During a recent book signing in Seattle William Gibson was asked about the Steampunk modding craze.  I think it was really cool that he was aware of us!  In addition he commented: "My one complaint is, they make these things look all shiny and new...I think they should look...distressed."

Well, Kevin just sent me some pictures of his Steampunk Keyboard and I think he's managed just that!

I love it when someone takes a core idea from one of my projects and re-spins it in their own style like this keyboard.  I think a lot of people will be excited by the fact that it was made without a great deal of metalwork as my original was.

And if you've no time to make something like this as a gift for that special someone you can bid on this particular keyboard right now on eBay! 

More pics after the cut

Livejournal user Bob_basset created this beautiful, if slightly intimidating, mask out of leather and brass.

..I suppose, even gimps are getting into the steampunk. I can't help but re-imagine that scene from pulp fiction..

 

 

Moments after I finished Little Brother I wrote Cory:
  

[click through for the whole review]

The always interesting and oft times quirky Married to the Sea does Steampunk.

I'm telling ya, getting made fun of is one of the important milestones on the path to world domination.

A friend of mine recently turned me on to the incredible resource Kinematic Models for Design Digital Library, or KMODDL, run by the Library at Cornell University. The site has many, many models of different mechanical movements, designs, gears- and enough brassy bits and whatchamajigs to keep your boiler steamed for awhile. To top it all off, many of the designs have not only movies, but downloadable CAD files; which so far I have used on a laser cutter (brag) and a 3D printer (BRAG! BRAG!).

Even if you aren't using KMODDL to, you know, make stuff...It's still awful purdy.

(shown above is Darts Chamber Wheel Mechanism- click for the amazing video)

 

The always-awesome webcomic Questionable Content has been running a short series of fictional (but for how long?) band "Society for Creative Rock Anachronism". He's only 2 strips into the story arc at the moment, but apparently response has been, well, wide-eyed geeky obsessive enthusiasm. Go check it out. Maybe we'll force a t-shirt out of him.

Ben is making these wonderful wartime posters from a different now and selling them on Etsy.  There are five in the series and they vary from the menacing one you see here to the inspirational and slightly Orwellian; "When We Mesh, We Succeed."

See the rest at Attempted Artistry's Etsy Shop.

This weeks visit to the town's transfer station netted some nice brass bits that I think will find their way onto the car project and another old typewriter.

 

It makes me happy when people write me about things they've made, and when they've been inspired or have adopted techniques they've learned from the Steampunk Workshop it makes me very happy indeed!

Peter wrote me a while back with some pictures of his latest project, a Jules Verne inspired analog synthesizer with etched brass control panels.  Now, I cut my teeth on a vinyl copy of Switched-On Bach and I've been a fan of analog synth heroes Tangerine Dream since High School.  So I was very excited to see this.

. . .

I've always disliked quotes. It seems to me that if you're going to say something, you might as well say it yourself. It doesn't help that I rarely hear a quote that hasn't been beaten to death harder then a punching bag at a military training base. I swear, if I hear one more person say "You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake," like they're subversive and original for doing so I will . . . well, probably roll my eyes derisively and make a snide comment. 

The main reason for this is that I am a Curmudgeon. For those who don't know what a curmudgeon is, the following should be illuminating.

Cur ⠂mud ⠂geon\,ker-'mujh-uh-n N [origin unknown]

1 archaic: A crusty, ill-tempered, churlish old man

2 modern: anyone who hates hypocrisy and pretense and has the temerity to say so; anyone with the habit of pointing out unpleasant facts in an engaging and humorous manner

. . .