Post by penguinsushi on Oct 22, 2008 21:45:51 GMT -5
Greetings and salutations,
Penguin here. First off, I think this project is wonderful, and the fact that you get to pursue this as a part of an actual course is 7 types of awesome. I'll be glad to help any way i can with the whole 'audience participation' thing.
I think this particular corner of the forums is a good idea - a person's words say much more when you understand a little about where they're coming from. In that light, i'll point out a little about myself:
Me (the less important bit):
Basically, I'm a geek. I sit at a computer 8ish hours a day for work as a web developer, and often longer for play & generally messing around. I'm a fan of sci-fi/fantasy & anime, roleplaying (d&d and others) and board games, art (esp photography), and pretty much anything within the tech sphere. I love music, play guitar and do some songwriting. Mostly, I really enjoy things that require creativity.
As for how I relate to this project (the more important bit):
I guess I should start with my understanding of what Steampunk is - and my definition is rather broad. In my estimation, the concept of 'Steampunk' is manifested in the fanciful application of the mechanical, generally within the context of a world before the advent of digital technology. That definition pretty much includes any kind of pre-transistor technology that creeps into an otherwise 'fantasy' environment as well as the more quintessential exaggerated 19th-century/Victorian environs.
One of the reasons for my broad definition is that I tend to like such all-encompassing ideas, but another reason is simply that I haven't had a lot of exposure to items specifically tagged as 'Steampunk'. I'll be interested to see what does & doesn't make the cut. Still, like many things, I suspect that this is highly open to interpretation and the subject of some debate even among those who consider themselves quite well educated on the subject.
Judging from the wording of the thesis (as it references the 'subculture'), I would say I am more of an outsider-fan of Steampunk. I understand Steampunk as a fascinating literary genre and an interesting alternative to 'high-tech' as an advanced-world environment, but i wouldn't consider myself to be a part of a steampunk subculture any more than i would say that enjoying vampire legends makes me goth. I am a bit interested as to what defines the members of this subculture, however.
Ulterior motives:
Beyond just being here to participate in discussion, have some fun & help out with the project, I'm here for more specific definitions and ideas along the Steampunk line. I'm currently working on a fantasy roleplaying setting that I want to have some decidedly steampunk elements - to a greater or lesser extent... ...so basically, I'm looking out for thoughts on anything and everything that would or would *not* be present in a world that could be so described.
Oh, and no, I am not *always* this verbose.
~PS
Penguin here. First off, I think this project is wonderful, and the fact that you get to pursue this as a part of an actual course is 7 types of awesome. I'll be glad to help any way i can with the whole 'audience participation' thing.
I think this particular corner of the forums is a good idea - a person's words say much more when you understand a little about where they're coming from. In that light, i'll point out a little about myself:
Me (the less important bit):
Basically, I'm a geek. I sit at a computer 8ish hours a day for work as a web developer, and often longer for play & generally messing around. I'm a fan of sci-fi/fantasy & anime, roleplaying (d&d and others) and board games, art (esp photography), and pretty much anything within the tech sphere. I love music, play guitar and do some songwriting. Mostly, I really enjoy things that require creativity.
As for how I relate to this project (the more important bit):
I guess I should start with my understanding of what Steampunk is - and my definition is rather broad. In my estimation, the concept of 'Steampunk' is manifested in the fanciful application of the mechanical, generally within the context of a world before the advent of digital technology. That definition pretty much includes any kind of pre-transistor technology that creeps into an otherwise 'fantasy' environment as well as the more quintessential exaggerated 19th-century/Victorian environs.
One of the reasons for my broad definition is that I tend to like such all-encompassing ideas, but another reason is simply that I haven't had a lot of exposure to items specifically tagged as 'Steampunk'. I'll be interested to see what does & doesn't make the cut. Still, like many things, I suspect that this is highly open to interpretation and the subject of some debate even among those who consider themselves quite well educated on the subject.
Judging from the wording of the thesis (as it references the 'subculture'), I would say I am more of an outsider-fan of Steampunk. I understand Steampunk as a fascinating literary genre and an interesting alternative to 'high-tech' as an advanced-world environment, but i wouldn't consider myself to be a part of a steampunk subculture any more than i would say that enjoying vampire legends makes me goth. I am a bit interested as to what defines the members of this subculture, however.
Ulterior motives:
Beyond just being here to participate in discussion, have some fun & help out with the project, I'm here for more specific definitions and ideas along the Steampunk line. I'm currently working on a fantasy roleplaying setting that I want to have some decidedly steampunk elements - to a greater or lesser extent... ...so basically, I'm looking out for thoughts on anything and everything that would or would *not* be present in a world that could be so described.
Oh, and no, I am not *always* this verbose.
~PS
