Glasgow by Gaslight event

Scotland's first steampunk event was the GUeSS event, Glasgow by Gaslight, in the Britannia Panopticon. A great day of public entertainment, stalls to buy paraphenalia and food. We raised lots of money for the Panopticon's renovation fund and even some for the GUeSS.

As if I had nothing to do, I have now signed up to the Retrofuturist Society's Blog http://forum.retrofuturist.org . Quite small compared to, say Brassgoggles, but of good taste and interest. From there I quickly found myself at a site of amazing fascination which I can reccommend to anyone with an afternoon to spare:
http://davidszondy.com/future/futurepast.htm This site takes us through a host of categories of what the future was predicted to turn out like and compares it with what actually happened. Food for instance was predicted to be generally horribly even more processed than it already is. Some other pages had me weeping with laughter.

Paleofuture

The future that never was - a great blog where the host has lovingly assembled over a century of predictions that fell at the first hurdle.
http://www.paleofuture.com/blog/category/1880s

Loads of great illustrations including many from Albert Robida of whom I had not previously heard but whom I shall seek out forthwith.

White Mischief Steampunk event: Journey to the centre of the earth

I went down to London for the White Mischief steampunk event at the Scala, Kings cross. The theme was Vernian again: Journey to the centre of the Earth. I didnt take many pix but there are some other people's pix on Flickr if you search for White Mischief.

Another great event with the usual eclectic mixture of audience and performers. I particularly liked The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing: http://www.myspace.com/blamedfornothing as I had missed seeing their History of British Industry at the Edinburgh festival. They really put the punk into steampunk and also the steam - a great song about the famous Stephenson and Stevenson families and also a funny one about Charles darwin.

Other features were trapeze artists, the Illumini, an escapologist (but not as good as the old guy who used to be at Tower Hill doing such things), some amazingly unerotic burlesquers, and the Correspondents - I dont know how it is possible to dance and sing so fast for so long - surely chemical help must be involved. Costumes of the audience lots of fun as always.

more airships

Here are some great film clips of the Hindenburg: http://www.archive.org/details/SF146 and its terrible disaster: http://www.archive.org/details/hindenberg_explodes

How to build your own airship

Well no. My engineering degree in no way qualifies me to do the above, but I have been enjoying some fun websites on the topic, which I will share with you:
How to build a zeppelin
Card model of the Vickers transoceanic airship
Experimental airship building - many scary warnings
and a Youtube vid on how to actually do it so you can see how hard it is

Steampunk weekend away

Yippee! Major Tinker is putting on a whole weekend of steampunkery: the UK Steampunk Convivial. It is to be in Lincoln and you too can see more about it at http://steampunk.synthasite.com/ . We are definitely hoping to go as it looks LOADS of fun.

Also came across this extraordinary site http://www.doctorwhen.co.uk/. the adverts are laugh out loud.

Meanwhile very very busy trying to get all ready for the McMADSAT event I am running this coming weekend. Some steampunkers will be there and if you are reading this before 14th March 2009 and know any steampunkers in Scotland please get in touch urgently as the gentlemen of the press are keen to make your acquaintance.