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Over at the forum, the talented Mr Smaggers (you should see his Death of Rats) posted about this short video on YouTube at the moment – showing a “What might have been” if the internet had arrived somewhat earlier than it actually did.  Marvel as people make a fool of themselves on YouKinetoscope, chuckle cruelly at the antics of a Valiant Knight of the Aether as he waves his light-stick around, and other, strangely familiar events.  You may get a little bored during the first few moment, as unless you have a pipe-interest bordering on the unhealthy, the initial series of tubes does drag on.

Quite amusing, very silly, but harmless fun and well done by the creator!

Mr Hildebrandt was asking some very odd questions on the forum some time ago, and I believe we’ve now found out why!  Above is the ‘Torch of Saint Dismus‘ – or rather a Steampunk prop version of the ‘Hand of Glory‘, an artifact with many different powers attributed to it but one in particular is the creation of invisible light!  It was believed that the light could only be seen by the holder, and thus the object was of great use to those who skulk in shadows.

The Torch of Saint Dismus is what might have arisen if a far more technologically inclined Victorian scientist wanted to create one for himself (or a very dear friend) but lacked the hand of a hanged man nor was entirely too trusting of superstitious folklore.  Mr Hildebrandt actually constructed it using the lone foot of a rabbit that had apparently been in his basement for many years, and decided to put it to use rather than throw it away.  UV and IR lighting systems (IR being an ‘invisible light’), and an impressive casing, and you have quite possibly the most peculiar torch that one could possess!  (No supernatural pun intended.)  Very well done indeed, Mr Hildebrandt.

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Mr Ebersole writes to tell me about this very clever and affordable little project he recently completed to get something Steampunk up on his wall.  Working in a framing shop has its advantages, it seems, as he was able to source the frame cheaply and the mat board offcuts, retaining the scraps with the most interesting colours, textures and effects!  The result, a wonderfully not-quite 3d effect of some very striking cogs and clockparts that would look lovely on a wall.  There’s another shot of he picture on the DeviantArt site for it, and it does well to give that feeling of depth.

Bother – there’s a craft that involves multiple versions of an image and building it up in layers with separators, but I cannot recal the name!  It reminds me of that, whatever it was called.  Congratulations, Mr Ebersole – it’s a wonderful and very handsome piece!

“In their embrace of the toothy cog and the sooty pipe, this guild of Steampunk hackers represents a rebellion of sorts against our iPhone moment.”

Todays Boston Sunday Globe has a wonderfully detailed article about the Steampunk genre, and they’ve certainly done some intersting homework on it – talking to such marvellous people as Datamancer, Von Slatt, Crabfu, and Paul Di Filippo.  The article is also online, though you may need to register to see all the pages, but it does a wonderful job of looking at the side of Steampunk that craves beauty in our tools and tools in our hands.  I’d recommend a read!  Congratulations to all involved, and thank you Mr Bebergal for both writing it and pointing it out!  (And Mr Von Slatt for showing off the wonderful page layout above in the print version on the forum).

(Apologies for the hastily cobbled together peculiar image, I couldn’t find one that represented the Boston Globe’s article properly.)

I do not like to blow any brass instruments of my own, but just to say that the most recent issue of the Paradigm journal, from Rain Farm Press has a feature on Steampunk.  There’s a rather lovely collection of some of their favourite Steampunk images in the gallery and an interview (with some rather tricky questions!) that I did with the delightful Mr Fhur.  Click on the Features tab to get there.

Mr Quentin Regnier, deeply inspired by the Von Slatt and Datamancer keyboards was determined to make one for himself, but sought his own unique take on the concept.  The result, which he describes as a ‘totaly absurd artifact‘ is a lovely creation – with parts of a Remington typewriter, buttons for keys and hand-dyed leather.  There’s absolutely no mistaking this keyboard for the oceans of beige and black standard issue ones out there!

Félicitations, Mr Quentin, on your gloriously absurd, Steampunk artifact!

Remaining on the topic of biological Steampunk creations, Mr Branwyn wrote to point out the beautiful and faintly morbid artwork from Virginia based artist Ms Erin Williams.  Two pieces that stand out in my mind, are the delightfully old looking (and downright dangerous seeming) humor regulation set, with an extraction unit should you find yourself with an excess of phlegm, and individual syringes for topping up such fluids as control melancholy and sanguine natures.  Admittedly, the humor theory had lost a lot of weight by the 17th Century, but the objects themselves look very late Victorian with a mix of brass, enamel and latex.

The other piece, the one above, is the Organ Replacement – a stunning harnessed object that drips with Steampunk styling!  A replacement liver and heart, made of copper, brass, leather, flint and an electronic heartbeat – this is quite marvellously just what you’d imagine a desperate Steampunk inventor-surgeon constructing for these most put upon of organs.  Wonderful stuff, and more to see if you take a look – I’ve only mentioned my two favourites.  Thank you so much, Mr Branwyn!

At the University of Vanderbilt (html version here), a team of very clever people led by Professor Goldfarb are working on a most noble goal – to build a better artificial arm. What interests us is that while it’s been hailed as ‘rocket powered’ – the real heart of the device is actually our old friend steam!

Dismayed by the ever increasing demand for power and thus bigger batteries, Professor Goldfarb was instead inspired by the maneuvering rockets on the space shuttle, and he and the team worked on a pencil sized system that with a special catalyst burns hydrogen peroxide and creates very high temperature steam! This steam is sent to obscenely precise valves connected to the joints, enabling their movement. Interesting to note for Steampunk afficinadoes: if the valves are any less than accurate to 100 millionths of an inch, the valves leak, click and hiss! They had to insulate the steam engine, of course, and to get rid of the resulting water when cooled, they let it ‘sweat’ off! (Creating no more ‘sweat’ than a real arm might on a sunny day.)

So, there is hope for steam powered prosthetics in the future – a wonderful application of modern steam power that should swing close enough to life imitating art to amuse those with an eye on Steampunk. chuckles  Thanks to Portico, Mr Wallace, DerGolgo, Mr Buser and Mr Pfeifer.

I weep for the bank accounts of the discerning Steampunk and Esoterica collectors of the world, because if ever there were an object worthy of covetous bidding, it would be this.  Above, from Alex CF that most prolific and gifted of Steampunk ephemera creator known for vampire kits, werewolf research collections and of course, Cthulhu’s in a jar, is the Necropathic Spectregraph (Ebay UK).

It was created, according to the description, to allow Steampunk metaphysists to attempt to establish communication with non-corporeal entities of various descriptions.  It is, of course, just a prop, but it’s one of the most beautiful I’ve ever laid eyes on, and indeed would put many ‘real’ film props to terrible shame.  Furnished with viewing lenses, morse key, electrostimulation switch, photographs of previous encounters and the utterly essential goggles for safety, it’s just stunning, and he has outdone himself again.  It makes my heart hurt to know it exists at all, because before I’d have only hoped to see things in dreams.  Stunning, Alex.

Mr Willbourn of Stentor Industries writes to inform that he will shortly be producing and distributing replicas of the Armstrong Siddeley “Royal Albert” Vibro-Beamer, the executive side-arm for the gentleman assassin!  From The Adventures of Luther Arkwright by Bryan Talbot, which I cannot hope to summarise, but will have to make do with parallel universe travelling agent seeks to counteract foul enemies in various versions of Victorian and Edwardian Earth.  A weak and belittling effort, I apologise.

A very sleek looking weapon, with a lovely case to match!  I wish you all the best, Mr Willbourn.