29.4.2009 by Traveler.

I was wondering, what would it look like if I was, say, on board the Nautilus or maybe a Kaiserliches U-Boat, like, hmmm… what would a Kaiserliches Steampunk U-Boat be called, ah, yes, the Humboldt. So, what would it be like to be onboard the Humboldt, having surfaced just after the storm above had cleared and than see through one of the portholes a Zeppelin being moored at the mast of a supply ship (a Tender, as it is called in German). And I tinkered around a little bit and came up with the following:

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28.4.2009 by Traveler.

There have been steampunk-mods for iPods floating around the ætherweb for a while now. I do not have the skill (yet, I hope) nor the time (that is unlikely to change) to tinker on a flashy case, mod or whatever thingy which could turn my iPod into something truly steampunk.

However…

I have discovered a nice little application called ClassicClockB, and if you run the application on your iPod Touch or iPhone it looks something like this:

Which is brassy and geary and widgety enough for me. Plus: It’s either free or available for 0.79 €, I cannot recall which one. it also features a classic alarm, which is a bonus. So, even for those of us who do not have time, skill or both to steampunk our iPods, this is a reasonable alternative.

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27.4.2009 by Traveler.

The video below is not Steampunk but than again it is. Granted, there is no brass in it, no cogs and no gears. However, the people in it turn science, advanced technology and scientific achievement into something which is tremendous fun. And turning science and technological development into something fun is temendously Steampunk. Granted, the humor in it will not be understandable and accessable to everyone, but neither is the humor within Steampunk.

So, without  further ado, please enjoy:

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26.4.2009 by Traveler.

So once again, another issue of the Gatehouse Gazette has been released, this time with a theme I consider particularly interesting: Alternative history.

To sum it up in the words of the chief editor Mr. Ottens:

Because the Gatehouse Gazette welcomes all kinds of “Tinkering with Time,” we dedicate this issue to the business of alternate history.

Some of our familiar contributors ponder what could have been: Mr Rauchfuß, for example, imagines how much better things would have been had Emperor Friedrich III lived just a tad longer while Miss Ella Kremper warns just how much worse the world of Brazil seems compared to ours. Mr Trubetskoy wonders why the First World War is so often overlooked in alternate history but offers a review of a book that touches upon the subject, if only in passing.

You will also find plenty of the usual in this edition: Mr Daniel’s “Liquor Cabinet”; “Local Steampunk” in Antwerp this time; Miss Hilde Heyvaert’s “Steampunk Wardrobe” about the mad scientist look; and Ella’s “Hammer Horrors”. And we welcome a new columnist: Mr David Townsend, “Gentleman Traveler”!

Some old faces return to contribute once again: Mr Toby Frost, author of Space Captain Smith and its sequel, God Emperor of Didcot, provides a review of the fourth Call of Duty video game and Mr Guy Dampier writes the first in a series of articles about the Quatermass franchise. Also, we welcome Mr Andii as guest author who writes about his band Ghostfire.

Lastly, the good Colonel and I sat down with Hilde for a long and pleasant chat about her clothes and costuming. (Quite worth the trip to Belgium—by airship, of course.) She previously interviewed two designers for our magazine so the least we could do was return the favor!

Personally, I find Trubetskoys article most fascinating, but take your own pick.
Clicking the well-known Steampunk Lincoln will trigger the download.
Enjoy over a nice cup of tea.

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25.4.2009 by Traveler.

This entry is bordering slightly on transhumanism but only slightly. Slightly because transhumanism can only ever be made reality if there is a base of educated people large enough to support its ideals. It has to be turned into a popular movement. In order to achieve this state of affairs, we need to bring science closer to the people. Recently science education has been subverted by religion in the USA, thanks, once again to the moronic ex-president G.W. Bush who led an evangelist crusade against science in certain areas. Western society is also struggling with returning superstituons, pseudo-science, Magick and similar esoteric nonsense. So I am really grateful for people like Neil deGrasse Tyson who does so much for science education.

Please, just enjoy these videos:

and another one:

—–
And to bring steampunk back into the issue:
I guess I said it before:Science in steampunk is weird and wonderful, it’s more about what it does (often in bright colours and with loud noises) than how it works. Perhaps we should teach science in school with a more hands-on approach, the steampunk approach. Tell the kids what they can do with the knowledge they are about to acquire. Show them possible results and future goals and than let them learn the theory behind it. They will be far more motivated to do so, I am certain of it.

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24.4.2009 by Traveler.

This entry concerns the other kind o travel: The almost astral travels on the ætherweb. I recently had an encounter which showed several things to me:

1. I am no longer what one might call “a youth”.
2. There are people out there who cannot imagine that I’ve been in and around the goth scene (at least as far as music is concerned) for almost 20 years, or that anyone could be “old” and still a goth (makes me wonder what Siouxsie, Andrew Eldritch and others are thinking)
3. That same person or persons are under the impression that subcultures are for teenagers only.

Oh dear! I guess it will always be like this and it is a problem which seems to be rampant in the goth scene and its various sub-subcultures, including steampunk. There will always be people who are gothier than thou, steampunkier than thou and who are devinely appointed to decide what (and who) is goth and what (and who) is not and cannot be.

The thing that gets me is: I have had my monocle before they went to kindergarden. I guess I’m getting old…

OK, let’s finish this entry with another Zeppelin image:

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22.4.2009 by Traveler.

It is a rare thing to discover an item which you can use for both Dieselpunk (and even Steampunk) and business style Cyberpunk-wear as well. But I have just found such an item. There is a nice little online-shop in Munich which stocks “Zeitgemäße Männerschuhe” of various superb manufacturers, some basically only known to insiders.

And it was in this online-shop where I discovered this little jewel, the Friis Baron:

What I like about this shoe:

a) It has classic style. It has timeless beauty. I can wear it with a suit.

b) It is also very sleek and modern. It fits neatly into a more casual outfit.

Thus I can wear it to occasions spanning the whole range of punk-settings. And best of all: they are very light and comfy!

A little jewel in deed.

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20.4.2009 by Traveler.

Half an infinity ago I took a short stint trying to be a teacher. I failed. I had ideas they did not like, treated the childrenas equals, which they did not liek and a number of other things.

Plus: I had the misfortune to meet the biggest heap of Waste-DNA in one person I have so far encountered. But I digress.

In the following video displays beautifully, how you could teach children higher physics, mathematics, biology and handycraft all in one go. And because it would be so beautiful and effective, an approach like that will not be used in a German public school in the forseeable future. School is not supposed to be fun now, is it?

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20.4.2009 by Traveler.

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19.4.2009 by Traveler.

I found the following image on Deviantart, I think it’s brilliant and I just had to put it up on this blog.

Check out Megan’s Goth Stereotype Gallery Home Page.

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