Steampunk News

Book Giveaway: Power Under Pressure by Andrew P. Mayer

The Steampunk Librarian | March 5, 2013

And we’re back for another giveaway! This week, we have Power Under Presssure by Andrew P. Mayer.

Power Under Pressure, the third book in the Society of Steam series, begins in a dark place. The Society of Paragons has been destroyed, and the evil Lord Eschaton is planning to turn New York City into an empire of smog. It’s up to Sarah Stanton, hiding out in a Brooklyn junkyard, to save the city and reassemble a team worthy of protecting the city. Power Under Pressure completes the trilogy (The Falling Machine and Hearts of Smoke and Steam were the previous books in the series), but the ending, while satisfying, still leaves enough untied threads for Mayer to further explore the world he’s created, if that’s where fate takes him. As this particular world is one filled with steam (fortified and otherwise) and the trappings of the Gilded Age in New York, we’re all for more adventures in it!

We have two copies of Power Under Pressure (one Advance Reader Copy and one paperback) to give away! To enter the contest, post a comment below and tell us where you would build a hideout (or lair, depending on your alignment) if you had to keep a very low profile. The deadline for entries is Sunday, March 10th. Best of luck!

More information on Power Under Pressure is available at Pyr’s website.

More information on Andrew P. Mayer can be found on his website or his Twitter page.

Category: Steampunk, Steampunk Librarian | No Comments »
Tags: Advance Reader Copy, Falling Machine, New York, Sarah Stanton

Cap’n's Cabaret #64: Shuffle Along Broadway!

Dieselpunks.org | February 16, 2013

Broadway, New York City! The Mecca of Musical Theater! Shuffle Along with Tony, folks, and see what the fuss is about!

Yes, sir, it’s another episode of the Record Cabaret and we’re having a swell time here in New York City [image from newyorkhistoryblog.org]. This is Times Square on Broadway, heart of the Big Apple’s Theater District. And today, we’re visiting a show that’s taking the city by storm.

As you may recall from our last visit just up 5th Avenue, this city is fast becoming one of the repositories of American culture. And theater is no exception. While you folks listening at home on your phonograph will have to make do with just the music, take my word that it is as much a visual as aural treat, with colorful sets, bright lights, and beautiful dancing girls.

First off, we visit the show that’s kicking New York for a loop, Eubie Blake’s fabulous Shuffle Along, the first Negro Broadway production that I am aware of. The fabulous cast includes Florence Mills, Paul Robeson and an exciting and vivacious young woman named Josephine Baker, who is bound to be going to exciting places in her career.

With exciting new tunes that draw from Ragtime and Jazz, including the wildly popular “I’m So Wild About Harry”, it’s in my opinion a breath of fresh air into what was starting to become a stale medium.

Could this be the start of an exciting new era in theater entertainment? It’d better be, because otherwise the moving pictures will be closing them down for good!

But enough of my talking – that’s not what you bought this record to hear – let’s hear the music! Here’s Eubie Blake and his Orchestra performing the Overture from Shuffle Along:

Oh, what fun! So fun, in fact, let’s invite another Broadway legend up here to sing “I’m So Wild About Harry”. I’m talking about the World’s Greatest Entertainer, Mr. Al Jolson! (oh, thank God, he didn’t wear the damned makeup…wait, we’re still recording? Damn i…[thump]):

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Lord K’s Garage #164: Assorted Packards

Dieselpunks.org | December 28, 2012

This is the last Garage entry in 2012. It could be ‘punky or at least diesel-ish. Instead, it is full of early ’30s posh cars.

There were 12,105 Standard Eights and 3345 Deluxe Eights sold during 1931. These low figures are due to the Great Depression which was crippling the luxury car segment. The 845 sedan-limousines originally carried a sticker price of $4285 but was reduced to $3600, another example of the hard times.

by sjb4photos, on Flickr

The Packard 826 sat atop a 127.5-inch wheelbase while the 833 on a 134.5-inch wheelbase. The 840 was on a 140.5-inch wheelbase while the 845 was on the 145.5-inch wheelbase. The 840 and 845 had the appropriate length for seven-passenger sedans, limousines and custom coachwork.

1931 Packard 840 Roadster by Pat Durkin – Orange County, CA, and dmentd, on Flickr

These two were known as the Senior Models and were easily distinguished from the other models by their sweeping fenders in the front. These models cost more than over $1000.

1931 Packard model 840 roadster by Pat Durkin – Orange County, CA, on Flickr

by sjb4photos, on Flickr

1931 Packard 845 Dietrich Sport Sedan by dmentd, on Flickr

New for 1931 was a four-speed manual gearbox. The Eighth Series models were equipped with a vacuum-operated Bijur chassis lubrication system and a Stewart-Warner fuel pump. Under the bonnet rested an eight-cylinder engine that produced 100 horsepower which was an increase in power by 10 over the prior year. The Standard eight engines had a displacement size of 319 cubic-inches while the Deluxe Eights displaced 384.4 cubic-inches.

1931 Packard New York Dealers Ad, Aristocrat of the Metropolis by aldenjewell, on Flickr

The Packard automobiles were expensive but well worth the money. Their price ranges inched closely towards the cost of a new house. The Sport Phaeton had no roll-up windows and were true open cars meant for fair weather driving. There were two windshields meaning that the owner was intended to be chauffeur driven.

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Category: Dieselpunk | No Comments »
Tags: CA, Dietrich Sport Sedan, New York, Packard Eight

Evening Primrose – A spooky radio show for your enjoyment

Dieselpunks.org | October 30, 2012

When the sun goes down tonight and Halloween creeps closer, why not fire up the radio and listen to scary stories?

Tonight’s tale of terror, Evening Primrose by John Collier, comes to us from the old radio show, Escape. Escape was radio’s leading anthology series of high-adventure radio dramas, airing on CBS from July 7, 1947 to September 25, 1954.

In the story, originally broadcast on November 5, 1947, a young man decides to shun the world and live within the labyrinthine walls of a 1930s New York department store. Little does he know there’s already a underworld society of ghoulish monsters who call this store their home.

Fans of Clive Barker’s Nightbreed or the Nosferatu clan within White Wolf’s World of Darkness should pay heed to this little creepshow as it was certainly an inspiration for them both.

Click here to download Evening Primrose in MP3 format

Category: Dieselpunk | No Comments »
Tags: CBS, Evening Primrose, New York

White Waistcoat Divides a Nation

The Chap | October 22, 2012

With the forthcoming U.S. Presidential election having become a two-horse race, and Barack Obama and Mitt Romney speeding neck and neck towards the finishing line, one small but essential detail seems to have been overlooked by the pollsters – the white-tie waistcoat levels of the two candidates for the presidency.

In this photograph, taken at the annual Al Smith Memorial Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York, one can clearly see the difference between the Republican and Democrat approach to white tie. Romney, whose vast wealth means he should be used to attending such formal events, has at least two inches of waistcoat showing below the tips of his tail coat. He also has too many studs on his formal shirt. Barack Obama, meanwhile, cuts more of a formal dash, overall, but there are still problems: the ends of his white waistcoat are at just the correct height in relation to his tail coat, but he is showing an inch of shirt between the trousers and the waistcoat. This is just as appalling as Romney’s waistcoat length. Obama, however, wins on the shirt studs, displaying a more modest quantity.

The rules of waistcoat length are that it should cover the trouser waistband, which is generally, depending on fashions for trouser-height, around the same level as the tips of the tail coat. One would not expect a modern-day politician to wear very high-waisted trousers, appealing though that would be. But if Mr. Romney’s trousers begin where his waistcoat ends, then his trouser waistband would place him among the hoodlums of the Bronx rather than at the Waldorf-Astoria.

Neither of the candidates is wearing a shirt fit for a president; there is no evidence of boiled fronts nor even Marcella, which would be just about tolerable. American voters are going to have to give all these factors serious consideration when they go to the polling stations on 6th November.

Category: The Chap | No Comments »
Tags: Barack Obama, New York, Waldorf Astoria

The Tesla’s Wardenclyff has been saved… and the Technocratic party is established!

Steampunk Tribune | October 7, 2012

Try as I may, amazing news does slip through my fingers – and this was a terrible one not to be a part of! There was (as in completed) endeavor on Kickstarter to acquire Tesla’s Wardenclyff facility, located in Shoreham, Long Island, (New York) was recently acquired by the Tesla Science Center, with plans to make it a museum! A more fitting goal to one of the world’s greatest scientific minds, and a Steampunk icon. Though the endeavor has been completed (as documented by the local New York fish-wrapper , there is still more! In addition to saving Wardenclyff, Mr. Wilhem Cashen, an engineer and entrepreneur is currently working towards completing an production which will finally highlight the great advances Mr. Tesla produced over the years, until his last days…

Header for the upcoming Tesla movie production

In addition to their cinematographic production, there is an associated Ning website, in support of Mr. Tesla! The Tesla Community (at: http://teslacommunity.com/), has an excellent presentation, and I’m only now delving into it… so do consider a visit, look around, and if something catches your eye (which to any Steampunk enthusiast, I’m sure it will), keep in mind the proceeds will be furthered to a good cause – For Tesla!

Header for the Tesla Community!

For more details, please turn to:

The Fishwraper’s article on it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/06/nyregion/group-buying-long-island-estate-for-tesla-memorial.html?_r=2&smid=tw-share&

The Tesla Science Center, at:

http://www.teslasciencecenter.org/about.html

IO9′s entry on Wardenclyff:

http://io9.com/5949666/thanks-to-the-oatmeals-fundraiser-teslas-lab-is-being-purchased

… and again, the Tesla Community (Ning), at:

http://teslacommunity.com/

(and don’t forget about that Technocratic party entry – quite a good alternative….!)

Category: Steampunk, Steampunk Tribune | No Comments »
Tags: New York, Tesla Community Ning, Tesla Science Center, Wilhem Cashen

a brief Tesla note

The Steampunk Librarian | September 11, 2012

This week is going to be a lost cause, I think.

Happily, Julie is here to rescue today’s post with an article about why we should appreciate Tesla! This was prompted by the current (haha) efforts to build a museum honoring Tesla in New York. Huzzah!

(Also, David Bowie played Tesla in a recent film, which just increases the coolness factor.)

More book giveaway info will follow soon, and the deadline for the Vampire Empire book giveaway is this Friday.

Category: Steampunk, Steampunk Librarian | No Comments »
Tags: David Bowie, New York, Vampire Empire

Lord K’s Garage #155: Dymaxion

Dieselpunks.org | September 7, 2012

I believe everyone here is familiar with Buckminster Fuller and his Dymaxion World concept.

And the Dymaxion Car is by no means “obscure” or “forgotten”. But should it stay out of our Garage? Of course it shouldn’t – the car (actually, three cars) as well as the idea of DYnamic – MAXimum – tensION is exactly what we love about the Diesel Era. So, a short info (sourced from This Day in History website) and some pictures:

via azhararchitecture, on Flickr

Born in Massachusetts in 1895, Fuller set out to live his life as (in his own words) “an experiment to find what a single individual can contribute to changing the world and benefiting all humanity.” After making up the world “Dymaxion” he took the word as his own personal brand. Among his groundbreaking creations were the geodesic dome and the Dymaxion house, which was made of lightweight aluminum and could be shipped by air and assembled on site.

via paul.malon, on Flickr (see more patent drawings here)

In 1927, Fuller first sketched the Dymaxion car under the name “4D transport.” Part aircraft, part automobile, it had wings that inflated. Five years later, Fuller asked his friend, the sculptor Isamu Noguchi, to make more sketches of the car. The result was an elongated teardrop design, with a rear third wheel that lifted off the ground and a tail fin.

via paul.malon, on Flickr

Fuller set up production of the Dymaxion car in a former Locomobile factory in Bridgeport in March 1933. The first model rolled out of the Bridgeport factory on July 12, 1933 – Fuller’s 38th birthday. It had a steel chassis (or frame) and a body made of ash wood, covered with an aluminum skin and topped with a painted canvas roof. It was designed to be able to reach a speed of 120 miles per hour and average 28 miles per gallon of gasoline.

via infinitespark, on Flickr

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Tags: Diego Rivera, New York, Range Murata, Volkswagen Beetle

Save Tesla’s Lab

Punkettes | August 21, 2012

You may have noticed the name “Tesla” trending on twitter lately, or heard something about the campaign to save his lab. Unfortunately many people still don’t know who Nikola Tesla was. Let’s put it this way. If it weren’t for Tesla, you wouldn’t be on this blog, you would be reading a book by candle light. So who is this Tesla we speak of, and what has he got to do with steampunk?

Here at the Punkettes, we love our mad inventors, and Nikola Tesla was the father of mad inventors. He was also responsible for a huge amount of the technology we’re using today.

Unfortunately, Tesla had one recurring theme in his life aside from brilliance. He got screwed over. Again and again. You’ve all heard of Thomas Edison, yes? He was the main culprit for plenty of Tesla’s suffering. For a little while Tesla worked for Edison. Edison promised him a huge sum of money if he fixed the problems with his direct current generators and motors. Tesla did it, spending hours and hours of his time and brain power. When he asked for money, Edison laughed at him. Tesla quit and ended up digging ditches for two dollars a day.

At the time Edison was attempting to package and sell his direct current and when he heard Tesla was working on an alternate current electrical system, he ran a smear campaign that consisted of hiring kids to steal people’s pets and displaying them in his lab. He would then electrocute the pets in front of everyone, in an attempt to show them that Tesla’s current wasn’t safe for the home. What a stand-up guy!

Ever hear of Robert A.Watson-watt? He was credited for RADAR. Want to know who came up with the idea eighteen years earlier? You guessed it! Tesla pitched it to the military at the height of world war one. The head of the R&D for the US Navy shot the idea down. Can you guess who that was? Thomas Edison! He keeps popping up like a bad penny.

How about the name Marconi? He’s famous for inventing radio. What most people don’t know is that all his work was based on Tesla’s.

Wilhelm Rontgen claimed to invent the XRAY. Only wait, who invented it before he did? Are you seeing a pattern here?

Other amazing discovers of Tesla include: Building the first hydroelectric plant at Niagara Falls, experimenting with cryogenic engineering half a century before invention, being the first to record radio waves from space, discovering the resonant frequency of the earth, the modern electric motor, wireless communications. Also, Tesla built an earthquake machine that nearly took out an entire New York city block when it was turned on! Mad inventor? I think so!

The case is simple. Tesla was simply a genius in the wrong time. He was a revolutionary. Back then, people weren’t interested in revolution. Like Edison, they just wanted something they could package and sell. Tesla wasn’t aggressive enough, he wasn’t meanenough, so he got ripped off repeatedly.

Over the course of his life, Tesla held over one hundred patents. He spoke eight different languages and was able to memorize entire books. He lived to the old age of eighty-six, and was celibate all his life because he was too wrapped up in his work. Sadly, he died alone and broke in a hotel room. He is said to have been quite mad, apparently firmly convinced that he was in love with one of the pigeons he often fed in the morning.

Now, his final life’s work, is up for sale. Wardenclyffe, his lab in Shorehan, New York. There he tried to build a tower that would provide free wireless energy for the world. The project was never completed, since the man funding it realized there would be no way to harness it and make money from it.

Now people are finally starting to recognize Tesla and everything he did for the world. There’s a valiant effort to save up enough money to purchase the lab and turn it into a museum. BUT, there’s another offer on the land. Someone who wants it for retail! Someone who wants to tear down his lab and stick another strip mall in the spot. We cannot let it happen! Who needs another mall? We want a museum! Finally his life’s work would be honoured. And it’s about time.

Donate three dollars: http://www.indiegogo.com/teslamuseum