The Steampunk Librarian

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

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.

on pragmatism and being colonised by the empire

This week's assortment of steampunk-inspired links ended up on the more pragmatic, DIY side of life for some reason. To wit:

 

• Tactical corsets,  perfect for the modern era!
• Make your own spats!  
• Learn about how steam is making a comeback in the modern technological world!
• Consider the sea-based cities of the future, as imagined by various designers. I like the fourth one the best, personally.
• More computer modding, this time with an Egyptian bent. (I suggest including mummified hard drives, motherboards, etc.,  that have failed in the past.)

And finally, for the impractical and imaginative: huge leviathan battleships in the skies! Aieee!

Also, a note: the Steampunk Librarian will now also be mirrored on the Steampunk Empire for the forseeable future. Oooh, ahhh.

of giant marionettes and raygun rocketships and more

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.

your new overlord, plus conventions and more

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!