A Unique Photographic View of London

I have this thing for old buildings, especially abandoned and dilapidated ones, so I was completely geeking out over Derelict London, a photographic collection by Paul Talling. It really shows a different, much grittier side of London from the usual tourist sites, featuring factories, crumbling cemeteries (including, if I'm not mistaken, the one after which the band Abney Park was named), abandoned houses, and all kinds of things that make for an intriguing view of Victorian and modern London. Out of respect of copyrights, I cannot post any pictures here, but you can find all manner of them at Talling's official site.

Fish and Chips Recipe

With Victorian London being the center of the Industrial Revolution, as well as the setting for a large number of novels and films, England and steampunk have always been closely connected. In honor of the Olympic games being held in London, I'll post this recipe for fish and chips. These are baked, and are therefore more healthy but less authentic, although it could easily be adapted into a fried meal.

Ingredients: Fish (Cod works best)
                  A small amount of flour
                  A couple eggs
                  Breadcrumbs
                  Red Potatoes
                  Olive oil
                  Malt Vinegar

1. To prepare the fish, dredge it in flour, and then coat it with eggs and breadcrumbs. Bake on a greased pan at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until flaky.

2. To make the chips, slice the potatoes into wedges and coat them in olive oil. Bake until browned.

3. Serve the fish and chips together, topped with a little salt and a lot of malt vinegar.

Cyberpunk Music Video

Ok, so this isn't really steampunk, but I thought it was cool, and cyberpunk is pretty closely related to steampunk. This is a song by Hatsune Miku, a computer-generated Japanese pop star. She also happens to be the voice behind Nyancat, believe it or not...

DIY Steampunk Pants

A tutorial from Abney Park:

Here's a top I made using roughly the same method:

Awesome Orchestral Piece

I found this while wandering around the internet. While I hate to sound like one of those unpublished writers, I must say that if I'm ever so lucky as to have my work in progress made into a film someday, I rather hope its soundtrack will sound something like this. Free download here.

No-Sew Floral Lace Fascinator Tutorial

1. To begin with, you’ll need a little bit of felt, a simple headband, about two yards (this may vary, depending on the size of your fascinator) of fairly wide lace, and some hot glue or textile glue.

2. Cut a circle from the felt. Mine is about two to three inches in diameter. Keep in mind that, due to the width of the lace, the finished product will be a few inches larger than the felt circle.

3. Pin the inner edge of the lace to the outer edge of the felt circle. It's okay if the lace warps from  being pinned to a round surface; this gives it a more realistic petal-like shape.

4. Remove the pins one by one, replacing each with a dab of glue. Allow the glue to dry.

5. Repeat this process a little bit at a time, gluing the lace in a tight spiral pattern. As you near the center, you may want to fold the lace in half to give a more rounded effect. Continue until you have made a rose shape.

6. Glue the fascinator to the headband. Cut another circle of felt, and then glue it on so that the headband is sandwiched between the two felt layers.

7. Wait for the glue to dry, and it’s done.

Steampunk Cities: Lewiston-Auburn, Maine

These twin cities, though not really thriving tourist destinations, have a distintive place in my memory as the inspiration for the setting of a steampunk story/book/thing that I've spent the past few years working on. From within a few days of when I first knew steampunk by name, I've thought of the cities of Auburn and Lewiston, with their mill-lined canals and victorian architecture, as a definitive steampunk locale. There's also a spectacular hot air balloon festival every year. Unfortuanately, I missed it on this particular visit, but from previous years' experience, I must say that the sight of a fleet of balloons over an industrial skyline is one of the most steampunk things I have seen in my life.






The city, as viewed from the river.

The Lewiston-Auburn Musuem, which housed a small collection of industrial artifacts. A bit dissapointing after the Charles River Museum, but it contained some things of interest.

Some architecture, as viewed from the museum.

The hot air balloon festival of a previous year.

The city skyline

Charles River Musuem of Industry

Big shiny machines. *drool*

As I've been traveling the East Coast and visiting various relatives, I absolutely had to drag my family to the Charles River Museum of Industry, given its fame in the steampunk community. At least once in the past, they have turned the entire town of Waltham, Massachusetts into a fantastic steam city with their Steampunk Festival, and, if I'm not mistaken, they frequently host steampunk-themed exhibits. Sadly, I missed these events, but I still found the museum to be worth a visit.

My hat. BE JEALOUS!

Remarkably, I managed not to drool on any of the machines in joy. I spent an hour or so staring happily at the multitude of brass gears, and then bought a nice hat in gift shop on the way out.