16 posts tagged “games”

hidden treasures and diesel dreams

Oct 13, 2009
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Over the weekend, we discovered that our awful carpeting (which had covered the living room floor for who knows how long) was hiding a wood floor with a border design.

I was sort of hoping that we would uncover an intricate design in the center of the room, which would be a mysterious coded message to a secret treasure in a faraway land...but, um, there wasn't anything. Still, we are pretty excited about the corners.

Other recent discoveries include the collection of Richard Balzer, who has a treasure trove of objects made before movie cameras, such as thaumatropes, myrioramas, and other optical toys, with flash galleries and tons of information.

Disney is planning a movie titled John Carter of Mars, and the casting has begun. I'm not sure how I feel about this yet. Tentatively optimistic, perhaps?

Steampunk must now be truly mainstream, as it's an actual party theme this season. (Some good ideas in there, regardless!)

More examples of the steampunk mindset infiltrating regular life: The Clockwork Man is one of those "hidden object" games that may or may not be a guilty pleasure when whiling away winter evenings. If you prefer your games to be a bit more action-packed, keep your eyes peeled for The Guns of Icarus -- it was originally scheduled to debut online yesterday, but has been pushed back a bit.

Speaking of guns...dieselpunk, a sibling of steampunk, is growing in popularity and web presence, hooray! It's darker and grittier and more mechanized in general; think 1930s rather than 1890s. The dieselpunks.org website just keeps getting better and better.

Punks and geeks of all sorts may be interested in an iPhone app called The Universe Splitter, which does just what it says. Sort of. (I am not well versed in the world of apps, as my cell phone looks like it's from 1989 and behaves accordingly, but this looks like fun.)

the steampunk and the spooky

Oct 6, 2009
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Royal De Luxe was at it again over the weekend, this time in Berlin! They never cease to amaze.

The good people at Tor.com have dedicated October to steampunk, so you should get over there and immerse yourself in some good writing. On the graphic novel side, io9 has a great article on François Schuiten -- his website, although mostly in French, is definitely worth a visit for the art of it all.

A Brooklyn bar named the Way Station is to open soon, and promises to bring steampunk to the neighborhood. They have a page on Facebook listing events and more information; I may check it out when I'm in town next!

And 'tis the season: Behold, a steampunk haunted house. Ooooh, ahhhh.

More stuff coming out that may interest steampunky types: Boilerplate in book format and Rotor'Scope, a "fiendishly difficult" computer game. And for the retro gamers, take a gander at the Frankencade Machine!

(As a postcript, I will mention that I list steampunk-type events over on the Steampunk Empire as I find them; if you have an event, please feel free to hop over there and list it as well! We're going for a comprehensive calendar!)

games and shiny swimmy things

Aug 18, 2009
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You know what needs updating? X-rays, that's what.

I do believe that "Being a role-playing game on the topic of the High-Flying adventures of Beatrice Henrietta Bristol-Smythe, DBE" is the longest game title I've ever seen. On the other hand, another steampunky game now out is simply entitled "Mechanism."

Other new steampunkish stuff: artwork and information on the book Affinity Bridge and a t-shirt design which reimagines the ride of Paul Revere with GIANT ROBOTS.

The Swimming Cities of Serenissima sounds like another book or game, but instead is a very tangible art/performance project which took place this summer. Glorious photos are available to show what happened.

And finally, do you know an Anachrolush? Whether you do or not, you should read the weblog belonging to one.

of wheres and hows and whys

Jul 14, 2009
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A variety of steampunky creations are in today's links for your perusal!

Issue #7 of the Gatehouse Gazette is now available.

Cherie Priest has created a whole world around her new Boneshaker series, and if you visit you can also read the first chapter of the book.

The good people at Racialicious have a fantastic entry on steampunk and the issues of colonialism and imperialism. I've always been uncomfortable with the Victorian attitude toward race and gender, and this essay points out the beauty of the steampunk concept - "The Victorian age was oppressive and colonialist; the steampunk subculture can allow for liberation and diversity." It's a future that never was, which means it can be an inclusive, diverse future rather than a restrictive, biased one.

And while we're talking about these sorts of issues, Myke Amend has written about steampunk as an art movement, and how it represents a move away from mass production and consumption.

Moving on to movies...Just Imagine, a 1930 film that imagines life in 1980, is now available at Amazon! I haven't seen this yet, but want to; it looks like great campy fun.

Edge of Twilight is a game set in a steampunk world. I have no idea if it's good or not, but it certainly looks pretty.

And finally, if anyone's in Austin, do check out the Big Top Candy Shop and let us know how it is!

the revolution will not be telegraphed; also, save the libraries

Jun 23, 2009
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First off, here's something on the librarian side of the Steampunk Librarian. If you're in Ohio or know someone who is, take a moment to look at the current situation facing the state's public libraries and see how you can help. As an example, if this goes through, half of Cincinnati's library branches may close, and that means twenty of forty libraries will shut down. Thanks.

For the Egyptologists among us, from Satori: "The Brooklyn Museum is providing real time mummy “unwrapping” updates.They just discovered one of their female mummies is acually male."

The revolution will not be telegraphed, be warned. However, before that happens, there are all sorts of technological diversions. In the gaming world, there's a sudden upswing in steampunk, ranging from Forgotten Futures ("The Scientific Romance Role Playing Game") to Golemizer. In communications, Steampunk Tales is available on the iPhone! Powerless is a short steampunky film, while War of the Worlds: Goliath is a much longer steampunky film.

We end with a look at an ever-closer credit-based future, as Japan considers abolishing cash.

of giant marionettes and raygun rocketships and more

Jun 9, 2009
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The amazing, incredible people of Royal de Lux are at it again. A giant diver appeared in Nantes last weekend, walking the streets and looking for his niece, who was on the Titanic. Yes, really. There are additional photos on many French websites, including this nice compilation, and there's even video.

We can't travel through time like the marionettes of Royal de Lux do (and someone really needs to get working on that, by the way), but we can look back via gorgeous photos, like the Field Museum's set on the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, or by reading papers from a hundred years ago, as the New York Times is doing with its Times Traveler section. Today's is especially fun, not only for the bishop ranting against the "new woman [as] a freak" (talking about suffragettes) but for the story about Cincinnati fruit dealers getting shaken down by a gang. One shop, Cianciolo's, is still on Main Street downtown! (Another unfortunate dealer died "after eating a banana given to him by a stranger." Those gangs were sneaky.)

Fortunately there is an increasingly steampunkish appreciation of the past. Arcattack presents popular music performed by Tesla coils! Slouching Toward Bedlam is a text-based game (no grues, however) set in 1885 London! There are specific tutorials for steampunking a photograph now, and best of all, the people who brought you the Steampunk Treehouse at Burning Man are now hard at work on the Raygun Gothic Rocketship.

Henry VIII, I had no idea

Feb 17, 2009
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Surely, the best name ever for a weblog has to be The Borderline Sociopathic Blog for Boys.

As a counterpart, Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble is a game set in the 1920s.

And along the line of games, look for Cogs, a steampunky sort of puzzle game that promises to arrive soon!

I believe I've linked to Antipodean Steampunk Adventures before, but there are new amazing artifacts to see, so go again and look around!

Speaking of artifacts, the Royal Armoury lists this completely freaky-looking horned helmet of Henry VIII among its treasures. I had no idea. (Found via the always amazing Ectoplasmosis!)

And lastly, take a look at the incredible drawings of Karl Hans Jenke, who spent much of his life in a psychiatric institution but apparently flew far in his dreams.

Election Day

Nov 4, 2008
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Go and do it, if you haven't already! We got to their polling station fifteen minutes before it opened this morning, and there was already a line of about fifty people. It's rather inspiring. We're hoping for the best.

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.

steampunk past, present and future

Sep 30, 2008
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The past: The Extraordinary Voyages of Jules Verne suggests that perhaps Verne was involved in Gnosticism, coded messages, and more! The trailer is online. Has anyone seen the whole thing? How is it?

In 1888, Alaskans believed a mastodon was on the loose. Bigfoot sighting? Aliens? A robot elephant?

In the present day, we have a lovely steampunk caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland, created by artist Bryan Coffee. It's now showing as part of the Noxious Fumes exhibit at the Rivet!

Another artist to watch is Andrew (aka Android) Jones. Beautiful stuff.

Sex and steampunk? Yes!

The future! Abney Park has worked out some agreement with Airship Ventures, and on October 31st you could be part of a dirigible voyage over the Bay Area. Wow. What better way to spend Halloween, I ask you?

For those on the other side of the country, the Brooklyn Indie Market is holding a steampunk-themed event on October 25th. It looks like great fun.

If you're nowhere near San Francisco or New York, you can lose yourself virtually in the City of Ember and play a pipeworks game. I am normally okay at these things, but so far I have flooded the city numerous times. Oops.

all about beeping and clanking

Jul 22, 2008
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Today's steampunk entry is mostly about the visual oohs and ahhs. If you'd like something with a little more density, however, sink your teeth into the history of science fiction between 1900 and 1910 - great material for research and inspiration! (Swiped from Matt's weblog.)

And now, on to fantastic robots that clank, a synthesizer that steams, a weblog full of artistic wonders that tick, and a game of clones and Cherry Chronoberry pies.

And look, a steampunk podcast! Huzzah!