Angelie's Steampunk Journal

Guttmacher Institute: An Anti-Woman Coalition

2012-02-10T20:05:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know that our president allegedly "compromised" on an issue that cannot be compromised, while citing a ridiculous figure of "99 percent of women have used contraception". This is quite some news to the virgins, NFPers', and people like my mother, my aunt Terri, and countless married friends who never used contraception.

More on that alleged compromise here: http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=13292 taken from CatholicVoteAction. Please read; there's some good explanations there.

The story is, alas, nothing new. The figures the president cites are from the Guttmacher Institute, named after the first president of Planned Parenthood. Here's a charming quote from Mr. Guttmacher:

"No woman is completely free unless she is wholly capable of controlling her fertility and...no baby receives its full birthright unless it is born gleefully wanted by its parents."

This sentence encapsulates two chief problems that Christian humanists (particularly we Catholics) have with the entire ethos behind abortion. Starting with the first section of the quote, the idea that womanly fertility should subdued and discarded like a stinking dead thing that enslaves women to their men. Guttmacher and the Planned Parenthood attitude towards fertility is insane, and I will tell you why:

It runs counter to all Judeo-Christian and pagan ancient writings, where fertility is seen as an unqualified positive. In Genesis: Hagar bears Ishmael to Abraham, and even though this was outside God's plan, he provides for Hagar and Ishmael after Sarah drives her out. Greek myth: Niobe attempted to set herself up as a goddess on her qualification as a mother of seven sons and daughters. 1 and 2 Kings: The kings' consorts in Israel held very little power, but the Queen-mother could confidently intercede with the king for his subjects. In Eastern and island cultures people created and adored fertility idols shaped like voluptuous women, associating them with the success of crops and the blessings of deities.

In essence, to be woman was to be fertile, and fertility was Good. Womanhood in its fullest sense contains the idea of being fruitful with children, with works, with life. The "three faces of Eve" has the Mother- the mature and fertile genius- as the mid-point in female identity between the Maiden and the Crone. This is not to say that woman who lack fertility are less womanly, but the womb and fertility are crucial to the identity of women, not separate from it.

This idea carries serious implications on the character of people who say that fertility is separate from being a woman and should be squelched as a distraction to the "sexy" aspect of women. The external appearance of feminity only is what determines womanly nature. Instead of empowering women with autonomy, this view cuts women adrift from their own identity. Women are expected to act like mini-men in their personal and professional lives, competing with men or titillating them, with value being assigned based on their attractiveness or their ability to keep pace with masculine standards for careers and financial achievement.

The push for autonomy in the bedroom in particul has damaged the relationship between men and women. Men are shut out from the women's decisions regarding the children that they both created. Women excuse themselves from any accountability, even though their decision affects two people. Good news for the irresponsible and callous men, who will refuse responsibility for their children (aside from state-mandated financial responsibility). Bad news for men who want children, whose fatherhood is at the mercy of a whim.

Speaking of deciding the role of parenthood, here's the second part of the quote again: "no baby receives its full birthright unless it is born gleefully wanted by its parents."

'Receives its full birthright'? Does this mean that the child isn't going to be completely happy when it's born, or that it won't really be a human person? Either way, if you could ask the baby, I'm sure it would prefer to be born and thus have the possibility of finding happiness!

"Gleefully wanted by its parents"- Both parents? If one of them doesn't want it, should they make the other one give in and agree to an abortion? He also speaks of it being wanted at birth; did he advocate partial-birth abortion and late-term abortions, as many Planned Parenthood clinics performed?

Guttmacher's "full birthright", whatever he means, the context spells it out: If both parents didn't want the baby, it's not a real person with rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Rights that our Constitution said were both "endowed by our Creator" and "inalienable", so foundationally, America's principles uphold the human right to life.

You can debate the "creator" part all you want, you can be an atheist and I won't care. It's not a religious issue, it's about the personhood which our Constitution said that all people where endowed with. Whether you think some random lightning bolt struck the primordial soup and created life, or you believe that God Himself literally shaped clay into the first man, you must accept that people have value. And this value is intrinsic to the person, not judged by intelligence, race, form, or their stage of development.

Top Christmas Covers: Songs that Rule the Yuletide

2011-12-07T06:15:00.001-08:00

I think I said before that I love Christmas music. And Ilike making playlists, regardless of the season. So here’s my Christmasfavorites list, for the holiday standards. Some artists have covered aparticular song so well that they can be considered the definitive version. Youprobably can think of a couple now- songs that have been covered by everyonefrom Bing Crosby to Christina Aguilera, but in that broad range of artists,there are one or two who just ownthat song, and having any version besides theirs is just superfluous.

So here’s my list. I’ve imposed order via a few simplerules: 1) the song must be definitely about Christmas,Epiphany, or Channukah, no vague songs about “it’s the time of the season wherepeople agree…blah blah blah.” Let’s not be coy, here. Plus, this list isintended to give some love to the beautiful hymns that aren’t on most radiostations’ holiday lists. 2) It should be considered a “standard” in that morethan two people have covered it. That’s the only reason that half the listisn’t Trans-Siberian Orchestra. 3) The song should be a non-recent phenomenon.I’ll do a list later of favorite original holiday songs.

10) Nat King Cole, “The Christmas Song” – Nat King Cole, thefirst person you think of with this song.

9) Percy Faith and His Orchestra, “Hark the Herald AngelsSing”- Beautiful instrumental arrangement.

8) Bing Crosby, “Silver Bells”- Expect a fair amount of Bingon his list. The man’s voice was made for Christmas music. “Silver Bells” isone of those nice, anticipatory songs about Christmas. And unusually for aholiday song, this one focuses on the urban decorations. It may seemcommercial, but I think it celebrates the feeling of community experiencedthroughout the Christmas season. Ever had one of those magic moments whereeveryone- everyone in the town square- stopped to listen to a beautiful caroland smiled? Then you know what this song is about.

7) Reba McEntire “Silent Night” – I just like her take onthis classic.

6) Josh Groban, “O Holy Night”- Josh Groban really did anamazing job, here. “O Holy Night” is a demanding song, with its simplestructure and climbs, and it’s really easy to mess it up. The high point is, ofcourse, “Fall on your knees/ Oh hear the angel voices”…and Mr. Groban’s strongvoice carries it beautifully.

5) Daughters of St. Paul, “Carol of the Bells”- It’s hard tofind their version, but the Daughters of St. Paul do a traditional version withthe different singing parts, tricky and beautiful.

4) Bing Crosby, “Do You Hear What I Hear?”- I think thissong illustrates the main problem with most Christmas music: production.Tampering with the classics is tempting because 1) the songs are well-known, soit’s difficult to get noticed 2) most artists have very little talent outsidetheir narrow range of genre and ability. To cover the artists’ defect (and makethe song more noticeable) they rely on heavy amounts of mixing. You will notcatch Bing Crosby out this way. Well, except his version of “Rudolph” (the lesssaid, the better). And this song uses a very simple woodwind and chimearrangement as a backdrop for a powerful voice.

3) Twisted Sister “O Come All Ye Faithful”- Before youdecide this is a joke, listen to the link. Passion always rates high with me,so the emphatic nature of this song gets me. I know they’re being silly, butthis is such an infectious cover. No, not infectious like a disease. You knowwhat I meant.

2) Perry Como, “Home For the Holidays”- Good song, very nicefor the drive to visit friends and family.

1) Adeste Fideles- Bing Crosby- Of course! No collection iscomplete without the greatest Christmas artist (Mr. Crosby, folks) singing thishymn. Adeste Fideles is one of the oldest Christmas songs that I don’t havetime to look up the history on.

Well, I better run. New posts later!

Comments not working, and a Review

2011-12-05T05:45:00.001-08:00

Argh! I would love to respond to comments, but for whatever reason, Google keeps telling me I don't have permission. This mystifies me. Anyway:
1) Yes, I love TSO. They are the definition of an instant classic. I want to see them although I have no idea when.
2) The St. Philomena design isn't meant to be a literal compass, but that was my inspiration. I was going to use it for a tattoo on my right shoulder blade, before I decided not to. Anyways.
3) More posts in a few days. I wanted to do a few top tens, for original Christmas songs, for covers of standard Christmas songs, and for obscure holiday movies.

Yesterday was lovely. I went for a walk in the park with my cousin's two dogs, and we watched Donovan's Reef at the house. It's a real rule-breaker of a holiday movie: it takes place in French Polynesia, quite a few years after World War II. John Wayne and Lee Marvin star in it, although Dorothy Lamour and Cesar Romero have prominent roles. John Wayne's character, Michael "Guns" Donovan, is having a normal birthday in the weeks before Christmas. At least, until proper Bostonian Emilia Dedham arrives, intent on gathering dirt on her father, (played by Ward Bond) who has recently inherited the lion's share of her family's shipping company. Guessing her intentions, John Wayne, Cesar Romero, and Lee Marvin are determined to hide her half-sisters and half-brother, passing them off as Donovan's for the duration of her holiday visit. The charade can only last so long, and the aftermath is where the heart is.

What I like about it:
1) Although it's not a slapstick yuckfest like National Lampoon, they have some great scenes. John Wayne and Lee Marvin have a magnificent brawl at the beginning of the movie- and there's an encounter with a group of Australian sailors that makes for some of memorable lines, especially when a belligerant Lee Marvin calls them limeys. For the record, that's a very dumb thing to say to an Aussie.

2) The focus isn't so much on the young kids at Christmas, as it is on the grown daughter's relationship with her father. This movie is very unapologetic about showing realistic relationships- that a disagreeable exterior can be an outer shell for vulnerability and wounded affection.

3) For a Christmastime movie, there's something refreshing about all the gorgeous South Pacific shots. Even more refreshing, this is a movie where there's very little in the way of over-used, over-thought Christmas cliches.

4) And when they do use a standard holiday trope, they do it very well- my favorite being the Christmas pageant at the local Church, where it's clear that some Vatican II extremist decided to do a "relevant translation" for the narration. Ahem: "And three kings came from the east: The King of Polynesia...the Emperor of China...and the Emperor of the United States of America." Lee Marvin enters in his normal sailor's striped shirt, but carrying an old-fashioned victrola and wearing a gold foil crown. Cesar Romero's reaction as he reads the script makes it even better.

Peope Look East, The Time is Near...

2011-11-27T06:39:00.001-08:00

Have I said before, "I love Advent and Christmas" ? Well, I do. A fact that can be attributed to either nurture (i.e., being raised to celebrate it), nature (there's a lot of Austro-Roma-Hungarian blood on my dad's side) or to just the plain fact that as a Catholic, I recognize the Incarnation as the most important event and high point of history.

Which it most assurredly is. "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" is the most stupendous act of love and grace that has/will ever happen. Something to remain mindful of; most people say they hate the holidays, and they are referring to the commercialism.

Crass advertisements blare from radios and televisions, insisting that if you cannot get your bratty relatives and children the "perfect gift", they will hate you forever as a bumbling idiot. I suggest taking note of every company and product that makes these advertisements, and ignoring them after writing a vehement letter. Make sure you have someone check your grammar and spelling; nothing destroys the impact of a good screed like second-grade spelling mistakes.

Anyway, what's more disturbing are the people who hate the holidays because they wish to avoid their family. Or they are irritated by other people's cheerfulness. Or they want everyone to be miserable because they see the world as a miserable place, e.g. "How can you be so happy when there's so much suffering in the world?" Dig deep and most of these people are offended by the idea of Christmas because they are offended by the idea of God. They may also be even more offended by the idea that if God is a caring Being who sent his Son to dwell with man, then there is an obligation on THEM to be and act as Christians.

Simple philosophical idea: To reject the gift is to reject the giver, and any obligation to him.

Many who have rejected Christianity and/or the Godhood of Christ and the Incarnation, do so because they want to believe that they don't have to act as Christians. For the record: Most sensible Christians do recognize that there is suffering and evil in the world. Believing in God doesn't turn a blind eye to it; instead it comes with a recognition of responsibility as a Christian to work with God, offer up one's own suffering and hardships, and to act with Christ as a follower.

So, It's Time to Cancel "Doctor Who"

2011-11-16T05:40:00.001-08:00

Now, hold on a second.

Just for the record, there are no plans to cancel Doctor Who. At least, none that I'm aware of at this writing. I love Doctor Who; it's one of my favorite shows and watching the series generally just pumps me up and makes me happy. Well into Series 6, I was watching it eagerly.

And then something happened. The bloom was off the rose, the humour was off me now; etc, etc. This wasn't a sudden transition; it was something that happened slowly starting with Series 4 of the "New 'Who". The show captivated me, but I was finding more and more reasons not to be emotionally invested in it. Below, my reasons why it might be time to put Doctor Who back in the mothballs for a while.

1) The longer the show, the less emotional impact. At first, it was hard not to get sucked into every episode, even the more mediocre ones. And with the Tenth Doctor in particular, he moved from being a cocky, devil-may-care pretty-boy to an emotionally scarred, wistful, yet wiser man. And they played out his regeneration story for all it was worth. This makes the new series' constant teasing of Eleven's "death" just damn annoying as we already mourned one doctor, thank you, and we're not ready to be dragged through the ringer again. Stop it!

2) Lack of consistency becomes more evident. What Time Lords can and can't do becomes more squiffy with time; Nine cannot damage history because things will eat time (also, he will not even attempt to change fixed points in time); Ten gets righteously smacked down for trying to make himself "Time Lord Victorious"- and Eleven- well, I won't reveal spoilers, but they're playing fast and loose with the notion of "fixed points in time" all over the Eleventh Doctor's run.

3) We could use some of these people in other projects. Sherlock needs more consistent plotting, which Moff can collaborate on with Mark Gattiss- when he isn't doing Doctor Who. I'd love to see Sherlock have a regular series of at least eight episodes, because that show has some phenomenal characterization. Let's do more of that! Arthur Darvill is a great actor who's demonstrated some impressive range. Karen Gillan could also work in just about any show and bring more to it. It's really refreshing to see good actors running around. However it's also really annoying when they are likely to be pigeonholed in one series instead of getting to work as either main protagonists or part of a good ensemble.

4) Longer the series, less quality control. It's been remarked that with the scope of Doctor Who, a little silliness is inevitable. And although I didn't care for RTD's "silliness" in terms of the monsters and writing that Earth is endangered in every single series of his run, at least he worked on even characterization for everyone. Disturbingly, characterization seems all over the place in Moffat's run, even though it's usually his strong suit besides playing with the "timey-wimey" aspects of Doctor Who. Although he didn't write "The Girl Who Waited", he allowed an episode to run that was one of the worst bits of character-defamation and inconsistency in the entire series 5-6 run. "Let's Kill Hitler" illustrated that how clunky a "dating catwoman" theme is for Doctor Who. This is one very long-running show which makes it harder and harder to do new things with it.

In summation, folks, let's cancel Doctor Who for just a while, until sanity sets in again. I know popular opinion and the notions of the BBC are against me. The series even now is one of the better things on television, but it's time to move forward to new vistas, different projects. I think if the Doctor was meta-aware, he himself would agree, and push the people who have devoted themselves to portraying his adventures to move forward to exciting new ones. Remember: "Any time, any where. Just one rule: it has to be amazing." Time to take that line as good advice.

So, I'm Off Social Media

2011-11-13T06:31:00.000-08:00

Just my blog and my email, for now. Why?

Simply put, I don't like having too much information out there. I never did. I want to silence that voice in your head that composes status updates as you go. Not that I think that there's a real risk of me being targeted for whatever.

Basically, I sat down and wondered where my life got to the point where I socialize by spending my free time sitting alone in front of a computer. That's messed up and not how I want to live. Even if going out there and meeting people isn't what I expect or planned, it's real.

And I also think of it this way: I'm ready to go. I've been thinking and praying about it, and I want to just keep in contact with the people God has put in my path, without getting distracted by superficial demands on my time and energy. I want to do things, not just write about when I do them or be preoccupied with the idea that I have some audience. I don't.

Chapter 2, Voyage of Thunder-child

2011-08-04T06:22:00.000-07:00

Note: The following is property of Angelie Roth. The characters and dialogued referenced are soley her own and may not be duplicated without express permission and crediting me as the author.

Chapt. 2 Isabella Arkdred-Marcade

“I suppose it is a bit of a shock,” she said, sipping her tea delicately. Her eyes took in his house- the wall tapestries, the stag’s head over the mantelpiece. She sniffed. “I had hoped that you would have a better reply than “What”, I must say.”
Gerhard had sprung up from his chair the instant she had mentioned becoming his assistant. She did not speak out of any discernible malice, but with an air of complete calm.

In fact, she was puzzled as to his reaction. She tried again.

“Prof. Gerhardt, I have looked forward to meeting you. I’ve read all your papers on the evolution of steam-engines and the application of merchant particles to the measurement of speed.”

“Well…um, yes…” He didn’t look directly at her. “You see, Miss Marcade…”
“Arkdred-Marcade, please,” she said with a smile.

“Er…right.” He stole a glance at the side-table, where his housekeeper had left a copy of the Peerage.

She bit her lip. She had not intended to mention her mother’s family when this conversation began; now somehow she found herself drawn into it. She tried to recover her composure. “I assure you I am not looking for a job based on my family’s connections.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s the part I don’t understand,” he said, looking her directly in the eyes. “There is no reason for someone such as yourself to become my assistant, madame. My work is not likely to bring great accolades or improve your chances of finding a husband, which is the only reason I can assume-“

His words died on his lips as he took in her reaction. She had paled, before flushing a bright red. Her hands were clenched tightly in her lap.
“Madame, I apologize…it was unfair to ascribe such motives.”

She had risen. “I wish I could say that I’m inured to such remarks,” she said softly.
“How dare you. I studied at Brno and in the Academy in Troy Novaunt. I have two degrees in Engineering and Chemistry. I came here because my father sent me, as a favor, to help with your projects. If I had my druthers I’d be studying in Vienna now…not that you care, you cold fish!” She winded up with a spot of color in each cheek, her fists clenched.

“Wait.” He got up. “I am sorry for my rudeness, Ms. Arkdred-Marcade. I am not used to visitors, or feeling silly.”

“This must be a red-letter day for you then,” she sniped. “You’ve made yourself quite clear, Professor. You don’t need any help, especially if the helper in question happens to wear skirts. Well, I usually wear trousers in the lab. I’d still rather wash bottles for the lowest researcher at University than work for you.”
The explosion at the back of the house muffled the last part of her words.

“Damn- sorry, madam. The fuel!” He ran past her down the hall. A rumbling noise was increasing. She could feel it through the floor, vibrating in the nails of her fashionable boots. Whatever the explosion had been, it wasn’t over.

The rank smell got worse as she followed him to the back of the house. He stopped in front of the basement door, which, she noticed, had been reinforced with bolts and painted a bright, conspicuous yellow. He threw the door open and ran downstairs.
Isabel stood at the top of the flight. The acrid odor in the air told her everything in an instant. Something had boiled over; from his remarks and papers she surmised that he had been experimenting with fuel additive. Potassium nitrate had been mentioned several times in a monograph of his; this must be what he was doing downstairs. Who would be so absent-minded as to leave something like that unattended long enough to explode? Her eyes rested on the lab apron that he had left hanging on the chair. There was also a pair of leather gauntlets.

From the basement came swearing and another, loud noise- as if several glass retorts had fallen onto a tile floor. She drew a deep breath and grabbed the apron and the gauntlets. After all, she told herself, he may kill himself before he finds anything, and then where would her father be?

He looked up from the wreckage as she came down the stairs. She was painfully aware of how ridiculous it must look- the heavy, stained apron over her new dress, so much longer that she needed to pick it up with one gauntleted hand to avoid tripping.
The lab was a complete disaster. Glass, broken retorts and unbroken tempered tubes, littered the floor. Several puddles of black oil and bright purple additives contributed to the tableau, some of them smoking where they hit the grout instead of the ceramic tiles. In the middle of all this stood the professor, carefully standing between two of the puddles, holding a dropper he’d been using to extract some of the fluid.
“Where’s the experiment log?” she said quickly, hoping to avoid the question of why she was down there.
“Chalkboard on the south wall,” he said.
“Right. Last temperature?”
“I’m not…”
Before he could finish, she took a thermometer from the rack on the wall and stuck it in the middle of the largest puddle. “Hmm. No good readings…the floor must be quite cool. The other information is current?”

“Yes. I type the report every night. This has to be cleaned up first, though.”
“How about…I stay long enough to type the report and help clean up? I can catch the evening train back to Troy Novaunt.”

To her own surprise, he agreed immediately. For the next two hours, they copied down the known results of the accident on the board, saving as much of the spill as they could to test later. After that, it was down to the task of getting up the glass shivers that had scattered to the four corners. There was no answer for it but slowly and carefully checking every inch of tile.

During the clean-up, they talked.

“Of course, there is very little to do these days until after you get your second degree,” she said, pouring a bucket of water over the floor while he used a broom to direct the stream towards the drains, “especially if your family doesn’t move in University circles. If you can get a couple of your papers published, someone will fund you- but you have to pay them back.”

“Doesn’t the Ruyesbroeck Trust award scholarships?”

She nodded. “They only award two every year. Even to be considered, you have to sign a contract with them for at least five years.”

“So you didn’t apply for it?”

“Of course I didn’t! Would you?”

“It’s quite a gamble, just for a scholarship,” he admitted. “Of course, those scholarships weren’t around when I studied at Royal Academy, twenty years ago. I probably would have been tempted.”

They finished clearing the glass, using a mirror and a lamp to check for any shards. Finally, the lab was clean again. Prof. Gerhardt pronounced it spotless, and rubbed the back of his head. “Miss Arkdred-Marcade, I must thank you. That was the worst explosion this lab has seen, and the quickest recovery.”

“Lab training has its points,” she said, “but definitely the worst one I’ve ever seen in a professional scientist’s private lab.” The jibe did not go unnoticed. She regretted it immediately, however. This man was clearly overworked…and quite nice, compared to some of the great egos that she had clashed with at Brno.

“No doubt most professional scientists don’t have to worry quite as much as I do about finding assistants,” he said, sounding more apologetic than anything else. “I make all of my instruments and do all of my blacksmithing since the last assistant quit. And then there’s the roses...”

“Right,” she said, letting some sympathy enter her voice. Isabel, you have let the cutthroat world of academia endanger your feminine qualities. Prof. Gerhardt clearly belonged to a much different age when research was conducted in a spirit of friendly dialogue, not the brutal competition that had driven her and her fellow class-mates. And, she reflected, another, less scrupulous assistant would take advantage of him…if he didn’t kill himself first.

“I assume you took a hansom to get here?”

“One of the delivery carts offered me a lift, actually.”

“I’d hate for you to try going back so late, after helping me. Also,” he sniffed. “My housekeeper has let herself in and appears to be making a joint with spinach. Won’t you stay for dinner?”

“I suppose I could- thank you."

They walked upstairs. Isabella felt an odd sense of easy companionship from that first explosion. Some small truce had been reached; Gerhardt appeared to be deep in thought. As they walked into the kitchen he cleared his throat. “Mrs. Muire?”

“Ohh, Mr. Gerhardt, I thought you might be down there. I smelled it when I come in the door and thought, that sure neh plum pudding cooking, nor German cabbage either.” She was standing up at the kitchen table, a cup of tea next to her ruffled cap. “I was just about to set meself for some tea while supper is on the boil.”

“Ah. Good. There will be an extra guest for dinner tonight.”

“Another guest?” She peered around him, and Isabel could almost feel the hard stare.
Gerhard continued, “Miss Arkdred-Marcade, late of Troy Novaunt. She has been assisting me downstairs.”

“Downstairs?” she said. Her tone cued Isabella to the terrors that Gerhardt’s lab held for her. Like the porters at Brno, she had an atavistic horror of scientific progress…something that the students encouraged to ensure the privacy of the lab.
“I’m pleased to meet you, Miss…”

“Miss Arkdred-Marcade, please.” She smiled and inclined her head in the housekeeper’s direction.

“If you don’t mind my saying, ma’am, there’s a lot would not expect someone of your family to be involved in such goings-on.”

“Happens to the best of families,” she said gravely. “The future of Europe belongs to those willing to change it.”

Gerhardt coughed.

“Indeed, well- Ah, didn’t your father have some interest in the reunification of Italy?”

Isabella recognized Gerhardt’s desire to direct attention away from scientific upheaval, and with it, the recent upheaval in the laboratory. She said smoothly, “We did spend some time there, yes; but my father interested himself more in the libraries around Florence.”

“Really? I’ve some manuscripts from the 17th century that came with the furnishings. Perhaps your father could visit and help me catalogue them?”

Mrs. Muire turned back to the cooking, showing a lamentable lack of interest in 17th century Italian. And something chimed on her wrist-

“Oh. Excuse-“

“Is that your gig-strap?”

She flipped it over. The tiny device had one main face was filled with a special liquid, next to a three smaller circular faces. As she held it, a series of small rods and circles that arranged themselves in the main face…
“I knew I should have studied Morse code more closely,” she murmured. “Seems that my father just informed Aunt Marcade of my whereabouts.”
“Your Aunt Marcade?”

Lazy Photo Post

2011-08-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

Even though my art skills...are not, I'm rather pleased with this St. Philomena design I've been working on for ages.

About the links...

2011-07-31T12:34:00.000-07:00

I think anyone who wants to make a creative effort to "turn back the pendulum" ought to make it a creative endeavor instead of buying the experience. It's fine to go someplace and pick up your steam goggles, victorian hats, etc, ESPECIALLY since patronizing these vendors encourages the availability of similar items. If the products are quality, why not?

But what I love about this genre is the organic and craft-based aesthetic that goes into creating things like ivory keyboards and brass-mounted wooden mp3 cases. Steampunk celebrates the same arts and crafts movement espoused by eminent Victorian critic John Ruskin. I think what we're experiencing is a renaissance in that rebellion against machine-made items. This is why some of the sites I selected for the recently-added Steampunk Support tab go to stores for clothing patterns and re-enactment gear, instead of ready-made costumes.

That being said, I initially felt awkward about posting them- it's one thing to casually invite friends to check out something you enjoyed, and quite another to shill (shilling was an inescapable aspect of the Victorian marketplace, though). Steampunk Support features some sites I have frequented and enjoyed in my own personal experience, and one or two that I have not. I checked the feedback ratings on the ones I have not personally used, and if it drops below 95%, I'm removing them. Hope you enjoy.

Brandon Urie can do more of this, as far as I'm concerned.

2011-07-31T10:11:00.001-07:00

Now, isn't that pretty? Panic!At the Disco wasn't my favorite act originally, but between this and the Beatles tribute that is their "Pretty.Odd" album, they are going the right way for getting the attention of Thunder-child. And for anyone wondering, the rural American setting makes this more cattlepunk but the steam is undeniable.

Also, the wonderful crowd that brings down Mary is the league of S.T.E.A.M., and you can find out more about them at their official website. Enjoy your Sunday, and ask yourself, "Have I done sufficient for the advancement of Science and re-Victorianizing culture?"

Whoa, Mona Lisa you're guaranteed to run this town. Whoa Mona Lisa, I'd pay to see you frown!

Redneck Break: Porches

2011-07-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

I love sitting on the porch on a hot summer night. What we have right now, unfortunately, is a wrap-around deck, "deck" being modern for "we don't have enough money or sense to put a roof on the porch". It's still pretty nice though: the dudes can sit out and smoke if it's their wish, and there are plenty of chairs on the back porch as well.

It's really important to have that cooling-off place, especially if the house is crowded like mine usually is any time of the year. Some day, we're going to act Shakespeare out off the landings (it makes a great stage) and once it's roofed, it will be perfect for any time of the year. It's ideal for family portraits, and easier to mark a boundary for small kids so they stay in sight, and it's nice to sit out when the weather's a little cooler and eat barbecue. The porch is probably considered more of a rural necessity than an urban one these days, since socializing on the porch means no or minimal internet access, and you'd need to know and be friends with a tolerable large amount of people in your town in order to porch-sit together. An internet cafe, it is not. That's a good thing, since it helps you stay connected with the people Providence placed around you- one of the best visits I had for someone's wedding, I sat out on the groom and his roommates' porch with the bride as well, and we ate pizza and drank beer into the night, passing time with talking about rock n roll and different beer companies.

I think internet's a great tool (cough writing on blog cough)but I'd rather not need it to stay in touch with people. If you are blessed with a porch or balcony area, try sitting out on it; saying hello to anyone who passes by your step and see if anyone says hello back- even if no-one does, the look of surprise is always entertaining.

Chapter I, "Voyage of Thunderchild"

2011-07-28T16:20:00.000-07:00

Note: The following is property of Angelie Roth. The characters and dialogued referenced are soley her own and may not be duplicated without express permission and crediting me as the author.

Chapter 1: The Man at No. 514

The house at 514 Marple Drive was a stylish residence, like its neighbors, with gleaming wrought iron fence and a door of polished brass that gleamed in the sun. Above the door was a small wind-chime that tinkled in the breeze. There was little to differentiate no. 514 from the other houses on Marple Drive, but this; there was no hammock in the backyard, and instead of the customary flag of the Empire there was a smaller flag of green and white.

The man currently renting out no. 514 was a bachelor, and therefore the subject of great speculation by the various other residents. Mrs. Dowelling (no. 521) and Mrs. Hepswich (no. 516) were often discussing him, his employment, and foremost-

“Of what family is he?”
“I shouldn’t care to speculate, I’m sure. He came from Wales, I believe.”
“There are many members of Parliament with summer residences there, if I recall.”
“If he has any such connections, one would think they would visit him. He moved into 514 about a year ago.”
“Your memory is excellent, Mariah.”
“Nonsense. I wouldn’t have remembered, except it was about a week after the Hartsons’ garden party, where Freddy brought that awful monkey.”
“Really? It seems much longer." She cut another slice of cake. “More poppy seed cake, Mariah?”
“Thank you, Grace.”

At no. 514 itself, a very different scene was developing.
To begin with, a young lady was standing on the stoop. She was jolie femme, dressed to the minute in a rich, lilac-striped walking dress, carrying a sturdy reticule. This was no vapid coquette, however. The reticule was clutched in a purposeful, brisk sort of way in her gloved hands. Instead of the normal cunning of the society debutante, there was a lively, disinterested air about her, with no false modesty in her brown eyes.
This apparition would have caused Mariah and Grace (Mrs. Dowelling and Mrs. Hepswich) no end of discussion if observed. Even these ladies, however, might miss the most unusual aspect about the visitor- the caesium watch-locket pinned to her dress, and the gig-strap around her wrist. It might have taken a Parisian to describe the cut and color of her dress, but it would take a physicist to describe the other elements of her attire.
After checking the card in her hand one final time, she pressed the buzzer. After a minute’s pause, she pressed the buzzer again. After another wait of about thirty seconds, she pressed it twice in rapid succession.
The front doorbell rang. Gerhardt sighed and picked himself up, pulling the long gloves off his hands. The ringing continued, several more times between his entering the house and reaching the door. Each peal of the bell sounded more vexed then the last.
“I’m coming,” he called irritably.
Riiing, answered the button tartly.

He flung open the door and said, "Can I help you, or are you merely testing the quality of this damnable apparatus?" As the words left his lips he took in the sight. She drew herself up a little as his eyes swept over her.

Mr. Gerhardt was not a tall man, but he often gave people that impression. He had a lanky frame and a slight stoop, like a stork, and to anyone talking to him it seemed that presently he would unfold to an impressive height. At one point in his career, he had been considered a promising engineer- an above-average student, but the Royal Academy turned out many above-average students. Something that Gerhardt, had he been asked, did not aspire to. For that matter, reflected the girl, neither did she.

Ignoring Gerhardt’s jibe, she interjected, "I beg your pardon, but is this the residence-" and she consulted a small card in her hand, "of James Andronicus Gerhardt, Professor of Extremely Advanced Aerodynamics?"

Gerhardt pulled himself up straight. "Yes, Madam, it is. What can I help you with?"
“I wish to see him. Is he at home?”

“Madame, I am Prof. Gerhardt,” he said, visibly annoyed.

“Really?” she said, regretting it instantly, although the dirty apron, with the creases and smudges, combined with the general disarray of his tie and coif, offered a ready justification.

“I must apologize for my dress. I cannot find any decent help since the last gardener decided that he could not put up with the laboratory cuttings as well.” She looked politely dubious. He added, “Be that as it may, I am here. What can I help you with?”

"You requested my father to send you an assistant."

"I'm sorry. Your father is?"

"Colonel Samuel Marcade."

"Oh! Yes, I..."

"I did send you a note that I was coming. A telegram, in fact."

"Of course! It's been rather busy here, but I did get-"

"Professor Gerhardt, are you going to let me in or shall we converse on the front step all afternoon?” she said calmly.

"No, please do come in." The lady as she walked in gave an appearance of studying his hall. The hall was quite a worthy object in that respect, the dark, yellowing walls being relieved by a successive array of sketches, some mechanical and some of various flora. This monotony of dry learning was broken, at the end, by one oil painting on canvas.

She could not help staring at it, before the professor could usher her into the other room. The theme was hard at first to discover, as there seemed to be a confusion of elements. The scene might have been a seascape or an evening landscape.
“I did hope not to be too intrusive, Professor. On such matters as this it’s so important to have understanding, don’t you think? Quite. In fact, Aunt Caroline protested something fierce, but Father made her see reason.”

“Oh…I agree…” he muttered, still wondering what was going on. He had the telegram halfway out of his pocket when he realized that she was looking at him with the faintly expectant look of one who- he glanced at the clock- had come at tea-time. “Can I offer you a cup of tea, Miss Marcade?”

“Yes, that would be nice.” Her smile was faintly surprised, as if he had just shown the first sign of rational behavior and it took her unexpectedly. She sat back, leaning a little in order to better read the titles on the bookcase. Gerhardt smiled awkwardly back at her, then ducked back into the kitchen.

“By the lightning, what is she here for?” The telegram in his apron had escaped his notice again. He almost slammed down the teacups, turned the teakettle on high, and came close to spilling the tealeaves in the process.

“Ma’am, today is probably not the best day for a call. I realize that your father has probably sent you to bring a report back on the research for that marvelous gig-strap that you brought with you. But it has not been going well at all.” In fact, she knew from the latest letter, that it had been suffering of late. Certain parts had to be sent back to the blacksmith for reforging, the ignition relay burned out every time it was tested, and “You also wrote something about having to keep those rosebushes alive. My father was very curious about the rosebushes, I remember that much. He told me that he did not care for horticulture and had no interest in supporting”- she reached out to steady the tray as he set it down-“in supporting a “a damn rose garden unless it was integral to devising an airship”.”

“In fact, I’m afraid they are,” he said, straightening. “You see-“

Gardening was a badge of wholesome respectability to the residents of Marple Drive, “and that’s something you’re going to need a hell of a lot of if you’re going to be making explosions at 3 am,” the housing agent had told him. “A man can sell his soul, as long as his hands have honest English soil on them.”

“Professor. I do not doubt the respectability of gardening. But surely,” she paused. “Surely, with the means at your disposal, there is no hardship in engaging a gardener to pay attention to the roses?”

“Well, I wish I could reply that there was no hardship whatsoever. Unfortunately, despite the advertisements and amount of time I’ve spent interviewing, so far there’s been no acceptable candidates with good references.” He poured more tea. “I am already behind on time. A visit from the daughter of Colonel Marcade is a welcome distraction, however.”

“I should say, under the circumstances,” she said. “I can see now why Father sent me out here. There’s quite a bit of work to be done.”

“Pardon?”

“As an assistant,” she responded patiently. “I’ll interview the gardeners and find a blacksmith. I used to manage my father’s house, so I have no problem dealing with servants. In the meantime, we can review notes and start the cross-referencing. And plans. My specialty is chemistry and fuel upgrade, but I can build models on the plans for field-testing. Then there’s the lumber…”

He looked at her. Isabella fell silent. She had been too forward, as usual. He hadn’t even said whether or not he had looked at her references. He was clearly about to say something important, to clarify her position. She held her breath.

“Madam, I…What?”

A New Idea: Searching for Beta, and Thor Review

2011-05-14T08:31:00.001-07:00

Hello, all- I am looking for a beta reader for a short story, working title: Redwaters Institute. It's one story that I'm hoping will assist me in world-building for Voyage of Thunderchild and to make it good, I'd like to find a beta.

I went to see Thor in the theater, and if you haven't seen it (and esteem the Norse pantheon at all) go and see it! Branagh captured perfectly the over-the-top essence of the thunder-god and made the Shakespearean themes go over big. Not too surprising, as Branagh seemed to just embrace whole-heartedly the idea of a gung-ho viking god getting smacked down to earth as a story on a level with The Winter's Tale and King Lear. Particularly King Lear in that Thor is a man on the verge of possessing everything he desires, motivated by alternating love and vanity- and torn between persuasion by Loki and loyalty to Odin, who loves his son too much to let him continue in his arrogance and cruelty. So, if you haven't seen it and are an afficionado of the Bard, it's worth going.

Promo : Healthy Handy Happy

2011-04-26T17:12:00.001-07:00

Hello,
It's been a while since I did this, but I am just dropping a note to state that my licensed store, Healthy Handy Happy is currently offering a signup promo for customers from now until May 1st 2011-

What it is: a 5% discount on Beauty /Health products purchased through Healthy Handy Happy Store.

What you need to do :
1) Register as a customer (be sure to register as "open" and not "private" otherwise I cannot verify and complete the discount)on the link posted to the left sidebar.
2) Comment here so I know you've registered and submit the discount.
3) Check out the newly discounted beauty and health products!

I got hooked originally through my mono recovery in 2010- I had a really bad liver complication (I can't donate blood for this reason still) and for the several weeks I was flat on my back, recuperating. I drank lots of tea and at the same time, my mother and sister were shoveling all types of holistic remedies down my throat-
intestiflora (a probiotic supplement for people recovering from antibiotic prescriptions).
milk thistle - for strengthening the liver
double-x vitamin supplement- a three-course vitamin supplement of phytonutrients, minerals, and vitamins
The bed rest and vitamins made a huge difference, and I was walking and even going to the gym by mid-April. And since I got healthy again, I lost ten pounds because I could finally exercise and move. Not a bad thing, especially as we get closer to summer. Happy Spring, everyone!

New Year's, 2011: Resolutions for the Blogosphere

2011-01-08T08:49:00.000-08:00

1) I will only post constructive and positive things and use my little voice on the 'net to brighten the day of others.

2) I will avoid slangy nonsense.

3) I will not attempt to imitate Cracked.com, even though the list format would be ridiculously easy.

4) I will post at least 2x a week.

Anything is possible, especially as the new year always fills me with renewed hope: It has been 1 week, with 51 more to go. I may even travel to foreign countries and produce literature before this is over. Here's to everlasting optimism!

Clockwork Gingerbread Steam Engine: Too Showy?

2010-12-14T18:43:00.000-08:00

Hello again, all. The title is a reference to Girl Genius and the short Cinderella story. Regardless, I am contemplating a gingerbread house. My siblings have asked multiple times, "Why?". As you cannot eat them, the attraction is somewhat lost on a 13 year-old boy who is more interested in guns and the military.

I appealed to my cousin to help answer as I was knee-deep in plans. Her answer was simple: "Because it is awesome." Yes, we do awesome things, and the showiness is part of the fun- as I speak we have placed several jolly ranchers in the pre-cooked molasses cookies and they are melting into glass panes.

Anyone Know A Good Blank-punk Movie?

2010-11-16T03:45:00.000-08:00

I was reflecting last night on the confusion that surrounds the term "steampunk" and "cyberpunk" as the family was watching "City of Ember", a film that perhaps would have needed a lot more fx and more advertising spent than the entire film budget, in order for it to be success. Not surprisingly, as clockwork boats moved out on an elaborate track in one of the scenes, my brother said, "Wow. I bet the steampunk enthusiasts went nuts over this."
I pointed out that it was a big difference between steampunk and cyberpunk. Steampunk: shiny, new, brassy and leather and clockwork gizmos that are impossibly advanced for their time; Mary Shelley wielding a raygun and HG Wells jumping into a commandeered Martian tripod. Cyberpunk: Grimy, plastic, vents, tubes - extremely clunky old equipment side-by-side with advanced tech, in the future, and The Matrix is a good example, when Neo wakes up in reality. The easiest way to tell cyberpunk is the forty tons of grime and dirt that seem compulsory.
Speaking of movie examples, I am looking for a good one to review- ideally something that is mainly steampunk. Stardust, probably.

Halloween Track: War of the Worlds

2010-10-20T04:57:00.000-07:00

Uuuuuuuu-laaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!

This is my ultimate Halloween music- innovative, creepy, and melancholy by turns. Jeff Wayne put together a dramatic album based on HG Wells' The War of The Worlds and using the talents of Richard Burton, Justin Hayward, Phil Lynott, Julie Covington, and Chris Thompson.

The chances of anything coming from Mars were a million to one, they said. But come they did, and Jeff Wayne's utilization of Moog synthesizers and dramatic horns and woodwinds is the perfect way to portray the terror and call to bravery for humanity. More on this later!

M-more Madeira?

2010-10-07T17:42:00.000-07:00

The description has been added above my blog address- and the quote is from the bbc series QI which, if you'll follow this possesses the distinction of being, according to America's BBC, far too intelligent for Americans to appreciate.
In one of the segments (look it up in ten seconds on Youtube) Phil Jupitus accuses Fry of having not beer goggles, but "madeira pince-nez". As Fry in all his splendiferous loveliness and fluffy Dickensian charm is one of the best rallying-points for the re-Victorianizing of culture, I had to include a reference to his Madeira pince-nez. I like to think of it as a movement towards"good-natured intellectual froth, seasoned with charm and upheld by strong aesthetic and moral principles". That being said, I hope to instill more gentility amongst the steampunk going forward- there's been too much confusion in the modern era between authentic gaslamp/steampunk fantasy and other cultures. Let's keep it classy, shall we?

Prelude to All Hallows: Musings on Monsters

2010-10-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

"He ate my heart, he ate-ate-ate my heart, he ate my heart out...." - Lady Gaga

"The nineteenth century dislike of Romanticism is the rage of Caliban not seeing his own face in a glass." - Oscar Wilde

"I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart." - Victor Frankenstein

Ah yes, what story of perverted natural philosophy would be complete without an abomination of science?
Monsters- why do we have monsters? Why on earth does it make sense for a large portion of the population to put on a rubber mask and run around shrieking? And why does an equally large amount of people obsess with them?
A little backstory on this- my brothers have worked at the Colonial Gardens' Haunted Hayride for several years now. I joined last year and work in an undisclosed segment of the Haunted House portion, which is a pitch-black maze where the only people allowed to have lights are the monsters that are waiting at every dead-end stop to jump at you. The odd part about this job is that it provides me with a unique post for observing how people react to evil. In a lot of ways, monsters are tangible symbol of evil- cancer, disease, death, cruelty- the monster is a walking talking shouting menacing form of things that shouldn't be allowed to exist in a rational, God-created world. And because they are evil, how people deal with them (even the garden-variety Haunted House characters, which they know are just trying to entertain) can be quite telling.
One mother with her kid leans in and coos at the front-door. "See, Briana, that's not a real monster, it's just a mask, see?" (Note: this is horribly embarrassing for the monster). Message: monsters aren't real. Things aren't that bad. The kid remained unconvinced and tried to get even more behind her mother.
There are those whose first reaction (regardless of their best intentions) is to swing at a monster that jumps out at them. This type of unfortunate has a very boring experience, because once that happens, he'll have a hellish time getting out, at which point the manager will be waiting to kick him off the premises.
Shockingly, the ones who curse the most are fifteen-year-old girls, who apparently decided the best way to deal with evil is a steady stream of foul language.
The fathers (bless 'em) go through the house laughing most of the time, and seem happier the more scared their kids get- they love it when one monster catches a kid's name and repeats it, until it seems like the entire house knows who little Connor is and wants to meet him. These wise men have decided to acquaint their children early with evil, and prepare their kids for a life of dealing with real monsters.

Steampunk, Augustan Style?

2010-09-26T08:34:00.000-07:00

'Tis hard to say, if greater Want of Skill
Appear in Writing or in Judging ill,
But, of the two, less dang'rous is th' Offence,
To tire our Patience, than mis-lead our Sense." -Alexander Pope
I do think that steampunk should not be overly-associated with the Victorian era. The elements are there, yes- the Industrial Revolution and the advancement of sciences and exploration, makes it a facile conclusion to attribute the popularity of the Grand Aesthetic of Steam and Brass to its relevance to our own time. What now, if we went further back... to the more mechanical (clockpunk, if you will) Augustan age?
Augustan Age- that period sparked in 1688, the "Glorious Revolution" when England submitted to the reign of William and Mary, followed shortly thereafter by Queen Anne and after her, the Hanoverian Kings. Directly after the Glorious Revolution, the two main political factions were the Whigs and the Tories, each having espoused the betterment of the nation, liberty, and trade as their cause, and vociferously denying the opposing party's ability to accomplish the same. And like our modern polemics, there was a new stage on which to carry their arguments and promote their views- the pamphlet, as opposed to the editorial, and the periodical essay, in place of the political blog.
For these reasons, why not see more speculative science fiction set in this era? One might see alchemy re-imaged as having more of natural philosophy to it, and some more differences ascribed to the parties- for instance, if the Tories were opposed to advancement in alchemical enterprises as Meddling in God's Business, and the Whigs on the other hand denouncing clockwork and mechanical engineering curiousities as "unprofitable debasement of materials and men".
Although I have been told that Neal Stephenson (of Snow Crash fame) has done some similar work in The Baroque Cycle, haven't had the chance to read it (I'm lucky to get to work on my thesis, never mind recreational reading). Regardless, I hope to see more people exploring this period of history for thematic elements (and the Neoclassical ideas associated with it) as the steampunk phenomenon develops.

Favorite Track off "Aether Shanty" Album

2010-08-10T04:53:00.000-07:00

I'd love to have a video for this to post, but Abney Park doesn't have the resources, and I don't have the time. I like to listen and imagine a George Eliot style of tragedy...although I don't think anything she'd write about such a situation would be very forgiving on either side. Thoughts of "The Veil" come to mind.

So, My Friends Are Specializing Their Blogs

2010-08-04T20:45:00.000-07:00

Which just makes me think about posting regularly on mine. If I do, it's going to be a whole lot of tea, teapots, in addition to ideas from my steampunk obsession. I better finish soon! Unfortunately a semi-romance is also taking up some of my time.

Eureka (I have it!) I am currently re-purposing some clothes into steampunk gear. Right now I have a rather naff tweed blazer (H&M made, but not really their best stuff) that I'm turning into a waistcoat), a pair of striped trousers that will be (someday) jodhpurs, and a nice bibfront shirt that will be worn with leather bustier and detached sleeves (slightly more Steam than most of my clothes). It's mostly been seam-ripping lately but I want to complete them soon.

Stephen Fry's Exciting Position on Urban Outreach

2010-08-04T20:40:00.001-07:00

Also: To anyone who googled "Stephen+Fry+exciting+position", I suggest you drink a cup of chai and calm down.

Abney Park Weighs Anchor in Dallas

2009-08-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

There are few things finer (particularly for dancing or just general ambience) than world music and rock. Abney Park is a fine source of both, and one of the most personable themed groups around.
They are based in the Pacific Northwest, which makes this Philadelphian's chances of seeing them slim to none. The god (goddess? perhaps) of brass and steam smiled on me, as I discovered in late June that they would be playing at The Church in Dallas.
Fellow privateers, aeronauts, and men of science, it was awesome. There was a bit of a long wait (doors opened at 8pm and I was the second in line) for the band to arrive. At 9pm they started playing La Citee d'Enfants Perdus over the 'stylings' of DJ Virus...and various other mystifying videos. As the hours crept from 9am to 12, we caught glimpses and heard rumors.
"The band is taking pics out front. It'll be a few minutes."
"I heard they had trouble with the sound check. It might take a few more."
Regardless of the delay, they got out there. They opened with some new songs, which indicate (to my mind) a slightly more rag-time, music-hall sensibility which I'm assuming will be the informing idea of "Aether Shanties".

We eagerly await its arrival.

The crew seemed a bit drained, which I entirely put down to Dallas weather. Dallas is not a pleasant place, even in the sheltering arms of the classic Church venue and in the company of Dallas steampunk fans. The heat outside was only slightly better than the previous week. Regardless, AP showed much love to the Dallas crowd, performing encores and throwing enthusiasm into an admittely terrible attempt at "Black Day" requested by the crowd, over Captain Robert's protest.
See what happens when you don't listen to your Captain?
The other songs were excellent, and since the only album I own by AP is "Lost Horizons", I learned something. Something that will probably result in me slinging more cash towards CDs, as soon as moving is completed. And who knows? I haven't visited my married friends in Portland in quite a while and I see they're doing a show in September....

Oh noes! Need to get rid of Abney Park tickets (two)!

2009-07-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

I recently made the mistake of buying tickets for three people (two I thought would be in the area) and found that (surprise!) two of them won’t even be in Dallas for the Abney Park concert at the Church. This is a particular sore spot as one of them has a Nice Camera and I would have loved having the chance to take pictures with the band.

The main issue, however, is finding a home for two luffly tickets to the concert in The Church. These tickets cost $15 a piece and I hate people who scalp, so I'm only looking to make sure that someone is capable of buying them. I'll think of something...comment if you're interested in seeing Abney Park in Dallas.

Re: My recent absence

2009-06-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

Hello, Angelie here. I haven't been on for a while, for very good reasons.
1) My career. I have a day job where I am fortunately well-recognized for my work. I try to save my best for it.
2) Personal life- You don't want to hear about this, right? Anyways, my family's been working for the past months on rebuilding after a fire.
3) Master's Thesis. I specialize in English lit, and I've got a thesis I can get fired up about now that I'm doing all the necessary groundwork.
4) Sorting out things and stuff. A general miscellany.

HOWEVER, I am fortunate in that my vacation time resulted in plenty of pre-plane downtime during which I could get much sorted out, and even more written. Good things are on their way!

What is Cloud-computing?

2009-06-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

And why do we care? Well, go to Google and type in "cloud". When I did that at 1pm today, "cloud computing" was the first result at the top of the page. Fine and dandy, but what is it?
simple answer: http://www.ibm.com/ibm/cloud/

Premise: Computers suck (predicate statement, full stop).

Computers suck because they require software. Software that needs to be re-written, upgraded, patched, and most importantly, not be infected with bugs. And if you have several software programs that argue with each other- well, good luck will be needed. The solution IBM proposes (and Google has been interested in, as well) is that all the software is written and maintained with patches etc. elsewhere.

This may sound radical to some, but it's very similar to the practice most call centers follow with their phone systems. In Ye Olden Days, the phone numbers were routed through a PDX switchboard. This was very inconvenient, as the PDX could overload and shut down if too many calls came in and there wasn't sufficient lines or a ready mailbox. Call center IT departments and finance were forced to try and plan exactly for call volume and figure out how many employees needed to maintain the phone queue and answer the lines, and on top of this they needed to purchase equipment for needs that could change drastically.

Then along came VoIP. Voice over Internet Protocol currently can follow a model where each workstation in the center requires three things: A computer interface, a keyboard, and a phone that can pick up calls routed. No support structure, no giant boxes of cables or switchboard operators. All of the maintenance and support is done by the VoIP provider, who sets up the phone numbers to ring and be routed through their "cloud" on the internet. When a customer calls, the call is routed from the cloud, through their data-tracking, to the representative's phone. The managers can pull reports from access to the cloud, and there's no overhead related to IT. Easier tracking also means the company can better plan the number of reps needed to answer calls in a given season.

The point is, from what I understand "cloud computing" purports to be very similar, except companies like Google intend to also offer file storage. The files may be in your "interface", but you will need to be connected to get at them. Of course, hypothetically you could have files stored off-line elsewhere in case your account is hacked or something destroys your interface.

Now this may not be a bad premise for a steampunk story, if people are wondering how to apply modern ideas to their novel. Conceivably this is something that would appeal to the more sordid Victorian types. Imagine, if you will, a steampunk remake of An Ideal Husband. There are a lot of ways to twist it: I'll see if I can't reinvent the plot three or four ways to combine it with cloud computing. Watch for big Thursday post!!

What Should I Do For Costumes In This Economy?

2009-06-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

Saint me, I only wish I had better ideas. I know a lot of people get into the genre because of the variety and style of clothes that comes along with it- mad scientists in cloaks, foppish waistcoats with atomic wristwatches, and a dapper chapeau to complement your brass aviator goggles. For many, writing and listening to steampunk themes isn't the best way to experience it- this is a stylistic type of genre, thank you, and pass the brass polish.

If you also lack funds, a lot can be acheived with some leather castoffs, a couple of old vests, and some brocade curtains. Having a friend in theater definitely helps. And recently I came across Rivka's Mom. I recommend as a place to get ideas if you're that strapped or you fear that your interest in steampunk costumes may be a Passing Thing.

Phooey. Work Web Banning Youtube.

2009-06-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

But I can still post here! I'm linking (sorry, can't embed) an Abney Park video for their song Herr Drosselmeyer's Doll to showcase the type of fun expected in July.
Komme, fahren Sie hier.

Upcoming Abney Park Show

2009-06-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

As part of the regular Steampunk-related events, I will be posting on concerts as well. If you live in Dallas, you're in luck because Abney Park will be playing at Alt/Goth venue The Church in downtown Dallas, on July 17th. I'm covering the event in costume and taking pictures for posterity.
More about the event can be found here.
See you there!

So, What is Steampunk? Cont'd

2009-06-01T19:10:00.000-07:00

To finish up on settings- I don't know if this will help further in describing the difference between steampunk, clockpunk, and cyberpunk, but here it goes: My quick and dirty guide to distinctions in setting:
If a fantastic garden of singing plants appeared in your backyard, and it was caused by Victorian fairies only visible using special crystal lenses and you devised cases of leather, brass and the crystal to catch them= steampunk.
If the fairies in question are gnomes using wound-up (but still magical) devices to power their garden, which is part of a giant and wholly automated astrogation device that uses nothing more advanced than a simple toothed escapement, and you catch them in a spring trap= clockpunk.
If the fairies are, in fact, an alien species and the garden is one of their artifacts, and you catch them with a vacuum cleaner and wear black goggles to see the radioactive exudia of their skin because they look normal= cyberpunk, especially if you get onto their ship and off of 21st century Earth.

Far more important than the stylistic elements (which sometimes have more bearing on illustrations than on the plot itself) are the themes of the same period that steampunk purports to take place in- that is, Regency-Victorian themes. These themes are the quintessence of steampunk, especially since the literature is an often-idealized version the Victorian era.

Gothic horror stories and the English Decadence of Wilde are particularly evocative of the genre, as are more "brainy" works such as Conan Doyle. Of course, Edgar Allen Poe was also influenced by Gothic-Romantic themes. In fact, his short story The Man That Was Used Up is recommended to people who want to write an effective steampunk suspense story with the majority of the “steam” well-hidden until the end. Be warned: you might have a hard time sleeping afterwards. Of course, part of the reason this story is recommended is because it implicitly deals with a common theme that should be treated in some manner: scientific and moral law called into question. Is it right to keep a man alive beyond the use of any of his natural organs and limbs, as in the case of Brevet Brigadier General John A. B. C. Smith?
This is one of the problematic questions; other similar ones are raised or grappled with in towering classics like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. For another example of Gothic horror sans science fiction, try George Eliot's The Lifted Veil, which also deals with forbidden knowledge and moral dilemma.

Without generalizing too much (and I have generalized a lot, especially in my first post) we can say that an earnest question to ask in dramatic steampunk is this: Is it right to defy natural law, and under what conditions will a man of sufficient genius attempt to usurp nature and Providence? For the idea of a natural order and Providence needs to be omnipresent in the story- there is the center of conflict. There must be rules before there can be any rule-defying.

So, What Is Steampunk?

2009-05-31T15:27:00.000-07:00

Whenever I mention my writing projects, inevitably someone either says "Oh, like The Difference Engine" or "You mean like Hellboy 2?", or (but not so often) "Like that Treasure Planet". And although there is a lot of similarities, to be honest I've never read The Difference Engine.
But what constitutes steampunk? More specificially, what do I mean when I say I'm writing a steampunk romance? Of course, I mean romance in the literary sense of "containing extraordinary characters and an overarching theme", although these ladies can provide fine examples of your modern romance.
But back to steampunk. It is often confused with cyberpunk, and between the confusion of the two and the fact that they mainly developed on the Internet makes research tricky. From the two genres comes clockpunk, pirate-punk, and no doubt other types of "punk" will be discovered. The Foglios also have made the distinction of gaslamp fantasy for more widesweeping changes in both scientific achievement in both physics and biology.
Origins- Early examples of what would eventually be termed cyberpunk and steampunk come from the 1930s and 1940s, with Fritz Lang's Metropolis being one of the prominent examples of cyberpunk. As such, it portrayed a harsh, brilliant world of science both originating from and struggling against human emotion and desires. The world of the future is rooted organically in its architects- both villains and heroes. Such is cyberpunk, which commonly can be detected by the anachronistic presence of outdated and obsolete-looking equipment alongside incredibly advanced technology. Think of the real world Neo wakes up in at the middle of The Matrix. Or most of futuristic anime. If you see goggles or a victrola in a space setting, it's cyberpunk.
Steampunk is the reverse, featuring advanced scientific achievement and gadgets in a Victorian/Regency setting. Victorian era = steam engines, hence Steampunk. Clockpunk is very closely related, but I think of it as more stylistic since the big thing seems to be gears, escapements, and automata made from such, and there doesn't seem to be a huge difference in ethos. Steampunk and clockpunk describe the same world: Victorian clothes, awesome gadgets, and amazing gallantry. That is my version of steampunk, and what I will review and post on. For Science!