31.12.2008 by Traveler.

So, my final entry into my Steampunk blog for 2008 and it’s two more videos. Something I consider rather important and it shows clearely where I stand concerning certain issues.

And something else:

I may or may not diverge into the whole religion/science debate on a few more occasions, whenever I feel it’s prudent, necessary or the mood strikes me. But for now, all I have left to say:
A happy 2009 one and all! May there always be enough steam in your boiler!

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27.12.2008 by Traveler.

OK, to pick up where I  left yesterday:

Zeppelins are one of the connecting elements of Steampunk and Dieselpunk and both use weird science coupled with the actual technology of the relevant era. For Steampunk this is roughly the time of Queen Victoria’s reign plus the years leading up to the Great War. Dieselpunk is the next era as is amply demonstrated in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. More advanced weird science but also still a lot of clockwork and a few steamy elements. The backstory of Hellboy, too, is actually quite steamy and diesely, come to think of it. More Dieselpunk Noir but there’s enough weird stuff going on in the name of science to fit the bill.

I am not really sure if cyberpunk flows neatly from Dieselpunk and as far as I am aware Steampunk has a lot more in common with Cyberpunk than Dieselpunk has. In a sense the background weirdness in Cyberpunk and Steampunk is a lot higher than in Dieselpunk.

But I digress… And these are all just ramblings anyway.

To sum up in a way: Dieselpunk is a lot more normal (whatever that means) and the gear is far less extravagant than Steampunk and Steampunk gear is. So for casual use and influences into your style you can do a lot more with diesel than with steam, but: The  inzersection between both genres is big enough to give you a lot of room to play.

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26.12.2008 by Traveler.

When you skim the forums concerning Steampunk you will sooner or later come across the topic Dieselpunk. Dieselpunk and Steampunk are not actually very precisely destinguishable. Take for example two of my favourite movies: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Both movies show elements both of Steampunk and Dieselpunk, TLoEG is more on the steam-, SCatWoT more on the diesel side, at least that’s my personal impression.

Dieselpunk has one definite advantage compared to Steampunk: You can dress up in full gear Dieselpunk and still attend a “normal” party and don’t stand out too much. OK, this also means that if you want to stand out, you go for the Steampunk look.

But as I said, Steampunk and Dieselpunk have much in common as can be demonstrated by this image:

This is me and I went to work like this a few weeks ago. The outfit is perfectly suitable for work and I could have gone to a Steampunk or Dieselpunk event afterwards, just add monocle, walking cane and aviators cap.

Zeppelins fit equally well into a Steampunk and Dieselpunk setting, as you can see in the opening scene of SCatWoT. Actually, the Golden Age of Zeppelins is in the two decades immideately after the end of The Great War and therefore well after the end of La Belle Epoche, which is the real-earth equivalent timeline of High Steampunk (as far as I’m concerned).

Oh my… This entry is drifting into the realm of Stream of Consciousness. I think shall continue later when the effect of this wonderful cup of Sake has faded…

For now: Oyasuminasai!

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19.12.2008 by Traveler.

For those who do not know: Transhumanism is a philosophy/mindset which basically, in short and too much abreviation means: Improving the human condition by more or less any means necessary. For more details, See the Transhumanism article in the Wikipedia and another one on Orions Arm.

This has actually quite a bit in common with Steampunk. Where Transhumanism employs genetic engeneering, nanotechnology, cybernetics and the like to improve the human condition (it is a little bit of sci-fi combined with medical discovery and stuff which may be possible in the foreseeable future), Steampunk uses Victorian Age tech and weird science.

In Steampunk settings mad scientists and crazed inventorers are hard at work to help their fellow men by any means necessary.  You get weird science chimeras, people with electrically/steam/clockwork-powered limbs, weapons as limbs, weird potions with strange side effects (e.g. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) and lots of other more or less weird things are going on to make life, more or less, easier. All with a little bit of polished (or greasy) brass and a touch of Art Deco.

So, as a Steampunk living in the present I am all in favor of transhumanism, not only because it is the logical projection of Steampunk-style weird science into the present and future but because I am all in favor of artificial improvements for the human condition. I already have a gold tooth, fillings (some of them high-end plastic) and wear glasses. An artificial leg, or better yet a vat-grown one, with all the attributes of a real one, is just the logical further development. An artificial eye and nanites in the blood stream is still in the future but one day we will be their (not necessarily us but maybe our children) and they will be faster, stronger and better than we are. I do not believe in Creation, I am all for evolution and when we have the chance to help evolution along, we should grab the opportunity.

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17.12.2008 by Traveler.

Just a video braught to you by the venerable Dr. Steel:

I shall discuss the transhumanism issue with regards to steampunk and me in a later episode of this blog.

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15.12.2008 by Traveler.

So, here are some nice clips, to put some steam and diesel back into your life and heart:

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6.12.2008 by Traveler.

Right then,

what does it mean/take to be a steampunk. I suggest you get 10 people in a room to discuss this topic and they will come up with 12+ possible definitions.

The one icon I have when it comes to steampunk is the ツェッペリン. The glorious Zeppelin. But that marvel of technology this pearl of engineering is but an icon. To be a steampunk is more than just dreams of piloting a Zeppelin or the Nautilus and dressing up neo-Victorian style.

Here I think lies a trap similar to the one the goth scene is afflicted with. You get people thinking it’s all about dress, dresscode and a dress-up arms race, it is not.

When I look at myself in the mirror wearing more or less full gear:

• Monocle
• Goggles
• Smoking Shirt with cufflinks
• Waistcoat
• Pocket Watch
• pressed trousers or breeches
• boots

I don’t say to myself: Hey, I look so steampunk, I say to myself, Hey, that’s the stuff I like to wear (and by Jove do I look good in it).

As soon as you wear something because you think it’s steampunk (or goth or whatever) rather than because you LIKE to wear it, something is wrong. So don’t do it. You feel better about it, believe me.

Besides: Above mentioned attire can be quite expensive if you don’t want it to look cheap.

The most defining quality as far as I’m concerned is: Gentlemanly demeanor combined with a touch of eccentricity of charactr. Both underline your style quite nicely and behaving like a gentleman sets an example for others.

What else? You should be aquainted with literature, not just the stempunk literature which defined the genre, with names like Verne and Wells but with literature in general. You do not need a degree or much formal education, just an appreciation of literature and the arts in general. Be refined, not crude! And for all the intrepid explorers and skypirates out there: Be dashing and daring but don’t be a brute.

I endeavour to be a Renaissance Man, but this is my style. To me steampunk ist all of this and more, I shall return to this subject on a later date, now it’s time to prepare dinner, Asian style, in case you wonder.

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