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Vorpal Bandersnatch
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« Reply #425 on: June 28, 2010, 07:00:19 pm » |
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The idea of taking over an old coal-mining town is pretty appealing, though, especially since we might be able to "liberate" some abandoned mines and repurpose them, possibly. Sure, we'd need to be really on the ball about tunnel maintenance, but wow!
Questionable legality, very dirty, and dim lighting: I like it! Not sure if it would be at all feasible in reality, but imagine what you could do with a re-purposed mine shaft! Build a steampunk subway, create a hoity-toity underground restaurant, hide unseemly science experiments... the possibilities are endless. Really though, if there was a way to make it work, there are a lot of fun things one could do with that. |
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Philosophy, discovery, art, every sort of skill, every sort of service, love; these are the means of salvation from that narrow loneliness of desire, that brooding preoccupation with self and egotistical relationships, which is hell for the individual, treason to the race, and exile from God.[Wells]
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Captain Brandsson
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« Reply #426 on: June 28, 2010, 08:54:23 pm » |
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The questions that always arise when discussing this sort of thing:
How steampunk does something or someone have to be to qualify as part of the community?
Who decides?
Who enforces?
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- Maximilian
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Polaris
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« Reply #427 on: June 30, 2010, 02:19:45 pm » |
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I suspect it would all be very similar to having a housing committee like a lot of gated communities do. There's a set of community mandated rules and guidelines that homes build/modified would have to follow and to make changes you have to submit a proposal/request to the committee. My parents live in such a community and while they don't care what you do to the inside of your home, if you want to repaint the exterior or do any major landscaping ((ie- tree removal)) you have to notify the housing committee. It's kind of a pain in the ass, but most people will conform because it keeps property values up. When the housing bubble burst, most people's homes decreased in value. My parents' home is still going up.
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"Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew
And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true
That all is not gold that glitters, and two and two make four
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more."~Kipling; 1919
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tophatdan
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« Reply #428 on: June 30, 2010, 02:41:51 pm » |
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you would have to have a comittee which had a charter, then everyone in the community would have to sign a contract which would keep them in compliance with the comittee rulings...
its all quite an easy thing... but not very punk...
so as an alternative to beurocracy !
i would sujest you hire a band of punks to act as a cultural police force, they will operate inside an unwritten charter with no oversight, they will be required to use a 'measured responce' to any non-steampunk infractions inside the community, for instance;
if you put a pink plastic flamingo on your lawn they are allowed to muck up your flower garden and break said flamingo.
if you are seen getting your mail or newspaper, and you are not wearing atleast one item of steampunk clothing, they the "punk police' are allowed to come into your house, flush all of your toiletpaper and urinate on your rug.
in the event a person is seen shopping without some sort of hat, the 'punk police' get to go robocop on your ass, and start hanging around on your lawn harassing your females with lude comments and obscene jesticulations.
this behaviour would continue until you either 'straighten up' or move out... if one full year goes by and you have not ceased the infractions, then they will put you in the 'thunderdome' with iggy pop and wish you luck...
i think this is surely the only way to keep steampunks in line... the only issue i can see is thee financial burden on the community of having to retain iggy pop to beat people up in the thunder dome... as a result we will have high taxes, i would like to throw my hat in right now and request the job of writing the bill which will include the 'iggy pop mill levy'....
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you gotta love livin babe, cause dyin is a pain in the ass -----
frank sinatra
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Polaris
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« Reply #429 on: June 30, 2010, 04:35:18 pm » |
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You.... Sir.... Are a genius.
XD
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Theophilus Saxe
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« Reply #430 on: June 30, 2010, 04:43:24 pm » |
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Enforcers. Hmm... Why do I get a mental picture of a steampunk'd Droog from Clockwork Orange?  |
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"It's amusing, it's amazing, and it's never twice the same: It's the salt of true adventure and the glamour of the game."
Talbot Mundy, The Ivory Trail
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tophatdan
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« Reply #431 on: June 30, 2010, 08:48:48 pm » |
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no, im thinking hiring like troma quality punks for this job... like these winners; surely just the idea of them showing up at your house would keep people in line... |
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First Air Lord Hawke
Deck Hand
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« Reply #432 on: July 13, 2010, 12:41:14 am » |
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I'm skeptical of the farming idea as well. It is exceptionally hard work, especially if you didn't want to use modern tractors and farm equiptment. Also likely to run a lot of red ink if you weren't willing to run it as a modern production farm. You might be able to make a go as a CSA (community supported agriculture) organic farm, but....
... when I hear the word "steampunk" I do not immediately think of farmers. I think of engineers, inventors, scientists, explorers. Seems to me a steampunk community ought to be based more on those characters.
In Washington State, there's a new town being created on the coast known as Seabrook. It's designed as a "new urbanism" community with emphasis on walking, community space, etc. The houses are built along the lines of ealry 20th century beach town designs, and the overall effect is quite nice. There are design codes that limit what the outsides of the houses can look like, but they try not to go overboard and insist on a perfect Disneyesque effect. It could be a good model for a Steampunk community. In this case, they're building an entire new "town" but New Urbanism also works for in-fill and reclamation projects (e.g. revitalizing an old warehouse district in the middle of town). A few observations from Seabrook:
1 - it's not cheap. Building houses in a manner other than the typical mass-produced development method makes them more expensive, at least initially. The houses are well constructed however, and should age well.
2 - they use older constrution techniques where those still make sense (e.g. cedar shingles on the exterior), but they also use modern techniques as well (e.g. Sheetrock inside instead of lath-and-plaster, and modern exterior paints and stains on the outside). This creates an very good illusion of the past, but if you want to nit-pick you can always find modern touches. If they tried to make it a perfect recreation, it would be hiddeously expensive, wouldn't pass building codes, and would never actually get done.
3 - the community mostly suvives through vacation rentals. Between a third and half of the homes are rented on a weekend or weekly basis (mostly during the summer) to families looking for a neat vacation in a unique atmosphere. Another third are strictly second homes (vacation getaways) for the (relatively wealthy) owners. Less than a third are year-round live-ins, and most of theose are the staff of the company building the place.
4 - the developer (a guy in his mid 30's) started out doing a few one-off homes on the sea shore (learning lots about building in the coastal environment), then built a 30-house development (with one commercial building) within an existing community using the construction/planning techniques (learning a lot about the buisiness of creating a unique community), then started on this project, which will be 300+ houses and and entire "downtown" commercial district. Crawl-walk-run.
5 - Construction has been mostly on a pre-sale basis. A house is sold, then construction is started. Very little "on-spec" building has been done, so the developer has been able to adjust plans and remain solvent even as the economy has sunk like a Russian submarine.
Running all that through the new Differencing Calculatron the Air Admiralty just purchased from Professor Albermarle, I have the following proposal:
Find a suburb (perhaps one that used to be a separate town but was swallowed up by sprawl from the neraby megalopolis) with some vacant, unused industrial or commerical real estate(not hard these days) and buy a few connected parcels. Create an infill development based on some condo units, many of which will be only seasonally occupied and many of which will be rented as vacation units. Think of it as a boutique hotel almost, and staff hospitality positions (yes, maids, belhops, etc - lots of opportunities for awesome period costumes!). Make the ground floors of the buildings commerical space (resaurant, art shop, boutiques). There could also be workshops (perhaps open to the public, or not at the discretion of the individual owners and appropriate insurance agents). A workworking mill with belt-driven machinery would be nice... If the overall space is large enough, make an interior courtyard that is highly Steampunk themed and visually insulated from the "normal" community outside the condo walls. Make it a destination for people to visit and drop some money on...
Pehaps it wouldn't be a "pure" steampunk community. The guests would wear normal clothes (nobody at Seabrook goes to the beach wearing old-fashioned bathing suits), but it could be highly detailed in Steampunk-esque decor and atmosphere.
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TonyC
Gunner
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« Reply #433 on: July 16, 2010, 02:18:21 am » |
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I have a problem with this.....I like Art Deco. My dream home would have Barcelona Chairs in it. My kitchen would be completely built in, all streamlined. And horror of horrors I don't like brass in interior decorating, it reminds Me of bad 80's decor. Brushed steel and chrome. I would have the odd house in the neighborhood, Definitely not Steampunk. Cheers Tony |
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Captain Brandsson
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« Reply #434 on: July 16, 2010, 04:50:47 pm » |
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And, therein, lies the most fundemental flaw with such a neighborhood...
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AlegrahEredschtadt
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« Reply #435 on: July 16, 2010, 04:55:32 pm » |
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I would.. but, would there be enough graves to exhume in the dead of night for trinkets of worth? Unless we had unsuspecting tourists fed to the scientists... Hmmm, that might just work..
Truly, I probably would, but I don't know for sure. I'd need a use!
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Danbury Shakes
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« Reply #436 on: July 16, 2010, 06:16:38 pm » |
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you would have to have a comittee which had a charter, then everyone in the community would have to sign a contract which would keep them in compliance with the comittee rulings...
its all quite an easy thing... but not very punk...
so as an alternative to beurocracy !
i would sujest you hire a band of punks to act as a cultural police force, they will operate inside an unwritten charter with no oversight, they will be required to use a 'measured responce' to any non-steampunk infractions inside the community, for instance;
if you put a pink plastic flamingo on your lawn they are allowed to muck up your flower garden and break said flamingo.
if you are seen getting your mail or newspaper, and you are not wearing atleast one item of steampunk clothing, they the "punk police' are allowed to come into your house, flush all of your toiletpaper and urinate on your rug.
in the event a person is seen shopping without some sort of hat, the 'punk police' get to go robocop on your ass, and start hanging around on your lawn harassing your females with lude comments and obscene jesticulations.
this behaviour would continue until you either 'straighten up' or move out... if one full year goes by and you have not ceased the infractions, then they will put you in the 'thunderdome' with iggy pop and wish you luck...
i think this is surely the only way to keep steampunks in line... the only issue i can see is thee financial burden on the community of having to retain iggy pop to beat people up in the thunder dome... as a result we will have high taxes, i would like to throw my hat in right now and request the job of writing the bill which will include the 'iggy pop mill levy'....
Reminds me of Arcadia http://x-files.wikia.com/wiki/Arcadia |
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To quote Mister Williams
Honi soit qui
mal y pense,
Fait vos jeux,
reconnaissance,
Hammersmith Palais de Danse,
Badinage,
ma Crêpe Suzette.
Double entendre,
restaurant,
Jacques Cousteau,
Yves St Laurent,
Où est la plume de ma tante?
C'est la vie,
ma Crêpe Suzette.
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melmartinez01
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« Reply #437 on: July 16, 2010, 06:51:39 pm » |
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Seems like a lot of fuss.
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tophatdan
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« Reply #438 on: July 16, 2010, 07:47:48 pm » |
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And, therein, lies the most fundemental flaw with such a neighborhood...
my buddy brian lives in a neighborhood where the housing authority will not allow him to erect a white fence... im sure that it cant be that difficult to set up a similar thing... |
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Captain Brandsson
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« Reply #439 on: July 16, 2010, 09:21:09 pm » |
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And, therein, lies the most fundemental flaw with such a neighborhood...
my buddy brian lives in a neighborhood where the housing authority will not allow him to erect a white fence... im sure that it cant be that difficult to set up a similar thing... No doubt... My point has ever been that we would hardly be able to agree on what is or is not "steampunk enough". |
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Orcon Windar
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« Reply #440 on: July 17, 2010, 12:11:13 am » |
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Absolutely.
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tophatdan
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« Reply #441 on: July 17, 2010, 03:11:56 am » |
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And, therein, lies the most fundemental flaw with such a neighborhood...
my buddy brian lives in a neighborhood where the housing authority will not allow him to erect a white fence... im sure that it cant be that difficult to set up a similar thing... No doubt... My point has ever been that we would hardly be able to agree on what is or is not "steampunk enough". well you dont really have to agree, a home owner's association is just as much about mutual dissatisfaction as it is about uniformity... |
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Cubinoid
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« Reply #442 on: July 17, 2010, 09:52:17 am » |
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you would have to have a comittee which had a charter, then everyone in the community would have to sign a contract which would keep them in compliance with the comittee rulings...
its all quite an easy thing... but not very punk...
so as an alternative to beurocracy !
i would sujest you hire a band of punks to act as a cultural police force, they will operate inside an unwritten charter with no oversight, they will be required to use a 'measured responce' to any non-steampunk infractions inside the community, for instance;
if you put a pink plastic flamingo on your lawn they are allowed to muck up your flower garden and break said flamingo.
if you are seen getting your mail or newspaper, and you are not wearing atleast one item of steampunk clothing, they the "punk police' are allowed to come into your house, flush all of your toiletpaper and urinate on your rug.
in the event a person is seen shopping without some sort of hat, the 'punk police' get to go robocop on your ass, and start hanging around on your lawn harassing your females with lude comments and obscene jesticulations.
this behaviour would continue until you either 'straighten up' or move out... if one full year goes by and you have not ceased the infractions, then they will put you in the 'thunderdome' with iggy pop and wish you luck...
i think this is surely the only way to keep steampunks in line... the only issue i can see is thee financial burden on the community of having to retain iggy pop to beat people up in the thunder dome... as a result we will have high taxes, i would like to throw my hat in right now and request the job of writing the bill which will include the 'iggy pop mill levy'....
Sounds a little draconian to me. I'd say we'd need the bow street runners, perhaps equipped with steam powered penny farthings, and bestow special authority on them. I'd suggest: If you put a pink plastic flamingo on your lawn they are allowed to replace it with a real one. If you are seen getting your mail or newspaper, they pop round to kindly suggest that you have it delivered to your butler so that you might enjoy reading it freshly ironed. In the event a person is seen shopping without some sort of hat, the bow street runner firmly offers you the opportunity to wear his own to cover your naked head whilst you shop, and escort you home... |
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We made a little music video, for your pleasure:  |
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Captain Brandsson
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« Reply #444 on: July 17, 2010, 06:38:51 pm » |
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"Anarchy that I control!"
- Dr. Horrible
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escherblacksmith
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« Reply #445 on: July 19, 2010, 06:42:21 pm » |
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so, you have such a city . . . and everyone operates in more or less agreement on design/culture/lifestyel (iggy pop threat aside) . . . and it works for 1 generation.
maybe 2.
Then . . . then . . . the newer generation grows up and punks out. They rebel, coming up with the most horrific thing that will make their parents rage or faint . . .
they come out as alex keaton (modern young) republicans.
GOPunk.
I am not a seer, but the image seems clear as day to me . . .
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Agamemnon Magillicutty
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« Reply #446 on: July 20, 2010, 05:27:47 am » |
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I would become mayor. and there'd be plenty of jobs for those who designed weapons that would keep me in office.  |
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"Oh dear, I fear the Elephant Gun just won't do this time. Make ready the Brachiosaurus Rifle."
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Aleister Crow
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« Reply #447 on: July 21, 2010, 04:35:57 pm » |
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you would have to have a comittee which had a charter, then everyone in the community would have to sign a contract which would keep them in compliance with the comittee rulings...
its all quite an easy thing... but not very punk...
so as an alternative to beurocracy !
i would sujest you hire a band of punks to act as a cultural police force, they will operate inside an unwritten charter with no oversight, they will be required to use a 'measured responce' to any non-steampunk infractions inside the community, for instance;
if you put a pink plastic flamingo on your lawn they are allowed to muck up your flower garden and break said flamingo.
if you are seen getting your mail or newspaper, and you are not wearing atleast one item of steampunk clothing, they the "punk police' are allowed to come into your house, flush all of your toiletpaper and urinate on your rug.
in the event a person is seen shopping without some sort of hat, the 'punk police' get to go robocop on your ass, and start hanging around on your lawn harassing your females with lude comments and obscene jesticulations.
this behaviour would continue until you either 'straighten up' or move out... if one full year goes by and you have not ceased the infractions, then they will put you in the 'thunderdome' with iggy pop and wish you luck...
i think this is surely the only way to keep steampunks in line... the only issue i can see is thee financial burden on the community of having to retain iggy pop to beat people up in the thunder dome... as a result we will have high taxes, i would like to throw my hat in right now and request the job of writing the bill which will include the 'iggy pop mill levy'....
Er... no. Break my flamingos if you must. Flush all my toilet paper if you truly have to. Harass my females? That's where I draw the line. I would be honor-bound to teach those punks manners, and my method (inch-thick oak walking stick) leaves a heck of an impression. I'm also betting I'm not the only man on the forum who'd do so. Actually, on second thought, punk-thwacking sounds like fun. Implement your plan immediately! |
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'How cheerfully he seems to grin,
How neatly spread his claws,
And welcome little fishes in
With gently smiling jaws!' |
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Professor Veritas
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« Reply #448 on: July 21, 2010, 10:59:32 pm » |
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I love these discussions - existing as they do entirely on the theoretical plain.
The entire idea of a Steampunk community focuses on few very basic items:
Who has money to invest in starting/supporting one?
9 out of 10 responses seem to contain the "I'm a little short of cash" excuse. This is, like most large life decisions, an expensive proposition requiring people with some (not a tremendous amount) assets that they can commit to the project.
Who has the talent to build/create/invent things?
Most responses elude to the fact that very few of the members here have ever constructed anything tangible (outside of a clever mod or maybe some clothing). These same people want steam powered industries and households. There are how many people on this board that understand steam power? (not I, certainly) Even if modern technology were to be allowed - how many people interested in the concept also have real world manufacturing/service skills? (like plumbing, electrician, construction, mechanic)
Who has the will and drive to risk what they currently have to make such an idea a reality?
All grand ideas require the builders to take a risk - to put the money and time, reputation and future on the line.
This is an amazing thought experiment - one that I entertain often in my spare moments - but I fear that it will never amount to much beyond a collection of deedless words.
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OswaldBastable
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« Reply #449 on: July 22, 2010, 08:57:27 am » |
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Professor you make a very valid point; sadly this great idea is a dream for many of us as it requires a lot of get up and go (which many have) varied skills (which some have) and a decent amount of disposable income (which many dont have).
On the other hand theres a lot of things that have looked unlikely and then a few brave souls have made it happen so who knows what the future will bring?
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« Last Edit: July 22, 2010, 09:27:09 am by OswaldBastable »
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C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la guerre
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