Just seen this fantastic emporium of the very latest technology : http://www.oobject.com/category/vintage/ I highly reccommend this to your inspection. I am particularly taken with the home made analogue computers, in the style of the excellent Mr Babbage and Countess Lovelace of the immortal memory.

Thomas Truax in Glasgow

I joined a select few to hear Thomas Truax play his amazing steampunk instruments in the basement of the Twisted Wheel in Glasgow last night. Not actually really a steampunk event as such. I took my goggles but no one else was in steampunk regalia sadly.

I enjoyed the event but it was very short, sadly and could have done with better promotion. Having said that, however, the city seemed comparatively deserted for a Saturday evening, so perhaps the small audience was a problem right across venues in town.

He has his two CDs with him so you can save yourself the postage if you can get along to his other dates.

His other dates are:
14 Dec, Sun, Edinburgh, Hobo at The Bongo Club, 37 Holyrood Rd

15 Dec, Mon, Sheffield, Grapes 80 Trippet Lane

16 Dec, Tues, Hull, Adelphi 89 DeGrey

Please support him if you can!
http://www.thomastruax.com
http://www.myspace.com/thomastruax
http://www.slrecords.net
http://www.bebo.com/thomastruax

Panoramas of steampunkery

I am in a group (Clyde Heritage Trust) that is trying to save Glasgow's engineering heritage before it is all totally gone. I have already taken loads of pictures at the Reids gears factory of stuff (which you can see at Flickr) we would like to rescue and the Trust has been lucky enough to get a very talented photographer (Bill Ward) to take fully-rotatable panoramas to record some of the items we are interested in. Do leave a message if you are in Scotland and would like to be involved in setting up the museum we need to save our engineering past from going to be melted down.

You can see Bill's work at http://www.billward.eu/ I particularly reccommend the Victorian Toilets and the Crane (http://www.billward.eu/crane/start_crane.html)

steampunk music

Thomas Truax is touring and I am hoping to catch him and his bizarre instruments when they are in Scotland. Hornicator seen here. I am ambivalent about the cannibalising of a horn from a windup as I really think all the bits should remain as a windup, but this is still a lovely electrosteam mashup. Looking forward to seeing it live.
10 Dec, Wed, Inverness, Market Bar; 11 Dec, Thurs, Aberdeen, The Tunnels, Carnegies Brae, AB10; 13 Dec, Sat, Glasgow, Twisted Wheel, 73 Queen Street Glasgow G1 3BZ; 14 Dec, Sun, Edinburgh, Hobo at The Bongo Club, 37 Holyrood Rd; 15 Dec, Mon, Sheffield, Grapes16 Dec, Tues, Hull, AdelphiLatest tour updates at: http://www.thomastruax.com

I couldnt get down to London for the White Night Halloween party but hear it was great. Having to make do with pix at flickr etc.
We are working on a small zeppelin made from dead umbrellas. Having done the sums we reckon it is big enough to carry its own weight and a small electric motor plus batteries, but we havent figured out how to keep the helium in it or indeed how to even get helium without buying a hideous kiddy balloon.

Guardian newspaper catches up with reality but misses several of the essentials. Nice kindly article last week: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/oct/17/popandrock2

But scarcely any mention of the essential technologies, such as modding etc. Nor would you have gained any real idea that this is a great cross-generational style. I went to the June White Mischief and (mid-50s) was by no means the oldest. Complete age range from 18-70+ I would say and all enjoying ourselves and getting into the fun and serious business of dressing the parts.

This picture shows us getting ready to go out.

I took son to Weald and Downland museum for a whole weekend of bronze age sword making. Just brilliant. However no pix of that since the technique is (quite properly) the intellectual property of the instructor who worked out how it had to be done to get the authentic results. The swords still have to have their handles and the finished articles will have their portraits here in due course.

There was however a nice steam traction engine trundling quietly about the place.

I have been making a point of going into city centre back lanes and entrances that are open. In nearly all cases I have been walking past these for the whole 20 years I have lived in Glasgow. Many of them are revelations. Some of horror and squalor, filth and graffiti etc. But others have wee gems like this old petrol pump.

This is within 50 feet of the City Chambers, in the back alley that goes behind the Housing Benefit office. There is the social work car pool and lots of these white ceramic bricks but also this amazing ancient petrol pump. I like to think of it as the last one, selling zero gallons, hence the setting on the counter at the top. It could actually be an object of beauty if cleaned up a little. I wonder if i could make them an offer they couldnt refuse?

I will be putting more pix on flickr.

The entrance to the lane is surprisingly rural: