, there are lovely steampunk invite cards available on etsy now.

 

If you'd like a time machine -- and who wouldn't? -- you have until November 1st to enter the contest at Solaris Books. (It says in the fine print that the time machine doesn't work, but I bet some lithium or plutonium or other element would fix that right up.)

 

Speaking of etsy, Curious Oddities not only has a shop set up there, but a weblog for similarly themed discoveries!

 

And finally, Rideable Bicycle Replicas look like great fun. Someone, of course, needs to construct a steampunky bike helmet now.

Burning Man is underway, and once again I am not there. However, there's a staggering amount of stuff going on there; the steampunk-inclined can check out camps like the Bomb Bay Tea Camp, while the absurdists can visit the Shrine to the Oven Mitt.  If you're over in England, keep your eye on what's going to happen in Liverpool next week; it's from the same people who brought you the Telectroscope, so you know it's going to be amazing. (I can't wait to find out what it is!)

 

IndyMogul has gotten in on the steampunk craze, showing you how to make goggles for under $10 in their latest episode. (Thanks, Bunny!)

 

Cassandra sent in this great post about what was going on in 1888 last week, and I forgot to post it. It's still good!

 

Many thanks to Joseph, who came to visit us and brought along a box of Steampunk miniatures. I had no idea these even existed.

 

If you remember the wacky invention link I posted last week, you might ace the quiz from the BBC. (If not, try it anyway.)

 

Current reading news: Issue 2 of the Gatehouse Gazette is out! Future reading news: SteamPunk Live!: A Retrofuturist Dream is coming in November. Ooooh. Ahhhh.

You are the Gadgeteer, the embodiment of steampunk technology. Ironically, many of the things that most define your style are probably too large to easily carry about, but given the opportunity you would prefer to be seen surrounded by boiler engines, gear-driven calculators, and incredible automata. Of all the steampunk fashion styles, you place the greatest emphasis on technological accessories, and you are the most likely to create elaborate gadgets that are as much a part of your outfit as your clothes. You probably have goggles, but unlike most people you consider them to be for more than decoration. Whereas most people might look odd carrying a satchel of tools around, for you they may well be essential. Above all, you remind everyone that what sets the genre apart from Victoriana is simply the level of technology.

Take The Steampunk Style Test at HelloQuizzy.

*****

Really? Gadgeteer? Well, then. (Actually, going from these results, I look like a fairly balanced individual. Ha.)

In more "steampunk meets the mainstream" news, Design Observer gets all grumpy about steampunkish stuff, and Bruce Sterling takes note of it. (I don't really understand the original article's vehemence against those who like steampunk. I mean, I'm not terribly keen on tiki decor, for instance, but if someone wants to build a fullscale tiki bar, I say more power to them, and I won't badger them about authenticity and whatnot.) 

On the lighter side of snark, McSweeneys' monologue of a young steampunk  is frighteningly accurate in places.

Think Geek is also getting in on the act, with this very cool steampunk skeleton t-shirt.

Meanwhile, the Machines de l'Ile workshop is open in Nantes, and I am dying to go. The Marine World Carousel will open in spring 2010, and looks gorgeous.

And then, in 2011, Seattle may be the host for WorldCon, and its bid is steampunk-themed!

The Bibliothèque de Toulouse is the latest to join Flickr; most of the uploaded photographs were taken between 1895 and 1910. There's a set dedicated to transportation, and many shots of everyday life.

You can still travel by cargo ship these days, believe it or not. And if you want a themed adventure, you can search for steampunky material as you sail!

And lastly, for those who are indifferent to steampunk but wouldn't object to a good old-fashioned Western video game, I give you Bang Howdy. Oh, there are steamguns, by the way. And dirigibles. But other than that, pure western!