The Holiday Spirit

Thursday, December 2Nd, 7:51 P.M.
Mood: Festive, Energetic
Music: Christmas Lights, by Coldplay

Happy Holidays all, it would appear that the season is upon us. Thanksgiving is over and I now find myself preparing for Christmas. Well, that and Meán Geimhridh, the Celtic winter solstice. I plan to build a replica stone circle in my back garden that will line up with the setting winter sun on Dec. 23Rd. But anyways back to Christmas. The season of giving is here, and so I think some thanks are in order. But before I start, please let me say that I am thankful for all you readers, it would be nothing without you. Now with that said, I think we should begin. (A small note, these are in random order, I just wrote them as they popped into my head.)


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*ahem* I, The Raven King, am thankful for:

Saphira Bjartskular, Dragons, Wyrms, Sea Serpents, Cryptids, Cryptozoology, Lake Monsters, Lochs, Europe, Computers, Blogs, Steve Jobs, Nikola Tesla, Bill Gates, JRR Tolkien, Skulduggery Pleasant, Albert Einstein, Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, Edgar Allan Poe, Ray Bradbury, John Keats, Uthire Pendragon, J.R.R Tolkien,Chris Marten, Thomas Riley, Coldplay, Phoenix, U2, Daft Punk, Paramore, Paranormal Researchers, Brazing Goggles, Mothman, UFO's, Point Pleasant, Paranormal Authors, Ghosts, Reptiles, Dido, The Broken Bells, Oingo Boingo, John Lennon, Pink Floyd, Aragorn, Gandalf, Tanith Low, Drake (from the tunnels series), Data, Edward Steam, Victor Evernight, Thomas Riley (the character this time), Barnaby Grimes, Black Tigers, Regular Tigers, Spotted Lions, Flying Snakes, Switzerland, Giant Lizards, Melangistic Big Cats, The British Big Cat Society, SteamPunk, Magic, Dragons (again), Poetry, Science, Gloom, Ipods, Laptops, Merlin, Music, Airships, Mysteries, His Majesty's Dragon (series), Evil Genius (book), Large Black Greatcoats, Purple Tinted SteamPunk Sunglasses, Alice In Wonderland, The Lord Of The Rings, Ghost And Paranormal Researchers, Truly Dedicated Cryptid Researchers, Apple Computers, Airman, Artemis Fowl, Space Travel, The Fact That Space Shuttles Are Getting Retired, Slashdot, Thinkgeek.com, Dracula, Brahm Stoker, Narnia, The Tunnels Series, Quantum Physics, Skulls, Blogspot, Dragons (yet again, I love them), KnightRider, Star Trek, The International Society Of Cryptozoology, The Loch Ness Monster Fan Page, Grooveshark, Night Vision Goggles, Etsy, Gifts, DARPA, Robots, NASA, Blender, Illusions, Free Software, DOSBOX, Playing Cards, The Prestige, BlendSwap.com, Instructables, Rush, Josh Groban, Enya, R.E.M., Soundtracks, Runes, Fantasy, Magic, Poetry, Technology, Science, Art,The Middle Ages, Books, Movies, Illusions, Dreams, Machines, Droid Phones, The X Files, Swords and Other Ancient Weaponry,Programming, Christopher Paolini, Ancient Sites (Such as Stonehenge), Mysteries, Dreary, Sad, or Gloomy Things, Robotics, Animation, Directing, Puppetry, Astronomy, Mechanics, Physics, Alchemy, History, Dragons (YES AGAIN), Writing, DIY, Dark Matter, The Unknown, The Universe, SteamPunk Couture, The Elvish Language, Science Fiction, Writing The Evernight Chronicles, Elvish Couture, Stone Circles, Gears, Steam, The Celts, Armor, Swords, Pikes, All Manner Of Cool Weaponry, Canes, Scarves, Theater, Thespians, Tophats, Goggles, Encyclopedias, Libraries, Black Leopards, Ireland, Scotland, Superstitions,

AND DRAGONS, DEAR, LOVELY WONDERFUL DRAGONS!!!!

And thank you again to all you readers out there! Take a bow!

Before you go, leave me a comment about your SteamPunk, Fantasy, or just cool Christmas ideas to help make this holiday season truly unforgettable.

Thanks,

The Raven King

I Finish A SteamPunk Novel (Tolstoy And Wonderful, Groznium Powered Robots)

Thursday, September 2Nd, 4:18 P.M.
Mood: Tired, Slightly Disenchanted
Music: Accelerate, by REM



I finished Android Karenina today. It was produced by Quirk Books, which also produced Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, to great reception amongst obscure literary circles. Ben H. Winters, the mash up author of this work, did a stunning job of converting Tolstoy's descriptions of early Russia into a bustling SteamPunk paradise.



Gone are the starchy upper class people wandering about with parasols. Gone are the coal fired trains, the domestic servants, and the villainous Tsar Alexi Alexandrovich. In their place are the by far more awesome hovering "grav" trains, companion robots designed to mimic their masters, and in place of the book's corrupted Alexi, we now enjoy the despicable mannerisms of "THE FACE".

"THE FACE" is, in fact, a mechanical face grafted onto Alexi's. So that rather than being corrupted by the inner turmoil of early Russian politics, he is corrupted by a mechanical oculus bearing face that speaks into his mind.

There are also aliens, trips to the moon, androids, artificial limbs, and more robots than one could count. The book was excellent, I thought it extremely good. Why not read it for yourself?

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.

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.)