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Monthly Archives: September 2014

Using Real Historical People in Steampunk Stories

30 Tuesday Sep 2014

Posted by Obsession Engine in Uncategorized

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This should interest quite a few other readers of this blog!

Cogpunk Steamscribe

Charles Darwin Charles Darwin

Rudyard Kipling Rudyard Kipling

I was exceedingly lucky in high school, I had history teachers that focused on individual people in history and not just events. This meant we saw past the monuments and to the real people living real lives. We knew that our heroines and heroes had warts, and loved them all the more for their amazing achievements. We could see the struggle and the personal courage it took to stay on track, and succeed spectacularly or fail magnificently.

As I have mentioned in previous blogs, using historical personages as characters or in ‘cameo appearances’ is one of the genre markers of the Steampunk literary genre. In my current work in progress, Charles Darwin, his wife and children are making an appearance, as well as a character loosely based on Oscar Wilde. My character based on Charles Darwin shares many of the original’s physical, intellectual, and personal characteristics, but I am picking and choosing…

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Competition, Practice, Training, and Testing

29 Monday Sep 2014

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Are you interested in self defense and firearms? Read this blog.

tacticalprofessor

Driven by hunger, a fox tried to reach some grapes hanging high on the vine but was unable to, although he leaped with all his strength. As he went away, the fox remarked ‘Oh, you aren’t even ripe yet! I don’t need any sour grapes.’ People who speak disparagingly of things that they cannot attain would do well to apply this story to themselves.

–Aesop’s Fables, The Fox and the Grapes,

Periodically, I see comments in the tactical/concealed carry community downplaying the value of competition for someone interested in personal protection. The commentary usually revolves around “the stress isn’t the same as a two way range” or “competition isn’t realistic; the targets don’t move, you don’t move” or some other blah, blah, blah. Oftentimes, the person making the statement is from the ‘tactical training’ side of the house.

In my role as the Georgia/Alabama Area coordinator for IDPA, I was…

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Its been too long, dear readers!

29 Monday Sep 2014

Posted by Obsession Engine in Uncategorized

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Between work schedule, cleaning out workspaces, and scurrying about gathering supplies, I have been neglecting this blog.

There’s been a burst of late-season garage sales that have provided a lot of goodies. Bits of brass gear, an old timey-looking radio that I plan to gut just for the shell, and the biggest score, an Old Town Otter kayak ($40! Woot!).

My old laptop died (My fault – a spill shorted something.), necessitating getting a new one, we now have a fancy new TV after finding a good one on clearance, and, unfortunately, my van appears to need work – a sticky brake caliper cut my Saturday resale shopping trip short and buggered the rest of the day.

The upside of both the laptop dying and my van needing work is that I get to try to fix them, thus increasing my DIY knowledge and maybe netting me a few tools in the process. The downside, of course, is that I’m spending time on those projects rather than futzing with the plasma globes and disks that just arrived. C’set la guerre!

A Time to Rejoice

19 Friday Sep 2014

Posted by Obsession Engine in Uncategorized

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A friend of mine has successfully beaten cancer for the second time.  Long live Defensive Daddy!

Experient 17: An Excellent Short Film

18 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by Obsession Engine in Movies; Lovecraft

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Lovecraft, Movies

A fan film with Nazis, Conspiracies, and Lovecraftian goodness.  What’s not to love?

There are a number of other Lovecraftian fan films on that channel, including a sequel to Experiment 17 – Experiment 18!

It amazes me what an amateur with a camera and a computer can get up to if he puts his mind to it. Great stuff!

Various Steampunk Project Ideas

14 Sunday Sep 2014

Posted by Obsession Engine in DIY, Resources, Steampunk

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Tags

DIY, Resources, steampunk

This started off as a list for a project page but has morphed into a one-stop resource list for me. I’ll probably have a number of these that I’ll juggle and use to keep semi-related links grouped together.

I’ve taken on the task of helping to design a bag of tricks for some fellow steampunkers. The projects are still in the brainstorming phase, but we’re exploring various options.

The cane prototype possibilities include:

Laser pointer or LED targeting device
Conductive cane and a solid state violet wand zapper (the zapper is probably better left as a separate unit for more versatility and to put a heavy batter pack on a bandoleer or belt)
Confetti cannon (Some sort of reloadable party popper)
Flame thrower – probably just the stage magician variety. Flash paper and an electrical source for ignition
Small plasma globe with onboard power supply (Seems easy enough and requires only a 9 volt battery)
Stun gun (the cheesy $10 guns are worthless for anything but naughty fun and pranks)
CO2 powered bb gun- this seems the most complex of all the variations, but looks like a fair bit of fun
Pneumatic gun – this one would be a monster for me, so I think its out. I’m pretty sure I’d need a machine shop and a lot more knowhow than I currently possess.

Net gun – there seem to be some instructables for this. They’re variations on potato cannons.

Minigun – Nerf gun with some brass-looking barrels should suffice for this

I’ll add some links to Instructables I might well be using for these or other projects here just so I can better keep track of them.

Cane Fightin’

A Victorian gentleman and his walking stick are a formidable fighting force. A Victorian Lady and her parasol are equally deadly…especially when she’s packing a hidden pistol in a spring sleeve.

http://lacannevigny.wordpress.com/

Flash Paper Shooter Stuff

http://www.instructables.com/id/Handheld-Fireball-Launcher-Magic-Trick/?ALLSTEPS
http://www.instructables.com/id/Fireball-Shooter/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Incline-activated-Fireball-Shooter/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Special-Effects-Fireball-Shooter/
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Flash-Paper-Magic-Trick-Fireballs-N/

Flamethrowers

http://www.instructables.com/id/Pocket-sized-Multicolored-Flamethrowers-Easy-Refil/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Wrist-Mounted-Flamethrower/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Pyro-glove-wrist-mounted-flamethrower/?ALLSTEPS

Motion Sensing Fun

http://www.instructables.com/id/Hacking-a-PIR-motion-sensor-for-use-as-a-triggerin/

Fun Lights

http://www.instructables.com/id/Old-Tyme-Glass-Lights/

Phony Victrola
http://www.instructables.com/id/Gramophone-dock-AKA-Shiny-Metal-Papercraft/

Spring sleeve stuff

https://www.youtube.com/user/imdeepainreborn/videos

Potential Power Sources:
http://www.instructables.com/id/12-Volt-Battery-Hack!-You_ll-be-Surprised…/

Iris Door/Vault
http://www.instructables.com/id/Stargate-Privacy-Vault/

Pneumatic Guns

http://www.instructables.com/id/Intro-19/?ALLSTEPS

Cane Ideas

http://brassgoggles.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,8004.150.html

Other sources/inspiration/emulatable mad geniuses:

http://www.instructables.com/member/Kipkay/
http://www.instructables.com/member/NightHawkInLight?show=INSTRUCTABLES
http://www.instructables.com/member/Random_Canadian/?show=INSTRUCTABLES
http://www.instructables.com/member/The%20King%20of%20Random?show=INSTRUCTABLES
http://www.instructables.com/member/randofo?show=INSTRUCTABLES
http://www.wolfsprojectfiles.com/index.php
https://sites.google.com/site/steampunkretrofuturedesignsmd/
https://www.youtube.com/user/imdeepainreborn/videos

Static Electricity Fun
http://www.instructables.com/id/350kv-Van-de-Graaff-Generator/?ALLSTEPS
http://www.instructables.com/member/nickademuss/?show=INSTRUCTABLES
http://nighthawkinlight.wonderhowto.com/how-to/make-static-electricity-generator-shock-anything-and-fry-electronics-with-just-touch-0137807/
http://www.examiner.com/list/lightning-a-jar-how-to-make-a-leyden-jar-with-kitchen-materials
http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-A-Water-Leyden-Jar/
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/fun-fly-stick-static-generator.html

Machine Shop tools
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-Three-Axis-CNC-Machine-Cheaply-and-/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Mini-Metal-Lathe-1/

Sources

http://www.gemmary.com/

I welcome other ideas and sources.

A selection of Quotes in Honor of H. L. Mencken’s Birthday

14 Sunday Sep 2014

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H.L. Mencken is a favorite author of mine. I found that I missed his birthday (Sept 12th), but I’d still like to post a selection of his quotes:

“The chief difference between free capitalism and state socialism seems to be this: that under the former a man pursues his own advantage openly, frankly and honestly, whereas under the latter he does so hypocritically and under false pretenses.”

“Conscience is a mother-in-law whose visit never ends.”

“The most costly of all follies is to believe passionately in the palpably not true. It is the chief occupation of mankind.”

“The government consists of a gang of men exactly like you and me. They have, taking one with another, no special talent for the business of government; they have only a talent for getting and holding office. Their principal device to that end is to search out groups who pant and pine for something they can’t get and to promise to give it to them. Nine times out of ten that promise is worth nothing. The tenth time is made good by looting A to satisfy B. In other words, government is a broker in pillage, and every election is sort of an advance auction sale of stolen goods.”

“The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out for himself, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane and intolerable….”

“Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.”

“Women have a hard time of it in this world. They are oppressed by man-made laws, man-made social customs, masculine egoism, the delusion of masculine superiority. Their one comfort is the assurance that, even though it may be impossible to prevail against man, it is always possible to enslave and torture a man.”

And one last one:

“If, after I depart this vale, you ever remember me and have thought to please my ghost, forgive some sinner and wink your eye at some homely girl.”

Raise a glass to this insightful curmudgeon. Better still, read his works while sipping from it.

An Article on Pointshooting by Col. Charles Askins

12 Friday Sep 2014

Posted by Obsession Engine in Firearms

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Tags

Firearms, History

Here’s a fun article on point shooting by Col. Charles Askins.

Throwback Thursday: Point Shooting – American Rifleman.

Askins was a U.S. Border Patrol agent, served in the U.S. Army, was a competitive shooter, and hunted big game whenever and wherever possible.  He was quite accustomed to violence, writing in his memoir Unrepentent Sinner that he was involved in one gunfight a week while with the Border Patrol.  He was quite probably a sociopath, and could easily be cast as either an antihero or a villain in a novel or roleplaying game.

It Don’t Mean a Thing if You ain’t got that Swing!

11 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by Obsession Engine in Exercise, Fitness

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Exercise, Fitness

I’ve wondered why I keep tweaking my back when I’m doing my kettlebell swings and this post over on T-Nation has finally clued me in.

Proper form is incredibly important for a lot of exercises. If something’s hurting, its time to step back and evaluate. A simple change in form and a temporary reduction in weight can often fix a near-crippling problem.

This is a short post since my work schedule is pretty tight at present, but I’ll leave you all with this as compensation.

So I got tagged on one of those Facebook “List 10 books” things…

09 Tuesday Sep 2014

Posted by Obsession Engine in Books

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books

“List ten books that have stayed with you in some way. Don’t take more than a few minutes and don’t think too hard.”

It took me more than 10 minutes to type this out and add all the links, but I think the exercise was worth it.

From childhood:

1. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. Neat lady from a family of naturalists. Not everyone can answer the question, “What was your first pet?” with “A turkey vulture.”

2. Stormy by Jim Kjelgaard. I was a sucker for any “outdoorsy” book that was available in the school library or those book order sheets that used to be passed out in grade school classrooms. My parents very graciously supported my book habit and I am thankful.

3. Conan the Barbarian. I read a lot of sword and sorcery stuff. Howard’s Conan is one I keep going back to. I enjoy his Solomon Kane stories, too, and have Sailor Steve Costigan, El Borak, and his horror stories on my to-read pile as well.

4. The Dungeon Master’s Guide Gary Gygax not only provided a way for me to spend many hours rolling dice, but the book had a fabulous reading list that pointed me towards a lot more great books. Mostly fantasy, but I read some Greek and Norse mythology, a little history, and some “What life in a castle was like”-type books as well.

5. The Joy of Sex. Whenever I was at my Uncle’s house, I’d sneak off to read this or gawk at whatever Playboys my Uncle had in his magazine rack.

6. The Reader’s Digest Do It Yourself Manual This is what I read at my Uncle’s when I couldn’t slink off and read the Joy of Sex.

Okay, so we have Conan, dogs, outdoor stuff, tools, and Playboy magazines…pretty normal for a growing boy thus far. That’ll change.

High School years:

7. Kurt Saxon’s Poor Man’s James Bond Honestly, I’m not sure where this particular crazy train started. I got my hands on one book, maybe the Anarchist’s Cookbook, and started working my way through the bibliography. When I spotted this at the local army surplus store, I snatched it up and didn’t look back. For some reason, Kurt Saxon’s stuff sticks with me, even when his technical info is dead wrong. I used to love reading the various “Revenge” books by George Hayduke as well.

8. How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler. I was already using most of the reading tricks the book proposes, so I didn’t get much there. It was through Adler, however, that I found the Great Books program, and that’s exposed me to a lot of books I wouldn’t have known about as well as help me recognize the roots of various ideas and schools of thought. Like the Dude’s rug, it really helped tie the room together. I write notes in the margins of books, too, at Adler’s suggestion, and it really has helped with retention of knowledge.

9. The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. I enjoy Lovecraft and all things of the Cthulhu mythos and this is my favorite Lovecraft story. The Dreams in the Witch House is probably second.

10. Lucifer’s Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. If you’re a sci fi fantasy geek, preparedness/survival nut, and love books (the book nerd winds up saving the town with his engineering and chemistry skills), what’s not to like about this one? I used to read it about once a year for about a decade, and feel I’m due to read it again.

Well, that’s my 10. Ask me on a different day and I might rattle off a completely different list that could contain such gems as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Arnold: the Education of a Body Builder, Anton LaVey’s The Devil’s Notebook, and the Bible.

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