Speaking of historic, the Library of Congress has unveiled a new digital exhibit of Frances Benjamin Johnson’s photo collection of gardens and historic homes. The photographs are even hand-colored. Nice gardening inspiration!
Wired has a list of books every geek should read to his/her children, along with a supplementary list sent in by (presumably geeky) readers. (Both lists are available as one PDF here.)
First off, however, our local shebang that is the Steampunk Symposium got some good local press. It’s fantastic to watch a scene grow up around a city from scratch.
If you can’t make it to the symposium this weekend, there are other options:
I jumped the gun last week; the Steampunk Symposium comes to life THIS weekend in Cincinnati! (You’d think I would know, living here and all, but it’s been hectic lately.)
From the makers of Skyrim comes Dishonored, a rather steampunky looking game. Color me intrigued.
For Alex: Teletweet allows tweeting via the use of Morse code!
Does anyone know what happened to the Steampunk Anarchist? There’s some wonderful material on the website, but it hasn’t been updated for a year or so.
Iceland goes all out for their First Day of Summer, which is tomorrow. (Yes, really.)
England also goes all out for Shakespeare’s birthday and the kickoff of the World Shakespeare Festival.
Here in town, it’s time for the annual Action Auction! This is always fun. And, via Charon, here’s an idea: you can buy cheap paintings (there will probably be a few at the auction) and add monsters to them!
Today’s post is brief, but the links are dense and worth perusing!
First of all, the Steampunk Empire Symposium is this weekend, right here in my home town, and there’s lots to do. There are tickets for the whole weekend and also one-day passes for Saturday, so anyone and everyone can come and see the fun!
Happy Friday the 13th! This week also marks the 12th anniversary of Folderol, which is ridiculous and crazy and wonderful. Thanks to everyone who has read, commented, and supported this little weblog and its goofy author over the last dozen years!
How much longer are you going to live? According to this lifespan predictor, sent by Cassandra, we are both going to be feisty old women. (I’m not even halfway through my lifespan, according to this!)
On the other end of the lifespan, courtesy of Holly, are twoartists who are sisters and make art which reminds me of A. A. Milne’s stories.
From Bunny: the fan-created Han Solo Adventures (in progress), the plans for a life-sized Starship Enterprise in Vegas (sadly abandoned), and what may be the most amazing video I’ve seen in a long time. All one shot, no special effects, just this dancer who can do amazing things. Have a spiffy weekend, everyone!
And finally, for the spooky (and in preparation for tomorrow’s Friday the 13th), consult the Demonicpedia for all your questions about the inhabitants of the hoary netherworld.
Hi there. Today is stupidly busy, but I give you a link worth hours of fun! From Bunny: Map of the Dead, a Zombie Survival Map. Put in an address and see how you would fare, and what supplies (or dangers) are nearby. I put in our home address and, well, we're pretty much doomed as far as I can tell. (Fortunately, Bunny has trained for years in zombie apocalypse survival, so I think he has a backup plan.)
Rollicking Tales is looking for stories of all kinds – steampunk, western, fantastic adventures, and the like.
Need a quick vintage look to a modern photograph? Pixlr-o-Matic is free and wonderful! (Non-vintage effects are also included.)
If, on the other hand, you are looking for a vintage method of broadcasting your thoughts via social media, might I suggest the Twittertape?
And finally, the Tanenbaums present the Reading Glove, which looks steampunky and vintage but is actually as modern as it gets, “reading” objects via RFID technology.
Quick, when was the Mona Lisa painted? Wrong! The Louvre has redated the painting. It’s hard to keep up with Leonardo, even several centuries after he lived.
A recent Wall Street Journalarticle on Susan Sarandon reported that “in the futuristic drama "Robot & Frank," with Frank Langella, she plays an alluring librarian whose job is about to be taken over by automatons.” Sounds…intriguing?
The Dewey Donation System campaign is going on right now! Support some libraries which desperately need help.
It’s a week of religious observances – Easter, Passover, even the birthday of the Buddha – but there are some alternatives as well.
For example, you could watch people carry huge amounts of coal over long distances. (This is in England, where they seem to have a thing for carrying/chasing stuff over hills and valleys.) In Boston, it’s time for the Penny Arcade Expo (aka PAX), a convention devoted entirely to gaming! (This is in America, where we like to sit and mash buttons maniacally.)
In Florence, meanwhile, you can witness the Bursting of the Cart (also known as the Explosion of the Cart), in which a cart is annihilated in an elaborate ritual. It’s a little religious in that it’s linked to the Easter celebrations, but hey.
If you’re looking for inspiration, consider the Victorian Kitchen Garden! I found this via a Metafilter post which also lists sequels, offshoots, and similar programs. There’s an amazing amount there.
If you’re more mechanically minded, check out the Greatest Grid exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York, or try your hand at creating a Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube. (Bonus for the latter: no one knows how it works!)
