Author: M.W.Chase

At the Mountains of Madness, the Movie

Well, it looks like the Cthulhu mythos of H.P. Lovecraft is finally coming the big screen, as the movie script of At the Mountains of Madness is currently being passed around the Hollywood big wigs. Let’s just hope Hollywood can do it right… And if they don’t, I’ll call Yog-Sothoth...

Steampunk at Dragon*Con 2010

I truly regret the fact that I’m going to miss Dragon*Con 2010, and the insufferable agony is only exacerbated by the fact that there will be a motley presence of fellow steampunk frea… I mean geeks… attending this year. From the release on Dragon*Con’s Daily Dragon: “Don’t miss “The Steampunk...

On the Dilution of Steampunk

Clint Wolf of the Satellite Show rants about the “Scope Creep” of Steampunk, and I heartily agree. I’ve been noticing this gradual scope creep too, and it has tended to give me a bit of an uneasy feeling these past few years. There seems to be such a profusion of...

Capitalization of Fantasy Race Names, Redux

I have revised my essay on the Capitalization of Fantasy Race Names. With further consideration and additional research, I have determined that my original conclusion — that the race name should be treated as a proper noun — was wrong. Instead, fantasy race names are really common nouns, and in...

Lots of Earth-like Planets

Wow. We all knew the launch of the Kepler Telescope would likely reveal a few interesting  Earth-like planets that might be capable of harboring life. I don’t think anyone expect hundreds of Earth-like planet candidates to be discovered within a year of its operation. But no one, not even NASA,...

Victorian Sci-Fi and Steampunk Blog

I recently stumbled upon this rather stupendous blog called Yours in White Wine Sauce! which has nothing to do with wine or wine sauces (much to the chagrin of many visiting chefs and wine aficionados), but rather, a plethora of Victorian-esque science fiction and steampunk subject matter. The blog claims...

Abney Park – Airship Pirates video

Here’s a nice high quality video of Abney Park playing their most excellent steampunk shanty, Airship Pirates, at  the Edison Club. Check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri3zPE5OqJg Be sure to observe their outfits and instruments. This is what makes steampunk rock… Literally.

Yet Another Article on Steampunk

The Economist partner site More Intelligent Life is carrying an article on, well, steampunk. It seems everyone these days is talking about steampunk, which will either burn it out or make it more popular. I’m hoping for the latter, but humans are fickle creatures. Anyway, you can read the article...

Show Me the Mummy!

Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, who might as well be known as “Zahi the Great and Mighty Curator of Upper and Lower Egypt”, now has his very own television show. Premiering July 14th at 10pm on the History Channel, “Chasing Mummies” is basically...

Steampunk Down Under

The Aussie newspaper, The Age, as an impressively long article on the Steampunk scene in Melbourne. The article goes into detail on the appeal of Victorian aesthetics, historical reenactment, “cosplay”, LARPing, and the various do-it-yourself steampunk projects by various Melbourne enthusiasts. One featured enthusiast is Stirling Gill with his Mad...