Looking around my site you’ll see some of the applications I’ve toyed with over the years; I’m a web application programmer by trade and I love to tinker. Today walking into the office with a coworker and we were discussion decommissioning a number of applications from a server and I decided we needed to memorialise this. Not just by taking the server out the back and hitting it with an EMP, but an enduring legacy to applications time forgot.
This week I received an invitation from the Queensland Steam and Vintage Machinery Society to bring S.T.E.A.M along to see their works at Old Petrie Town's regular markets. Unfortunately it clashed with some already organised SEQ steampunk events, but I made sure to go to the QSVMS demonstrations and WOW were they spectacular. Along with so many working steam engines, they had fully functional vehicles (two steam rollers with real steam, along with others); miniature steam engines running on tables and the markets also hosts a foundry, with sand casting and polishing. It was positively breathtaking seeing these massive machines in action, being able to smell the engines and feel the vibrations; you could even donate some coins to sound the steam whistles (glee!). Bill, who invited me, gave me a fascinating walk through of his two steam rollers - from how he acquired them to what work needed to be done to make them safely functional again, right up to the reasoning behind the name Ida for one of them.
Trying to get things happening again. Why are hobbies hard?
Finally getting around to working on my iPhone dock. I've had this partially envisioned for over a year, but never dedicated the time required to get building/ designing work happening. I'd sketch a few ideas and immediately self-distract with something pointless. I'd stain the plaque walnut and then give it 3 months to dry. But last year with Blender being free and Shapeways being afordable I printed out a Professor von Explaino icon and thought "well this works well". So I printed out the cog-piece stands and they turned out quite well. Got gold paint and finally started work in earnest. Still, I can never decide, do I want Crystals or Brains as a power source?
It's been a while but I'm starting to get back into tinkering. Inspired by a friend showing me how his 3D printer worked I downloaded Blender and after HOURS of work (I'm more mathematical than artistic - I think it'd be easier to learn Python and use that to create images than spend all the time I did trying to adjust points by the teeniest amount to look good), came up with a version of my logo that wasn't too shabby. Lacking a printer myself, I decided to try Shapeways. After 5 submissions, with feedback for the first four times telling me why the designs were rejected (parts not joined correctly, parts being too thin for the material chosen, sensible stuff that needed a human engineer to work out) I finally got a working design that shipped to me and arrived today. Voilà.
Inspired by an article on Silver Goggles ("Friendly" Tech) I'm holding a contest. I'd like submissions of the finest FRIENDLY1 personally carried steampunk devices that you wear. A whole swathe of the costumed focus in Steampunk regalia is weapon related2, and I think we need to shift gears3. I know there are a lot of non-weapon/ non-aggressive steampunk accoutrements out there, and I want to shine a reward-laden light on those efforts.
Recently the Steampunks of Brisbane were interviewed by Michael Lund of the Courier Mail regarding, well, Steampunk. Entitled "Letting off steam", the article paints quite a good picture of the Steampunk subculture's life in the city and has a number of stop-off points to find out more. One of them is this very site, so to further your Steampunkian education I've collated as much as I can of my Steampunk-related bookmarks into this post. There may be a test.
I like Silver Goggles. It's been part of my required reading RSS repository1 for ages. This week, Jaymee interviewed Stephanie Lai, an Australian-Malaysian-Chinese lass, about Steampunk and Australia. Huzzah!
Continuing Professor von Explaino's investigations into every realm of science (due to his expertise in the field of Omniology), and inspired by Cheyenne Wright's Corset Inspector badge, I have created two new devices that were to be shown off at the next Prometheus Bound. As that was unfortunately cancelled, we reconvened to the nerd friendly Mana Bar and had an impromtu steam gathering. Those of you on Facebook can see the results of the outing at the Mana Bar's Facebook page
A few weekends ago GenCon came to Brisbane and the Royal Omnitological Society for Electrodyne Adventurers had to make an attendance. Feeling that the Clue-o-meter lacked the punch required for the latest event, I started work on the next Professor device.
I appologise for being dark, but I haven't completed any new works to write about; instead I'm going to canvas for opinions on the Professor's next device. The thing-o-meter has been grand, but I think it's time to upgrade to something backpack powered. So far the logic is as follows
Blast, late. Sorry about that.