Are Zeppelins the Future of Air Travel?

Posted by on March 22nd,2012

An article over at Treehugger may not be exactly Steampunk, but it will warm the heart of any Steampunk.

Zeppelins – Air Travel of the Future?

As reader Matt Summers puts it:

“….the concept designs are decidedly lacking in copper and it’s lovely alloys as well as wood. There are lightweight bamboo based composites which are exceptionally strong and with a proper veneer of woods which have more of a soul they are aesthetically pleasing as well. The copper and brass need not be the great heavy masses which would challenge the lighter than air concept. Their presence though is needed. The technology of today might please the eye or the tip of the finger for a moment, but the the design which does not leave you feeling empty comes from another age:

  • Wood with a soul which can resonate with your own.
  • Metal with an inner fire that makes it glow even when cool to the touch.
  • Buttons which are buttons and not pads or pictures to occupy the fingers as well as the mind.
  • Machines which even without power or an operator to run them have an identity and occupy sight, touch and thought.
  • Airships that want to fly and if released would climb skyward and explore the skies and the winds on their own.

This beautiful Mac rig uses outfits a classic Macintosh with a well-done aesthetic overhaul and a keyboard pulled from an antique Remington typewriter. Truly a thing of beauty!

Image courtesy of Dvice

See a little more detail at Dvice.

Why we care about SOPA and PIPA

Posted by on January 18th,2012

Being “the lighter side of Steampunk”, we generally shy away from all matters political. But SOPA (a bill that’s been “shelved” for now), and it’s equivalent PIPA, are directly relevant to us — because if either of them pass, we might not be able to exist.

In short, these bills would put the onus on Brass Goggles to check every single site we link to in order to be sure they don’t have any material that infringes copyright on them. If we fail, we could be taken offline in the US, even though we don’t host any of the material ourselves. This is not something we have the capability to do – our volunteer staff is hard-working, but there’s no way we could check every single link.

If PIPA passes, it’s likely only a matter of time before our beloved blog and forum are taken offline.

If you care about this site, too, please:

  • If you live in the US, contact your Senators about PIPA and your Representative about SOPA. You can use the link in the black bar at the top of the blog and forum to find them.  Phone calls are best!
  • If you live outside the US, contact your State Department. Telling them that these bills will affect you negatively can lead to international pressure; and it will send the message that such legislation wouldn’t be desirable in your country either.

Skeleton pens to make you swoon

Posted by on January 10th,2012

Montblanc has a series of very rare Skeleton pens, and while they aren’t strictly steampunk, they certainly tickle all the right fancies to feel at home in a steampunk wardrobe.  Now all I need is to scrape up the $90,000 it takes to own one…

Photo by Montblanc Pen Lover

[via rare pens]

This is the droid we’re looking for

Posted by on January 7th,2012

Artist ameobabloke created a lovely “antique R2D2″ droid:

Image courtesy of Amoebabloke

[via technabob]

Do we have competition? :)

Posted by on January 6th,2012

Wood Goggles on Etsy

Wired’s Steampunk Home Makeover

Posted by on January 6th,2012

Wired has a pretty cool overview of a nice home makeover in the Steampunk style. It seems quite well thought-out:

Photo courtesy of Wired Magazine

[via reddit]