Monday Inspiration: Absurdity

It takes a lot of imagination to come up with something pleasingly absurd, I mean absurd enough to be interesting, eye-catching, without being so absurd it's just silly or stupid. That fine area in between is populated by some of the most interesting things in the world.

Lisa Black and her Steampunk Taxidermy fits the bill in my mind. That's all we need, cyber-zombie-bambi. Crossing three genres at once.


Of course you don't have to try to be absurd, magazines like Popular Science and Science and Invention tried their best to actually predict the future. It's only with the benefit of hindsight that we can see how truly loopy some of the ideas presented there were.



I'll leave you with this important public service message, you know, just in case.

Fashion Friday: Where do I Find Cool Parts?

I see this question a lot on Steampunk forums. Partly the answer depends on how much you want to buy. If you're planning on starting an Etsy shop, or just want to have tons of bits, your local auctioneer may be a great place to start. They often have boxes of antique clocks, old machinery, tools etc. Just be sure to check out the kind of auction you're going to. Many auction houses list their upcoming auctions online, so check there first.

For smaller purchases, try estate and garage sales, try to imagine what's inside the items you're looking at, because the best (and cheapest) gears are often hidden away, and the owner may get upset if you go around smashing their antique clock collection open before buying them.

If you have a little more money, or you don't like the random nature of the above suggestions, try Etsy or Ebay. Things are more expensive there, but you can browse until you find the things you need.

Last, and cheapest of all, ask to poke around your parent's or grandparent's basement. Often they'll store things away for decades without any real plan for the items. You can find some amazing things to take home for the price of a little wheedling. They may even throw in a hot meal!

I love searching through this stuff, everything I find gives me ideas, and has me wishing I had more time and money to spend on crafting. If you've created something recently, or you'd like to share your own tips for finding parts, please comment.

Fashion Friday: Bathrooms

I thought I'd take a bit of a different angle on fashion today and look at some interior design. The bathroom is not exactly the first place people would think of when they consider Steampunk-ifying their lives, but there are some very cool ideas out there.

Toilets are of course, essential, and while I probably wouldn't want (or, for that matter be allowed) to have either of these models in my house, they do present some interesting design ideas and elements that could be incorporated into a simpler, less extreme version (a man's home is his castle after all, so the throne has to be at least somewhat comfortable).




This shower is more my style, I could absolutely see something like this in my house one day.

The Bathroom at Smith and Mills Restaurant in New York is delightfully steampunk looking (although in reality it's just very old), it was made out of an old elevator car, and the sink comes from a train berth. To empty the sink you fold it up against the wall.

Finally, here's a Steampunk bathroom I think I could actually get my wife behind. I love these old-style tubs that sit in the middle of the room like that.

Why aren't there more steampunk movies?

I've been wondering this for a while. Is it because the few Steampunkish films released have done really poorly, like the Wild Wild West, and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, or because Hollywood just hasn't caught on to how cool a well articulated Steampunk film could be?

Bloodrunsclear created this fake Weird West movie trailer by chopping up other films.


He did another fake trailer for the movie version of Leviathan.


And, I had to pick one actual steampunk movie. Here's the steamboy trailer.

Fashion Friday: What's up with the Goggles?

There are many opinions as to the origin of goggles in steampunk. Some say it came from the real-world movement and translated into literature, artwork and film over time. This crowd leans towards the theory that goggles were first worn in a steampunk context at Burning Man, as simple eye protection, because of all the dust.

Others say it's because goggles were simply more common in the Victorian context. Eye protection was worn by those shovelling coal into the engines, scientists performing experiments, and some trains had passenger compartments open to the air, where passengers wore goggles to protect themselves from the wind.

However, as far as I can determine, the first use of goggles in a steampunk context I can find is in Phil Foglio's "Girl Genius". Way back in 2000, he published the first issue, and already goggles were an important part of the aesthetic.



Whatever the source, they're a staple of steampunk garb. From the complex lenses worn by The Dark Power.



To forehead (or hat) worn decorative goggles.





To the genuine antique models.



Goggles will always be one of the defining fashion accessories of steampunk.

Now, does anyone know of a good place to shop for goggles, or do you have a goggle story? I'd love to hear about it, leave a comment below.

Short Steampunk Documentary

A short PBS documentary on the steampunk movement, interviews with artists, thoughts about the roots and where things are going into the future. If you ever have trouble explaining to other people exactly what steampunk is, point them here.

Inspiration: Makers

People who build things inspire me. The things they build often inspire me too. Things like the Maker's Faire make me wish I had a workshop so I could join in the fun (unfortunately my current living conditions only allow for a small closet of tools, and the kitchen table is my best bet for a work surface which would eliminate all of the projects in the following video of Maker's Faire 2011).



If watching that puts you in a buying mood then check out these computer mods from datamancer.net.










Yes, those are all fully functioning PCs

Weekend Steampunk Videos

First up, a collection of projects in a steampunk workshop.



Internet memes translated into Victorian times.



Finally, the best corkscrew ever invented.