Machina Fatalis

Steampunk Image Workshop

2011-11-22T00:10:00.000-08:00

Love those vintage images and wish you could make things with them? Well you can, with image transfers.

Join me for a hands on workshop where we'll make a set of 4 Italian tile coasters for you to take home, with vintage engravings of cephalopods. During this class you'll learn simple image transfer techniques that you can use to decorate just about anything.

Cost of materials is $10 per person, payable in class. Similar coasters sell for $40 in stores.
Sunday, Dec 4th, 1 pm at the San Diego Lapidary Society, 5654 Mildred St, San Diego (Morena Blvd area)

Please RSVP if you plan to attend so I can bring enough materials for everyone. If you have any questions, please email me at thievingmagpie (at) cox (dot) net

Chrononaut Presents: "A Uniquely Steampunk Experience"

2011-09-02T01:20:00.000-07:00

The above phrase was part of the write up for the opening night of Chrononaut in June 2009. It was a magical night with a packed house of young people dancing. Most of the science fiction, renaissance faire, and costuming communities had never heard of steampunk back then. As steampunk became "la fantaisie du jour" in those communities, it changed the crowd and the vibe at Chrononaut into something like a ren faire or a fan convention, which for some reason had a DJ. With the best of intentions people started shying away from the phrase "club night" when describing it.

While steampunk is, among other things, a genre of science fiction, its culture is much more diverse than mainstream "fandom" has ever understood. A new organization has formed to promote and celebrate that fact. The Gashouse Crew is dedicated to putting steampunk back in the hands of the steampunk community. Part of steampunk is its music scene so tonight we are getting back to our roots. Expect a high-energy dance set from the Professor, as we celebrate the rebirth of Chrononaut as a club night, and the steampunk community through the Gashouse Crew.

Thursday September 8th, 7 pm to 11 pm

At Electric Ladyland 4944 Newport Ave, San Diego

Five dollars at the door. All Ages

http://chrononautclub.com

2011-07-31T23:28:00.000-07:00

Jean Campbell, author of Steampunk Style Jewelry, will be speaking to The Bead Society of San Diego and they have graciously offered to have local steampunks join the fun. Jean's book is one of our favorites in the current wave of steampunk art & jewelry books out there. Not only does it have fantastic jewelry designs, throughout the book are sidebars discussing steampunk music, community, fashion and art. We're excited to hear her speak on "Designing Jewelry in the Steampunk Style". We would love to see many local steampunks showing off their best gear for the Bead Society members to admire. Don't forget your steampunk jewelry as well!

Join us Saturday, August 20th at the Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park, dressed in your steampunk best. Suggested arrival time is 9:45 to ensure a good seat for the presentation. The Bead Society has generously offered to pay the Mingei admission for the first 20 steampunks and a discounted rate of $5 thereafter. Light refreshments will be served. Parking may be found in front of the San Diego Museum of Art, Alcazar Gardens lot behind the Mingei and the Organ Pavilion parking lot. Your admission to the museum is good for the day, so feel welcome to explore their exhibits afterwards. See you there!

The Official Guide to Steampunk at San Diego Comic Con 2011

2011-07-05T15:12:00.000-07:00

San Diego Comic Con 2011 is Steampunk Central the 3rd week of July. Concerts, panels, vendors & artists plus the always popular Saturday steampunk meetup will keep us and the Steampunk community up to our brass in things to do. We've created this post as a way to help everyone keep track of all of the events of steampunk interest. Events will be updated with information as we become aware of it. If you would like an event included, please email us. If you'd like to repost this list, all or in part, please give us a credit & a link. Thanks! See you at the con!

Exhibitors:

Kelly's Heroes (Steampunk gadgets & more) #D-07

Chet Phillips/Union of Superlative Heroes & Order of Nefarious Villains #N-13 (Small Press)

League of S.T.E.A.M. #607

Yen Press/Soulless manga adaptation #1116

Mysterious Galaxy (Author Signings) #1119

Topatoco/Wondermark #1229

Phil & Kaja Foglio/Girl Genius #1301

Tor Books #2301/2303

Joe Benitez/Lady Mechanika Aspen Comics #2321

Arcana Studio (Clockwork Girl) #2415

Dr. Grordbort/Weta Workshop #2615

Quantum Mechanix/Qmx #2944/2950

Steamcrow/Monster Commute #4207

Brute Force Studios #4919

Artists Alley:

Paul Guinan/Anina Bennett (Boilerplate) HH-15 & 16

Fan Tables:

Dr. Steel's Army of Toy Soldiers #MZ-21

Gaslight Gathering (w/ConDor) #MZ-11

IKV Stranglehold #MZ-02 (Klingons known to pass as Steampunks frequently)

Around the Booths:

Chet Phillips/Union of Superlative Heroes & Order of Nefarious Villains #N-13, featuring The Union of Superlative Heroes and the Order of Nefarious Villains. Both explore a parallel universe of Victorian/Steampunk Superheroes and Villains. Along with the trading cards sets of each will be a limited edition, hand bound, back-to-back book that combines both series and includes extra characters along with a dozen short episodes of thrilling action and enlightenment. The book is still in production and will be unveiled at the show. In addition they also offer a limited edition softbound version of the Society of Sinister Simians, a Victorian themed evil monkey universe.

The League of S.T.E.A.M., #607, will entertain attendees with demonstrations of their amazing Steampunk gadgets, provide fan activities, prizes, and exclusive giveaways! Illustrator Claire Hummel will also be on hand to autograph copies of the long-awaited “Adventures of the League of STEAM” DVD, premiering at Comic Con!

With more special guests and other surprises, stay tuned to www.facebook.com/leagueofsteam and @LeagueOfSTEAM on Twitter for more information!

Yen Press, #1116, Yen Press panel at 6:30 on Friday night in Room 8. What better way to end your day than with new series announcements, Q&A, and, of course, more giveaways! For those of you who like to cosplay, come to the panel in Black Butler, Soul Eater, or Soulless costume for your chance to win an extra-special present!

Mysterious Galaxy, #1119, will have booth signings with a number of authors, including Scott Westerfeld, Saturday 1:00 – 1:50 pm. There are 75 tickets are available for each signing. Tickets can be picked up on the day of the signing from the staff in Booth #1119, any time after the Exhibit Hall opens. Get your signing schedule and details at mystgalaxy.com

Studio Foglio/Girl Genius #1301, Stop by the booth in your best Steampunk outfits for a Gaslamp Fantasy Costume Appreciation ribbon, plus all those awesome steampunk pins & of course Girl Genius comics.

Tor Books #2301/2303, Friday, 12pm Bram Stoker Award winner John Shirley, signing copies of Bioshock: Rapture, the prequel story to the award-winning and bestselling video game franchise. Sunday, 12 pm Dreadnought giveaway by steampunk high priestess, Cherie Priest.

Joe Benitez/Lady Mechanika Aspen Comics #2321 will be offering a Lady Mechanika #2 San Diego Comic Con 2011 exclusive cover by Benitez and Steigerwald, and limited to 1000 copies, which will be available at the Aspen Comics Booth #2321 in addition to other exclusive Aspen Comic Con covers.

Quantum Mechanix/QMx, #2944, will debut new Warehouse 13 products including a Tesla gun, a new Art Nouveau Ladies of Firefly poster series, and will be featuring a full-sized TARDIS for amazing photo ops!

Warehouse 13 exclusive promo card for the Season Two trading cards will be available at these dealers:

The Wright Stuff #A-10

K&J Non-Sports Cards #A11-12

Triangle Cards #B-1

Wee Bee Cards #C-9

Junior’s Comics #C-12

Julio’s Non-Sport Cards #134

Endless World #629

Mark’s Non-Sport Cards #5616

Thursday 7/21:

2:00-3:00 Bill Plympton: Independently Animated— Two-time Oscar nominee Bill Plympton (Mutant Aliens, I Married a Strange Person) celebrates the release of the new Rizzoli Press book Independently Animated: Bill Plympton, about the life and art of the King of Indie Animation. Also, Bill will discuss the recent release of his animated feature Idiots and Angels on DVD, screen some of his recent short films, and present a sneak peek at what he's working on next, including The Flying House, a remastering of a classic Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend short film by Winsor McCay. Everyone who attends will receive a free Bill Plympton autographed drawing! Room 25ABC

6:00-7:00 Arcana Comics: A Look at One of the World's Largest Graphic Novel Publishers— Sean Patrick O'Reilly (Clockwork Girl), Josh Blaylock (Devil's Due), Erik Hendrix (SideShows), Mike Kalvoda (Banshee), Brooke Burgess (Becoming), Matt Wilson (Scrooge & Santa), and Ryan Colucci (Harbor Moon) take you through some of the amazing talent coming out of one of the world's largest graphic novel producers. With over 150 graphic novels released, find out what the publisher currently has coming in the near future and get a sneak peak at the 3D animated feature film Clockwork Girl. Attendees will get free comics and the first in a series of Arcana Universe posters. Room 23ABC

7:00-8:00 The Scoop at Simon & Schuster! Get the inside word on Simon & Schuster's upcoming books and the chance to win exclusive prizes! Lucille Rettino (marketing director), Elke Villa (senior marketing manager), Carolyn Swerdloff (associate marketing manager), and Anna McKean (publicity manager) give you the scoop on upcoming books from exciting authors, including Cassandra Clare, Scott Westerfeld, Orson Scott Card, and Becca Fitzpatrick. Hear what is going on with S&S's hot properties -- Star Trek and The Smurfs -- and get a chance to win exclusive giveaways. All attendees will receive a limited edition T-shirt for Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Prince. Room9

8:00-9:00 H. P. Lovecraft in Comics and Film— "That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons, even death may die." Famous words penned by H. P. Lovecraft, regarded by critics and fans alike as "Master of the Weird Tale." A horror writer from the early days of pulp magazines, his work inspired thousands of writers, artists, musicians, game designers, and filmmakers. Explore a few of the works influenced by the Great Old Ones and get a sanity-smashing peek into the latest Lovecraftian comics and movies. With Adam Byrne (The Strange Adventures of H. P. Lovecraft), Andrew Leman (co-founder of the H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society), Michael Alan Nelson (Fall of Cthulhu), and Frank H. Woodward (Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown). Moderated by Aaron Vanek (The H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival). Room 9

8:30-10:00 Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog— Sing along with your fellow fans at this screening of the original three acts of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog hosted by the California Browncoats, complete with callbacks! Dr. Horrible stars Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Nathan Fillion (Castle, Firefly), and Felicia Day (The Guild) and was written by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon (Dollhouse), Zack Whedon (Fringe), and Maurissa Tancharoen (Dollhouse). Room 6BCF

Friday 7/22:

12:00-1:00 The Official Aspen Comics Panel 2011— Aspen Comics creators Frank Mastromauro, Peter Steigerwald, Vince Hernandez, Mark Roslan, Joe Benitez (Lady Mechanika), JT Krul, Alex Konat, Jason Fabok, Beth Sotelo, and some surprise guests announce and preview new Aspen releases for 2012, including a special look at their new series in association with director McG's production company, Haunted City, as well as answer questions about Aspen's growing library of titles. All attendees will receive a free gift courtesy of Aspen Comics! Room 4

4:15-5:15 Warehouse 13— For one day only, America's top-secret treasure trove is moving from the middle of nowhere to the middle of Comic-Con. Stars Eddie McClintock (Pete Lattimer), Joanne Kelly (Myka Bering), Saul Rubinek (Artie Nielsen), and Allison Scagliotti (Claudia Donovan), along with executive producer Jack Kenny, take you inside Syfy's blockbuster hit series, Warehouse 13. Moderated by Neil Grayston (Douglas Fargo, Eureka). Ballroom 20

5:00-6:00 Motion Picture and Television Illustrators— Nowadays a movie starts with an idea expressed in words or images. The men and women who turn these ideas into worlds of visual reality, be it a distant world of pure imagination or an earthly hovel, are the storyboard artists and illustrators. Panelists who will discuss their craft and answer questions include moderator Hank Mayo (Ghostbusters 2), Tim Burgard (Thor), Ricardo Delgado (John Carter of Mars), Robin Richesson (I Am Number Four), and Josh Nizzi (Transformers 3). Room 23ABC

6:30-7:30 Yen Press Panel— The Yen Press crew -- publishing director Kurt Hassler, senior editor JuYoun Lee, and assistant editors Tania Biswas and Abby Blackman -- unveil exciting new projects including the manga adaptation of Gail Carriger’s Soulless and take questions from the audience. And of course, the swag. We mustn't forget the swag! Room 8

9:00-11:00 Syfy Screening: Eureka, Haven, and Mercury Men— Imagine Greater with fellow fans during an advanced preview screening of the next all-new episode of Eureka, followed by a special presentation of an all-new Haven. And be sure to stick around for the exclusive premiere of the new digital series The Mercury Men. Introductions by Eric Balfour (Duke, Haven). Room 6A

Saturday 7/23:

STEAMPUNK DAY!!!

10:00-11:00 Steampunk Influences on Mainstream Media and Entertainment— Phil Foglio (Girl Genius), Kaja Foglio (Girl Genius), Greg Broadmore (WETA), Lon Muckey and Aaron Ginn-Forsberg (Mantecoza), and Thomas Willeford (Brute Force Leather) discuss the appeal of the Steampunk aesthetic and the reasons for its increasing popularity in media, the arts, and the entertainment industry, including literature, graphic novels, costuming, props, prosthetics, Internet, and film. Moderated by Kim Hutsell of Starburner Galactic Courier Service Room 23ABC The room has 405 seats, a great improvement over years past!

1:00 - 2:00 Steampunk Meetup Take the opportunity to be a part of one of Steampunk’s biggest gatherings. Join us for the presentation of the Annual Starburner Awards to honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Steampunk community. 2011's Steampunk Meet-up and Annual Starburner Awards take place on the East Mezzanine level near the stairs (MAP)

3:00-4:00 Resin Casting and Silicone Moldmaking— Jeff Broz has presented eight previous seminars about plastics and casting at Comic-Con. Sam Girgis produces large-scale garage kits. Whether you want to produce a garage kit model, reproduce your sculpture, or reproduce vintage Steampunk, this year's seminar will cover new materials and tips from previous seminars about silicone mold design and casting techniques. Learn from the presenters' own pitfalls with short-run 3D duplication, garage kits, and industrial design. They will also talk more about vendors, guides, and material choices to cast your sculptures or models. Room 30CDE

3:30-4:30 Spotlight on Anina Bennett and Paul Guinan— Join Comic-Con special guests Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett with moderator (and Eisner Award nominee) Shannon Wheeler for a multimedia panel spotlighting the creative couple's past and future work. Paul and Anina will perform excerpts from their book Boilerplate, which has been optioned by J. J. Abrams; talk about their comic book careers and becoming accidental apostles of steampunk; and give a sneak peek at their upcoming book Frank Reade: Adventures in the Age of Invention. Room 26AB

Saturday Offsite:

7:00 pm - 1:00 am The Time Machine The Comic-Con Steampunk After Party!

Multimedia steampunk concert and show featuring Abney Park and Unextraordinary Gentlemen.

Also appearing: Optomistichaos, Zoe Tantrum's Steamy Stilters, Tammy Firefly and belly dancers plus Steampunk art and fashion. Special FX.

Hosted by DJ Professor Greyshade of Chrononaut.

At Queen Bee's, 3925 Ohio St, San Diego (MAP), parking nearby on 29^th St.

All Ages, beer & wine with ID

Tickets $27 at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/163647

Sunday 7/24:

11:15-12:15 Building the World of Leviathan, an Illustrated Steampunk Series— Bestselling YA author and Comic-Con special guest Scott Westerfeld (Uglies, Midnighters) discusses how illustrated adventure novels disappeared in the early 20th century and how he worked with artist Keith Thompson to create one for the 21st, Leviathan, a steampunk reimaging of WWI. Lots of visuals (and some secret news about Uglies). Room 6DE

Offsite Events & Meetups:

Saturday 7/23

The Time Machine: The Comic-Con Steampunk After Party! - 7:00 pm - 1:00 am

Multimedia steampunk concert and show featuring Abney Park and Unextraordinary Gentlemen.

Also appearing: Optomistichaos, Zoe Tantrum's Steamy Stilters, Tammy Firefly and bellydancers plus Steampunk art and fashion. Special FX.

Hosted by DJ Professor Greyshade of Chrononaut.

At Queen Bee's, 3925 Ohio St, San Diego (MAP), parking nearby on 29^th St.

All Ages, beer & wine with ID

Tickets $27 at http://www.brownpaperticke ts.com/event/163647

Chrononaut Pulls Up Stakes

2011-06-27T02:46:00.000-07:00

Steampunk is about adventure, and what could be more adventurous than an expedition? Chrononaut is off to explore the legendary wilds of Ocean Beach, where no steampunk has dare tread before.

We have commissioned legendary explorers The Eben Brooks Band to find us safe harbor at Electric Ladyland Studios and The Slow Poisoner to use his secrets of the voodoo spirits to ensure our swift passage.

Our journey begins promptly at 7 p.m. Ticketing office is located at Electric Ladyland Studios at 4944 Newport Avenue, Ocean Beach. Passage is $10 for the compleat adventure, all ages. Motor car parking is available on street, or quite nearby for a modest fee at Apple Tree Market 4949 Santa Monica Ave.

Chrononaut Presents: 6 String Samurai

2011-04-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

Spring is upon us, here at Chrononaut. Shaking off the cold and damp of Winter, we look upon the coming months with great anticipation of fantastic Steampunk events yet to some. In the spirit of renewed joy at what the world has to offer, Chrononaut presents a night of just plain FUN!

Join us for an epic night of steampunk music featuring San Diego's own 6 String Samurai!

Thursday, April 14th, 8 pm to 12 am,

$8, All Ages

Queen Bees, 3925 Ohio St, San Diego

http://chrononautclub.com/
Not yet familiar with 6 String Samurai?

"In mid 2009, a group of time traveling adventurers time traveled to San Diego to save the world from a prophesied catastrophe. These heroes numbered 3: Frank (AKA the Ronin Inventor, team leader, technological genius, scientist, gadgeteer ,bassist, and top hat enthusiast), Radar (alias the Mystic Gentleman, sorcerer, soothsayer, drummer, and master of the arcane), and Erik (nom de plume the Barbarian Blademaster, unparalleled master of the axe [both musical instrument and instrument of destruction], poet, songsmith, and general hedonist). (Un)fortunately no catastrophe ever occurred. There were no giant spider robots to battle or evil megalomaniacal monkeys with human minds. Thus the heroes decided to stay in San Diego and pursue a different career: music. Using their unique adventuring talents, the trio created 6 String Samurai: The Band, and now entertain crowds both near and far with unrivaled excellence and flair."

A Concert for Sepiachord

2011-01-13T09:49:00.000-08:00

Thursday January 13th at 8:00
Chrononaut presents: A Concert for Sepiachord

You wanted more live music? You've got it at this month's Chrononaut! Our biggest gathering of steampunk musicians since the League Gala in July has come together for a cause close to all our hearts. Our line up features Eliza Rickman, Flip Cassidy and the Junkyard Gospel, Veronique Chevalier and Jon Magnificent.

The steampunk music scene is unusual in that steampunk is not a genre of music as such but is instead a common thread of anachronism that runs across many genres. It's a network of artists, bands and DJs who have come to recognize that indefinable yesterday-meets-tomorrow something that we have in common. That network didn't just happen. Someone had to recognize the potential. Someone had to hear the groove. Someone had to define a "genre that doesn't exist." That someone was Jordan Bodewell, the man behind Sepiachord.

There are others who have helped of course, The Davenport Sisters of the Clockwork Ball and the Clockwork Cabaret, Joshua Pfeiffer of Vernian Process and Gilded Age Records, perhaps even that Greyshade chap, but none of us have Jordan's energy. Jordan writes more record reviews than I have time to read. He posts a song of the day on multiple Internet forums every day. He's put together two extraordinary compilation CDs and has pulled artists together who otherwise might not have known one another existed. Yet somehow he is so humble about what he does that he thought that if he couldn't do it anymore no one would care. Fat chance Captain Bodewell!

The Bodewell family was hit with medical bills so far beyond what their insurance covers that it will take years of careful budgeting to recover. As part of that budgeting Jordan felt he needed to cut out his Internet connection, his web hosting, and his music budget. This would have killed off Sepiachord. Already enough donations have come in, including the proceeds from Chrononaut's Jule Fest, so that he has promised not to do this hideous thing, but more is needed for both Sepiachordand Jordan's family. A band of Los Angles musicians all agreed to donate their talents to the cause but lacked a venue. As a result they are heading south to San Diego and Chrononaut. This is a rare opportunity for us at Chrononaut to host Northern talent that our humble little club normally couldn't draw.

$10 at the door (additional donations welcomed!)
ALL AGES
BEER AND WINE WITH ID

We have a new blog

2010-11-02T17:59:00.000-07:00

We have always seen steampunk as a lifestyle, as something much more than brass and goggles, but not everyone shares that view. So we have started a new, much more personal blog about what we feel steampunk means, and how we put it into practice in our day to day lives. We will continue to keep Machina Fatalis going to post about topics of more general interest to the steampunk community but for those whose intrest in steam culture is as deep as our own we offer Greyshade Estate.

Chrononaut on the Boardwalk

2010-08-03T22:12:00.000-07:00

Ah summers at the shore, the ladies and gentlemen in their whites, gay stripes and straw hats. The strong men, jugglers and arcades on the piers amuse the recreating masses of rich and poor alike. From the cliff tops ornithopters launch catching the updrafts and only occasionally crashing on the rocks below. Bathers in modest costumes enjoy the warm sun and waters trusting in the submarine kraken patrols to keep them safe. Fortunately death rays work underwater!

Of course we can't actually move Queen Bee's closer to shore physically but we can certainly move the atmosphere of the shore to Queen Bee's, for in August summer wear is certainly in order. Professor Greyshade will spin light and amusing tunes, we invite buskers to ply their trades (please send us an e-mail to let us know you're coming) and there will be other surprises including a rare cinematic treat.

At Queen Bee's, 3925 Ohio Street, San Diego, CA

$5 at the door. Thursday, August 12th, 8:00 pm to12:00am, all ages.

http://chrononautclub.com/

2010's Steampunk At San Diego Comic Con

2010-07-02T00:52:00.000-07:00

2010's San Diego Comic Con is looking like the Steampunk weekend of our dreams! Concerts, panels, vendors & artists plus the always popular Saturday steampunk meetup will keep us and the Steampunk community up to our brass in things to do. We've created this post as a way to help everyone keep track of all of the events of steampunk interest. Events will be updated with information as we become aware of it. If you would like an event included, please email us. If you'd like to repost this list, all or in part, please give us a credit & a link. Thanks! See you at the con!

Exhibitors:
Ogner Stump/The Slow Poisoner S04 (Small Press)
Chet Phillips Illustration/Steampunk Monkeys P13 (Small Press)
Paul Guinan/Boilerplate CC09 (Artists Alley)
Mysterious Galaxy #1119/1121/1123
Wondermark/TopatoCo #1231/1233
Phil & Kaja Foglio/Girl Genius #1331
Tor Books #2310
Entertainment Earth #2343
Dr. Grordbort/Weta Workshop #2615
Quantum Mechanix/QMx #3251
Steam Crow/Monster Commute #4207
Rolling Thunder /Dave Dorman #4401/4500
Brute Force Studios #4919
Thing From Another World/CBLDF Fundraiser #5625/5626
Semantik Publishing - "The Heavens" comic due Fall '10 TBD
Dr. Steel's Army of Toy Soldiers MZ20 (Mezzanine Fan Tables)
Gaslight Gathering MZ10 (Mezzanine Fan Tables)

Steampunk Special Features:
Tor Books #2310 - Friday, July 23rd is Steampunk Day at the Tor Books booth. Stop by the booth to say hello and check out some of Tor’s steampunk offerings on display. While supplies last, we’ll be giving away an illustrated short story “The Life and Adventures of Young Sam Smiles by the Brotherly Order of the New Thought”. This short story ties into Felix Gilman’s The Half-made World, a forthcoming steampunk novel set in an alternate American West. At 2:00 PM we’ll be giving away copies of Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. For those of you who can’t make it out to San Diego this year, keep an eye on the @torbooks Twitter as we’ll have a couple of giveaways running that week.

Quantum Mechanix/QMx #3251 - QMx will be premiering the first piece in their new Warehouse 13 line, The Farnsworth. The Farnsworth is a video communicator that uses a secure line that only another Farnsworth can decode. Two prototypes will be on display at San Diego Comic-Con: an exact replica of the hero prop with grey screen and an “idealized” version with more detailed weathering and a realistic, semi-transparent screen. Make sure you take the time to stop by the QMx booth (#3251) to learn more about items from the Warehouse 13 line as well as items from QMx’s other licensed properties such as Star Trek, Stargate, Battlestar Galactica and Firefly.

Thing From Another World/CBLDF Fundraiser #5625/5626 Participating artists include Phil Foglio (Girl Genius) and Nick Percival (Legends: The Enchanted). Original sketches to be auctioned for charity, limited edition autograph cards available of each sketch from the artist or TFAW booth.

Panels & Meetups:

THURSDAY:
The Clockwork Girl - 11:00-12:00 Room 9 Alexa Vega (Spy Kids) and Sean Covel and Doc Wyatt (Napoleon Dynamite) talk about the feature film and show an exclusive featurette for The Clockwork Girl.

The Danger Element by Battle Jitni -12:00-12:30 showing in Marriott Hall Room 2 as part of the SDCCI Independent Film Festival. See map in con guide for location.

Twisting Genres - 4:00 - 5:00 Room 25ABC Fantastic fiction authors talk about pushing the envelope on genre, not confining it to one definition. Participants include China Miéville (Kraken), Justin Cronin (The Passage), Naomi Novik (Tongues of Serpents), Daryl Gregory (The Devil's Alphabet), Jeffrey J. Mariotte (Cold Black Hearts), Robert Masello (Blood And Ice), Keith Thompson (The Leviathan trilogy), and Scott Westerfeld (The Leviathan trilogy). Moderated by Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy.

SFX presents The British Invasion - 5:00 - 6:00 Room 5AB Five top UK writers from the worlds of TV, comics, books, and movies discuss what makes modern British SF unique. Dan Abnett (Ultramarines), China Miéville (Perdido Street Station), Paul Cornell (Doctor Who), Kieron Gillen (Thor), Pat Mills (2000 AD), and Toby Whithouse (BBC's Being Human creator) talk to SFX magazine's Dave Bradley in this panel and Q&A session.

Thursday Offsite
Steam Powered Giraffe + Rumbledore 6:30 - 11:00 pm
San Diego's original singing robot comedy act are joined by one-man-band Michael Reed of The Smart Brothers as they weave a laugh-out-loud colorful performance imbued with pantomime illusion and folk inspired songs. Opening for the robots are the local Harry Potter band Rumbledore,
which will be followed by a live art showdown by SPG members Jon Sprague and Christopher Bennett, as they race to paint portraits of lucky raffle winners.
There will be prizes to win via raffle, Steam Powered Giraffe merchandise for sale, and a tournament of the SPG Card Game. Doors open at 6:30 PM for The Card Game Tournament. If you are participating make sure to arrive on time!
at Queen Bee's, 3925 Ohio St, San Diego All Ages, $10 at the door.

FRIDAY:
The Official Aspen Comics Panel - 12:00-1:00 Room 32AB Creators Frank Mastromauro (Dellec), Peter Steigerwald (Soulfire), Vince Hernandez (Fathom: Kiani), Mark Roslan (Heroes), J.T. Krul (Mindfield), Joe Benitez (Lady Mechanika), David Schwartz (Fathom: Blue Descent), David Wohl (Witchblade), Micah Gunnell (Shrugged), Alex Konat (Mindfield), Eric Battle (The Scourge), Beth Sotelo (Fathom), and surprise guests are on hand to unveil Aspen's all new properties for 2010 and beyond! See never-before-seen covers and art, hear firsthand from the creators their plans for exciting new properties, and ask them questions directly in a special Q&A session. All fans in attendance will receive an exclusive gift courtesy of Aspen Comics.

Top Shelf 2010 5:30-6:30 Room 9 The crew at Top Shelf Productions celebrate their most international year yet, discussing their hit "Swedish Invasion" initiative, the acclaimed graphic novel The Playwright from British-Australian expats Eddie Campbell and Daren White, and their brand-new book of cutting-edge manga, Ax. And they'll show off exclusive sneak previews of upcoming books from Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), Jeffrey Brown (Incredible Change-Bots), Jeff Lemire (Essex County, Sweet Tooth), Nate Powell (Swallow Me Whole), and so much more!

SATURDAY:
Steampunk Meetup - Saturday 12 - 3pm The official Steampunk at Comic Con meetup is back! This time no room can hold us all, so we will meet at the center terrace stairs, bayside exit from Ballroom 20. Wear your best for the group photo at 2:00 pm, parade through lobby at 3:00.

Spotlight on China Miéville 1:30-2:30 Room 5AB Multi-award-winning author and Comic-Con special guest China Miéville talks about his books -- including The City & the City, Perdido Street Station and his most recent, Kraken -- in this special Spotlight panel.

Spotlight on Dave Dorman 2:00-3:00 Room 8 Eisner Award-winning illustrator and Comic-Con special guest Dave Dorman is best known for his stunning depictions from the Star Wars universe. Dave talks about his paintings and his comics work, including the eagerly awaited sequel to his Steampunk graphic novel Rail -- continuing stories set in his creator-owned universe, The Wasted Lands.

Warehouse 13 and Eureka 3:30-5:00 Room 6BCF Don't miss two of Syfy's biggest hit series in one exclusive event. Catch back-to-back Warehouse 13 and Eureka panels, featuring Warehouse 13's Eddie McClintock (Pete Lattimer), Joanne Kelly (Myka Bering), Saul Rubinek (Artie Nielsen), Allison Scagliotti (Claudia Donovan), and Jack Kenny (showrunner/executive producer) and Eureka's Colin Ferguson (Jack Carter), Salli Richardson-Whitfield (Allison Blake), Neil Grayston (Douglas Fargo), James Callis (Grant), Jaime Paglia (co-creator/executive producer/writer), and Bruce Miller (executive producer/writer). Plus, Syfy brings back Cafe Diem at Hard Rock Hotel, featuring W13 themed items.

Disney Epic Mickey 4:30-5:30 Room 9 Warren Spector (creative director, Junction Point -- Disney Interactive Studios) and Peter David (award-winning comics writer and author of upcoming Disney Epic Mickey comics) share their insights about bringing the world and characters of the Disney Epic Mickey video game to life in two media -- video games and comic books. Warren and Peter explore "Wasteland," a world of forgotten, retired and rejected creative efforts from the Disney archives, and discuss the joy and challenges associated with writing for Mickey Mouse and his "brother," Walt Disney's first cartoon star, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. The panel includes discussion, gameplay demo featuring never-before-seen areas, concept art, previews of comic pages and Q&A.
ure Solider video game studio associate producer Adrian Lacey in a panel discussing the upcoming short film, as well as connections between the film and the game. Attendees will be treated to the world premiere debut of the film trailer, as well as a live demo of the upcoming video game.

War of the Worlds: Goliath 6:00-7:00 Room 5AB War of the Worlds: Goliath is an animated, 95-minute, battle epic set in a Steampunk 1914 Earth that has rebuilt and rearmed following the failed Martian Invasion of 1900. Set for release in early 2011, War of the Worlds: Goliath features voices by Peter Wingfield, Adam Baldwin, Elizabeth Gracen, Jim Byrnes, and Adrian Paul, among others. Producer Kevin Eastman (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Heavy Metal), producer/director Joe Pearson (Roswell Conspiracies, Captain Simian and the Space Monkeys), producer/writer David Abramowitz (Highlander), and producer Leon Tan screen footage from the upcoming feature, discuss the production process, and hold a Q&A session.

Saturday Offsite
The League of Temporal Adventurers Society Gala 8:00 pm - 2:00 am
Wrap up your Comic Con Steampunk experience with the steampunk party of the year! Featuring Voltaire, Unextraordinary Gentlemen, The Slow Poisoner, Veronique Chevalier, The Hoop Unit & The League of S.T.E.A.M. With guest DJ, Mr. Bodewell of Sepiachord and Professor Greyshade of Chrononaut.
at Queen Bee's, 3925 Ohio St, San Diego All Ages, beer & wine with ID
$18 in advance, $20 at the door (if available) L. T. A. Gala

SUNDAY:
Spotlight on Ann and Jeff VanderMeer 10:30-11:30 Room 8 Dr. Lambshead, Steampunk, Weird Tales, Imaginary Animals, and You— Weird Tales editor and Hugo Award winner Ann VanderMeer and her World Fantasy Award–winning husband, writer/editor Jeff VanderMeer, take you on a whirlwind exclusive inside look at a cornucopia of exciting new projects, from The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities, featuring work by Mike Mignola and Greg Broadmore, to the Steampunk Bible coffeetable book, from the rejuvenated Weird Tales to the insanely entertaining Kosher Guide to Imaginary Animals, featuring recipes for Wookiee and Cthulhu by Ace of Cake's Duff Goldman. With discussion, interrogation, arguments, and, er, Mongolian Death Worms. Nom nom.

Offsite Events:
Thursday 7/22
Steam Powered Giraffe + Rumbledore 6:30 - 11:00 pm
San Diego's original singing robot comedy act are joined by one-man-band Michael Reed of The Smart Brothers as they weave a laugh-out-loud colorful performance imbued with pantomime illusion and folk inspired songs.
Opening for the robots are the local Harry Potter band Rumbledore,
which will be followed by a live art showdown by SPG members Jon Sprague and Christopher Bennett, as they race to paint portraits of lucky raffle winners.
There will be prizes to win via Raffle, Steam Powered Giraffe merchandise for sale, and a tournament of the SPG Card Game. Doors open at 6:30 PM for The Card Game Tournament. If you are participating make sure to arrive on time!
at Queen Bee's, 3925 Ohio St, San Diego
All Ages, $10 at the door.

Hot Topic Tweetup - Food, Giveaways & surprises for Hot Topic fans. Follow them on Twitter for details.

Saturday 7/24
The League of Temporal Adventurers Society Gala 8:00 pm - 2:00 am
Wrap up your Comic Con Steampunk experience with the steampunk party of the year! Featuring Voltaire, Unextraordinary Gentlemen, The Slow Poisoner, Veronique Chevalier, The Hoop Unit & The League of S.T.E.A.M. With guest DJ, Mr. Bodewell of Sepiachord and Professor Greyshade of Chrononaut.
at Queen Bee's, 3925 Ohio St, San Diego
All Ages, beer & wine with ID
$18 in advance, $20 at the door (if available)
L. T. A. Gala

Chrononaut presents: League of Temporal Adventurers Society Gala

2010-07-01T19:07:00.000-07:00

The San Diego Steampunk party of the year featuring:

Voltaire
Unextraordinary Gentlemen
The Slow Poisoner
The Hoop Unit
Veronique Chevalier

and the musical selections of Professor Greyshade of Chrononaut and Mr. Bodewell of Sepiachord.
Saturday, July 24th
8:00 pm to 2:00 am, All ages
Beer and Wine with ID
Tickets $18 in advance, $20 at the door & available at LTA Gala

At Queen Bee's in North Park near downtown.

Reasonable parking three blocks from the event at Five Star.

Chrononaut presents Babbage Alley, a steampunk market

2010-07-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

'Tis the weeks before Comic-Con International and all though the San Diego Steampunk Community people are sewing and tinkering and polishing brass in preparation for what has for decades been the biggest event on the alternative and fan culture calendar of San Diego. So what should Chrononaut do about that? Well, help us all prepare of course!

We present a special evening of camaraderie and last minute shopping for mad costuming folks. We invite any and all vendors who have an interest in vending at Chrononaut to come tonight. Just email us and let us know what you want to vend, and bring your own table and light.

We are also bringing the back the popular Beggar's Market; an open swap of steampunk related clothing and accessories. Donate what you no longer need to the Beggar's Market table and take what you do need. No money changes hands.

Professor Greyshade provides the soundtrack and Jules Verne provides the inspiration to our silent cinema.

We are also offering advanced tickets to the League of Temporal Adventurers First Society Gala with no handling fees.

FREE ADMISSION
with purchase of advance tickets to the LTA Society Gala
or $5 without

Thursday, July 8th, 8 pm - 12 am at Queen Bee's, All Ages

http://ChrononautClub.com

Chrononaut Gets Airborne, for our one year anniversary!

2010-05-28T17:06:00.000-07:00

Ladies, Gentlemen, Harlots and Scoundrels,

It has indeed been one year since the improbable experiment called Chrononaut began. Despite the fact that 99 percent of the population of San Diego has still never heard of steampunk Chrononaut has managed to establish itself as an unique island of creativity in the stagnant sea of local clubs, and has even gained some small amount of fame in the steampunk community globally.

To celebrate we draw on a quintessential of steam dream for inspiration, the dream of flight. No! Not the hideous reality of jet propelled cattle car caskets powered by corporate greed and plagued by terrorists, we mean the beautiful skies filled with stately airships and personal ornithopters that we really want. So strap on those flight caps and goggles for a special evening of aeronautical fun. The evening features shadow puppet perfection by The Animal Cracker Conspiracy presenting their original production Desire to Fly which they describe as "A timeless tale of innovation, longing, and imagination, Desire to Fly is a shadow puppet show inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s “flying machines” and man’s eternal quest for flight. In the distant future a Robot, fresh off the assembly line, finds himself wandering through a garden, where he unexpectedly becomes fascinated by butterflies. From this inspiration he attempts to build his own set of wings. His journey of experimental flight travels beyond the unexpected."

Rounding out the evening is a demonstration for radio controlled airship piloting by The Airship Consortium. A good thing Queen Bees has high ceilings Eh what? We will also be showing archival footage from the golden age of the Zeppelin, and of course there shall be vendors and Professor Greyshade.

Thursday, June 10th, All Ages. Doors open at 8:00 pm and the club closes at 12:00 am. $8.00 cover. See you there.

Chrononaut presents A Steampunk Circus

2010-05-06T19:35:00.000-07:00

The circus is an inherently steampunk institution. It is as old Commedia dell'arte yet as new as postmodern performance art. It is a crossroads of skills and technologies both old and new that have always been used to transport us to an alternate reality outside of linear time. So it is with great pleasure that we announce an evening of circus arts featuring performers from the Lindley-Lopez Circus

We also are hosting face and body painting by Skin Tight Body Art. Brianna of Skin Tight asks that if you would like something especially elaborate you contact her in advance through her website. Regarding this we feel we must point out that Chrononaut is at once an all ages club and a forum for creative and alternative culture. With this in mind we ask only that you keep your bodily exposure within the bounds of public legality.

With all this plus the good Professor's musical selections, silent cinema, and vendors we could have a very full night, but there is yet one more factor to be considered in a truly steampunk circus, the DIY ethic of steampunk movement. We have always been impressed with the talent pool in our community and the way the entertainment at Chrononaut comes as much from the floor as the DJ booth or the stage. So we are extending a special invitation to circus-related busking. If you would like to perform on a pass-the-hat basis on the evening, e-mail us at grshado (at) yahoo (dot) com

Please note that the evening goes from 8:00 to midnight in deference to later sunsets of summer. $8 at the door (plus money for buskers) See you there!

Chrononaut presents Automatons and Alchemical Aberrations

2010-02-25T01:12:00.000-08:00

Mad science and steampunk go hand in hand, and there is no more quintessential mad science activity than the blurring of the boundaries between the human and the artificial. With this in mind we present a grand exhibition celebrating the publication of a wondrous book penned by Dexter Palmer, The Dream of Perpetual Motion, telling the tale of prisoner aboard an airship crewed entirely by a clockwork creatures and a disembodied voice. We shall be giving away copies of the novel and posters.

Of course this is Chrononaut and no one expects you to sit about reading! Our headlining entertainment is a long overdue appearance by Colonel P. A. Walter I’s remarkable mechanical creations; the musical singing comedic troupe known collectively as Steam Powered Giraffe. They are either the most sophisticated fusion of steam and artificial intelligence technology produced in the late Victorian era or one of the most original musical and theatrical acts to be associated with the steampunk movement. You decide.

Opening for the mechanicals musicale are Elective Surgery, San Diego’s Repo! The Genetic Opera shadowcast who will demonstrate their art with a scene from the only musical film ever made about the horrors of overpriced internal organs.

Once again, we shall be exhibiting silent films featuring artificial creatures both horrible and fascinating. Our vendors have been working hard in their labs to bring you their own marvelous creations, and we will have music chosen by our own madman, Professor Greyshade.

Join us, Thursday, March 11th from 7 pm to 11 pm. Entry is $8 and is all ages, at Queen Bee's 3925 Ohio Street, San Diego, CA 92104 Chrononaut Club

Chrononaut presents the Brass & Lace Ball, an Evening of Steampunk Elegance

2010-01-31T19:38:00.000-08:00

February is a month for romance and elegance, and steampunk has plenty of both. Join us for an evening of merriment and music on Thursday, February 11th at the Chrononaut Brass & Lace Ball. This is an opportunity to don one's most exquisite steampunk attire amongst like-minded individuals.
The evening will provide a vintage dance lesson courtesy of Liz O'Grady and roses will be given to all ladies in attendance. Our always imaginative vendors provide a perfect opportunity for purchasing tokens of affection for one's valentine before Sunday, whilst our silent cinema offers a heady romance of days-gone-by. As always, our own Professor Greyshade will play an eclectic anachronistic mix of music for your terpsichorean pleasure.
Chrononaut, Thursday February 11th, 7 until 11 p.m. All ages, $5 at the door.
3925 Ohio Street, San Diego, within Queen Bee's Art & Cultural Center.
www.chrononautclub.com

Join us, Friday, November 6th!

2009-11-02T21:22:00.000-08:00

Chrononaut: a Steampunk Clubnight

Featuring Demonika & The Darklings, DJ Professor Greyshade,
vendors, film and the most fantastically attired Ladies & Gentlemen in the space/time continuum.

The Darkling's sound is rich, romantic and sexy. They have an old school rhythm section with drums and bass laying down slow dance beats. There are no guitars, instead Devlyn (aka J. Francis of The Unextraordinary Gentlemen) weaves her violin though Demonika's cool cat's purr vocals. Picture the band that would play at an intimate candlelit midnight dance in the ballroom of the airships of our dreams.
Professor Greyshade will be spinning an eclectic & anachronistic mix of alternative folk, gypsy punk, dark cabaret, gothic, fusion, circus punk, neo-classical and more.
Join us this Friday, November 6th, from 8 pm to 12 am, $8, All Ages
at Queen Bee's, 3925 Ohio Street, San Diego, CA 92104

Chrononaut Returns!

2009-09-10T17:20:00.000-07:00

Chrononaut Steampunk Club Night

A night for temporal adventurers

Featuring performances by Eli August & Veronique Chevalier.

Ladies and Gentlemen, announcing the return of Chrononaut, Friday September 18th. We are excited to present Eli August, featuring members of Fermata, on their first US tour. The evening will also feature the scintillating sounds of chanteuse Veronique Chevalier accompanied by Seth Bedford of Huxley Vertical. Your host, Prof. J. S. Greyshade, selects sounds from eclectic destinations throughout the space-time continuum such as steampunk, alternative folk, gypsy punk, dark cabaret, gothic, middle eastern, circus punk, and extremely mutated hip-hop. Plus vendors, photo booth & other pleasant diversions.

Join us, 7 pm to 12 am at Queen Bee's 3925 Ohio Street, San Diego, CA. All ages.
Steampunk, neo-Victorian, dark cabaret and anachronistic dress welcomed.
Club photos, information & links can be found at Chrononaut Club website
Chrononaut artwork by the ever fantastic Winona Cookie

An Evening of Silent Cinema

2009-09-07T07:55:00.001-07:00

Please join Machina Fatalis Friday, September 11th for an evening of music & mirth at the movies. The Birch North Park Theatre is presenting the Buster Keaton classic,"Sherlock Jr." with live musical accompaniment by Dr. Philip Carli. "Sherlock, Jr." (1924) has been described as having astounding creativity. It features Buster Keaton as a projectionist who retreats into the fantasy world of the films he shows. The evening also includes two short films & a classic cartoon.

Dr. Philip Carli is the staff accompanist for the George Eastman House in NY and is a silent film historian.
Admission to the theatre is $12, students $10. Steampunk attire encouraged, including Dieselpunk, 1920's & 1930's wear.

Old Town Steampunk Picnic & Tour

2009-08-09T23:25:00.001-07:00

Machina Fatalis is hosting a Steampunk Picnic Sat. August 15 at 1 pm on the plaza in Old Town San Diego. Come enjoy the company of other local steampunks with your picnic lunch and stay for our historic tour of Old Town. If our group is of a certain size (tbd) we may even get an exclusive peek at the Cosmopolitan Hotel reconstruction currently underway. Dress in your finest steamwear (or Victorian/Edwardian if you prefer) and join us on the South corner of the plaza lawn under the large shade tree. Pipe smokers welcome to bring their pipes as the park allows smoking & the tobacco store will give samples of their blends. 1 picnic bench is available, picnic blankets or lawn chairs encouraged. Look for our group directly across from Racine + Laramie tobacconists. Space to place picnic gear while on the tour will be available at the tobacco store. See you there!

The Ventricular Engine July 25th

2009-07-15T10:12:00.000-07:00

Club Deadline and Chrononaut have joined forces to present a night of steampunk and old school gothic fun

with the Unextraordinary Gentlemen
and DJs Synexx and Prof. Greyshade
plus other surprises TBA

July 25th at The Radio Room
3519 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104

From downtown, if you are at Comic-Con: take Park Blvd through the park until the right lanes turn onto El Cajon Blvd. Take El Cajon Blvd over the 805 until just past 35th St. The club is on the right.

21 and up. $7 at the door, very reasonable drink prices

Balboa Park Steampunk, Victorian & Edwardian Picnic and Scavenger Hunt

2009-06-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome Summer!

Miss Emmaline Pierpont, has organized a most stimulating afternoon for all on June 14, 2009 at 12:30 p.m.

Dress in your finest costumes, and bring your picnic lunch, rugs/chairs, etc. We will be meeting on the lawn to the left of the Botanical Building-Lily Pond. Lunch and conversation at 12:30, followed by the scavenger hunt at approximately 1:30 p.m. Learn a little history while having fun!

We will be breaking into teams. Each team will receive a set of clues and will have one hour to find them. Make sure at least one person on your team has a digital camera or a cell phone camera, because as you find each clue, you will be taking a picture of it for proof! First team back to home base with all the clues is the winner! There will be (silly) prizes.

There will be at least one or two people at home base (picnic area) to guard your personal belongings, so you don’t have to worry about running everything back to your car before the hunt. If possible, please RSVP so we know how many prizes to have on hand. See you there!

Chrononaut: San Diego's First Steampunk Club Night

2009-04-25T12:24:00.000-07:00

UPDATE! Pictures of the evening are now up! You can see them at Jerry's photosite and at RattMice's photos. Thank you for coming. We had a fantastic night.

Machina Fatalis is pleased to announce its most ambitious project to date. Our goal for nearly a year has been to create a uniquely steampunk club experience based on the precedent set by the Davenport sister’s Clockwork Ball and the musical influence of the Sepiachord group. Chrononaut is a club at which the gothic side of steampunk music is balanced by the whimsy of Dr Steel and Mr. B the Gentleman Rhymer and all is guided by the mash-up of old and new that is the soul of steampunk.
Now it is here.Opening night: Friday June 5th at
The 8teen Center
3925 Ohio St, San Diego, CA 92104
featuring
The Unextraordinary Gentlemen
in their first San Diego appearance.
Plus vendors, silent cinema and good company for all.
The venue is all ages, beer and wine are available for those of age. Food and drink is available for all.
The club is open from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm
Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door and are on sale now.
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/65884
More information is available on the Chrononaut myspace page. We hope to have nights in July and August also, but that depends entirely on advance sales for June.
Please support steampunk and innovative nightlife.
Buy your tickets now.

Croquet Noir 2!

2009-04-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

It was silly. It was fun. We have to do it again! Please join us on Friday, the 24th of April at 10:00 in the evening for a rousing round of croquet. We will meet in Heritage Park on the lawn at the far end of the park, adjacent The McConaughey House (map here). As there is no seating in this area, lawn blankets are encouraged. Feel free to bring small flashlights, black lights, comestibles and potables. Alcohol under 20% is allowed for those of age. As this is a county park, there is no closing hour. However, this is an urban location near homes, so please use manners as befit gentlemen and ladies. Steampunk, neo-Victorian, dark cabaret, or generally anachronistic clothing enthusiastically welcomed at this event. Please contact us via this blog or our email should you have any questions. Be there or my wife will beat me with a croquet mallet. What? You think I’m joking? Look at this picture. She’s dangerous!

Tea on the Lawn

2009-03-22T14:14:00.000-07:00

Please join Machina Fatalis and the San Diego Costumer's Guild for a Steampunk Victorian Edwardian Tea on the lawn at Heritage Park. We will be meeting at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 29th for tea, luncheon and lawn games. Proper attire encouraged.

Attendees should bring a tea time dish to share for 8 people. There are no benches or tables in the park, so please bring a blanket or lawn chair for seating. Tables will be provided for the food.
Heritage Park is located in Old Town at 2454 Heritage Park Row. We will be on the upper lawn adjacent to The Burton House. Map here. Please contact Machina Fatalis (link at left) should you have any questions. See you there!

Sherman-Gilbert House, Heritage Park - photo by bisyan lady (flickr)

Steampunk at the Library, a Final Viewing

2009-03-05T13:02:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to report that the steampunk display at the San Carlos Branch Library has been well received indeed. The patrons of the library have been truly delighted to discover the existence of our movement. The exhibit is due to be taken down on Sunday the 15th of March. Mr. Datamancer needs his keyboard back and Captian Octavio must be returned to Ms. Cookie. The exhibit was set up late on a Monday evening and did not have a proper send off; instead we will make an occasion of its final viewing on March 15th at 3:00. Tea and cookies will be served in the community room of the library at 3:30. During the course of the event we will open the display cases and plug in Mr. Datamancer’s keyboard, an event indeed for those of use who have not yet made one of our own! Proper attire is encouraged.

Steampunk: The Fiction & The Non-Fiction

2009-02-19T19:50:00.000-08:00

Machina Fatalis presents a new exhibit on Steampunk. Titled Steampunk: The Fiction & the Non-Fiction, the exhibit discusses the development of steampunk from a literary genre to an activist movement. Four elements of Steampunk are showcased: literature & film, the maker aspect, music & fashion, and art & activism. The highlights of the exhibit are a Sojourner keyboard graciously loaned by Datamancer, and an original collage by Winona Cookie. A number of library events have been planned to accompany the exhibit, including showings of Steamboy & Castle in the Sky, a craft day making a Steampunk lamp, and a day devoted to Dr. Steel. The exhibit is on display from February 16th to March 15th, 2009. The exhibit and all events take place at the San Carlos Public Library located at 7265 Jackson Drive, in San Diego. Full event details, including dates & times can be found at the San Carlos Friends of the Library website. A Machina Fatalis viewing will be arranged in the near future. Check this page for details when they are available. For those that cannot make the exhibit in person, you can view the exhibit and its creation on our flickr page at steampunkexhibit.

An Evening at The Bijou 2/20/09

2009-02-08T10:52:00.000-08:00

Please join us for an Evening at The Bijou! We are hosting an evening of vintage film on Friday, February 20th at 8 p.m. at the home of the Chamberlins. We will be showing SHE, starring Randolph Scott, Helen Gahagan and Nigel Bruce. Based on the H. Rider Haggard novel, SHE is a ripping adventure tale following the quest for the legendary "flame of life". Our hero's journey takes them to a fantastic, subterranean kingdom ruled by She Who Must Be Obeyed. The film has fantastic art deco sets, gorgeous costumes, and has been restored by Ray Harryhausen. Along with our feature, we will present a silent short, The Thieving Hand, the misadventure of a man and his clockwork prosthesis. No visit to the Bijou would be complete without vintage candies, crakerjack and Moxie. If you would like to attend, please email Ingred with your RSVP and for directions: thievingmagpie(at)mindspring(dotcom). See you at The Bijou!

Restructured at the Device Gallery

2009-01-23T09:20:00.000-08:00

The Device Gallery in La Jolla has once again put together an amazing
exhibit of steampunk art. It features 9 artists, including Nemo Gould, Mike Libby, Chris Bathgate, and the awesome Paul Loughridge. Machina Fatalis is visiting the gallery on Saturday January 24th. We are first meeting at The Living Room Cafe at 1010 Prospect Street,
La Jolla at 10:30 a. m. for coffee and snacks. After the gallery we may visit Powells Sweet shop if there is time but since many of us are attending a brass etching workshop 12:30 this may not happen.

Naultilist Ball, New Year's Eve with Abney Park

2009-01-15T17:30:00.000-08:00

A wondrous evening of music and steampunk! We of the Machina Fatalis eagerly awaited the announcement of Abney Park's performance at The Edison. Once tickets were made available, their cost was prohibitive. It seemed we would be unable to attend! Curses! Enter Captain Robert of Abney Park, sweeping in from above, knife in sail, landing on both feet! Captain Robert used his piratical ways to ensure we, among many others, would not face dissapoint! And dissapointed we were not, as our evening was most enjoyable. Our night began with the usual, less-than-pleasant commute into Los Angeles from San Diego. Once firmly within our hotel, time for a quick change and race over to The Edison. Due to traffic and slow hotel service, our arrival was delayed until 10 p. m. Once inside, we quickly realized that AP was on stage! We had not missed their first performance. A quick trip to the front of the stage to find Emmaline Pierpont and Tobias Eastman. Many quick hellos, then all attention on the band. Once again, a fine performance with many people dancing. After the performance, Lucent Dossier came out with performances all over the club. Caught an interesting act in a giant bird cage, and later, in the generator room. A quick trip to the bar for our first drinks (Alas! The Bar was out of St. George!), then socializing all around. Met many online friends, new and old, and marveled at outfits. Aha! An absinthe bar in the corner! This is where our drinking would take place for the rest of the evening. More exploring the Edison led us to the smoking lounge upstairs. Walking into the lounge, we ran into an old friend from our San Francisco days, Rachael, looking as fantastic as ever! Plenty of reminiscing took place. While Mr. Greyshade headed back down to the dancefloor, I stayed and discussed matters of import with Atrus. Soon we realised the lateness of the hour and hurried down to the stage to join AP in our New Year's countdown. After much confetti, a fabulous champagne toast, and a few kisses, our Captain Robert led us in Auld Lang Syne. Once again, AP regaled us with song and dance until, sadly, the evening was over. Many hugs then we were off to hotel and home. We certainly look forward to next year's Nautilist Ball and hope many of you join us!

Absinthe Tasting Party - December 13th, 2008

2009-01-15T15:26:00.000-08:00

By way of celebrating a successful year of steampunk events extraordinare (and the birthday of one of our members), Machina Fatalis hosted an absinthe tasting. Our evening began with the arrival of many finely attired guests. Much mingling and merriment followed. Once everyone was present, our sommelier for the evening, Carol, began our tasting. She made some fine dishes to accompany our absinthe: Gnocchi with fennel pollen, goat cheese and onion tartlets, 4 types of artisan chocolate, and other tasty nibbles. Yummy! Our tasting began with a Czech absinthe, Fruko Schulz. It was determined by all to be nigh undrinkable, with comments like "looks like mouthwash, but not as good", and "what is this stuff you're making us drink?". Only lighting it afire seemed to make it consumable. After each tasting, Tayopa read a history of the brand, with tasting notes. Quite enlightening and amusing. Next on our tasting menu was Lucid, the most popular absinthe in bars. Lucid was determined to be acceptable, nicely flavoured, but a bit strong on the anise flavor. A short time out to dine on the divine gnocchi and tartlets. Carol is a wonderful sommelier and a fantastic cook. Everyone raved about the food. Then on to the last 2 tastings. Next on our list was Le Tourment Vert, the house absinthe at The Edison. Though quite tasty, the truly artificial color could be improved upon. Lastly, one of our own, S. Sprocket graciously offered a bottle of St. George. An absinthe with a deep green, smoky color and complex taste. Divine! Determined to be our official absinthe from now on. Once the last of the absinthe was gone it was time for photos and fun, with many staying until all hours debating and conversing.
Jerry Abuan's beautiful photos of the evening, including the one shown here, can be seen at his photography site. Carol Wafer may be contacted for events at carolwafer@gmail.com.

Steampowered Convention 10/31 - 11/02

2009-01-04T10:57:00.000-08:00

Over Halloween Weekend, Machina Fatalis attended the first all Steampunk convention, Steampowered, in San Jose, CA. It was a very exciting and interesting time. Despite our best plans, we arrived late on Thursday night (thanks SouthWest), and promptly went to bed. No socialising that night! Friday we saw the lobby of The Domain Hotel transformed from an ultra-mod atrium into a steampunk exhibition space complete with gentlemen's sitting room. Whilst all the building continued, we went in search of thrift shops (directly across the street as it happened), and absinthe for our later enjoyment. Both quests were met with success, as we now had a video of The Golem, odd brass bits, John Lydon's book "Rotten", a bottle of St. George, sugar cubes and an absinthe spoon! Once back at the hotel, we picked up our registrations, and headed for the dealer's room. I could tell much money would be spent. There were the usual t-shirt & booksellers, band swag and pretty steampunk outfit vendors. But, best of all, was the Etsy Steamteam tables, filled with handmade goodness from our steampunk bretheren. Turns out the steamteamers themselves were pretty rockin' people. Friday night, we left our room and passed the quickly crowded hotel bar. Though it was filling up with 'punks quickly, it really had no steamy atmos at all, very Ikea-modern mostly, perpsex-backed bar stools and the like. So, wanting to meet & greet, we headed on for the main lobby and ballroom. What this? The gentlemen's club that was only being assembled a few hours before is now functioning as a makeshift bar and lounge! Oh joy! What atmosphere, charming company, and middle-of-everything locale! Quickly we headed back to our room to pour ourselves some St. George and meet back at the "club". Turns out this Victorian parlor was Norman Barringer's stained glass booth at the Dicken's Faire, now with added steampunkiness. The Adventurer's Club, as we now called it, was hosted by 3 charming gentlemen, who all crafted beautiful steamy objects d'art. We spent most of our evening therein, with frequent trips back to our room to fill up our glasses and those of our compatriots for the night. The evening ended on the grand staircase, Eric & Nathaniel creating the Steampunk Gang Sign, Choklit & Stache and Sarah, Gareth and myself all being shushed for too much talky-talky too late in the evening. We all retreated to our room to finish off the bottle of St. George and wish each other a good evening.
Saturday was filled with interesting panel discussions, a chance to meet James Blaylock and get his latest book signed, more shopping adventures, a theremin concert at the Dr. Grordbort booth, and the keynote address by Jake Von Slatt. Very inspiring and well thought out discussion on why steampunk and maker culture is increasingly popular from a personal point of view. Definitely worth reading. After showing off his Wimshurst machine (AKA Victorian taser), we were off to dinner and an outfit change before the Platform One/Abney Park concert that evening. Once back from dinner, we awaited the shuttle to the venue, since it was raining quite a bit. Turns out the "every 15 min." shuttle was more like 40 minutes, so we missed most of Platform One's performance. What we did catch was quite good and I wish we'd been there earlier. Abney Park was fun as usual, and Finn presented Jake Von Slatt his Mad Scientist award from Dragon*Con, as he was unable to attend. Much silliness ensued. Then it was back to the hotel for much needed warmth and rest. Sunday was more panels, including the panel on Steampunk your life. Turned out to be very interesting, and listening to Kymric Smythe of Neverwas was very inspiring. His discussions with Jake Von Slatt and our dear Baron Verndorf were quite illuminating. After that it was all packing, goodbying and loads of promises to keep in touch. We have made quite a few friends from this con and I hope to attend next year's Steampowered. You can view all of Machina Fatalis' pictures of our adventures here

Missing Brass Goggles??

2008-10-08T18:02:00.000-07:00

Spare Goggles

Good news! Whilst Brass Goggles undergoes "maintenance", there has been a temporary forum set-up: Spare Goggles! Run off and join now to get your forum fix.

Zeppelin Flights Return to the U. S.

2008-09-23T22:20:00.000-07:00

Abney Park

has partnered with Airship Ventures for an historic flight,

and Machina Fatalis will be there!

On October 31st, Airship Ventures will herald the return of passenger airship travel to the United States with the U. S.'s 1st passenger Zeppelin flight in over 70 years. The Zeppelin NT07 will be the largest airship flying in the U. S. at 246 feet long, 50 feet longer than the largest blimp. It carries up to 12 passengers, and with the crew of the H.M.S. Ophelia on board, that leaves only 8 seats left on this momentous flight! Machina Fatalis members are determined to be among those lucky few to ride with the original airship pirates on the maiden voyage. Kaja & Phil Foglio of Girl Genius fame have also secured passage. There will be a champagne reception before the flight. If you are interested in joining this epic adventure go to http://www.abneypark.com/airship or email robert@abneypark.com for details.
2nd flight added!! - The first flight sold out so fast (12 minutes, I hear) that a second has been added. You can purchase tickets here: http://www.abneypark.com/airship. You have until October 11th, or until this flight is also sold out.

An Interview with the Davenport Sisters

2008-09-15T16:26:00.000-07:00

The Clockwork Cabaret is a weekly steampunk radio show broadcast and streamed from WCOM in Carrboro, North Carolina. Its creators, known by the personas of Klaude and Emmett Davenport, also put on a monthly steampunk club night, The Clockwork Ball. When I first heard about the show and the club I was impressed with the Davenport sisters DIY attitude and willingness to expand steam culture, but I pictured them playing music in a bar once a month for themselves and few friends. I eventually got a very different impression from a mailing list for public librarians I subscribe to at work. The topic of steampunk literature came up and a colleague talked about how she did a steampunk program in her library because her teenage regulars demanded it out of frustration at being to young to get into the Clockwork Ball. It seems that its one of the hottest alternative music clubs in the North Carolina triangle and the Davenport sisters have built one of the strongest steampunk scenes in the world. I wanted to know more.

Mr G: Please tell me how you got into steampunk and when it started being more than a genre of fiction for you?

Klaude: For me steampunk began it's growth off the page a little over a year and a half ago. I believe what lit the spark were some plans for an over the top Victorian ensemble to be worn out to a goth club. I was googling "bustles" for some inspiration and it led me to those first photos of steampunk ensembles. I was hooked. It came naturally because steampunk is a fusion of many of my disparate interests: strange little subcultures, the Victorian and antebellum eras, weird history and diy. It's a thousand tiny interests I never knew could be fused together.

Emmett: Well, I've been reading steampunk books for some time, so I was familiar with the literary genre. I've always been fascinated with various period clothing pieces and had been incorporating them into my mode of dress for some time, creating a strange anachronistic style. And, then someone told me last year that I was dressed very steampunk, which sparked my curiousity and I discovered that there were people out there with the same interests.

Mr G: Music is probably the least defined aspect of steampunk culture. This makes the whole idea of a club night and radio show less than obvious choices. So what inspired you two to become steampunk DJs?

Klaude: Oh this will be a TOME. I'm warning you! It really is the least defined and most often overlooked aspect of steam-culture, and we knew it would be a challenge, but that's what makes it so thrilling! We've both been involved in the music scene in various capacities for a good long while, so it was an obvious choice. I had my start, like so many others, as a college dj, then ventured into the strange and egotistical world of club dj's and somehow wound up back on the radio. We both have such wide and eccelctic taste in music and I know I had a difficult time fitting some of the music I loved into the nights I was already dj'ing. I'm not sure which came first, the idea for the radio show or the idea for a steampunk themed dance night, but they arrived pretty quickly on the other's tails. Emmett originally approached me with the idea of a steampunk radio show on our local community radio station (the plug! http://communityradio.coop) in the winter of 2007. I thought it might be fun for a lark, and wound up calling her about 10 minutes before she went in for our approval meeting to shout at her "Hey! Let's do it like an old style radio program! Let's have little sketches and radio plays, and funny little characters, but also play music." I had no idea what we'd do or how we'd do it. Neither of us did! Poor Emmett went in there armed with Klaude's good intentions and a silly idea. We didn't have the Calpurnia, the Davenport sisters, CLANNG, nothing! And they loved it! We were both a bit shocked. That's the beautiful thing about steampunk though, it appeals to such a wide cross section of people.

The dance night we dj and host (The Clockwork Ball) is a really fascinating social experiment. I'm not sure either of us expected it to succeed the way it has, partly because steampunk music is so hard to define. We were worried folks would stand around the edge of the dancefloor like it was a middle school dance and we'd be stuck in the dj booth wondering whether it weren't all a big mistake. I think the difficulty to define steampunk has actually led to it's success. The event itself is nebulous, changing each time we have one; It's part dance night, part costume ball, part theatre, part concert, part dance lesson, part photoshoot and I suppose there's a smidgen of role playing in there, though most folks shut down their brains when you mention that phrase. A big part of the impetus behind the Clockwork Ball were our own strange musical tastes. I was frustrated that there were huge chunks of my musical collection I knew I'd never get to hear at a dance club. And I knew I couldn't be the only one who felt that way. We wanted to present an opportunity where you didn't have to worry about whether something fit in with your image of goth, indie, punk, or whatever. We can play all those things because steampunk music hardly exists. It's a cobbled together Frankenstein monster. It's really beautiful to see how the steampunk genre allows for someone who may usually identify straight indie or goth to dance to really great music without worrying they're going to have their indie rock street-cred card torn up in front of them. Can you really drop the Flogging Molly track 'Devil's Dance Floor' in the middle of a goth night and expect anyone to keep dancing? No. But if you drop the same track at a steampunk night, even if most of the attendees are the same folk you see out at the goth night, they'll dance so hard they break the floor! It's beautiful. But I could talk about the Clockwork Ball for hours, it's such an amazing experience for me, and I couldn't be more proud to help host the event. Good lord, Klaude shut up.

Emmett: Ummm, what Klaude said... she actually put it so succinctly that there's not really anything else that I could add to that.

Mr G: So what you're saying is that the people who came had no preconseptions of what the music was going to be so rather than pose they danced, but who came? Especially to the first Clockwork Ball. Was there a natural chemistry to the people that first showed up? Did a lot of people know each other already?

Klaude and Emmett: That first Clockwork Ball was an amazing event. Emmett's alter ego promotes a fabulous goth night here in the triangle called Dracula's Daughter. She hosted the first Clockwork Ball in January of 08 as a special theme night at Dracula's Daughter and I know we both worried about it's success. It was a crapshoot and could have gone either way. It went, thankfully, in the direction of pure awesome. There was an amazing mix of the usual goth patrons, and a good number of folks who'd never been out to, nor had a prior desire to attend, a goth night. The beauty of that particular event was that you'd see goth kids dancing to indie, irish folk, and folk-punk, and indie kids dancing to some goth dancefloor classics.

It never fails to impress me every time we host a Clockwork Ball just how wonderful and friendly all the attendees are. It's shocking really! Everyone seems so happy to be out among other members of this burgeoning genre. It's certainly not that everyone knows everyone else, because there's always a new cluster of folks who come out for the event, but the attendees are just so nice and friendly. It's truly a new experience for me when it comes to dance nights.

Mr. G: So part of the reason the Clockwork Ball has been success is that it is a scene bending night of musical crossover, but there is another side of that. As soon as you put the word "steampunk" next to words like "radio show" and "club night" you started defining an emerging music scene just as surely as the handful of musicians who have done the same with the words "steampunk" and "band." Also while the music you select for the Clockwork Cabaret is highly eclectic it is far from random. So what do you listen for when you select music for the show and the club, and (drum roll for the BIG question) what is steampunk music?

Klaude: While the music is eclectic we do try very hard to keep it from being random. Finding the connecting thread that strings all these works together is much less difficult than trying to describe the connecting thread. For the time being we're in a unique situation in this burgeoning subculture/ artistic movement because the definition of it's music can be as strange and varied as we want it to be. When I'm listening for music for the radio show I keep an ear out for an anachronistic feel and unique percussion. This can manifest itself in any number of ways, covers of traditional songs that have been arranged in a nontraditional fashion, eccentric songs played on traditional instruments, industrial music with substantial non-electronic percussion, anything that sounds as if a good part of it has been ripped from it's mooring to reality and shoved into the past/future. If that description seems a bit esoteric, it's because we have to go a little out there when describing a genre of music that doesn't exist! We're pulling from so many different genres, styles, bands and eras that there probably won't ever be a good way to describe all these strange musics in one word, and honestly I don't want there to be. I don't want to see "steampunk" music turning inwards and limiting itself. Of course, we do limit ourselves a bit with the dance night because all the music we play needs to be danceable. Even that descriptor fails us, because what constitutes "danceable" music when you'll have people waltzing, doing the gothic two step, conga lines and violently twirling in mosh pit-esque clusters? I look for a good solid beat that makes my bustle wiggle for our dance nights, and for the radio show I have the freedom that nobody has to be dancing.

Steampunk music? I'm not sure I can define it. I'm not sure I WANT to define it! haha. I can say that so far bands that describe themselves as "steampunk" music borrow heavily from industrial music, traditional balladry and goth musical traditions. I'd like to see steampunk music stay as more of a concept than a solid musical genre, so for now steampunk music is an amalgum of genres, any band and any song as long as it evokes the proper steampunk mood.

Emmett: To me, steampunk music is an anachronistic style, sometimes involving classical instrumentation in a more modern setting or modern musical resources used to make older sounding music. Two good examples of what I would call steampunk music is the band, Vernian Process, they use electronic music to create classical music composition and the band, Rasputina, who use classical instruments in a way one wouldn't expect.

Mr. G: You ladies have been so forthcoming you've covered nearly every topic I wanted whether I asked about it directly or not. It's been a pleasure. I like to share an experience of my own now. I put together play list for a local steampunk party. I spent a lot of time exploring on Last.fm and other web sites, and discovered a lot of music that was new to me but struck me as in some way steam. The one thing I didn't do was listen to your show or read your playlists for several weeks. I was pretty confident that I had come up with my own version of steampunk music. After the party I went back and looked at your playlists for the shows I'd missed. For brevity, let's just say there were a lot of striking parallels. Do you think that someday in the near future will we be able to say, "most steampunks are into that sound, and that sound and...?" Is the steampunk mindset is strong enough so that a loose and eclectic, but recognizable music scene will evolve?

Klaude: There's a solid unchanging center that holds this burgeoning subculture and art movement together and that's anachronism. A music scene will develop around this core of anachronism for better or worse. I believe we already can say that most steampunks are into certain genres of music. We see interest in indie, punk, classical, alt country and folk, rock, darkwave and certainly goth. The mass exodus from the goth scene means there will always be strong ties between goth and steampunk music. You can see this already with the band Abney Park who's former goth image has morphed into that of a crew of steampunk pirates while maintaning a fairly darkwave sound. They have been enveloped seamlessly into the steampunk scene. We'll have to make our choices as bands start to emerge that self label as steampunk how, exactly, we'll define the scene. Will we be strict and demand these bands are steampunk in both sound and visual aesthetic, or will we allow for some movement?
I hope the genre of steampunk music stays loose and eclectic. I'm enjoy the fact that right now I can play a set with Einsturzende Neubauten, Kate Bush, Vernian Process, Man Man, Flogging Molly, Dolly Parton and the Decemberists in it and folks really seem to like the fact I've smushed together a musical Frankenstein monster. Since we're in the first stages of defining the soundtrack that will accompany this subculture everyone has opened their ears and shut down their preconceptions. Hopefully with outlets like our show and the Sepiachord group out on the west coast we'll encourage the culture of steampunk music to stay loose and fluid and practically impossible to define. Of course, that means it's a real bugger to describe what we do, but it just wouldn't be the soundtrack to steampunk if it were easy to define.

Mr. G: Anything to add Emmett?

Emmett: No, I think Klaude & I are in agreement. That's why we get along so well.

Mr. G: Alright then. I'll conclude my part of this interview with a prediction. You are two of the first steampunk djs in the world, but you shall be the last. What advice do you have for those who will follow you?

Emmett: My advice is to remember that deejaying is supposed to be fun, first and foremost. That as the deejay, it is your job to help an event succeed or fail, and a large part of that comes from your attitude. If you're enjoying yourself and having fun, then the crowd can tell, and they'll enjoy themselves, too. There's never a better feeling then when I'm spinning in the booth just goofing around and I look up to discover folks are dancing.

And for those who want to be steampunk DJ, I say don't let one genre of music define you, People are not one-dimensional, so why should the musical choices be? There are tons of music out there that works and you'll be surprised by what people will respond to positively.

Klaude: Always investigate your audience's suggestions, some of the most interesting music has come to me in that way. Listen to everything, it's hard sometimes to keep your preconceptions out of your brain, but worth it when you can. If you're hosting live events: introduce yourself to everyone you can whether they're dressed the part or no. Meeting all these amazing and creative people, getting to spend a moment or two with each of them and hearing their take on the whole subculture has been the most rewarding part of dj'ing. Plus, when you introduce yourself to one of those doe-eyed folks who look totally shell shocked at the event they've walked in on, usually you'll find it's a look of awe and jealousy and you get a precious moment (yes, like one of those figurines, except with a giant steam powered top hat-mounted cannon) in which to introduce them to a subculture and help make sure it doesn't get martyred by misinformation in mainstream culture like the goth and punk scenes.

Croquet Noir!

2008-08-31T16:28:00.000-07:00

The Society is pleased to announce our next event: Croquet Noir. Please join us on Saturday, the thirteenth of September at 10:00 in the evening for a rousing round of croquet. We will meet in Heritage Park on the lawn at the far end of the park, adjacent The McConaughey House. As there is no seating in this area, lawn blankets are encouraged. Feel free to bring small flashlights, comestibles and potables. Alcohol under 20% is allowed for those of age. As this is a county park, there is no closing hour. However, this is an urban location near homes and a bed & breakfast, so please use manners as befit gentlemen and ladies. Steampunk and Neo-Victorian clothing enthusiastically welcomed at this event. Please contact us via this blog or our new email contact should you have any questions.

Wow! What Happened?

2008-08-21T22:16:00.000-07:00

Two short months ago a social club formed of people into the multifaceted phenomenon called "steampunk." The founders of the Machina Fatalis Steampunk Social Club have been organizing and promoting steampunk social activities in San Diego and Southern California for over a year. Before we ever had a name we had already thrown two steampunk parties and several meet-ups. Eventually we decided to give ourselves a name: Machina Fatalis, the machine of fate.

In the six weeks since we went public with this name, we have thrown or been involved in five events. Over the course of those weeks we have gone from traveling to LA to gather eight people together, to having more than thirty people show up for the picnic and maritime museum event in San Diego itself. The suddenness of this transition has left us a little stunned. After a year of quiet small developments, a local steampunk scene has exploded in front of us complete with several very different perspectives of what steampunk is. We are working on our next events and taking stock of these drastically changed circumstances. Stay tuned. If you live in the San Diego area and are interested in steampunk activities please bookmark or RSS this blog. You can contact us via email at machinafatalis (at) gmail (dot) com.

Picnic & Steam Engine Tour

2008-08-10T01:09:00.000-07:00

The Machina Fatalis Society will be pleased to welcome SD Costume Guilders, SD Cosplayers, The Manticore Society, and others to our next meetup. Like our tag says, Machina Fatalis is dedicated to steampunk art, literature and lifestyle. We seek adventures in the real world based around a neo-Victorian/steampunk aesthetic and a DIY ethic. We are not a cosplay or larp group. Basically we'd like to promote the lifestyle aspect (i.e. everyday living) of Steampunk; no scripts, no agendas, nothing to sell you on, just like-minded individuals up for adventures Steampunk style! Of course a little character playing creeps in now and again*, but what is life without fun?

Now, as to the finer details of our next congress, it seems the consensus is that we will be dining first, around 1 in the afternoon, on the lawn adjacent the County Administration building across from the Maritime Museum. Gentlemen should expect to provide their own meal and that of the ladies accompanying them. Unchaperoned ladies, though somewhat unheard of, may join us for their meal if they so choose and bring a dish to share. Please call upon Mr. Greyshade or myself if you care to do so. After a fine repast, we shall adjourn to The Berkeley steamferry for an examination of her inner workings. A thrilling time is anticipated!
If there are any concerns or comments, please feel free to call upon us through the Aether or comments upon this missive. I look forward to seeing all of you there!

(*see remainder of post)

A Record Showing for San Diego Steampunk

2008-08-02T21:36:00.000-07:00

Tonight's dinner at the Jolly Boy Restaurant was well attended by Steampunks local and distant. Though a group of 10 - 12 was expected, the actual headcount was 18 persons, a record for Southern California. Drinks were had, dinner was eaten, world domination plans laid, a good time had by all. In attendance were*; Hope Barton, Captain Stockings, Penny Dreadful, Gabriel, Professor Fossilbottom, Gadg3t, The Brothers Greyshade, Fraulein Flieger, Mr. J. S. Greyshade, Lady Jane, Cindy P. and Jerry, S. Sprocket, Mr. & Mrs. Klockwork Kobbler, Jimmy Diggs, with Anachronist presiding. Due to the fact that Captain Stockings will be leaving shortly for university, it has been decided that our next event should take place on Saturday, August 16th. It will be a trip to visit The Berkeley, an 1898 steam-powered ferryboat, with an accompanying picnic on the nearby lawn. Please see our related posts on Brass Goggles for planning information, or check this blog for final details.
*Brass Goggles usernames used when available.

Gathering at the Jolly Boy

2008-07-31T23:26:00.000-07:00

In view of the enthusiasm shown by so many San Diegans for steam culture following the momentous gathering at ComicCon International this weekend past, we of Machina Fatalis are hosting a gathering for dinner and libations at the Jolly Boy Saloon in Old Town State Park this weekend coming. We will be converging on the restaurant at 6:00 p.m. Saturday, the Second of August. Information on the Jolly Boy may be found here. In addition to its nineteenth century ambiance, the Jolly Boy is a full service restaurant and is therefore all ages. It also has a full bar for those of age and is one of the few locations in San Diego where absinthe is served. Due to the recent surge in interest in our events, steampunk regalia is welcomed but not required.

Steampunk @ Comic Con

2008-07-29T22:32:00.000-07:00

The steampunk presence was well felt at this year's Comic Con International. Not only were many panels and vendors of interest to steampunks, we had a very successful meetup! An anticipated crowd of 30 - 50 turned out to be 200+ with many interested onlookers as well. Many fine photographs may be seen on Flickr, and LJ Steamfashion. One of my favorites can be found here:
Lucien Desar's Steamfashion photos
As exciting and interesting as our con meetup was, we of the Machina are exhausted. After a short rest, we will resume planning events for the San Diego/Southern California area. We would like to have events like steampunk work days (for work-in- progress), midnight croquet, day out to the Berkeley, picnic in Heritage Park, trip to the steam museum, and other adventures. We welcome any steampunks who would like to join us on our adventures. Please feel free to contact us here, or via Brass Goggles, where we may be found under our member names.

ComicCon awaits!

2008-07-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

Machina Fatalis is pleased to be attending this year's ComicCon International. We may be found on Saturday, from 12:00 in the afternoon until 1:00 p.m., at the Steampunk group meeting in Room 24A. We may also be found at a party on Friday night, details of which may be found on the Brass Goggles forum. Sights to be seen at this year's event are: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog showing, a preview of Mutant Chronicles & discussion with the stars, including Ron Perlman, a live performance of Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd (a time-traveling scientist), & attendance by Girl Genius creators, Kaja & Phil Foglio. A good time shall be had by all!

First Machina Fatalis Event a Rousing Success!

2008-07-06T20:07:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the auspicious Occasion of the Anniversary of the birth of one of our Members, namely one Fraulein Flieger, or, as she is known to her Co-workers, Family, Friends, and Tax Collectors, Ingred, it being a time of traditional Jubilation, Machina Fatalis, being Southern California's (and specifically San Diego's) premier, and indeed, only, Steampunk Social Club, hosted a gathering of like-minded Individuals at the prominent Los Angeles Night Club, "The Edison", which has been much lauded by Steampunk and Libation Enthusiast alike as a Destination bar none for all manner of celebration and recreation.

Those present were in unanimous Agreement that the Occasion, celebrated primarily, or dually, as the case may be, by a thorough sampling of the Establishment's Bill of Fare, and vigourous and enthusiastic conversation, was a rousing Success. Gifts were presented to the Guest of honor, which were gratefully accepted, and apparently appreciated by said Party. Though the evening was perhaps momentarily marred by the appearance of a Stoner Rowdy of confirmed Rascality, the Management of the establishment was entirely studious in its removal of the offending Party, rendering the Incident nothing more than an amusing episode, providing fodder for lively Conversation and jovial Merriment.

All in all, a good time was had by all, and a Precedent has been set for future Recreations staged by San Diego's premier Steampunk Social club, of which the upcoming Comic-Con Cocktail Party is certain not to disappoint.

Alexander.

Accept No Substitutes

2008-07-05T12:45:00.000-07:00

Machina Fatalis is a Steam Punk Social Club of the finest order. We hope to host events in Southern California of interest to steam punks, & invite all who may be interested to join us on our adventures. We hope to create a lively community of fellow eccentric individuals who are part of the steampunk movement, be it the aesthetics, the philosophy, the culture, or the lifestyle. Please contact us should you desire more information.