great article, it really made me want to post.

Re: Steam Tractors used to make Crop Circles as Cosmic Communication Device (22 July 2006) by Anonymous

I seem to recall that there was a proposal to do the Pythagorean square/triangle diagram thing in the middle of a desert (Sahara? Gobi? Mojavie? Your choice) for just this reason. It may have been carried in the old copies of Boys Own Papers (c 1895 or so) that showed up in a Boy Scout paper drive in the 50's. Or in the old collection of pre war (thats WW 1) "science for the masses" magazines that were in a box in the attic of my Uncle Helmar's ranch house when I spent the summer there in 1954.

Whatever, thats where I first heard about this Greek fellow Pythagorous & his square/triangle thing. Probably an early reinforcement of the endless possibilities of Science that seem to have had a firm grip on my mental GPS (Great Possibilities of Science?) ever since.

So it would seem to me that A's idea has a basis (or at least predcessor) going back some while. Maybe some followers of the true early prognostigators of civilization (such as H.G.Wells, E.R.Burroughs, Jules Verne, Mark Twain, et al.) could tell us if there was a story written on a similar premis.

How did A get on with her/his early lightening bolt of an idea? More than 2 years now. Any reports of Steam Tractors building square/triangle crop circles lately?

Love to hear more! Loves a good clankin tale I do!

N I Love BrassGoggles since I discovered you last year! Congratulations on turning a steam powered idea into a first class steam powered Blog! More Huzzahs for applying your continuing energies in keeping it going in spite of internet glitches, termites in your wood fired steam powered difference engine, loss of connections (obviously alien in origin), & other horrors along the way!

Best of Luck! Steam Powered of course!

Rafe03,
4th class lurker & steam operator!

PS;
Going to your archives is better than a dose of salts to clear up my view of reality!
Rafe03

No, it's an open idea -- I welcome (and appreciate) your input. Maybe over time a "community story" will develop -- many hands make light work!

The current status: shortly after the discovery of the Martian Canals a decision is made to create a similar sign for the Martians. A suitable area is chosen (astronomers, chime in) and a Pythagorean square/triangle diagram is carved into the earth. This will demonstrate our knowledge of trigonometry, elementary geometry, and our ability to create large structures visible from another planet with only a small telescope (of the size used to see the Martian canals). Similar telescope can be had today for a pittance (a 60mm refractor from the discount house far exceeds the capabilities to be had "in the day").

I'll keep it going, but now I see that research and background is the major gruntwork of novel writing!

It\'s ok - I too leap into ideas with both feet. It\'s more exciting that way.
If you took the general history of the Martian canals as a starting point, then you\'d be looking to set such an idea somewhere between 1877 and 1903 - of course, because it\'s Steampunk the canals could (and probably would) be quite real and not debunked at all. Of course, throw in Babbage\'s analytical engine, and Ada Lovelace\'s programming skills and you could have them both using the computer to work out a hidden message in the positions of the canals. (Despite the death of Babbage in 1871, you\'d have to be, um, creative with the lifespans.)

But here I go - it\'s your idea, and a fun one it is. I hope you have a bit of fun with it yourself - maybe you\'ll end up writing a story, or making a comic or something. I\'m all in favour of more Steampunk content out there!

:grin: I've always been like that. I get an idea and it starts to populate itself almost immediately.

I agree: crop circles is wrong, I was using the concept and not thinking of the chronicity. But your logic is sound. Perhaps the way it should start is with the discovery of the Martian canals, and our attempt to reproduce them as a way of alerting them that we're here. "See? We can do that, too."

The landing strip is RIGHT OUT. Thank you for the VTOL mention!

*chuckles* Goodness gracious - the muse has you firmly in it\'s grasp. It\'s an interesting premise, but I\'d have a concern or two - primarily that \'crop circles\' are a relatively new idea and that they can generally only be seen from the sky. You could argue that structures like the White Horse art in Britain, and the Nazca lines in South America would be prior example, but those were created by \'primative\' people for uncertain use. The 3rd dimension was only just becoming available to the Victorians with their balloons.
I suppose it could still be argued. I mean, there was belief that there were giant canal systems on Mars - and if we could see their canals, why couldn\'t they see ours? With all the canal work being done (at least in the UK) at the time, someone with enough influence could have changed their paths to have them create some kind of sign for the Martians, I suppose.

White Horse:
http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/majorsites/u...

Nazca Lines:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazca_lines

Martian Canals:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canals_of_Mars

Well, I believe I\'ve just argued my way into your background idea - intially I thought it was a bit too modern, with crop circles and aliens - but if it were canals and Martians, then it sits with the Victorian fiction/fact of the time quite nicely.
As for the landing strip - none of our vehicles required a landing strip at that time - balloons and imaginary rockets to the moon were all VTOL. There would be no assumption of landing strip requirement :)

Keep at it though, if it\'s still got you in it\'s grasp. I\'m afraid I don\'t have any handy writers with a lack of setting ideas just hanging around, but maybe someone else who reads this will be struck with inspiration. :)

Okay, I've thought more about this. In order to create a "crop circle" large enough to be seen from space lots more "tech" (and room) is required. That justifies the use of steam power: to reconfigure a large expanse of the American Midwest (or other large, flat area). So steam tractors, bulldozers, earth movers, and whatnot would be fully engaged to construct our "message to the stars."

Naturally, we'd also have to provide a suitable "landing strip" for our invited guests -- thus also requiring suitable machinery. It's actually quite a large project when you think it through...and one with little hope of return -- unless some indicator might have been detected first! First Contact with a Diode Detector, perhaps?! Decoding a downlink on a difference engine, maybe?!

Gosh, maybe I have a future as a steampunk author after all! :grin: Well, at least as an idea generator...or maybe not. Your feedback is welcomed. Perhaps we could build a little alternate steampunk universe and populate it with your balloooning friends (from another thread).

Or maybe it's just slightly past my bedtime and I need to have a lie down. You decide.

Oh, did I forget to mention that (to riotous laughter) we spend out time adapting the alien's magnificent technology to our steam-adapted world?

They give us a transporter beam, we kludge up a steam-powered version to transmit people a kilometer away. They give us a food replicator and we build a steam powered "microwave" cooker. And on, and on, and on....

OTOH, there's a more serious (dramatic, in lieu of funny) take on the whole scenario...but I'll leave that to YOUR imagination :WINK:

I really had no idea where to put this comment -- it just doesn't fit anywhere, and it's completely off the wall no matter what.

A few moments ago I was surfing around for various Normandy info (in particular Calvados). Then, this very weird steampunk idea struck me (sit down and get a grip):

Using steam tractors to create crop circles to draw the attention of aliens to come and visit the planet! Now, of course I realize that steam power is not required to create crop circles (indeed, no power at all). But let's not trample my premise! Here's the basis for a steampunk tale. The aliens take notice of the "15 billion served" McDonald's arches (or a giant peace sign, or whatever) and aim their super advanced technology our way. We barter our meagre technology (which fascinates them, having skipped or never discovered steam), for fantastically rich new stuff that dramatically changes our world (even tho' it's still a steam based society)! Cooo!

Anyway, it's just an idea -- if you've a writer friend pass it along. I'll never do anything with it -- but feel free to lie awake at night considering the possibilities. That's what I'll do.

Perhaps I'd better go and have a lie down. It's still early (for me) on a Friday night :grin:.

You won\'t be the only one - I\'ve bookmarked it for keeps.

Spot on, once again! I'll be scouring that site for quite some time. Excellent find, and my thanks to you for posting it.