New Babbage Fleet Week Movie

Mr. Loki Eliot has once again produced an outstanding production, highlithing Fleet Week in New Babbage!  Please do enjoy his masterful machima about the first major Trans-Steamland sim gatherings in SL!

Steampunk Events 20 - 22 November, 2009

Fleet week is by far the notable event this week... a brief synopsis of the upcoming occasions...

Saturday, 21 November
11 am SLT - The Windjammer Race (New Babbage)
1 pm SLT - The Embassy Ball (an Antiquity event open to all)
2 pm SLT - The Submarine Races (New Babbage)
6 pm SLT - The Uniform Ball at the Piermont (New Babbage)

For more details, please visit the New Babbage Ning, at:
http://newbabbage.ning.com/events/fleet-week
and the Antiquity Ning, at:
http://antiquitycommunity.ning.com/

Abney Park's new album, Aether Shanties, to be released December 1st

Aether Shanties, the new album from Abney Park, will be released on December 1st, or as Captain Robert stated...


I'm typing this email within minutes of approving the final masters, and sending them off to be printed - and I'm listening to the completed tracks as I type. This is by far our greatest work, and I couldn't be prouder of it.

The day this CD goes on sale the entire band, and quite a few friends will be staying up late onboard the Ophelia stuffing CD's into boxes, and making sure they are on their way to you within hours of your ordering...so they can make it to you in time for Christmas.


For more details, take a moment to visit Abney Park's website, which contains the full spectrum of options for acquiring another one of their outstanding works, at... http://www.abneypark.com/

Steampunk Media: Riese, Episodes 1 & 2

Episode 1



Episode 2

The first episode of Riese slipped past me, but both are presented here.  For a bit more insight, not only would I recommend a visit to the website http://www.riesetheseries.com/, but also visit the youtube comments.  They are enlightening, but also can be a bit tough as well.  Kudos to the producers on their work, and I'm certainly looking forward to more episodes!

New Babbage's Fleet Week!

New Babbage's Fleet week has begun!  The first gathering of Second Life's Steamland Navies, there will be a cacophony of events to enjoy.  While there are plenty of displays and posters available promoting the goings-on of the week, allow me to present a snippet of week's celebration...

Miss BlackOpal on her new Tallship (near Clockhaven, I believe...)

Sunday, 15th of November

Ship Builders' Expo and Shipbuilding Contest Begins!
- Shipbuilders offering ironclad-era nautical vessels will be set up along the pier and wharves of New Babbage, offering their wares to the public.  The best vessels will be awarded trophies and the public can vote on their favorites throughout the week.

Thursday, 19th of November


The Iron Melee (7pm, SLT)
-An epic naval skirmish featuring the navies of the Steamlands, slugging it out in the open ocean.  Rumor has it that pirates and other mercenaries may be in attendance as well, although reports of mer-creatures trying to sabotage the proceedings are obviously untrue...

Friday, 20th of November


Fleet Review (1pm, SLT)
- The State-based navies of the Steamlands, in their finest regalia, proceed on a course taking them past the reviewing stands on the outskirts of the Vernian Sea.  The public is invited to attend!
























Saturday, 21st of November


Windjammer Race (11 am, SLT)
- Tall ships and wind-powered vessels compete in this "Round the Vernian" yachting race, before cheering crowds gathered on the viewing stands.  Trophies will be on hand for the winners!

Antiquity's Embassies' Ball (1pm, SLT)
- The community of Antiquity will be holding an Embassies' Ball in the name of inter-sim cooperation!  Do take a moment to visit the Grand Ballroom in the Antiquity Township for this enjoyable event.
























Submarine Races (2pm, SLT)
- The finest submariners, and their daring mechanical marvels, will line up to compete against each other in this first-ever underwater tournament.  The public is invited to view the races from specially designed under-water viewing stands!  Appropriate dress is encouraged!

Uniform Ball at the Piermont Landing (6pm, SLT)
- The public is invited to attend an inter-Steamland, nautical themed ball hosted by Miss Breezy Carver at the Piermont Landing in New Babbage.  Naval uniforms for officers and sailors are encouraged.  Shipbuilding awards and race winners will be honored.

For more information, please turn to the New Babbage Ning, at:
http://newbabbage.ning.com/events/fleet-week

Steampunk Media: Largo's Workshop

Mr. Largo Lax produced a quite well done film, highlight "Lagro's Workshop", located in Clockhaven.  He made an extra effort in post-production to ensure it had an era appearance and did an outstanding job!  Please do enjoy!

Steampunk Events 13 - 15 November, 2009

This weekend is the gateway to what looks to be a very busy week, nautically speaking, in the Steamlands.  So, without further ado, here is the maritime-flavored events...

What: Murikami Steamworks 2nd Anniversary celebration

When: Saturday, November 14th, from 7-9 pm SLT

Where: Isle of Skye, Winterfell Andoyne

Perhaps the oldest Ironclad shipyard in SL, Murikami is celebrating a long line of ships with a gathering and events in Winterfell.  Do pay a visit to see the lastest in nautical warfare and engage in SL RC races!

What:  Aether Salon - "Furnishing", hosted by Miss Canolli Capalini

When: Sunday, November 15th, at 2pm SLT

Where: Babbage Palisaides

The next in the ongoing series of Aether Salons, Furnishing will highlight the details of era design and evolution of furniture.  A signature part of construction, or as listed at their website...

As the saying goes, clothes makes the person, and by extension, how we decorate our living space makes a statement about who we are. What items do we choose to surround ourselves with after long day at work? What determines our furniture selections? Is it a desire for fashion, strictly utilitarian, or flat out comfort?

For more details, please visit the Aether Salon's website, at: http://aethersalon.blogspot.com/

What: Fleet Week's Ship Builder's Expo and Shipbuilding contest

When: All day, ongoing throughout the week

Where: The docks and piers of New Babbage

The shipbuilder's expo will offer iron-clad vessels that will be set up along the piers and wharfs of New Babbage, offering their wares to the public.  The best vessels will be awarded trophies, and the public will be able to vote on their favorites throughout the week.  For more details, please visit...

http://newbabbage.ning.com/events/fleet-week

The New Victorians and Tintypes in the New York Times

While reading about the issues of the day yesterday, I stumbled upon a surprising article in the Style section which caught my eye, titled "Just in from the 1890s".  Not only did it review newer trends seen in fashion studios which are very similar to traditional gentlemen's attire from the Steampunk era (or the "antiquarian aesthetic" look, as the author describes it), but the article provides details on the types of influences (e.g. older era military uniforms, greatcoats, suspenders) and an analysis of materials (e.g. tweed, flannel, denim).

Additionally, the piece has an enlightening article on Tintypes, a traditional means of photography used in the turn of the century.  The companion photograph slide-show illustrates the methods and work involved with producing these works, which are more involved than I had originally realized.

On the down side, there is the issue with pricing.  Looking at the photographs of the gentlemen in said attire is quite illustrative, but seeing the prices the purveyors wish to charge are stunning!  From a Spurr grey casual wool coat USD $2,695 to flannel shirts going for USD $75, the prices are enough to take one's breath away. Then again, I would like to think that no self-respecting Steampunk individual would remotely consider these charges!  Still, the fact that the "New Victorian" style is making its way into the mainstream is perhaps a signal that the braying of the nay-sayers who proclaimed that "Steampunk is dead" are simply full of hot air.

To read this article, and see the multi-media work on "New Victorian" fashions and Tintypes, please turn to:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/fashion/12CODES.html?hpw

Brazillian Steampunk on Wired Magazine

A brief letter was forwarded to Mr. Bruce Sterling by the Conselho Steampunk, a group of Brazillian Steampunk enthusiasts who run an exemplary genre-based organization in Brazil.  However, they also provide more details on projects they are working on, including an international Steampunk Facebook-esque project.  To read more of this letter to Mr. Sterling, please visit...

http://www.wired.com/beyond_the_beyond/2009/11/those-irrepressible-brazilian-steampunks/

... and though the readers of the Heliograph are familiar with Conselho Steampunk and Clockworker.de (an associate for another project of theirs), one can always indulge in another visit to their excellent web sites, at...

http://www.steampunk.com.br/ and http://clockworker.de/cw/

Steampunk Media: Big Top Magazine

The entertainers know as Lucent Dossier, travelling artists with a Steampunk infusement in their work (profiled at Big Top Magazine).

A brief Veterans day post - a new magazine has appeared on the horizon, one which combines Steampunk, Circus society, Belly Dancing, and a variety of other genre-related topics into one space - Big Top Magazine.  Still fairly new from what I can divine, with the diversity of topics (as New Babbage once had a circus, and it as Abney Park has a belly dancer), we'll have to see how this site develops!  To visit it, please turn to:

http://www.bigtopmagazine.com/