Steam Punk -- Victorian Science Fiction

Steam Punk

Science Fiction Set in the Victorian Age

I am not sure what percentage of the population has ever heard of "Steam Punk" before. I had never heard the term before this year myself -- though I know of the genre. This is fiction set in the Victorian age of the sort that Jules Vern, H.G. Wells, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and their contemporaries wrote and others since then, especially recently have rediscovered and been writing in. It has become very popular in a number of circles. I am meaning in more than just reading the books.

You might know of "Sherlock Holmes" fan clubs, but there are groups that play Fantasy Role Playing Games -- FRPG -- set in the Victorian age and which are classified as Steam Punk if they include the pseudo science of the genre with time machines and digging machines and steam powered space ships and nuclear powered Victorian submarines and the like. The fairly recent movie "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" Staring Sean Connery fits into this genre.

One interesting effect is something that a few friends and I have been intrigued with off and on for decades. From the time of perhaps even before the first "microcomputers" we thought of the ideas of replacing plastic, painted steel and perhaps aluminium cases with those of polished wood and perhaps carved wood; polished brass; and polished and perhaps carved leather. The fittings would be at least made to look like they included ones with ivory, ebony, pearl, and similar materials. A friend who is a leather carver considered applying his considerable talent to making carved leather cases for PCs at a more recent date. Given tools and supplies I think I would like to try my hand at something like this...

Recently while researching a fantasy-science fiction book I am writing I came across this whole genre of Steam Punk and found that people are indeed doing such things. The things they come up with, some real world, some just in artwork can be pretty incredible. The image on the left is from Steam-Driven Dreams: The Wonderously Whimisical World of Steampunk on Wired.com. (image to left - image from Wired.com)

I think I would enjoy it as a hobby as much as I have enjoyed my involvement into Medieval Recreation with the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). There I have learned many skills and expressed many talents in many areas including metal work, wood work, ceramics, pottery, leather carving, costuming, research, fencing, heavy armoured tourney and war fighting and much more.

Considering I have enjoyed FRPG with things like Dungeons and Dragons as well, and have enjoyed Fantasy and Science Fiction and am interested in History in General even to the point of being Vice President of a Heritage Society I think that this whole Steam Punk -- Steampunk (?) -- thing is right up my alley. I just wish I had a workshop. I have a few computers I might want to dress out in Victorian gear, or perhaps Edwardian more like the image I have for my bio-shot for this article.

I really do have to get into the whole 3D modelling thing with the computer.

TTFN or in other words "Ta Ta For Now"!

Later!
~ Darrell

85.

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The Bio-picture of me attached at the top of this article is slightly modified from a self portrait photo of me taken at the Port Moody Station Museum in the Parlour of the 1908 CPR Train Station the museum resides within.

A Summer Fantasy

I'm Not the Which Doctor!

Okay just for a bit of fun I went to a site called Meez and created my Meez Avatar. (image to right) It is one of those 3D virtual things. I don't know a lot about it though I believe it is a social networking site with the ability to create 3D avatars as it's Hook. Call me boring, but when I get onto some of these sites I like to see how close I can get to a self portrait.

Okay, I also like to have a little fun. When I created my Avatar I noted a lack of a background and among the free ones found a neat Summer Lantern festival one. Then I went and found they had animations and I looked at them seeking an interesting "free" one. You pay points and they give you around 3000 to start somehow... or did I fill out their survey to get them?

I tripped over the "Blue SF Box" among their animations and even though it was 200 or 250 points thought I really had to have it. I have always fantasized about taking on the "part" of the Dr on the series.

Anyway I thought the "Blue SF Box" fit in great in front of the Summer Lantern Festival background. I was all set to post it here when I realized I forgot my glasses! I went back and got them so I could post this.

It is sort of cute and a Summer Diversion. I likely won't be making too much use of it as a Social Networking Site, though I might have a look around to consider. I find I have too much with what I have on my plate. Perhaps I'll put the smaller version in the margin? The one I have posted here to the right is the full sized one. They have a smaller one. Oh and I put this copy on my Photobucket so it won't change and confuse you all if I change the background and animation stuff. The margin one... that I might leave connected so that you'll see the current Meez Avatar (image to left) I have. I shall still have to see about setting that up! It is the one I have included here. To start it will look like the big one. But later on it might be different if I alter my Avatar.

My one grumble with Meez is that their site will not work with Firefox on my MacBook. Not sure about Firefox on the PC. I have to go to my Safari Browser on my MacBook to access the Avatar Creator and other features on Meez. Still it was entertaining.

So here is that Avatar!

Later!
~ Darrell

PS the Animation is longer on Meez and shows me jump in to the "Blue SF Box" and it disappear and travel through some sort of wormhole dimension only to reappear with me coming out again to return. They are working on allowing the larger animation to be exportable. But it would be a bit too big for blogs and such as the GIF files used.

74.

Go Fly a Kite!

Go Fly a Kite - Not Needing a Tale

Flying a kite... some might think it silly - standing in a field holding the sky up with a string.

I know that some folk might compete for the highest flying or the largest flying kite. I know some will compete for the prettiest or the scariest looking kite. There are competitions that are like aerial ballets - nearly as complicated as ones with planes. There are also fierce battles in the sky where strings are starched and embedded with cutting grit and opponents vie to cut each other's kit or string*. But I know that many if not most simply find an open field with the right amount of breeze and are happy to let the wind take the kite aloft.

Flying a kite is like fishing by a stream, playing fetch with a dog, playing ball with your child, a friendly game of golf, or a walk in the woods.

It is the aspect of getting out into the daylight, preferably with a loved one like a child or friend or lover with no great goal necessary for the best occasion of it. The catching of the fish is not the true goal, it is the sitting or standing by a babbling brook ith the trees whispering. Or being in the golden sun with wind rushing while playing with the kittenish breezes keeping your kite aloft.

You can go and buy a kite, which is pretty easy to do depending on the shops around and the time of year - or you can opt to make one. Making kites is not too difficult and can add to the whole experience. It might take a bit of experience and it would be good to get some kite plans and start with ones that are very foolproof to start with or that are adjustable on the field. I might recommend "Sled Kites" for starters if you are wanting to try make them.

You want to make sure the day is not too windy for your kite, but windy enough... that might take experimentation and you'll also want to be wary of overhead wires and kite eating trees, though it is the electrical hazards that are the greater importance, the later just frustration. Also you must be wary that you would not be somewhere that you might walk or run into trouble like running off the edge of a gully or ravine or onto a road while looking up at the kite.

But once you have that kite up there and feel those kitten kite tugs keeping the kite aloft, you will be enjoying some time with your thoughts. I figure as good as any Eastern or other meditation.

Later!
~ Darrell

55.

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*Forgive me if I have details of kit fighting wrong. I have only limited exposure to it.