The first two weeks of January 2013 have passed with blinding speed here in northern Illinois. While I understand that time waits for no one, it is peculiarly human to expect time to wait long enough (in vain) for us to take a breath. And, oh, by the way, bright pleasant sunlight in January with an air temperature in the single digits? The meanest child-pulling-wings-off-of-flies trick of winter. Let us give a collective “harumph” to the weather and time both and look inward for our first couple of entries.
The more I catch brief seconds of decorating shows on various cable networks, the more i see individuality heralded (sometimes demanded) while at the same time maintaining a lock-step with popular color and decorating modes. It always puts me in mind of high school couture woes, where the groupdress is trumpeted as individuality. Austin, Texas seems to have stepped into the steampunk fashion mode. Bravo for the publicity, Austin Statesman, but let’s not forget: it’s less about what everybody likes and more about what YOU like.
This profile of Baltimore, MD artist Maury Dickson in the Baltimore Sun puts a nice flourish on a working definition of steampunk: “Steampunk is steeped in history, but it is not tied to particular truths.” In addition, it’s a triumphant story about overcoming Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
Dark Roasted Blend was particularly fruitful this week for jaw-dropping material. Though I only mined a few items for this listing, there’s much more on their site here. One of my favorites.
I must confess to a guilty pleasure: I love abandoned places. Old machinery, old structures, bits and pieces of what was…all of it emblematic of the way people lived before. While I don’t want to go back to the times and situations documented in the powerfully emotive Urban Atrophy, it’s nice and creepy in an always-know-where-the-exits-are way.
This very pretty automated singing bird comes to us from Japan in the 60s, but it’s nice to hear the narrator provide such meticulous care and knowledge.
I’ve subscribed to the Dr. Grordborts site‘s newsletter without knowing exactly what that whole thing is about. It looks to deal with steampunk tenets, but I’m not sure if the very talented author/illustrator is selling books or sculptures or a game system or any and/or all of the above. It’s intriguing, though, and I’m looking forward to my education. Besides, any site that features the tagline “where science meets violence” is gonna get a bookmark from me anyway.
That’s all for today. Thanks for joining me, and don’t forget to read…write…repeat.
