Oh, this is fascinating

So, I'm a big fan of music (both listening and playing). I was just looking around Google for Steampunk stuff when I happened upon this:

CLICK ME!

A Steampunked guitar! Now, I am a bassist at heart, but I certainly would not mind having one of these on my person. The orb thingy at the bottom piques my interest. I'm not sure if one would actually use it for anything. Maybe the pickups are steam-powered.

It must be good for playing heavy metal.

Steamboy?

What a fascinating movie. It was really quite interesting to see Steampunk meet anime. By virtue of what I have seen in the past, there were many elements of Steampunk which were included, but also many which were left out of the picture.

To give the movie credit, it was full of action and always moving at an incredibly fast pace (typical for anime). It also employed many different kinds of advanced steam technology. These ideas were actually quite original (some were not, but there are some inventions that simply need to be included, regardless of banality).

On the other hand, though, it lacked the post-apocalyptic element that exists within Steampunk. All things considered, Steampunk is a dark genre that exposes the true innate nature of man to be inclined to evil. This was not at all the case in Steamboy. I would say that, as a family-friendly cartoon, it was good. As a Steampunk work, I am forced to say that it lacked one of the most vital elements of the genre.

Interesting sculptures

Steampunk sculptures

The little transportation-like device on the right kind of creeps me out. I imagine a decrepit old villain trying to take over the world in that thing.

Catastrophism (Blog Prompt #9)

A very common theme throughout the genre of Steampunk is that of catastrophism. The settings within most Steampunk stories tends to be somewhat post-apocalyptic. The air is dark and gloomy and society tends to have crumbled upon itself. Man, feeling the weight of this, gives in to his base desires, furthering the process.

In The Difference Engine, Iterations 3 and 4 paint a picture of a frenzied and lost society, marred by recent events. Edward Mallory journeys through England and sees many horrible things. He sees a group of children breaking shop windows in the middle of public and stealing whatever they can. One is greatly injured, but the others leave him behind. Mallory also comes across the dead body of a sailor and is almost shot by the same man who killed the sailor. Edward, too, gives in to his base passions with Hetty. Society itself seems to be crumbling under the weight of all that has happened, and it doesn't seem to be getting much better.

Setting in The Difference Engine (Blog Prompt #8)

As with all Steampunk literature, The Difference Engine takes place in London, in its darker corners. Once again, the theme is somewhat dark and gloomy. The world as we know it is completely different from what it really was at that point in time. The United States of America was divided into five countries, Texas having its own individual nation. The Ottoman empire still existed. Many things were different. It seems to be up to the reader to decipher the reasons why these things happened. However, the alternate reality is an essential part of Steampunk. With Charles Babbage’s Difference Engine having been invented, many things changed.
The story opens up in a darker area of London … a sort of red light district. This, of course, sets up a good deal of background for Sybil Gerard, at the time a prostitute. The portrayal of her environment contributes to her burning desire to escape to Paris at Dandy Mick’s suggestion. A dark setting is, of course, a common theme in all Steampunk. However, the atmosphere tends to be almost post-apocalyptic. This is not so in the novel The Difference Engine, for one reason or another. This is odd, especially considering how The Difference Engine is considered to be the quintessential Steampunk novel. However, one may consider the current (or then-current) state of affairs in the book, taking into account the divided United States and the broken state of affairs within Sybil Gerard’s life, to be, if nothing else, bordering on post-apocalyptic.

Some Characteristics of Steampunk

Within the genre of Steampunk lies a multitudinous array of characteristics. The style of writing is very gothic. The setting is generally very dark and gloomy, almost post-apocalyptic. Stories typically take place during the Victorian era. The world has either already been met with disaster or there is an impending disaster that needs to be stopped quickly. Although the era is mid-to-late 19th century, there is a wide spectrum of highly technological devices. These devices, although very advanced (even for our time), are bound by 19th century scientific developments (e.g. The Steam Engine). One of the main characters is typically a scientist, be it the protagonist or the antagonist. The genre seems to be heavily influenced by both Mary Shelley and H.G. Wells. There is also a somewhat widespread interest in the animation of nonliving matter.
Although there are more characteristics behind this genre, I cannot think of any at the moment.

Jasper Morello (Blog Prompt #7)

Steampunk can take many forms: movie, book, or apparently music. The short film The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello falls under the category of Steampunk. Among its attributes are the futuristic forms of technology, still bound by 19th century mechanics. Alongside this is the dark, post-apocalyptic air that shrouds the environment.
Within Jasper Morello are many different forms of technology. The whole of the world is in mid-air (the reason behind this is not explained) and most travel takes place through a sort of mid-air railway. This does not include the air-ships, which are aerial vehicles fashioned after the design of old sea-ships. Jasper Morello, an air-navigator, also has a compass which resides inside of a box that, when a specific button is pressed, opens up in such a way that can be counted as somewhat fancy. However, all of these pieces of equipment hold one common factor: they all seem to be steam driven. Their design is very Da Vinci-esque, so although the devices are very futuristic, their design remains bound to nineteenth century thought.
The other blatant Steampunk characteristic within Jasper Morello is the dark, gloomy, post-apocalyptic environment that envelops the world in which the characters live. The whole of the environment is foggy and in a sort of sepia tone, and all of the characters are silhouettes. A plague is spreading rapidly across the region, and it is the job of Jasper Morello and the crew with whom he sails to find a cure. The dark, somewhat gothic undertones that lie within the story are defining traits of Steampunk.

Steampunk Stories (Blog Prompt #6)

In The God Clown Is Near, by Jay Lake, the author tells the dark tale of a man named Doctor Cosimo Ferrante. He is a flesh sculptor, or builder of people. One day, he is approached by two men, the Sueno brothers, and is instructed to build a clown. This is an ordinary request for Ferrante until the brothers detail that they want him to construct a moral clown … one with horrendous strength and mental capacity. He shudders at the prospect of doing such a thing, but when he is threatened with his life, he can do nothing but comply.
At that point, Ferrante deals with a horrible moral struggle as he constructs the monstrous creature. His friend and lover Jack guides him and advises him throughout the story. He suggests that he should continue the design, but build it with a flaw. Ferrante then takes the brain of a goat and patterns the clown’s brain after that. When the brothers Sueno arrive once more to see the completed creature, Ferrante awakens it and, in a panic, it rushes out of the room, killing one of the brothers and knocking the other unconscious. While the other brother is unconscious, Ferrante cleverly slips a bubble of carbon into his carotid artery, killing him as well. He is absolved from his horrible duty, the brothers being dead, and is able to return to his normal work in the Dark Towns.
This story takes on a similar theme to Frankenstein, but instead of desiring to build the monster, Ferrante is forced into it against his will. The theme of ambition by the creator is replaced by the theme of the ambitions of one person being forced upon another. I found this theme a particularly unique one throughout the story.

Themes in Steampunk (Blog Prompt #5)

There are many basic underlying characteristics that I see in the genre of Steampunk. Obviously, Steampunk is a sort of reflective, critical genre which looks back on late 19th and early 20th century history and technology and asks the question of how life may have been had further technological advances been made. The future (or what would be the future during the Industrial Revolution) seems somewhat bleak at all times, be that with a cataclysmic invention that will send the earth hurdling into a comet or a futuristic society in which the smallest insect is, in reality, a highly complex surveillance device.
This brings me to the nature of the inventions in Steampunk. Inventions generally tend to revolve around a common theme in literature and other media. They are either imaginative inventions of convenience, inventions built off of technology already in place, or technology which leads to the downfall of society. In Lord Kelvin’s Machine, one new technology is a mere pill that, when dropped into a cup of coffee, is capable of turning a bland cup of java into something fantastic. This exemplifies a theme of modern-day convenience which runs throughout much literature. However, another common theme is the loss of privacy. In The Minutes of The Last Meeting, Russia has a system called the IIE which utilizes tiny surveillance technology to spy on anyone and everyone it so chooses. Something as simple as a cricket has become, in the novel, a model for surveillance equipment. Medical equipment has also been upgraded in ways that none could have imagined. What I find so interesting about Steampunk is that it is, in essence, a futuristic look at the past.

Themes in The Time Machine (Blog Prompt #4)

H.G. Wells uses a frame narrative in The Time Machine just as Mary Shelley does in Frankenstein. This has several effects on the reader. Unlike an omniscient, third-person narrative, we can, at times, assume a bias of sorts in the way the story is told. One might assume that the light in which certain characters is portrayed is unique to the personal preferences of the secondary narrator. Another point behind this is that the tone is set by the secondary narrator as opposed to an omniscient figure or the actual teller of the story. The story is told with a serious overtone … not as gothic as Frankenstein, though. We as readers are led to ask, then, whether this is an accurate depiction of what happened, or a literary version of the telephone game.
It also provides a somewhat personal touch, though, to the story. It makes the telling of the story seem somewhat more sentimental and meaningful when we assume the story is being told again, perhaps to us. As the stage is set, we appear to be, in the case of Frankenstein, the recipient of Walton’s letter. In The Time Machine, we are free to assume that we are sitting in front of the very same fireplace where the story of the Time Traveler is told by the man himself. In some lights, this makes the story easier to read and can even open up the story to give the reader completely different pretentions as to how the story should be read and interpreted.

Ideas (Blog Prompt #3)

Now that the world of Victor Frankenstein has come to a tragic close, there exists much room for contemplation and serious ponderings. Mary Shelley painted a tragic portrait of innocence lost, both for the protagonist and the antagonist (if there was, in fact, a protagonist and antagonist). One main idea that remains central throughout the entire story is that of the base evil of human nature. Without this factor, there would not be a story to tell. Victor’s natural ambitions turning awry led to the creation of the monster, at which point his base instinct of judgment based on first appearances led to the banishment of the monster, who was led down a path of destruction by way of the De Laceys’ same judgment, and so on and so forth. The monster himself acknowledges human nature by sarcastically praising the benevolence of men in his treatise to Frankenstein. It seems that the element of humanity remains central to the book.
Another point of curiosity is the recurring theme of unchecked ambition. Victor tells Walton his unfortunate tale to serve as a warning never to let his ambitions corrupt him. Frankenstein himself counts the creation of the monster as a product of his unhindered dreams running wild and growing corrupt. In spite of this, though, he remains adamant in his belief of his innocence.
Frankenstein also repeatedly exhibits a childlike sort of hypocrisy, expressing sentiments of responsibility of parents towards their children and warning Walton of chasing his ambitions, yet continues to live that against which he warns. A great point of irony in the novel occurs at the end of Frankenstein’s tale. He goes to great lengths to tell of the fruitless journey that took place due to his ambitions, yet he encourages Walton to continue his own journey when he is dead. It seems that there is a biting irony that exists within these last few pages.

Free Writing About Frankenstein

The ending of this tragic tale could be my favorite part of the story. Such an unhappy close seems so very unconventional, especially in our world of flowery, motivational films and novels. Something that I find unique about Shelley's work is that neither the protagonist nor the antagonist find a happy end in the novel. Victor Frankenstein meets an untimely demise after witnessing the death of all he loves while the monster condemns himself to an unhappy existence in the polar icecaps, never to achieve the happiness for which he so longed.

Overall, the monster strikes me as something to be pitied. Given, it is hard to feel pity for the monster, as there is no justification for his actions, but cannot the reader feel a sense of anger toward the wretched humans who brought him to that point of madness? After all, is he not more than an innocent child made hideous by the ways of the world? It seems, then, that the novel is driven mostly by way of exploitation of human nature's innate flaws. Frankenstein's lust for achievement led to the birth of the monster, while his and the De Laceys' shallow perceptions drove the monster to commit his heinous crimes.

Each time I read this story, there will always exist that element of frustration that wishes it knew what would have happened had Victor been more compassionate.

Themes within Frankenstein (Blog prompt #2)

As with any work, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein possesses many underlying themes. One of the main ones seen during the development of Victor Frankenstein’s character is that of the abuse of knowledge. As Victor grows more knowledgeable, he desires to become like God, creating life from inanimate matter. He succeeds, but is disgusted by what he has created, and runs in terror from the work of his hands. Frankenstein himself says, “The form of the monster on whom I had bestowed existence was for ever before my eyes, and I raved incessantly concerning him.” (74) Within this, Shelley displays a common element of human nature, in which we are doomed always to desire more than what we already have. Ambition tends to get the best of the ambitious.
Another interesting motif is the fact that the creature has not been named. This creates within the story an air of impersonality, but allows for a sense of pity to be bestowed upon Frankenstein’s monster. His lack of name gives way to the fact that he is a misunderstood being with whom the world wants nothing to do.
Finally, the greatest theme that has revealed itself thus far (at least, in my opinion) is that of innocence lost. It is seen first in Victor Frankenstein’s development from childhood to mad scientist as he attempts to create a living being with his own hands. Later on, however, it is seen in the monster itself as it watches the De Lacey family while in the woods. He embodies a sense of hope that they will see past his hideous exterior and accept him for who he is. However, he soon discovers that human nature is shallow and tends not to see past first impressions. As he leaves the presence of the horrified De Laceys, his spirits are crushed and he is left with a bitter grasp on the reality of humanity. As such, he seeks vengeance on humans, specifically his creator. As he details to Frankenstein, “For the first time, the feelings of revenge and hatred filled my bosom, and I did not strive to control them;” (165). At this point we begin to see the sad unraveling of this dark tale.

Frankenstein, Vol. 1

It is an impressive feat to take the creation of an unpleasant winter's night and turn it into one of the most well-known and beloved horror stories of all time.

Something I love about this first volume is the effort that Mary Shelley puts into creating background for what is about to happen. It is typical to dive right into a story, which is not necessarily a bad thing. However, Shelley's work demands patience and a sincere interest in exactly why the events in the novel are taking place. Whereas novels today (such as Thomas Harris's Hannibal Lecter series) demand background and explanation in later volumes, Shelley sets the stage for what is to come, which in turn provides a fuller, richer view of why certain events are taking place.

It's always exciting to see where novels like this go.

The Machine Stops

In 1909, E.M. Forster imagined a world in which man had developed vastly advanced technologies, ones which made the earth seem vastly smaller with instant communication from across the world, and ones which made work and effort a thing of the past. Although this had its upsides, Forester imagined a harsher reality where the maturation of technology led to the death of free thought as machines became sentient entities. Another important factor in his future is how these advances led to an imminent weakness which emerged from human reliance on machines. Although this future has proven a reality in some ways, it is not as grim as Forester predicted.

In today’s world, the world has indeed shrunk, as we are capable of communicating face-to-face with people from different corners of the world. At the push of a button, I am capable of communicating with a dear friend in Ratingen, Germany, from the comfort of my own home. Man is now able to cross vast distances in mere hours … distances which once would have required months or years of effort now only require a few dollars in gas or a flight ticket.

Unfortunately, this has created a desire in man to rely solely on machines whenever possible. We have, in fact, grown weaker and wiser, relying on mechanical arms to build our houses and microwave ovens to heat our meals. In Forster’s work The Machine Stops, Vashti, Kuno’s mother, spends the majority of her time confined to a resting position in which all her desires are met through the push of a button. She is incapable of visiting the outside world because her body has become so weak through lack of exposure. In fact, strength is discouraged. Although there is not so great a dependence upon technology as Forster may have predicted, his assumptions were nonetheless surprisingly accurate.

It is a common theme in modern fiction that machines will eventually become sentient beings capable of free thought and aware of their own existence. The same can be said concerning the loss of free thought in futuristic societies. This has most recently been enacted in the 2008 film “Eagle Eye.” Clearly, none of these have been fulfilled, as I am expressing to the reader my opinion on the aforementioned work. There is no “Machine” which dictates our way of life.

To be honest, it is somewhat frightening to look back a full century ago and see how horrifyingly accurate the predictions of one man were. It is fortunate, however, to say that his foresight was somewhat blurred by a vast imagination.

Goals for the course (English 1102)

Unfortunately, my goals are not so special. I am an avid writer, and as such, I plan on furthering my skill and precision in the communication of my ideas. As I am a language major, the communication of ideas is a main area of focus in what I plan on doing and should carry on throughout the rest of my life, in and out of work. Of course, I also plan on developing better and faster reading capability and comprehension.

Although my aspirations are somewhat run of the mill, they suit me quite well, I think.

Mass Media and the "Death" of Hard-Hitting Journalism

In today's society, media concentration is an unavoidably present topic. With media moguls such as News Corp.'s Rupert Murdoch at the head ofheading multiple broadcasting stations, many seem to feel that the media is becoming heavily influenced by said giants, leaving little room for smaller, locally owned broadcasting stations and newspapers. This, according to some, is headed up by the United States, who will eventually take over the media. To top it all off, the agenda-setting and gatekeeping done by these massive powerhouses will be the driving force behind the death of hard-hitting journalism. In spite of the fact that the ever-present figure of globalized media can be intimidating, there lies no immediate danger of the death of hard-hitting journalism.

The argument that the larger corporations will eventually eat up the smaller ones is in no way realistic. The larger papers such as the New York Times and the Atlanta Journal Constitution may be some of the most commonly referenced papers, but one must take into account the large amount of local news that takes place every day. The same goes for television stations. It is the job of the mass media to report the more grandiose, wide scale occurrences of our day-to-day lives while the smaller, family-owned papers and broadcasts cater to the local needs of a local community. Just imagine if USA Today attempted to report on global affairs while giving equal focus to the happenings of every city in every state in the nation. It would be impossible and a complete waste of paper.

In all of this, the United States seems to be at the forefront, establishing a westernized media world empire. This is not at all the case. Many countries, such as Japan and India, have every intention of maintaining their culture rather than adopting an American way of life (assuming that American culture would permeate into various nations via the media). For example, the Japanese culture which holds diligence and respect in such high regard might not find the snide antics of Bart Simpson as appealing as the average American family. To allow such contradictory material into the culture would be all but detrimental in their eyes.

This globalized media agenda-setting and gatekeeping will supposedly lead to the demise of hard-hitting journalism. Unfortunately, those who predict this base their stories off of media rulers, such as William Randolph Hearst of the early 20th century, who had their own political agendas. While there are ulterior motives in agenda-setting and gatekeeping, there is nowhere near the amount of intense twisting of news that we seeas is seen in Citizen Kane. At worst, the more biased newspapers and broadcasting stations work at subliminally portraying a politician of the opposite party in a negative light.

All in all, the pressure put on the smaller media by giant corporations is not nearly as large as some make it out to be. Foreign cultures are in no way in danger of being overrun by American corporations. Not only this, but smaller media outlets will remain necessary for the output of local news that larger corporations don't have space to report. Through a bit of careful analysis, it can clearly be seen that this panic about the mass media is little more than self-inflicted mass confusion.

Weblogs

Throughout history, communication and expression has been limited to letters, personal interaction, and, most recently, the telephone. All these methods of communication, though, are private. Those who wanted their opinion to be heard on a larger scale needed some form of writing prowess, musical gift, or the fortune of being born into the upper class. The weblog, in its various forms, is a magnificent method of global communication and expression, as it offers the average person the opportunity to be heard in his Atlanta neighborhood as well as in a home in St. Petersburg, Russia.
One of the biggest factors in the importance of blogging is its universally level playing field. One with poor to average writing skill has just as much of an opportunity to be heard as a direct descendant of George Herbert. Formerly, one who did not possess a natural gift or all the right connections could not be heard past his village or neighborhood. This does not mean that one who writes on a third grade level will be as readily heard as the one whose words flow more eloquently. There are obviously bloggers in who are much more widely read than others, but the mere fact that the work of the less experienced is published on a worldwide community is a gigantic step in the direction of equal opportunity.
Another even more incredible aspect of the internet community is its global outreach. Those who possess a common cause or interest in different corners of the world can now come together as a local community. This newfound opportunity can give some the ability to share interests and express themselves to others in ways which they could not with their local peer group. For example, if one who has a fondness for playing the violin lives in a community which reveres styles of music such as hip hop or punk, he or she could not enjoy the pleasures of conversing on the topic of said stringed instrument. However, with the joy of weblogs, this person might wander on the internet, searching for a peer group centered on violin technique. A wonderful feature of the average weblog community is forums, or web pages designed for discussion on a single topic. In light of this, this person might search for, or start, a forum for violinists, and whereas in his or her community this person might not be able to find a fellow violinist, now he or she is sharing violin techniques and discussing famous violinists with a friend in Shanghai.
In conclusion, the global weblog community does, in fact, offer many outlets for communication and expression which were formerly unattainable. It allows for equal readability as well as a global network through which people who would otherwise have never met can come together and share ideas.

Cairncross?

Although Cairncross’s view on home-office intermixing holds some truth in light of the newfound ability to work at home via the internet, the office still remains the principle workplace. Among her other various predictions, Frances Cairncross anticipated that with the advancement of the Internet and other forms of telecommunication, the office would not only find its way into the home, but would somehow become intermixed with it. She believed that the home would become a place of work, and the office a place of rest and recreation. Cairncross’s views were undoubtedly backed by the then-current advancement of the internet in the late 20^th century which gave the typical American worker the opportunity to accomplish at home what could formerly be done only at the workplace. This created a great desire to master the internet. 

However, it can be seen that, in spite of technological advancements which make working at home easier, the average American still prefers to keep the home a separate entity from the office.