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Cybraphon – An Awesome Digilog Machine

Cybraphon is the latest project from Edinburgh-based artist collective FOUND (Ziggy Campbell, Simon Kirby and Tommy Perman).

Cybraphon is a collection of musical instruments, a robotic nickelodeon, played by wheels and by mechanical arms, an intricate assembly of clockwork parts and instruments, electronically powered, and controlled through MIDI and DMX.

Though not powered by steam, and not controlled by music cylinders, it is still an incredible piece of work, and an equally incredible work of art.

You can read more about this machine, hear more songs, and see more pictures and videos at http://cybraphon.com/

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Flying Puppets: The Jules Verne

Carl Rankin makes these planes from everyday materials such as straws, trash bags, tape, thread, and offers on his site rather inexpensive books and Cd guides to creating these doubly-inexpensive works of wonder.

His gossamer-winged “Jules Verne”  can be seen in greater detail at Flying Puppets, and can be seen in action at BoingBoing.

*Story Lead Credit: Thank you Travis Fessler of the brilliant and talented Anachronistic Entertainment Troupe: The Pickled Brothers

The Jules Verne Taking Flight
The Jules Verne Taking Flight

The Jules Verne

* 56″ wingspan
* 14 ounces flying weight, 1.7 oz/ square foot wingloading.
* Made of drinking straws, tape, thread and yellow Reynolds sandwich wrap.
* This plane flew at the 2007 AMA convention.
* Carl Rankin’s picture is in the May 2007 Model Aviation Magazine, pg. 20 (holding the Jules Verne and wearing a Transmitter Tray by Jeff Sandler (rctraymanusa.com).

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Steampunk Crucifix and Lovecraftian Tie Tack

Steampunk Crucifix by Insectus
Steampunk Crucifix by Insectus

It is a little known fact that a line of Popes dating back to the Middle Ages have secretly indulged in Steampunk. The Vatican’s favourite pets are mad scientists, kept inventing in a basement. This hush-hush hobby of the Popes of times past and present has led to an astonishing Steampunk museum in the darkest corners of the Vatican. The Pope wears the only key for the museum under his robes, to be passed on to the next hat in line. This large crucifix from the museum has been attributed to the Knights Templar.

Steampunk Crucifix by Insectus (blog link), who, like Catherinette Rings, makes some pretty awesome jewelry. Dr. Insectus’ Etsy store can be found here: insectus.etsy.com

See also (below): Amazingly creepy and rustic looking “Beholder” (AD&D) tie-tack by Catherinette Rings (Etsy Link):

(I can’t wear jewelry. My blood is pure acid. But the things these two sellers create, make me really wish things were otherwise)

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Bring her Home

Badly injured Bay Area girl, in a coma in India – kept for a while in horrid conditions, and without proper medical attention.

Though she is in a better hospital than she was previously, being home for the rest of her care would help her, and her family a lot.

Family and friends are trying to raise the money for that.

You can help bring her home by going here, and donating anything – a few dollars, a few more. Please don’t think you can’t make a difference on this one, those pennies and dollars do add up.

You can read more here: Coilhouse

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Time Sinks for You

I wasted my time on these, I might as well waste yours too.

1. In the land of Sona-Nyl there is neither time nor space, neither suffering nor death… nor 404 (a mismosh randomizer of Dore 404 Macros, Lovecraftian/Engrish 404 titles, 404 flavor texts, and 404 subtexts I made to kill bandwidth on the Miskatonic Archive). There are (I think) 13 images, 13 titles, 13 subtexts, and 13 flavor texts – making for 28,561 different combinations, meaning chances are that you will see most every combination available if you refresh about 815,730,721 times.

2. Steampunk Adventure Mission Generator (meme) – Travel the world, or to the neighbor’s lawn, do all sorts of unspeakable things with random things and people, follow up in a random manner. *Note* outcome is based upon the name you give, so if you don’t like your results, substitute a screenname, nick name, add your middle name…

Your Secret Mission Adventure

Yearghhhhh :

Pole vault to the daemonic reaches of Indianapolis and violate lepers for grandma.

Secret Adventure Generator

3. Taken from the brassgoggles.co.uk forums (link posted by Mr. E), article written by Tim Ferguson at Solicon.com:

How the Victorians Did Gadgets

The British Library in London is playing host to an exhibition of gadgets and technology from the Victorian era and early 20th century. The collection belongs to collector and author Maurice Collins and is promoting the Business and Intellectual Property center at the library…

see the full piece here (external link)

Also – if this is the sort of thing that piques your interest, you may want to take a look at these two books:
(also note that if you buy them together, you save money)