A Steam-what? or, The Steampunk Resource Centre

Directly across the street from me in Caledon Downs is the Steampunk Resource Centre, established by my neighbor, the lovely Sea Beaumont, and built by her lovely partner Molly Lundquist. (Sea might say that should be spelled "neighbour" to correspond with "Centre.") (I hope I did justice to everyone's roles. I'm confident of the lovely part.)

Before I came to this fair island, I had never heard the term "Steampunk," although I had heard of some of the seminal works. Once I learned the term, the little lightbulb in my head fired: I like speculative fiction (though I'm old enough to remember when calling it "science fiction" wasn't considered pejorative), I like gadgets, and I like Victoriana. Hearing about the genre was one of those "Why didn't I think of that?" moments.

Of course, a great deal has been written about Steampunk - literature, fashion, gadgets - on the Aetherweb, but the SRC provides both an introduction to the genre and SL-related information. The Centre displays information on some of the important authors and personalities, from Ada Lovelace and Nikola Tesla to William Gibson and Neal Stephenson. There are links to Steampunk-related sims, Steampunk freebies, items to purchase, and even a reading room. (I'm reading The War of the Worlds. Golly, I don't recall it being this thick!)

So come see the Steampunk Resource Centre, in Caledon Downs on the border of Glengarry. While you're in the neighborhood - or neighbourhood - do drop in on chez Jameson.