Portal Masquerade

Dharma Jumpsuit now available

With this season of Lost viewers will be treated to some of the Island back-story, including the Dharma Initiative.

ABC has obliged fans with providing Official Dharma jumpsuits, as seen in the show. Only the "main logo" patch seems to be available currently, but enterprising fans know where to get the various others.

The jumpsuit is not exactly like the ones seen on the show, but given the different variations seen, it is close enough for most fans.

It is nice to see big networks understanding that fans don't necessarily want trinkets with the show name on it, we want replica items from the world the show is from.
Namaste.

[ABC Store Jumpsuit]

Fandom loses a legend: Forrest J. Ackerman

Forrest J. Ackerman died December 4th 2008 at the age of 92. I didn't know him personally, but I knew his reputation.

He coined the term "sci-fi" and wore a homemade costume to the first World Science Fiction Convention in New York City in 1939. His collection of movie memorabilia and props was second to none. He was a writer, editor, literary agent and actor.

He was inclusive in his fandom and passionate to the end. In a time when one is quick to elevate one branch of fandom over others, it is important to remember that the first fandom was inclusive and diverse.

He was the giant that lifted my fandom up so I could see farther than I ever would have alone.

• Wikipedia article
• Sci-Fi Slacker article
  

Dragoncon 2008 Review: Part 2

Any responsible project management involves some sort of cost/benefit analysis. Constructing and wearing costumes at science fiction conventions is not a task immune from this investigation. After DragonCon 2008, I had some time to think about this which is presented here by request, and as an exercise in over-thinking and psudo-economics.

Project costs include not just cash money spent putting the costume together, but also the time it takes to make it happen. The transporting of costumes to distant conventions has gotten more expensive now that most airlines have started charging for extra bags. There are also opportunity costs associated with presenting the costume, as while you are getting ready and posing in your creation, you can't be attending panels, or doing much else. Sitting in a dark panel room is not a suitable venue for ones costume, as it does not provide the same pleasures as public viewings. Also, going to the convention with full bags of costumes ensures that you won't be buying much to bring back.

The benefits of costuming are mostly intangible, but include the joy of completing a task, the emotional lift of wearing a fantastic costume, and "becoming" a beloved character. There is also the peer admiration and recognition, and the pleasure experienced in giving joy to others. All of this proportional to the overall quality and originality of ones costume.

To be a '"profitable" endeavour the equation Cost < Benefit has to hold. I expand this as follows:

Cost Creation + Time Creation + (Quality Programming )Tc + Distance Travelled + Costume Complexity + Costume Comfort < Joy Completion + (Quality + Originality)Tc

Where Tc is the time spend in the costume. The longer one wears the costume, the greater the opportunity for praise and pleasure, which also increases the costs of things not done while promenading and posing for pictures. There is a factor wherein too much exposure might diminish the impact of the costume, but I'm ignoring that term for simplicity. On further reflection I decided to omit the time factor completely. My equation, my rules.

Some hand-waving and three Advils later, I simplified the equation back down to manageable and near-quantifiable values, though omitting any proportionality gain terms.

CreationEffort + TransportationEffort + ConAwesomeness < Costume Awesomeness


This gives us some conclusions. Since ConAwesomeness is a fixed variable, or at least a value out of the control of attendee, one must balance the effort and awesomeocity of ones costume accordingly. In the simplest terms, the better the convention, the better ones costume has to be. The further away the convention and the more elaborate the costume, the better ones costume has to be. Sounds obvious, but it took me a long time to come to this point.

Previously on Slashboing

• Dragoncon 2008 Report 1
  
• Saturday 2007 Report
  
• Friday 2007 Report
• Vertigo 2007 Lands

Calgary Steampunk Gathering: Anachronauts Assemble!

I am planning a Steampunk gathering at Heritage Park in Calgary for Saturday, October 11th. Heritage Park is a 1880-1910 reenactment settlement, so it is the perfect setting for our well mannered and anachronistic hyjinks.

The idea is to have lunch at the Wainwright Hotel, ride the steam train, enjoy the free amusements, and have lots of pictures taken in our steampunk finery.

I'm looking for all Calgary area steampunks, neo-victorians, pulp adventurers and keen photographers to attend. Costumes are not required as it should be a fun day out for all. This is Thanksgiving weekend, which will have a strong effect either way on attendance, though I hope works to our benefit. If you are interested in this event, either post here or email me direct.

Keep it brassy!

Aluminum - The Other Steampunk Metal

Steampunk fashion and art is full of brass, copper, and iron. All fantastic and beautiful metals, but there is an often overlooked material that is attractive, period appropriate and has an interesting history.

Aluminum is a readily occurring element on earth, though it is mostly found in the form of oxides and silicates. It was not named until 1807 and was not isolated as a pure metal until 1825 by Hans Christian Ørsted. The early processes were very inefficient, slowly producing very small amount of impure metal.

This made Aluminum more expensive than gold, sliver or platinum. Napoleon III had given banquets where the most honoured guests were given aluminum utensils, while the other guests had to make do with gold. When the Washington Monument was completed in 1884 it was topped with an 100 ounce aluminum capstone in an elaborate dedication ceremony.

Electrolytic and chemical extraction improvements in the 1880's lead to mass production of the metal, making it the accessible and affordable material it is today.

So depending on your particular steampunk ethic and adherence to "the-past-that-was", consider the inclusion of Aluminum in your props and costumes.

Note: Both "Aluminum" and "Aluminium" are acceptable spellings. How fun is that?

Boba Fett Costume in Lego

Simon makes his Star Wars costumes a little differently. He builds his out of Lego.

I saw his Lego Darth Vader at Dragoncon 2007, and this year he will be premiering a full set of Manalorian armour build from Lego. All the hard goods from helmet, to gauntlets to shin tools are faithfully recreated in colourful blocks. It really is impressive to see.


Photo Credit:"fullA"
Originally uploaded by SIMAFOL.

Introducing the Blunder bassoon

An elegant weapon from a more civilized age
During the buildup to Dragoncon 2007, I was tasked with constructing props for several members of the Vertigo's crew and companions. I made a stethoscope for our Doctor of Physik, a vasculum for our Botanist, but we also needed a weapon suitable for our weapons specialist and slayer.

First I did a little research on the kinds of weapons available in the real-world Victorian age (1830's to 1900's) and what was postulated by the Victorian fiction. Here is a short time-line of the history of firing mechanisms of personal weapons in the 1800's:

Flintlock: 1630 - 1860
Percussion Cap : 1830 - 1870's ish
Pin fire: 1835 - 1880
Rim fire: 1850 - Present
Centre fire: 1873- Present
Disintegrator Beam: 1898 -The not too distant future

The dates are estimates, with some disagreement between patent dates and first sale dates. Depending on when one's steampunk adventures take place, a rim fire revolver could be anachronistic, while having a energy beam weapon is within the bounds of the imagination of the era. Since this was kind of a golden age of development of the personal firearm, I tried to make something really interesting.

Since this is the weapon of a steampunk slayer, it needed to fire various target specific ordnance, including shot shells, gas assisted wooden flechettes, holy water phials, and bolts of bottled lightning from an advanced voltaic pile. The hose leading off from the bottom of the barrel is a "gas venting hose," which could be coupled to a exhaust canister or chemical drum.


Using a toy "Smok'n Barrel" shotgun as a frame, I cut, sanded, and painted it into what we see here. I gave the plastic stock and grip a faux wood finish made it look used, but well cared for. The new muzzle is a toy clarinet. The idea was to invoke the look from the wide barrelled blunderbuss, while adding and steampunk styling such as gold and copper fittings. The scope is a Pirates of the Caribbean Mega Bloks spyglass.

Since it was build from of a toy gun, there is a functioning sound module in the stock that makes a "phutwow" shot sound effect when the trigger is pulled. The break action works great for carrying, storage and re-loading.

Let's face it. It's an excellent steampunk weapon.

Steampunk Goggles: Take 2

After I realized that my previous steampunk goggles looked funny with my pith helmet, I remembered that I had a set of goggles I purchased for my Captain Proton costume. These motorcycle style goggles would work well with the style of pith helmet I had, even if they did date from the 1940's (est).

I got my pair from eBay for about $10. Brand new "real" ones from an army surplus or motorbike shop cost $50-$60. These are costume grade "Carting Goggles," and they are very fashionable and trendy.



They were shiny and chrome, which would be "innovatively early" for the Victorian age, but my steampunk look needed to have a little more wear-and-tear-and-grit about it. I sanded and painted the chrome with a mixture of golds, coppers, greys and blacks to give it more character.



The finished look with the helmet:


For those wondering, the little chain on my pith helmet is purely decorative, and just another greeblie I added to the costume.

Previously on Slashboing

• First attempt at steampunk goggles
• Steampunk rule #1
  

Why are there so many goggles in steampunk?

When one first looks into making steampunk costumes, one quickly notes the popularity of goggles. It is practically a cliché. There are many reasons for this. First up is the genres relation to cyberpunk, where goggles are de rigueur. Goggles are needed in most cyber-futures to access the interwebs, and to protect oneself from poison gases and toxic chemicals that we seem to be destined to pollute our future with.

Goggles make sense in a steam powered environment too. If every contraption that surrounds you is powered by coal and steam, the air will be rich and sooty. Goggles are also important when tooling around at high altitude in ones semi-rigid airship or Orinthopter.

From a costuming perspective goggles are a perfect accessory. They set the tone for the whole costume, and they fit everyone.


When I started making my steampunk costume, I found these great old safety glasses on eBay. They had a nice brass coloured patina, so I didn't have to do any repainting. I think they date from about the 1930's but I could be wrong. To kick them up to steampunk standards I added a set of jewellers magnifying loupes to the side with some gold coloured wire. I think they look smashing, and I have worn them both with steampunk outfits and with my Harry Potter Ravenclaw wizard costume.

Extreme Sewing

Can You See Now?
Originally uploaded by mikest.

The Slashboing Flickr Favourites crew would like to direct your attention to the following picture, wherein a punk seamstress is practising sewing with night vision goggles on.

This is undoubtedly useful for stealth alterations and covert hemming.

Steampunk Costume Update

As promised, I bring you some previews of my steampunk Airship Colonel costume that I will be wearing at Dragoncon this year.

I don't have any pictures of the complete costume yet, but here are some highlights. First up is my shoulder mounted tool holster. As an independent owner/operator of the intrepid "Vertigo," I have to be ready to tend to the needs of my ship myself. I carry a few essential tools at the ready so I'm not caught with my pantaloons down should mechanical difficulties arise. Along with the basic adjustment drivers and spanners, I carry a German made nautical navigation gauge to help me plot my course through the treacherous skies.

I could not find an affordable cocked bicorne in my size, so a pith helmet makes a glorious second choice. The pith helmet was worn by almost all military divisions at some time, especially for jungle/hot weather activities, making this more than suitable for adventuring in the Lost City of Atlanta.

Also pictured are my brass goggles with adjustable jewellers magnifying loupes. I feel that the pith helmet interferes with the glasses, and vice-versa, so these goggles will be worn with my more formal steampunk attire, rather than my flight service kit.

A must for any navigation is a good compass. I acquired a nice brass Ross compass during my excursions to antique stores with with the Ladies Faraway and Fulton.

Last up is my aether splitting disrupter, seen here in its pristine finish, as it came from the armoury. It has seen significant action since I first acquired it, and now sports a lovely patina.

I think I am ready for whatever the Lost City of Atlanta can dish out.

Frak me like you mean it

San Diego Comic-Con
Originally uploaded by mystphoto.

Sunday Flickr favourites time again. Here we see some Cylon Centurions standing guard at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. The knowledge that situations like occur make me happy in ways I can't articulate.

By your command.

Steampunk Eye

Steampunk Eye
Originally uploaded by nullsleep.

If you don't know what Steampunk is after you see this picture, nothing I, nor anyone else, can say will make you understand.

I think this photo was taken on the cosplay overrun Harajuku bridge in Tokyo.

Steampunk party at Dragoncon

There will be a Steampunk Party at Dragoncon this year, and I'm very much looking forward to it.

STEAMPUNK PARTY INFO (subject to change)

Location: International Suite.
Date: Friday August 31
Decor: Nautilus

Officially the party starts at 6pm. The wedding will take place at 5:30. Only minions will be allowed into the suite before 5:30. Invitation only after 6.

The organizers will be in costume parading around, and handing out invites to random neat people. The Brute Squad will be enforcing law and order at the event.

This is how the invites to the party will go. The minions will get a marker to wear allowing them access to the party. Each minion who wears a marker can bring two guests with them, but the minion must be present when these people through the door. The people who contribute money to the party will get invites. We are not asking for your life's savings, but some help would be nice. Each person will get one invite per $10 they contribute to the party. Each invite will have a plus two on it. So, for example, if you give an invite to a friend, that friend can bring two random others with them, without the minion having to be present. The goal is to have a great party, free of moochers.

General list of events:

6pm... party starts
7pm... photos, greet and stuff, and well, drinking
8pm... bardic contest
9pm... minion slave auction (slaves only slaves until midnight)
10pm... loaded questions and strip poker in the master bedroom

After that nothing else is planned so far, but this may change as well. The party will go until the last person drops.

Culled and collated from the following sources:

• Brass Goggles Blog
• Dragoncon Myspace

Top 5 Dragoncon 2007 costumes

Part challenge, part scavenger hunt I like listing costumes I would love to see at Dragoncon.
So here is are my top 5 costumes for 2007, starting with the group costumes:

The Guitar Heroes: The motley group of guitar playing demi-gods from the excellent game series make for fantastic cosplay. It has been done, (see here) but I want to see a whole group at Dragoncon.

Scandal - The Warrior video: One of the great songs from Guitar Hero 80's is "The Warrior." The video is pure 1984 gold which has yet to be mined for all its costuming treasures. (see below)

Futurama - "The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings" : Holophoner Fry with Robot Devil Hands, Lela in the evening dress with Calculon's Ears, Bender with a Megaphone nose, and Hedonism Bot.

For individuals, I think a character, wearing a costume should provide a suitable challenge for the masters who attend DragonCon. In that vein, I would like to see...

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Rafael as the "Night Watcher" would be big, tough and very intimidating.

Bicentennial Man - Andrew in the tuxedo. I think the subtlety of this one would make for a hot looking outfit.

Previously on Slashboing:

• Costume wish list for Dragoncon 2006
• Wish list fulfilled

So Morpheus, Neo and Soundwave walk into Otakon 2007...

Morpheus2.0, Neo & Soundwave
Originally uploaded by MorpheusBlade.

No words can add to the awesomeness of this picture. Enjoy!

Name that emblem

Day 295 - Name that emblem
Originally uploaded by Drhaggis.

I picked up this pin on eBay for a steampunk costume because it looks cool, and the symbology is not readily recognized. Then I thought I should probably know what the pin meant before I starting wearing it.

The left hand side has a coloured enamel bandage wrapped skull, while the right side is an embossed profile of a living man. The bottom has a torch and the letters "EMRB". The pin was made in France, and the auction was French, so I'm presuming that the organization that used this pin was also French.

I have googled the letters "EMRB" and "ERMB" and nothing meaningful has come up.

The question to you is: What is this? What does it represent.?

Steam + Anachronism = Steampunk.

A recent post to some of the Steampunk communities on Livejournal got everyone discussing what the "sub-culture" actually is. Or if it really is a sub-culture to begin with.

I look at the characteristics of the community as governed less by rules or guidelines, and more by various "personal ethics."

Some people want functional steam, and see cogs-as-decoration as an unfavourable affectation, while others favour appearance over function. I read that some people are neo-Victorian re-creators, focused on the finer points of pleats and buttons while others are more like LARPers who seek to inhabit a world that never existed and/or a time that never was. Some people buy off the rack, others have a strict DIY mentality.

It can all be called Steampunk, and it's all awesome.

The only umbrella concept I can see is that steam is the prime source of motive power. (hence the name). This is anachronistic to begin with, but if you start layering on more and more anachronisms, the more punky it seems to become. Most of the other ideas that most think of as "Steampunk" are either corollaries of this, or are preconditions that lead to steam being king.

The original poster likes coming at steam from a post-apocalyptic future where much has been lost. In my opinion, this is still steampunk, from a certain point of view:) Kind of like how the TV shows "Legend" or "Wild Wild West" is US Civil War meets tech, while "Firefly" is high tech meets Civil war. One is retro-futurism, while the other is future-retroism. And you got your peanut-butter in my chocolate.

My personal guiding question for steampunk design and fashion is:

"What if all those steam powered inventions from the Victorian era were not hindered by such mundane concepts like 'practicality' or 'manufacturability', given that electricity was never anything more than a novelty, and it didn't really catch on."

Discuss.

Project: Steampunk!

After DragonCon (D*C) last year, I came a conclusion that I have yet to post about, despite promising to do so last year. I ran a cost/benefit analysis on my hobby of making and wearing science fiction and fantasy costumes and found it to be more trouble than it was worth. It is fun, but expensive, and the burdens aren't always overcome by the joys.

But I was fine. I already had enough lightsabers, my "Silent Bob" is done (and fantastic) and my Uruk-hai was tucked away in a Rubbermaid bin with an unknown next-wear-date. I don't really have the physique for most costumes, and I don't have anywhere near the skills needed to take commissions. I thought I was done, save a few exceptions; I would still finish off my Pirate costume, and I bought some simple elements for a Ravenclaw outfit for the big Harry Potter festivities next month.

That changed after I returned from Celebration IV. Seeing all those great costumes made me want to take on a new task, but I wasn't sure what form it would take. I greatly enjoyed not having to haul down and wear a costume at Celebration, but D*C is a different creature. While the D*C programming has so much more to offer than just costumes, the joy of the evening parties is really enhanced by having something awesome to wear. But what to make?

Enter Issue 2 of Steampunk Magazine. In that zine, there is a short manifesto on steampunk fashion. Since I've loved steampunk before I even knew it had a name, reading the article was just the DIY kick in the pantaloons I needed to start a anachronistic Victorian era costume in time for DragonCon 2007.

My Character: Baron Von Haggis, PhD, Airship Captain. A former military man turned adventurer. Overly original? No. Awesome? Yes.

I have recruited the Lady Faraway, as well as a Doctor of Physick, a Botanist of Renown, a Mechanical Lady and an Expert in Mutagenesis in a group expedition to Terminus, Georgia. Do you wanna come with me? If you do then I should warn you, you're gonna see all sorts of things. It won't be quiet, and it won't be calm. But I'll tell you what it will be: the trip of a lifetime.