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I am aware of how popular the portable communication device is with people today, personally I find them to be an appalling concept, (the device not the people …)

Should one have the misfortune to find ones self in the thrawl of such an item the least one can do is to make it a little more socially acceptable…

Why not use this portentous piece of whimsey as your message alert…?

I am told (by a young person) that it is an mp3 file….

Now tell me…

What exactly was wrong with the wax cylinder….?

OSM

Steampunk is “History in the Making” with the second issue of the Gatehouse Gazette, released this September.

From the origins of World War I by Mr Robert Rodgers to an article about Japan’s reasons for attacking Pearl Harbor by Mr J.D. Roger, it is history that the contributors to the Gazette are writing. Between all this war, there is fortunately more adventurious spirit also, in a narrative about the first motorized crossing of the Sahara, by Mr Joost van Ekris, a report on steampunkness in Disneyland Resort Paris, by Ms Hilde Heyvaert, plus an article about Hugh Ferriss, “delineator of Gotham”. And the Gazette offers an exclusive preview of Mr Toby Frost’s upcoming novel, God Emperor of Didcot!

Please click here to download it.

I recently finished reading Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman. This is a fine novel. I love superheroes, and any novel that includes the line “I fought for prize money in unlicensed hero fights in Bangkok” gets my vote. That line does a good job of summing up the story: it’s a more realistic look at the spandex-and-cape world. Some people have called it a parody or a satire, and while it’s funny at parts, it never feels like it’s making fun of superheroes.  It loves being a superhero story and embraces it wholeheartedly. If you like superheroes or just want a good, quirky read, I highly recommend it.

The story follows the world’s greatest villain, Doctor Impossible, as he breaks out of jail for the twelfth time and tries once again to take over the world. It also follows a young cyborg, Fatale, as she joins the world’s greatest team of superheroes and tries to fit in.

But why am I mentioning it in a Steampunk blog? (more…)

Ladies, Gentlemen, People of Steam,

First allow me to apologise for the lack of information regarding the Brass Goggles blog and forum…

There have been many issues of a technical nature to surmount, some of which are still receiving attention as I write…

The Brass Goggles Blog:

We hope to have the blog back to somewhere approaching full strength by the 1st of October (after we’ve sifted through the many, many contributions offered up for your dedication…)

The Brass Goggles Forum:

The return of the forum may take a little while longer as this is where the ‘issues of a technical nature’ arise…

But fear not as an army of highly skilled minions are at this moment being beaten with sticks beavering away at the various knotty conundrums that have presented themselves…

We hope for a favourable conclusion during October…

Once again thank you all for your patience during this period and thanks also to  Pheobsky for his SpareGoggles  site at: http://sparegoggles.forumotion.net/forum.htm for providing respite to the bereft…

Yours,

OSM

(now where did I put that stick…?)

The artisan of this lovely piece of steampunk-styled jewelry hides behind the banner of Heterodyne Designs where “rare artifacts and oddities” are assembled by the artisan herself, a Miss Alexandra Sforza, as well as her sister, Victoria. They provide much of their whimsical creations for sale there, though they may also be contemplated in a Profile with no strings attached.

Mr Jack Rose of the blog, Gearing Up, sat down for an Interview with Miss Sforza, Alexandra that is, a little while ago, in which she talks about what inspired her work (Jules Verne, Indiana Jones, and Girl Genius, to list a few) as well as what made her interested in crafting steampunk jewelry specifically. “I’d been looking at steampunk items for a long while,” she explains, though when she developed a liking for the steampunk aesthetic, “crafters were far and few between.” Fortunately, the appreciator of steampunk jewelry today is better off, for, as Miss Sforza notes, nowadays, “there are hundreds of steampunk artists all making lovely things.”

Jennifer Rodgers is a very talented artist of a variety of genres, who has recently gained the attention of the steampunk community for her Victorian and steampunk themed work. In this she combines historical imagery with science-fiction, the fantastic, the supernatural, and the bizarre. In addition, she is known for a series of steampunk and pulp adventure themed pinups that combine vintage poses with a retro-futurist appearance. Her web site galleries are full of wonderful examples of her work, and they show just how spot on most of it is for a great many of your tastes.

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Dr. Grordbort’s Infallible Aether Oscillators & Other Marvelous Contraptions, that incredible factory of rayguns made by our friends at Weta Workshop in New Zealand, has created two beautiful new rayguns for sale. Pictured above is Lord Cockswain’s Ray-Blunderbuss “The Unnatural Selector” which should be more than enough for one wishing to go on an interplanetary safari. This beauty is quite the beast in terms of size! Follow the jump for a picture that documents the size of this thing as well as a picture of the other new “Infallible Aether Oscillator,” the Goliathon 800 Moon Hater Death Ray! We would also like to thank Dr. Grodbort’s for generously linking to our humble blog!

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I’m not sure if anyone else here is a fan of the show The Venture Bros. (Super Scientists and Victorianists meet occasionally, I’m sure!), but the episode on August 10th – ORB (spoilers) – had a lovely little Steampunk interlude. Not only were characters on an airship, being attacked by Nikola Tesla, but the group was a League of Extraordinary Gentlemen-esque group, composed of a lovely swath of Victoriana.

Of course, I’m a sucker for well-done League references, but I also rather liked the architecture of the airship itself. It’s in a similar vein as the Three Rings Design submarine-office, that we’ve discussed previously, as well as the sheer beauty of DisneySea’s Mysterious Island.

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Anachrotechnofetishism Art Show Link If you’re in Seattle, Washington, USA from September 12th thru October 3rd, you should go check this steampunk art show out.

The usual suspects are all there showing their talent, including the new addition of lovely Missmonster to the rabble. So those of you in the northwest of the USA have something to go to, and any visitors have something new to look for too.

A good chum of came across this interesting page of antique dive suits and various submarine designs from different eras. It’s quite a mixed bag, but some of the pictures are downright fascinating.

And while we’re both here, you may be interested in some of these interesting Steampunk works I found on DeviantArt. All of them safe for work, I assure you. I do apologize if these have been posted before. I hope, if such is the case, that you will feel that they are worth seeing twice.

Two steampunk robots and a steam-driven bicycle

Two more cartoonish steampunk robots

A steampunk countess with fan and goggles

Mighty steam-powered war machines

Another steampunk lady, this one in a library

A steampunk explorer ready for action with his elephant gun, clockwork armguard, and monkey

An enormous steampunk robot being inspected

If you have some art you wish to share, perhaps the comments would be a good place to do so? Thank you for your time, and I hope there was something here that you enjoyed.