Steampunk Tower

A great steampunk-style flash game. You gotta check it out!

http://armorgames.com/play/14631/steampunk-tower

Fooling Around With Unity3d

Having a long history of software development I decided to try and make a game based on Unity 3d technology. Yes, specifically for iOs. It's our religion, right? Right!

So far I realized that my knowledge of JavaScript isn't deep enough and probably wouldn't be sufficient for complex game dev, so I must learn C# first. But let's avoid boring stuff.

The idea for a game is as follows: a high-tech Steampunk droid with a dog's brain implanted in it is on a mission of escaping the evil genius laboratory. Angry guards try to stop it. Mad scientists place traps and land mines everywhere, so you gotta keep focused in order to stay in one piece.

It's gonna be almost impossible to complete the game. 100% of gaming skills required. Even hardcore gamers who are bored of easy stuff are recommended to consider not trying to make it. Cause it's gonna burn. It's gonna burn hard!

I will post all the updates on the whole process here, so stay in touch. Fun is coming!

How Steampunk Helped Me to Quit Smoking

Okay, guys, I quit smoking, I did it at last! It was tough and I couldn't really concentrate on pretty much anything.. Let me tell you how I did it and how Steampunk helped me to quit.

I used to be a heavy smoker (up to 2 packs a day) for 5 years. At first, I really liked this habit: I could socialize with lot of people who also smoked, I could concentrate better on any subject (coffee+cigarettes - classic huh?..) and I thought my young body regenerates faster than cigarettes destroy it. I was wrong on so many levels it's even hard to comprehend now..

About a year ago I tried to quit at first time. And I failed. It made me realize that I'm really addicted and something is very wrong. After that I kept trying to quit. Time after time I failed. Again and again. Keeping not smoking for just one day seemed almost impossible. I was desperate.

Until recently, when I discovered an amazing universe of Steampunk. It became my new addiction. While reading steampunk magazines or watching movies I was so into it, I forgot to smoke. It took 3 days for me to realize that a pack of smokes I bought 4 days ago is still not empty (well there was just one cigarette left, but anyway!). It struck me like a lightning! I found a substitute, and it does absolutely no harm to my health. Moreover, it's making me a better person!

Being a part of some culture and feeling it with your guts makes you stronger. You feel more confident when imagine all the people who like the same stuff you do. It gave me strenght to handle my habit. And I quit for good.

Haven't smoked for a month by now and nothing will make me smoke again. Steam only looks like a smoke. In reality it's made of water. Just like we all are.

Retrotronics. Yet Another Side of Steampunk

Retrotronics (a portmanteau of "retro" and "electronics", also retro-tronics) is the making of electric circuits or appliances using older electric components, such as vacuum tubes, Nixie displays, relays, uniselectors, analogue meters, etc. These are usually chosen for their aesthetic qualities, more than performance.
Retrotronics is a popular strand within the steampunk movement. At the Oxford exhibition of Steampunk art, a third of the works on show had a strong retrotronic influence, from light fittings of period components through to computer keyboards and webcams of burnished copper and brass. Outside steampunk, similar influences are found amongst the retro-futurist scene. A recent musical trend has sought to recapture early 1980s 8-bit game and synthesiser sounds, often referred to as Chiptune. Artists such as Kid Carpet perform entire sets on children's toys or pocket synths of the period. Other artists, such as Nullsleep, perform using only period video game hardware. DJs offer dance music events built from samples of period games or gadgets.

Some audiophiles and electric guitarists also favour the use of valve (vacuum tube) amplifiers, on the ground of sound quality or particular "colour". This is still within the scope of retrotronics, but is on a functional ground, rather than aesthetic. Designs of the 1960s are highly sought after today, and still support a market in manufacturing new valves and replacing time-expired components such as electrolytic capacitors.
In the audiophile world, such popularity is justified on the basis of sound quality, the earlier valve amplifier designs were free of such artifacts as crossover distortion that beset the early bipolar transistor designs of the 1960s. Despite more recent designs that have removed these problems, the "valve sound" is still preferred by some, who will pay large amounts to achieve it. It's also notable that almost all recent audiophile valve amplifiers make a deliberate display of their valves and place them visibly on show.
Another trend is the mixing of tubes with more up-to-date circuitry; these systems are referred to as a "hybrid systems". For example, in the Netherlands, the TubeSociety employs this technique.
Amongst guitarists, the goal of a "valve sound" is different, a deliberate distortion effect achieved through either over-driving valves, or through microphonics, the valve's sensitivity to air vibration as well as electrical signals. Original, or reproduction, guitar amplifiers such as the Vox AC30 now command a premium price.

One of the earlier examples of widespread retrotronics was the resurgent popularity of black Bakelite telephones in the UK. In the early 1980s, the UK domestic telephone market was deregulated and for the first time it was possible to legally purchase telephones outright and install them at home through a simple plug and socket. As well as the expected rush for modern lightweight handsets, there was also a brisk trade in 300 series telephones, refurbished internally to modern standards, but as a functional decorator item that appeared unchanged from the 1930s.

Growing Community

2006 saw the first "SalonCon", a neo-Victorian/steampunk convention. It ran for three consecutive years and featured artists, musicians (Voltaire and Abney Park), authors (Catherynne M. Valente, Ekaterina Sedia, and G. D. Falksen), salons led by people prominent in their respective fields, workshops and panels on steampunk—as well as a seance, ballroom dance instruction, and the Chrononauts' Parade. The event was covered by MTV and The New York Times. Since then a number of popular steampunk conventions have sprung up the world over, with names like Steamcon (Seattle, WA), the Steampunk World's Fair (Piscataway, NJ) and the World Steam Expo (Dearborn, MI).
Steampunk has also become a regular feature at San Diego Comic-Con International in recent years, with the Saturday of the four-day event being generally known among steampunks as "Steampunk Day", and culminating with a photo-shoot for the local press. In 2010 this was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest steampunk photo shoot. The Saturday steampunk "after-party" has also become a major event on the steampunk social calendar; in 2010 the headliners included The Slow Poisoner, Unextraordinary Gentlemen and Voltaire, with Veronique Chevalier as Mistress of Ceremonies and special appearance by the League of STEAM and in 2011 UXG returned with Abney Park.
Steampunk also has sprung up recently at Renaissance Festivals and Renaissance Faires, nationwide. Some have organized events or a "Steampunk Day," while other Fests simply support an open environment for donning Steampunk attire. The Bristol Renaissance Faire in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on the Wisconsin/Illinois border, featured a Steampunk costume contest during the 2012 season. The previous two seasons featured increasing participation in the phenomenon.
Steampunk also has a growing following in the UK and Europe. The largest European event is "Weekend at the Asylum," held at The Lawn, Lincoln every September since 2009. Organized as a not-for-profit event by the Victorian Steampunk Society, the Asylum is a dedicated steampunk event which takes over much of the historical quarter of Lincoln, England, along with Lincoln Castle. In 2011 there were over 1000 steampunks in attendance. The event features the Empire Ball, Majors Review, Bazaar Eclectica and the international Tea Duelling final.

Steampunk Community

Because of the popularity of steampunk, there is a growing movement towards establishing steampunk as a culture and lifestyle. Some fans of the genre adopt a steampunk aesthetic through fashion, home decor, music, and film. This may be described as neo-Victorianism, which is the amalgamation of Victorian aesthetic principles with modern sensibilities and technologies.
Some have proposed a steampunk philosophy, sometimes with punk-inspired anti-establishment sentiments, and typically bolstered by optimism about human potential.

Steampunk fashion has no set guidelines, but tends to synthesize modern styles influenced by the Victorian era. This may include gowns, corsets, petticoats and bustles; suits with vests, coats, top hats and spats; or military-inspired garments. Steampunk-influenced outfits are usually accented with several technological and period accessories: timepieces, parasols, flying/driving goggles, and ray guns. Modern accessories like cell phones or music players can be found in steampunk outfits, after being modified to give them the appearance of Victorian-made objects. Aspects of steampunk fashion have been anticipated by mainstream high fashion, the Lolita fashion and aristocrat styles, neo-Victorianism, and the romantic goth subculture.
Steampunk became a common descriptor for homemade objects on the craft network Etsy between 2009 and 2011, though many of the objects and fashions bear little resemblance to earlier established steampunk descriptions. Thus the craft network may not strike observers as 'sufficiently steampunk' to warrant the description. Comedienne April Winchell, author of the book, Regretsy: Where DIY meets WTF, catalogs some of the most egregious and humorous examples on her website,"Regretsy.^" The blog is popular among steampunks and even inspired a music video that went viral in the community and was acclaimed by steampunk notables.

Steampunk Popularization (part 5 of 5)

Music

Steampunk music is very broadly defined, as Caroline Sullivan says in The Guardian: "Internet debates rage about exactly what constitutes the steampunk sound." This range of steampunk musical styles can be heard in the work of various steampunk artists, from the industrial dance/world music of Abney Park, the folk rock of Steam Powered Giraffe, the straightforward Punk of The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, the inventor/singer-songwriter creations of Thomas Truax or of the 'mad scientist' of 1980s fame, Thomas Dolby, the Carnatic influenced music of Sunday Driver, the "industrial hip-hop opera" of Doctor Steel, the darkwave and progressive rock sounds of Vernian Process, the Unextraordinary Gentlemen, the electronic sounds of The Wet-Glass RO, Darcy James Argue's 18-piece big band Secret Society and the musical storytelling of Escape the Clouds. The British-American composer David Bruce's 2010 octet 'Steampunk' was commissioned by Carnegie Hall.
Joshua Pfeiffer (of Vernian Process) is quoted as saying “As for Paul Roland, if any­one deserves credit for spear­head­ing Steampunk music, it is him. He was one of the inspi­ra­tions I had in start­ing my project. He was writ­ing songs about the first attempt at manned flight, and an Edwar­dian air­ship raid in the mid-80’s long before almost any­one else….”
Steampunk has also appeared in the work of musicians who do not specifically identify as steampunk. For example, the music video of Turn Me On by David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj takes place in a steampunk universe where Guetta creates human droids.