Lego Pegasus Automaton

I have loved Lego for as long as I can remember. Hundreds of hours of my childhood were spent assembling and reassembling those little plastic bricks into countless combinations. That said, the Lego of my youth was quite limited compared to the range of parts available today, which allow for some wonderful creations.

One of the most amazing I’ve seen lately is this Pegasus Automaton from Studio Amida. Not only is it beautiful to look at, it actually works if you turn the crank (see video below). If you want one of your own, they sell both kits and plans in their Bricklink store. Even the plans have a bit of steampunk to their look.
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Where is Steampunk Going in 2012?

2011, for all its faults, was a pretty good year for steampunk, but where do we go from here? I asked a people from all different parts of the steampunk community where they thought steampunk was going in 2012. Not everyone had time to answer, given how busy things are this time of year, but the answers I did get paint a very encouraging view of our current trajectory. Here’s what they had to say:

The possibilities are wide open and I don’t care where steampunk goes so long as tea is along for the journey.

Gail Carriger, @gailcarriger, author of the Parasol Protectorate novels, the most recent being Heartless.

I think Steampunk is going to Mars in 2012. There’s been a shocking lack of space travel thus far.

Kady Cross, @KadyCross, author of the award winning The Girl in the Steel Corset.

In 2012, Steampunk will step even more into the fashion and entertainment mainstream. Some people think this is a bad thing, but all I can say is bring it on. The more people show an interest in something, the more ideas get brought to the proverbial table — if I’m a proponent of anything it’s the free flow of ideas and information between communities. Because of this new flowering of Steampunk into the mainstream, I see more people getting involved in conventions and more artists creating interesting things in this style. Some people want the community to remain small and insular. Me? I say bring on the masses.

Matt Delman, @mattdelman, publisher and executive editor of Doctor Fantastique’s Show of Wonders, publisher of Doctor Fantastique Books.

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Cast the Boneshaker Movie

If you haven’t heard yet, Cherie Priest’s novel Boneshaker is headed for the big screen thanks to Hammer Films. This is great news, as the book is wonderful (and was picked as our 2010 Book of the Year).

So, let’s have some fun. Who would you cast in the different roles?

Here are a dozen main(ish) characters to get you started, but feel free to suggest choices for minor characters.

• Leviticus Blue
• Briar Wilkes
• Zeke Wilkes
• Maynard Wilkes
• Alaister Mayhem Osterude (Rudy)
• Princess Angeline
• Jeremiah Swakhammer
• Lucy O’Gunning
• Yaozu
• Minnericht
• Andan Cly
• Croggon Beauregard Hainey

I’ll kick things off with a few suggestions:

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Introducing Steampunk.com’s NaNoWriMo Forum

Today is Halloween, which is cool in its own right. In addition to its own haunted fun, Halloween is the last day before the start of NaNoWriMo, that annual frenzy of typing and caffeine.

For the uninitiated, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, an international event in which people try to complete a first draft of a 50,000 novel in one month. Sounds crazy? Maybe it is, but if you force yourself to crank out those 1667 words per day, you’ll find yourself looking at something you can edit and improve rather than a blank page.

I know a lot of you out there are planning to write some steampunk for NaNoWriMo, so I decided to give you a place on steampunk.com to blow off some steam, discuss what your doing, seek commiseration, or even celebrate when you make it: the Steampunk.com NaNoWriMo Forum. W00t!

Please let us know who you are, what you are writing about, and how it is going. You might find friends, beta readers, or even just some sanity in the wee hours when those last few hundred words are eluding you.

Good luck, NaNoWriMonauts!