Steampunk Shopping

Wednesday, September 1St, 4:13 P.M.
Mood: Happy, Whimsical
Music: The Ghost Inside, by The Broken Bells



I like SteamPunk, this much is clear. So when I want to buy a new oculus, monocle, cane, etc. I really have to look. I have found a few good sources though. Etsy is FANTASTIC as far as SteamShopping (to coin the phrase) goes. I found a few sellers that produce amazing works of art that are not only ornamental but functional.









Oldjunkyardbotique on Etsy is great for wearable items for a decently low price, you can view their page here. The picture at right is of their "Tesla Goggles" and it is going for $35.00 nicely priced and good looking, as well as functional, perfect for that lightning experiment I had in mind.











The other seller I found is SteamPunkDesign. You can see their page here. The marvoulus pieces that this craftsman creates are incredible. These are NOT things to wear during your experiments. No, these are the things that the classic SteamPunk denizen wears to costume balls and keep in velvet lined cases in safes when not in use. These items sell for hundreds of dollars and are created from the finest brass and leather. The picture at left is a pair of their dual oculars, selling for $160.00.





Those are my sources for SteamPunk atire, be it goggles, gas masks, monocles or teaflasks. And thus finishes my Steam Culture post for today.

Amongst The Graves, A Poem

Thursday, August 12Th, 3:50 P.M.
Mood: Poetic, Excited
Music: 2112, by Rush

Amongst The Graves, A Poem
*******************************************************************

Darkness creeps across the stones,
and mingles with the sinking bones,

and stirs within a chilling sense,
of life and it's indifference.

For here they care not what you did in life,
there is no hurry here, no eternal strife,

only rest and quiet.

A grinning skull, a sunken tomb,
the dark, the damp, the endless gloom.

Fills me with a sense of dread,
as I sit here amongst the dead,

and think of life and all it's pain,
the loss, the strife, the thoughts of gain.

But there is none of that amongst the graves.

No greed, no toil no suffering,
only rest.

The restful bones, the sleeping bones,
the ancients now make here their homes.

They sleep in their beds so peacefully,
and it seems as if they speak to me,

And reach towards with bony hands,
some goal eternal rest demands,

And I will sit amongst the graves,
in peace until the end of days,

And I will join them there at last,
and there find peace at long, at last.

And sleep here in a stony tomb,
fearing no more my mortal doom.

Here amongst the graves.

****************************************************

Coldplay's New CD

Wednesday, June 23Rd, 3:30 P.M.

Mood: Alert, Interested

Music: VCR , by The XX



I heard that Coldplay has a new CD coming out soon.

I can't wait to hear it, after the roaring success of "Viva la Vida: or Death and All his Friends" I am truly excited.

I can't wait to hear what new sound these brilliant musicians have come up with now.

My Art

Monday, June 14Th, 6:08 P.M.
Mood: Tired, Pleased
Music: Sunrise, by Coldplay

For the past few days I have not been blogging, I have been drawing.
I seem to have found a new occupation of my time, pencil sketching.
Here, see what you think.

This is me...

I refer to him as "the conductor"

That is all for now. Over the next few days I will be posting more of my art, so stay posted...

Where am I? A Poem.

Thursday, June 3Rd, 8:52 A.M.
Mood: Poetic, Still Slightly Sick
Music: The Mall and Misery, by The Broken Bells





Where am I? A Poem.
by :The Raven King
******************************************************

Where am I?

Would you happen to know?

I look all about me, through the rain.

Through the driving snow.

Through the crowds of people that come and go.

Never looking up from the cobblestone streets as they hurry
to the various appointments that their meager lives demand.

Why do they hurry so?

Why do they toil?

Don't they know that she is dead?

That I am alone?

That is why I ask, my friend.

Where am I?

For I seem to have lost myself, along with my way.

Please, don't forget yourself.

This is the only advice I can give you, oh fellow traveler.

For the road that this life has become is full of twists and turns,

of embankments, thieves, and chasms.

So go, go carefully.

And never forget to dream.
**********************************************************

SteamPunk Alphabet, An Apology, and an Excuse

Tuesday, June 1St, 10:06 A.M.
Mood: Slightly Sick (A Cold)
Music: Panic, Shear Bloody Panic, by Hans Zimmer

I have not posted in nearly three weeks. As you have probably guessed by now there where a few possible explanations for this. For example, I could have been incredibly negligent, I could have gone missing, my computer could have broken, or I could have died. Fortunately enough it was none of the above. I was on a cryptozoologic expedition to the coast. I was hoping to be lucky enough to have spotted the serpent that supposedly inhabits the bay of the area I visited, but I had no such luck. It was a wonderful respite from the stressful routines of everyday life, though. Most of the days I was there it rained, so I was able to walk along the beach in the fog, spotting scope in hand, in hopes of spotting the mysterious cryptid. I was then able to go into town to relax in the evening, sampling the cuisine of the local restaurants before retiring to my beach house. All in all, a successful exploit.

Apologies aside, that bring us up to today's post.



The SteamPunk Alphabet. By: The Raven King



A- Airship
B- Bolt
C- Chains
D- Dreadnought
E- Elements
F- Fire
G- Gears
H- Helium
I- Ingenious
J- Jacket
K- Kaleidoscope (Eye Piece)
L- Light Bulbs
M- Master Switch
N- Navigator
O- Operation
P- Patachute
Q- Questions
R- Rotors
S- Steam
T- Technology
U- Uranium
V- Victorian
W- Weld
X- Xray
Z- Zirconium


That's it for today. Don't worry though, I'm not about to leave on another trip anytime soon.

Thoughts on Music, Specifically Coldplay

Thursday, May 6Th, 10:07 A.M.
Mood: Thoughtful, Musical
Music: Misguided Ghost, by Paramore





I find Coldplay's music to be extremely deep and poetic. Their enchanting melodies and gloomy yet uplifting lyrics can raise my spirits, no matter how saddening any given day may be
(To listen to "Clocks", one of their more famous works, please open this link in a new window.)

My personal favorite of their collection is "Parachutes." It seems to best encompass their style, as well as their more dark and elegant songs.

(To Listen to "Shiver" ,one of my favorite tracks on this album, please open this link in a new window.)

Coldplay has a wonderful way of expressing the darker side of emotion while simultaneously bringing it into the light.

Listening to them always brings me a sense of hope and despair, sort of a mixed feeling of hope and hopelessness. It is a good feeling, sad, yet optimistic.


In my personal opinion the encompass the whole of good music, their gloom, light, lyrics, melodies, and all around talent continue to bring hope to those who appreciate good music.

Long may they live, and long may they play.

Mechanical Gloom - A Poem

Wednesday, May 5Th, 9 :52 A.M.
Mood: Gloomy, Poetic
Music: Postcards from Far Away, by Coldplay





(Please Listen to the Included Music Below While Reading this Poem.)





Mechanical Gloom, A Poem
************************

A dark sky.
A spoken word.

The smoke pouring from the mighty stacks,
above the foggy cobblestone street below.

People shuffling too and fro.
Nowhere to come.
Nowhere to go.

The gears still turn.
The steam still pours.

The machines cannot feel.

They will continue to turn until the end of time.

Until the stars fall, the earth cracks, and the seas boil.

Even then, when all is dark and cold.

When all is dead,
and all is gone.

They will continue.

To what end I cannot say.

They are still there. You can see them if you wish.

They still work, they still toil and exhale their black smog as if sighing.

Though cracked and covered in rust and soil.

They work on.

They are all that is left.

Can a machine feel?

Can it love?

Can it hurt?

...
...
...


Can it die?


Or will it sit forever, in it's own mechanical gloom.


(This post originally contained a sound byte, please open another tab and click here to listen to it.)

Tim Burton Stuff

Wednesday, April 29, 9:46 A.M.

Mood: Gloomy

Music: Clocks, by Coldplay

I have to say that by far Tim Burton is my favorite film maker.
His twisted and gloomy settings, dark yet inspiring stories, and all around flair keep me enthralled and calling for more.

My favorite film of his, strangely enough, is a little known stop motion animation he created at Disney early in his film career. It is entitled Vincent.

(To Watch Vincent, Please Click Below)





Vincent is the story of a small boy who wants to grow up to be like Vincent Price. All throughout the seven minute film Vincent's regular life is shown in mostly white and gray scenes (the film was in black and white) that show him doing such things as playing with his sister, his dog, speaking nicely with his aunt and putting up with living in a crowded house.

The scenes then switch to his inner fantasies, what he wants his life to be like.

He imagines living alone in a dark and spacious home where he can "wander the halls, alone and tormented", dunking his aunt in a vat of wax, and preforming experiments on his dog, ambercrombie ( in hopes of creating a horrible zombie.)

He is sent to his room in the middle of the film for digging up his mother's flower garden in hopes of finding his "poor dead wife". After being banished to his room he sits alone and reads Edgar Allan Poe. (While other children read books like, Go Dog Go, Vincent's favorite author was Edgar Allan Poe.) After reading he pretends to be the tormented main character in The Raven. He imagines that he is trapped in his room forever, with only a portrait of his "beloved lost Loraine" to keep him company. He convinces himself that it has been years and that he is going insane. In the final scene he falls to the floor and, quoting Poe, says

"And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!


Interestingly enough, after it's completion the film was rejected by Disney for being "To dark for children."

I personally think this film is brilliant and one of Burton's best.


No matter what your opinion of him is, you must admit he is a brilliant and visionary director not only in terms of cinematography, but writing as well.

I hope he continues to make films that delight and inspire the eccentric in all of us.

SteamPunk

Friday, April 23, 10:12
Mood: Historic
Music: Hearing Damage, by Thom Yorke



As you have probably figured out for yourself by now, I hold SteamPunk as my favorite type of art and free expression. Also, the SteamPunk era, (around the time of the industrial revolution, predating electricity), is one of my favorite times in history to study. The innovations created by scientist from this period are stunning, not only encompassing full functionality but also a beauty of design and an appreciation for mechanics.

SteamPunk is a difficult thing to define. Wikipedia calls it "a sub-genre of science fiction and speculative fiction, frequently featuring elements of fantasy, that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s." Where as Dictionary.com calls it "a genre of science fiction set in Victorian times when steam was the main source of machine power." So basically, it is based around the questions "What if technology had evolved around gears and steam, rather than electricity? What would happen? What would life be like? What would our technology look like?"
(For more info on defining SteamPunk, I would recommend the Wikipedia article. It does a great job of summing up the definitions as well as discussing the art forms evolution and siting examples of SteamPunk art and Fiction.)
Find it at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk


SteamPunk has really branched in the last few years. As the movement has grown music, movies, books, websites, and clubs have risen from the dust and have become increasingly popular.

The French Techno band Daft Punk even composed a song called "Steam Machine" in honor of the art form.

Click below to listen to it.



Great Song!




Several movies have even been made including the incredible anime "Steam Boy" (pictured here) This movie centers around a giant "Steam Castle" and a crazed scientist turned "steamborg" (you heard right, he becomes a SteamPunk cyborg.) bent on using his incredible invention for world domination.



SteamPunk has also become a global phenomenon in terms of fashion. Several stores online have dedicated themselves to SteamPunk clothing, art, jewelry, goggles, watches, and tools. I personally recommend oldjunkyardboutique and steampunkdesign on Etsy. Oldjunkyardboutique sells great stuff for reasonably cheap and have some incredible stuff for sale, including goggles, gas masks, costume guns, and glasses. If your willing to spend more, then steampunkdesign should be your first choice. Their handcrafted goggles, watches, and monocles are top of the line and created from the finest brass, iron, copper, leather, and glass.

oldjunkyardboutique is available at http://www.etsy.com/shop/oldjunkyardboutique?ga_search_query=oldjunkyardboutique&ga_search_type=seller_usernames

steampunkdesign is available at "http://www.etsy.com/shop/steampunkdesign?ga_search_query=steampunkdesign&ga_search_type=seller_usernames

In short, SteamPunk in an incredible art form and a wonderful form of free expression.

Happy Engineering!


(This post originally contained a sound clip. To listen to it, please go to www.grooveshark.com.)

Sad and Lonely I now Sit

Thursday, April 22, 10:24
Mood : Wistful
Music: Northern Skies, by Dido






*************
Sad and Weary I now Sit.
A Poem.
***********************




Sad and weary I now sit
a credit to my end.
For she is dead and gone away.
her eyes, nevermore shall lift,
to heavens high or earth below
the ground in it's embrace, covers all and hides in dark,
her gentle, smiling face.

Tis Gone.

Tis Dead.

All over shall it be.

And tears roll down my stony face,
into an endless sea
that churns, and breaks, and cries, as if bemoaning me.

And for all a credit to my life,
Death and I go hand in hand.

Into Eternity.

And now I leave alone, alas,

that silent, cold deep sea.