Friday, July 13, 2012
Oz: The Great and Powerful
via YouTube: In Theaters March 8, 2013
Disney's fantastical adventure "Oz The Great and Powerful," directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum's beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he's hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Steampunk Project: Mini Cooper Countryman
I was just thinking today that it has been entirely too long since I've blogged. Then I saw this absolutely breathtaking photo of the Steampunk Mini Cooper Countryman on Pinterest (via Mystic Pieces) and I knew it was just the thing to get me back. The design project is from Carlex Design Europe (via Clockwerker)
I don't even know where to start here, but perhaps wiping my chin might be a good place. Just. WOW. I used to drive a Mini Cooper before we moved to the country and I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss driving ChaCha (that was her name) every single day.
The design and execution of this work is just stunning, I personally would love to see a version that incorporated some woodwork, but honestly, if I had the means I would happily buy this car as is. Seriously, it's taken me forever to write this post because I keep scrolling back up to have another look, and I can't help picturing my little steampunk family bombing around in it.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Wollstonecraft: Kickstarter
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| Mary and Ada character sketch illustration © Claire Robertson of Loobylu |
** Excerpt from Kickstarter **
Wollstonecraft
London 1826: The Advent of the Steam Age
11 year old Ada has a problem: her governess, Miss Coverlet, has quit her job to go get married (a dumb idea if ever there was one, if you ask Ada) and her new tutor Percy ("Peebs") is a total drip. She'd rather be left to her own devices – literally – inventing things and solving math problems and ignoring people altogether.
She's also forced to study alongside the imaginative girlie-girl Mary, who's always going on about romance and exotic travels. Fortunately, Mary's appetite for adventure leads her to propose the two girls open a detective agency, and when an heiress shows up with a case about a missing diamond, it's the perfect puzzle to coax Ada out of her shell.
This is the made up story about two very real girls – Ada, the world's first computer programmer, and Mary, the world's first science fiction author – caught up in a steampunk world of hot-air balloons and steam engines, jewel thieves and mechanical contraptions. For readers 8-12.
This is a pro-math, pro-science, pro-history and pro-literature adventure novel for and about girls, who use their education to solve problems and catch a jewel thief. Ada and Mary encounter real historical characters, such as Percy Shelley, Charles Babbage, Michael Faraday, and Charles Dickens – people whom the girls actually knew. If Jane Austen wrote about zeppelins and brass goggles, this would be the book.
Why "Wollstonecraft"? Mary names the detective agency after her mother, the famous feminist writer. If this is the kind of book you'd like to see, please support this project.
About the Author:
Jordan Stratford has been pronounced clinically dead, and was briefly mistakenly wanted by INTERPOL for international industrial espionage. He is an ordained priest, has won numerous sword fights, jaywalked across the streets of Paris, San Franciso, and Sao Paolo, and was once shot by a stray rubber bullet in a London riot. He lives on a tiny windswept Pacific island populated predominantly by realtors, and carnivorous gulls.
"Wollstonecraft" is his second novel.
"Stratford is the Archduke of Canadian Steampunk" – Cherie Priest
Labels:
Ada Lovelace,
Books,
Claire Robertson,
Illustration,
Jordan Stratford,
Kickstarter,
Loobylu,
Mary and Ada,
Mary Shelley,
Readers 8-12,
Video,
Wollstonecraft
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Michael Dooney: 1887 Age of Steam Superwomen
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| Huntress ©Michael Dooney |
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| Death ©Michael Dooney |
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| Catwoman ©Michael Dooney |
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| Wonder Woman ©Michael Dooney |
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| Lady Zatanna ©Michael Dooney |
Via io9
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Cassia Harries: Steampunk Munny
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| Steampunk Gargoyle © Cassia Harries |
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| Steampunk Gargoyle © Cassia Harries |
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| Steampunk Dragon © Cassia Harries |
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| Steampunk Dragon © Cassia Harries |
Friday, March 9, 2012
Victoria Steam Exposition III: Poster Art
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| VSEIII- Poster Art ©Zandra Stratford |
Steampunk is the collision of history, technology, imagination, and attitude. Nineteenth-century sensibilities with impossible Jules-Verne-inspired technology. Teak-panelled computers, corsets and jetpacks, top hats and rayguns.
April 20th to 22nd, 2012, for the third year in a row, Victoria, British Columbia, will host an art-happening of steampunk art, tech, fashion, music, architecture, and story.
The show's literary headliners this year are Hugo Award winner Ann Vandermeer, and The Steampunk Bible's Hugo and Nebula nominee Jeff Vandermeer; Abney Park's Kristina Erickson and Captain Robert Brown, author of The Wrath of Fate. Our featured artist is Ian Finch Field, who's incredible leather and brass creations have been featured in 1000 Steampunk Creations and international music videos.
More on VSE III can be found on the website.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Gail Carriger: Timeless~ Parasol Protectorate Book the Last
| Timeless by Gail Carriger |
It's been awhile since we've had a book up here but the release of Gail Carriger's latest in the Parasol Protectorate series deserves a spot here. I just got the iBook version of Timeless and have been thoroughly enjoying it so far. I'm pacing myself a little because it's the end of the Alexia series.
Also, Soulless has been re-invisioned as Manga, the artwork looks wonderful, you can get more peaks over on Gail's blog.
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| Soulless The Manga Vol 1 |
Author Bio: (via Amazon)
New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger writes to cope with being raised in obscurity by an expatriate Brit and an incurable curmudgeon. She escaped small town life and inadvertently acquired several degrees in Higher Learning. Ms. Carriger then traveled the historic cities of Europe, subsisting entirely on biscuits secreted in her handbag. She resides in the Colonies, surrounded by fantastic shoes, where she insists on tea imported from London.
The Parasol Protectorate books are: Soulless, Changeless, Blameless, Heartless, and Timeless (March 2012). Soulless won the ALA's Alex Award A manga version with release in Spring 2012. She is currently writing young adult books set in the same universe ~ the Finishing School series (Feb. 2013). Soon she will begin a new adult series, The Parasol Protectorate Abroad (Fall 2013).
Monday, February 27, 2012
Dr. Grordbort Presents: The Deadliest Game
Dr Grordbort Presents: The Deadliest Game from Media Design School on Vimeo.
Excerpt from the Weta website.. Greg Broadmore has worked at Weta Workshop as a concept designer and creator of worlds for over 8 years.
In 2006, Weta revealed their Dr. Grordbort's Rayguns range, entirely designed and conceptualised by Greg. Dr Grordbort's Infallible Aether Oscillators blew up across the Internet and was embraced by Wired magazine, Boing Boing, IO9 and others. He has since gone on to launch an internationally touring Dr Grordbort's Exceptional Exhibition, write two critically acclaimed books in this retro-science fiction universe, and is currently expanding the world into new creative frontiers.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
The Edwardian Ball 2012: The Iron Tonic
Why I love San Francisco, reason #813 –The Edwardian Ball is an annual event. Plans must be made to attend next year... The 2012 video produced by Mark Day is an extraordinary visual feast (as usual.)
Here is the video from 2011 too...
And finally, head over to their Flickr stream for more stunning images like the one below. Swoon.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Well this looks like ridiculous fun... Based on the book by Seth Grahame Smith (of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.) Movie trailer and painfully awesome book trailer below.
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