Press!

I haven’t posted anything in a rather long time, so I thought I’d take a minute to brag about share with you a couple bits of popular media in which I’ve been mentioned recently.  First up, is {this} lovely article penned by the talented Mr. Morgan.  Unfortunately the New York Times, for which the piece was originally written, bumped it at the last minute in favor of a more fashion-centered Steampunk story.  Disappointing, but I consider my inclusion in this article to be an unspeakably great honor regardless, and it is definitely rather high on my list of proudest accomplishments (especially since I got more ink than that fiend {von Slatt} (artist’s rendering) for once!  Ha!).

Last but not least, we have the just-published {cover story} in the IEEE’s flagship publication, Spectrum.  Though {von Slatt} (file photo) gets his usual overabundance of attention, my televisor and I get a much appreciated mention on {page two}, as well as a wonderful little write-up on {page 8} of their accompanying slide show.  I’ve been a member of the local IEEE branch here at MTU for three years now, so it means a lot to be recognized in their magazine!

In other news, I do have some new contraptions to share so keep an eye on this site for updates over the next few weeks.

Published in: on October 13, 2008 at 10:59 am  Comments (3)  

The Torch of Saint Dismas

Warning: this one could be a bit upsetting

Imaginary:

“So,” she asked in her charming cockney accent, “this is what you’ve been working on so mysteriously all this time, is it?” The young gentleman to which she was speaking smiled in the affirmative and handed over the parcel, hastily wrapped in what was clearly the kitchen towels. He watched with pride and anticipation as his athletic, yet elegantly feminine wife drew the oddly-shaped gift from the linens in which it was lightly bound. As the wrappings fell gracefully to the hardwood floor, a look of gleeful disbelief spread across her alabaster countenance. With the eyes of a young girl just given a pony, she wildly looked up at her grinning husband and stammered “It…It’s some sort of…It’s…It’s a Hand of Glory, isn’t it?!?!” (more…)

Published in: on August 24, 2007 at 8:48 pm  Comments (17)  

The Bug: Steampunk Computer Mouse

The Telecalculograph finally has a suitable mouse!

Imaginary:

Though the eccentric Professor William C. Ravenscroft remains stingy on details of his “Telecalculograph“, he has recently allowed photography of the device with which its user controls it. These images, as well as speculation upon their contents follows:

(more…)

Published in: on April 20, 2007 at 1:04 pm  Comments (83)  

SteamTV Part 1 — first looks at my newest project

My university’s chapter of the IEEE held a “Hacks/Mods/ Gadgets” contest a while ago, in which I entered the Telecalulograph and Vitorio-Nixie Tube. By sort of winning (there were only two other entries), I was awarded the chance to build the project of my choice–with them picking up the tab! I rather quickly realized that this would be the perfect opportunity to construct something that had been nibbling at the back of my mind for some time: a steam-powered Baird Televisor. While many people have built reproduction mechanical TVs, I am (to the best of my knowledge) the first to power it directly with a steam engine. I am beginning to see that there is good reason for this, but I am determined!

The project is in it’s infancy now (hence the “Part 1″), so there isn’t a whole lot to see yet. The physical framework and most of the basic components are built and functioning on their own, but the is an incredible amount of work to be done before the thing actually does anything interesting. I will be posting updates as I go along, so stay tuned! Photos and descriptions of what I have so far are after the jump:

(more…)

Published in: on April 7, 2007 at 6:17 pm  Comments (19)  

Brass Tracks


 Feel free to groan at the name :D

Imaginary:

Slowly, powerfully, and with a certain indefinable confidence, the gleaming behemoth rolled towards the iron-clad fortress. 30 paces from the pitted wall, a great billow of steam burst forth and the elegant beast slowed to a halt. The unmistakable sound of massive, meshing cogs emanated from the monster’s head as the cannon lowered into place. A thunderous explosion rocked the ground and a barely visible blur shot out from the barrel. In an instant, a second blast was heard as the volatile capsule met its mark.

(more…)

Published in: on February 4, 2007 at 5:03 pm  Comments (2)  

The VictorioNixie Tube

“Electro-chemical and electro-mechanical apparatus for the display of illuminated messages”

Imaginary:

This device was invented, designed, and built by the eccentric and reclusive Dr. Charles D. Ronalli in the late eight-teen hundreds. Click on the following links to see Dr. Ronalli’s original patent drawings and descriptions!

Victorio-Nixie Patent Diagrams

Victorio-Nixie Patent Description

Victorio-Nixie Patent Description (alternate download location)
(more…)

Published in: on January 27, 2007 at 9:24 pm  Comments (5)  

Steampunk Belt Buckle Ver. 1.0


My day-to-day wardrobe was in serious need of something steampunk…

I am, once again, breaking away from my own format by not writing a background story. This piece is not meant to emulate anything; real or imaginary. Instead, it is really just pure aesthetics and fashion…

(more…)

Published in: on January 25, 2007 at 2:05 pm  Comments (3)  

Tick Tock: A Steampunk Clock

Click the Pic!

There’s not a lot to this one, as I really didn’t do much to it. Sorry, no crazy back-story this time :(

The real story and a quick video after the jump:

(more…)

Published in: on January 25, 2007 at 3:25 am  Comments (6)  

The Telecalculograph

For my very first post, it seems appropriate to talk about the device on which i’m creating it: The Telecalculograph. This is also a good example of my work and will work nicely to set the mood for this blog.

Click the picture to see the whole album :)

Imaginary:

Though little is known about this odd-looking contraption, experts agree that the creation of the Telecalculograph marks a truly revolutionary achievement. High-ranked men in the fields of Mechanation, Mathematics, the Vital Sciences, and even Spiritualism have all shown marked interest in this most queer device. It can be thusly concluded that the Telecalculograph operates on such principles, however such details are being kept shrouded in the strictest manner possible. As one would expect in a situation where facts are scarce, rumors do abound. It has been stated by several anonymous persons that the bizarre, eerily-illuminated tube that festoons the machine’s facade contains something of a Magical, rather than Chemical, nature. Two well educated men of good repute have even go so far as to claim that it houses the incorporeal spirit of a deceased idiot savant! As ghastly and unbelievable as these speculations are, no explanations exist as to how a device ruled by Traditional Science could perform the tasks the Telecalculograph does with seeming ease.

(more…)

Published in: on January 23, 2007 at 6:13 am  Comments (21)  
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