Adventures in Victorian Science Fiction & Steampunk with ramblings about Aeronefs, Dirigibles, Land Ironclads, Anarchists, Dinosaur Hunting, Terranefs, Aquanefs, Mad Scientists, electric contraptions and steam conveyances. It may not make sense, but there will be claret and a nice cheese board at the end. Tally-Ho and "Vôtre dans une sauce au vin blanc!"
It started with this concept poster art, but sadly (...and despite the vast potential this wonderful vision has) it didn't come to fruition. Until now that is....
A brilliant amateur filmaker has concocted this wonderous story of zeppelins, powered air-fighting craft, brave heroes and pterodactyls.
Back from Astro'neffing in Aether-space, I have discovered this wonderful Steampunk movie made in Australia!:
The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello
The First Voyage - Jasper Morello and the Lost Airship This Being the First Voyage of Jasper Morello, Aeronaut of the 3rd Royal Cartographers, and his Journal Recording of the Mysterous Predicament Involving the Lost Airship, Hieronymous. Set in a world of iron dirigibles and steam powered computers, this gothic horror mystery tells the story of Jasper Morello, a disgraced aerial navigator who flees his Plague-ridden home on a desperate voyage to redeem himself. The chance discovery of an abandoned dirigible leads Jasper through unchartered waters to an island on which lives a terrifying creature that may be the cure for the Plague. The journey back to civilization is filled with horrors but in a shocking climax, Jasper discovers that the greatest horror of all lies within man himself.
Who is Mr. Jasper Morello? (from the official website)
Navigator, 3rd Royal Cartographers, Difference Engine Operator 2nd Class. Morello’s career was in some doubt after the collision at Weather Station 2C41 in the Lawrencian quarter, and the subsequent loss of a crew member. Re-instated to the Resolution, after pressure was applied by his wife, Mrs. Amelia Morello [surviving daughter of Rear Admiral Balthazar Fortinbras of the Royal Navy] and her society connections. Protest by Captain Griswald has been duly noted.
To continue this week's Astronef theme, I thought I would bring to your attention a wonderful story of adventure of a newly wed couple as they explore th solar system in the first man-made extraplanetary vehicle. Volcanoes, monsters and thrills await you in this classic story by George Griffith, whom you may recall wrote the fantastic 'Angel of the Revolution'. Also with some very fine illustrations, a few of which I can included here.
Unlike Fineas Fogg (who took 80 days), it seems that people have enjoyed visiting the old White Wine Sauce from around the globe in the last 2 weeks.
To that end I have added a CustrMap which records the origin of visitors and makes for intriguing perusal. You can find it at the bottom of the left hand frame, but here is another direct link to it. It gets updated every so often depending on the rate of visitors here.
Anyway, have a look and compare the map to the other places in the furthest flung corners of the Empire you may have visited, accompanied by a glass of the regionally brewed heart starter and a local lovely!
For those who saw yesterday's entry, but have never seen the 1902 movie "Le Voyage dans la Lune", here is a version on Youtube which has an English voice over.
Incidentally, its been rated as one of the 101 movies you should see before you die. (Not that I'm trying to help you on your way of course...)
And moving pictures is a White Wine 1st also - ahhh the marvels of modern science!
This entry is dedicated to Ogrefencer, who I know will be frothing at the mouth in anticipation of the next VSF installment: Astronef!
I found this beauty online today, a model of the spacecraft from the classic 1902 movie "Le Voyage dans la lune" ("A Trip to the Moon")
SCALE: 1/32
MEDIUM: Resin
ABOUT THE DESIGN
In 1902, French magician/filmmaker Georges Melies stunned the world with the world's first major science-fiction film, "La Voyage dans la Lune" ("A Trip to the Moon"). Based on Jules Vernes' classic 1865 novel "From the Earth to the Moon," the fanciful film featured as its centerpiece a manned shell (named "Columbia" in the original Vernes novel) that was literally fired at the moon from a giant cannon (based in Paris in the movie instead of the novel's original Florida launch site.) The shell/spacecraft striking the "Man in the Moon" in the eye is one of the cinema's most famous images.
ABOUT THE KIT
This Herb Deeks all-resin kit consisted of just two pieces: the solid resin "Columbia" shell and the textured "moon base." Both the kit and the nameplate incorrectly date the source film as 1903 instead of 1902. (The box also calls this a "Moon Rocket" although, having no independent means of propulsion, there's nothing "rocket"-like about it.) This model was built from an original issue.
Here is a man who may have read this article and taken it a little too much to heart - the website of Dr Phineas Waldolf Steel widely proclaims both his insanity and his unashamed desire to become World Emperor:
Hello, my name is Dr. Phineas Waldolf Steel and I'm crazy. At least that's what they tell me. It's a real load off of my mind too. I mean you can get away with pretty much anything if you're bonkers. It really relieves a lot of pressure and responsibility for me.
What I've noticed about being insane is the fact that most people really don't want to acknowledge insanity. You can walk down the street talking to yourself (or little dancing bears that no one else sees) and people violently avoid eye contact. "Keep walking, don't look at the crazy guy. Act like you don't see him." You become invisible because people just don't want to deal with what they don't understand. Life is too busy to try and stop someone from having a conversation with a fire hydrant. And being crazy isn't illegal. You won't even be placed into an insane asylum unless you try to hurt yourself or others (note: that also includes trying to burn down your ex-employers toy company).
There are a lot of things I like about being crazy, but one of my favorites things has to be the fact that I don't have to be anything that the world expects me to be. If I feel like crawling around on the floor and barking during a business meeting, so be it. I'm nuts. If I feel like spouting off conspiracy theories involving the Alien Illuminati or that I will one day become World Emperor, then that's just to be expected. After all, I'm complete wacko. and it's rather convenient.
But really, we shouldn't be too critical of this character. Its wackos like him who construct vast armadas of armoured aero-mobiles crewed by brainwashed morons, which naturally provides heroic adventurers like ourselves opportunities for glory, excitement, medals and seducing beautiful women. So do your career a favour and like the good doctor's website suggests:
Support Dr. Steel's plans for world domination today!
Maltese intelligence operatives, in the pay of Mssr Betts (naturally), have detected a new threat to the Knights in their Maltese bastion. This latest terror of Johnny Turk Esq comes not from his usual Germanic allies, however, and is sourced from the self proclaimed land of Liberty.
Mssr Betts says: "Perfectly simple explanation. After the kidnapping of Mrs. Pericardis /Sheikh Rajzuli incident in North Africa which led to the US Marines landing in Tripoli, Sheikh Rajzuli , who turned out to be a hero and a Scotsman, was appointed War Minister to the Ottoman Emperor, and promptly went about using Mrs. Pericardis' (by now Mrs. Rajzuli) influence with her cousin, Josiah Woodward Rockfeller, to get a modern American Aeronef donated to the Ottoman Navy in a bid to outdo the Germans, who were in the meantime harangued by the German knights into withholding military aid for the Ottomans. All very clear, see, and I didn't even have to mention Sheikh Rajzuli's booming tartan fez industry."
Well, thats as clear as I think it will get for the next little while anyway...!
Deeper delving into the intracies of the Turkish Admiralty indicate that this new Nef is to be commissioned as the Hasan Osman, after an Ottoman Captain of an Anatolian galleass of the left wing at the Battle of Lepanto.
You certainly are very industrious lately V, I'm envious :-P
"A complete guide for a Gentleman's conduct in all his relations in Society". By Cecil B. Hartley ("from the best French, British and Ameircan Authorities") and published in 1873. This would seem to imply that there are American authorities on Etiquette...an intriguing concept indeed!
This book may be of particular usefulness for the traveller abroad for extended periods and returning to London having temporarily forgotton one's Ps and Qs.
Also highly recommended for those, ahem gentlemen, from Colonial regions of the Empire and whose ballroom behaviour may involve slightly more brandy, combustion and removal of trousers than is normally acceptable in more civilised company.
Found this great page which has online archive of our collection of original Harper's Weekly newspapers (Harper's weekly was the most important source of news during the US Civil War)
"M. OLIVIER DE JALIN sends to the French Le Monde Illustre drawings of a submarine vessel which we reproduce on this page, abridging his description. There has just been finished, he says, at Mobile a very curious little vessel, designed by Mr. Anstilt, which seems capable of destroying any ship in the world.
It is of iron, 23 yards long. The interior is divided longitudinally by a partition into two portions: in the upper one are the machinery, armament, rudders, and reservoirs of compressed air; in the lower are chambers to hold air or water, as the case may demand, coal-bunkers, provision-lockers, and the like. On the deck, which is hermetically closed, are pipes for discharging air and steam, a smoke-stack, and a look-out, the upper part of which is of thick glass. The motive-power is a screw, worked either by steam or by electricity"
I must say that I have been rather stunned to have over 400 hits in less than a week.
I never realised that my humble little White Wine Sauce blog generated that much attention!
One feature of sitemeter allows you to see where your visiotrs are in the world. This week, not only have I had visits from expected nations such as US (including Hawaii, Guam and the Marshall Islands) and Great Britain and her colonies of Australia, New Zealand and Canada, but also farther afield from Ireland, Spain, Germany, France, Holland, Finland, Sweden, Italy, Malta, Japan, Iran, Egypt and Argentina (please excuse me if I missed your country- it only saves data from the last 100 visits).
So once again thank you for your patronage, and I'll endeavour to post the same amusing rubbish to keep you entertained. To celebrate I have given the 'ol White Wine Sauce a bit of a facelift - lemme know what you think.
. One of the nifty features of the new Sitemeter, is that one can see which webpages refer your vistors to your web paqe. This naturally leads to further exploration and discovery of new VSF goodness, like the Steampunk Forum. Enjoy!
Quickly following up their latest release, Vanvlak Industries has revealed the second model in their Heavy Dig Bomber line.
This dig complements the previous model by providing dedciated rearward gunnery - operate them in formations to provide a complete arc of fire from those pesky Interceptors!
This steroscopic image of the protype model, shows a crate from the German Langue of the Knights of Malta.
I recently met and have enjoyed correspondance with a wonderful chap named Yuri over at the brassgoggles steampunk forum.
