Seattle’s first steampunk convention is right around the corner and while steampunk has been becoming more and more popular there are still plenty of people who are completely unfamiliar with the genre. This week we muddy the waters bring some helpful information and discussion on steampunk in general as well as interview some of the guests and organizers behind SteamCon including Guest of Honor Tim Powers and Art Guest of Honor Paul Guinan.
Plus the weekly geek news and Seattle area geek events.
Our Geek Week
♦Children of the Night by Dan Simmons audiobook
- Next audiobook up is Infected by Scott Sigler
♦reading Happy Hour of the Damned by Mark Henry
♦reading Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
♦Kingdom Hearts 358/2 on the DS
♦Shannon’s World of Warcraft account has expired 
♦revamped the Seattle Geekly website (You’re soaking in it!)
♦Discovering Ardi the Discovery Channel special on the Ardipithecus ramidus skeleton discovered in Ethiopia
♦Norwescon 33 ConCom meeting
Steampunk Madness
♦Oxford Museum of the History of Science‘s steampunk exhibit runs October 13, 2009 – February 21, 2010 if you happen to be in England.
- If you don’t happen to be in England, check out Wired UK’s slideshow from the exhibit
♦Tor books is having a Steampunk month which includes blog posts with Diana Vick, Abney Park and various steampunk authors
Steampunk band list from Matrix-Online
(by no means an exhaustive list)
- Abney Park
- Vernian Process
- Unextraordinary Gentlemen
- Vagabond Opera
- Rasputina
- The Peculiar Pretzelmen
- Skeleton Key
- The Decemberists
- The Birthday Massacre
- The Dresden Dolls
- Johnny Hollow
- Beat Circus
- Bat For Lashes
Photo by DJWudi
Steampunk Resources
- SteampunkCostume.com
- Seattle Steamrats “Steam Vents” – A regular casual meetup to shoot the breeze, exchange ideas, and trade military secrets 7-10pm every Monday night at the Wayward Coffeehouse 8570 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle
- If you aren’t in Seattle, check Meetup.com for a group near you. Put Steampunk in the topic, and your zip code
- Steampunk You Tube Group
- Steampunk groups on Flickr
October Steampunk Events
- Scarehouse in Pittsburgh
- Abrons Arts Center Henry Street Settlement’s Steampunk Haunted House in New York
- The Transylvanian Ball in Portland, OR – Ball dress of the Victorian/Steampunk/Ancien Regime is encouraged!
SteamCon Interviews
♦Diana Vick, chairwoman of Steamcon
♦Dmitri Arbacaukas of Tormented Artifacts
♦Paul Guinan & Anina Bennett creators of Boilerplate: History’s Mechanical Marvel
♦Author and steampunk trail-blazer Tim Powers
October Horror Movies
This week Shannon reviews
Non si deve profanare il sonno dei morti (aka Living Dead at Manchester Morgue, aka Let Sleeping Corpses Lie) (1974) recommended by @RevenantMag
and The Attic Expeditions (aka Horror in the Attic) (2001) recommended by @KaneBlaireau
- Previously reviewed
- Alien Raiders (2008) recommended by Joe C
- Murder Party (2007) recommended by Captan Slinky
- Grace (2009) recommended by @posiegirl
- Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971) recommended by @donbcivil
- The movies for the rest of the month are (in no particular order)
- Le locataire (aka The Tennant) (1976) recommended by @gamewatcher
- The Children (2008) recommended by Jenna
- The Barber (2001) recommended by @CassieTownsend
- Carnival of Souls (1962) recommended by Wayne M
News
♦Wizards of the Coast’s Early 2010 Releases
♦Alaska Legislature Targets Anime For Censorship
♦Box 13 coming to the iPhone on Comixology
♦Dark Horse Comics’ Hellboy and Umbrella Academy Now Available on the iPhone
♦The 2nd Seattle Geekly Game Night Announced! October 23, 2009 6 – 8pm or later Green Lake Games 7509 Aurora Ave N Seattle. Join us and some friends at Greenlake Games for an evening of boardgaming. Drop by and possibly win a prize! We may hang out at one of the bars or Beth’s Cafe after. Thanks to Jeremy and his crew for letting us have it there!
♦Seattle Geekly Trivia Night at Neptune Coffee Announced! November 6, 2009 8 – 10pm Neptune Coffee 8415 Greenwood Ave N Seattle – Whedonverse Trivia Night with Seattle Geekly! Join us as we host a night of trivia covering Buffy (the series and the movie), Angel, Firefly, Serenity, Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible and maybe even some Astonishing X-Men! Test your knowledge and win some prizes!
Events
Conventions
- October 23 – 25, 2009 – SteamCon – Sea-Tac, WA
- October 24, 2009 – Bellingham ComiCon – Bellingham, WA
Events
- October 16 – 17, 2009 Grand Illusion Cinema 1403 NE 50th St Seattle – Screening daily at 11pm: DR. DEATH: SEEKER OF SOULS
- October 16 – 18, 2009 The Galaxy Theatre 4649 Point Fosdick Dr NW Gig Harbor, WA Gig Harbor Film Festival – Among other great films, this is another chance to see “Enigma” (which played at MIFFF this year and is really cool!) at 4:45pm on Sat Oct 17th. The filmmakers will be there for a Q&A afterward as well.
- October 16 – 22, 2009 Grand Illusion Cinema 1403 NE 50th St Seattle – Screening daily at 7pm: THE SEVEN FACES OF DR. LAO and at 9pm: JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS
- October 17, 2009 2pm Barnes & Noble Crossroads 15600 NE 8th Ave Suite Q1, Bellevue – Fantasy author and artist Brom signs his new book The Child Thief
- October 17, 2009 8pm – 10pm Wayward Coffeehouse 8570 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle – Sci-Fi/Fantasy Author Reading Series with Kij Johnson
- October 17, 2009 10am Gary’s Games 8539 Greenwood Ave N Seattle – Ellis: Kingdom in Turmoil. Here’s you chance to try out and shape the design of a soon-to-be published RPG. Designed by Gary’s Games’ own Tim Morgan, he’ll be running the game, teaching new players how it works and even introducing pen-and-paper roleplaying to new players. Anyone of any skill level is welcome.
- October 17, 2009 4:00 – 6:00pm Games Workshop 10031 Holman Rd Northwest Suite B Seattle – The Invasion of Middenheim: Warhammer Fantasy Legendary Battle. Play in a mini-escalation league from 4-6pm on Wed-Friday, and then recreate the siege of Middenheim with your own models! Outrageous scenery, special characters written specifically for the fight, and crazy prizes!
- October 17, 2009 Pasco Red Lion Inn 2525 N 20th Ave, Pasco WA – Tri-City Independent/Fan Film Festival
- October 22, 2009 The Can Can 94 Pike Street Seattle – Steampunk music night with Toy Box Trio and Robert Rial’s Bakelite 78. $5 cover, 21 and over. Advance tickets are available on on Brown Paper Tickets and are recommended.
- October 22, 2009 El Corazon 109 Eastlake Ave E Seattle – MC Chris, Whole Wheat Bread and I Fight Dragons show. Aggressively non-nerdcore rapper MC Chris, punk rockers Whole Wheat Bread and 8-bit video game rockers I Fight Dragons play live
- October 22, 2009 5:30pm Third Place Books 17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA – Cinda Williams signs her latest book The Demon King
Contests
We have two SIGNED copies of Trial of Flowers by Jay Lake to give away!
The ancient and decadent City Imperishable teeters on the verge of obliteration in this inventive fantasy from the prolific Lake, if not from the armies marching toward its gates, then from the dark, bloodthirsty gods reawakening within its walls. Three haunted and imperfect men must stand against the destruction of everything they know.
–Publisher’s Weekly
“How do I enter?”
Please register / log in to our website, and leave a comment on THIS POST. You can just say “hi” or whatever you like. Please only comment once and keep it PG. We’ll delete any multiple or offensive posts.
The contest will end at 11:59 PM, October 18, 2009 and we’ll be picking the winner October 19, 2009. We will notify you by email that you’ve won! Please use a REAL email address when you register so we can find you! If I get an “undeliverable” message, we’ll have to pick a new winner!
“How will you randomly pick someone?”
We have D&D dice of all shapes and sizes, even a 100 sider! We’ll roll and see who wins!
Music
Music this week was Airship Pirate and Herr Drosselmyers Doll from Abney Park
Next Week’s show: Goth Culture – We’re going to check on the goth culture movement with author Jillian Venters, DJ Eternal Darkness and others!
Legal Stuff
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