Time Travel - the proof?

Now, those who know me will be aware of my fascination with space and time travel. I've read interesting papers on the prospects of both, and there is some great work out there if you want to peruse in greater depth.

The past few days have seen an explosive meme flashing round the aethernet. Depending on where you see it, this is either conclusive proof of the possibility of time travel, a complete misconception of what the alleged proof shows, or inconclusive-what-do-you-think. It has already been spoofed, although many are taking it seriously, and it has hit the mainstream media.

So, what is this meme? Well, independent film maker George Clark, based in Belfast, presented his short film to the Yellow Fever Independent Film Festival. According to the film, Clark has spent a year puzzling over a small clip of film contained in the 'extras' component of the complete Charlie Chaplin DVD set - he explains exactly where in the film itself, and he invites the viewer to explore this for themself.

The vintage film clip was taken at the premier of Chaplin's The Circus at the Chinese Theatre in 1928, and shows a heavy-set woman walking across the screen, holding her left hand (closest to the camera) in a particular manner, and apparently talking. Now, she does not appear to be accompanied by anyone - the male in the shot is striding ahead of her, and taking no notice of her - but she does seem to be speaking, and acting in a way which is familiar to modern audiences.

Clark explains how he believes the woman is speaking into a mobile/cell device, and with this context set in mind, you could believe this to be the case. However, it has been noted that the device she may be holding is a hearing aid, and it could be similar to one of these or these, although how it would be powered is another unanswered question, as these were designed for mains power. It has also been suggested that she is holding an icepack. Other more technical comments include the notion that cross-fading was not a developed technique in 1928, although this is a bit of a straw man, in that this footage has been edited since it was first shot - seeing unedited footage would likely not help in seeing what the person is doing, but would enable better research. Another straw man is the lack of mobile/cell phone towers in 1928 to carry a signal - I should imagine that if you had invented time travel, you'd have invented a way of communicating. Has no-one seen the recent Dr Who re-boot and his superphone?

Given that George Clark works in the industry and comments on new developments in film art, it has also been commented that this could be a promotional activity, as he is involved with the Yellow Fever Film Festival.

Anyway, take a look at the footage, see for yourself.

Space: constellations, signals, and ignition for steampunk spacepilots!!

Those who have visited this little corner of the aethernet prviously will know my passion for retro-future, and space in general. Recently, I have been bitterly disappointed, so, given that President Obama has decided to effectively shelve his predecessor's (admittedly half-hearted) commitment to return to the moon, and, subsequently, to place humanity on Mars for the foreseeable future, I thought I'd bring some cheer in the wake of the decision to cancel the Constellation programme.

First, news (albeit a little belated), that a signal may have been heard from the stars. Whilst not in the league of the famous WOW signal of 1977, intruiging news that Dr Ragbir Bhathal, of University of Western Sydney Macarthur appears to have 'heard' something back in December 2008. Bhathal, as part of the SETI project, sweeps the sky searching for repeating, regular, laser pulses, rather than radio signals. As a true scientist, he is reticent, and is checking his equipment and other explanations, and sweeping for a repeat pattern in the same area of space, before being able to put his proposals forward for peer-review, and then, perhaps, be able to state that the source is of intelligent alien origin. However, when seen in conjuction with other news, the possibility becomes more intruiging.

The area of sky from which Bhathal spotted the pulse is that of Gliese 581e, only 20.5 light-years away in the constellation Libra. Wow, I hear you say - not Gliese 581e! Surely not! Well, sarcasm will get you nowhere...

According to the European Southern Observatory,

Well-known exoplanet researcher Michel Mayor today (21 April 2009) announced the discovery of the lightest exoplanet found so far. The planet, “e”, in the famous [see!] system Gliese 581, is only about twice the mass of our Earth. The team also refined the orbit of the planet Gliese 581 d, first discovered in 2007, placing it well within the habitable zone, where liquid water oceans could exist.

With the discovery of Gliese 581 e, the planetary system now has four known planets, with masses of about 1.9 (planet e), 16 (planet b), 5 (planet c), and 7 Earth-masses (planet d). The planet furthest out, Gliese 581 d, orbits its host star in 66.8 days. “Gliese 581 d is probably too massive to be made only of rocky material, but we can speculate that it is an icy planet that has migrated closer to the star,” says team member Stephane Udry. The new observations have revealed that this planet is in the habitable zone, where liquid water could exist. “‘d’ could even be covered by a large and deep ocean — it is the first serious 'water world' candidate,” continued Udry.

Whilst this seems all very coincidental - a possible laser pulse in an area of space with a solar system and planets within the 'Goldilocks' zone - a short flight through known space may help you put this in perspective...

From the American Museum of Natural History:

And, back in the steampunk universe, Warren Ellis's new production is hot off the presses!

You may remember, from my other blog Strange Dreams, that Ellis is the author of the rather spiffing Freakangels. He previously authored the excellent Ministry of Space, which chronicles the push of the British Empire into space following the end of the Second World War.

Now, with artist Gianluca Pagliarani, he brings us his the new miniseries Ignition City. Pop over to Strange Dreams to discover more.

Warhammer 40,000 movie in production

A little off the beaten track - "Warhammer movie? On a steampunk blog? Huh?" - but justified in two ways; firstly, the popularity of the WH40K universe amongst steampunk afficionados, and secondly, the very steam and diesel punk elements which underpin that universe.

A movie has been rumoured for years, with a fan movie produced (and unfortunately blocked by Games Workshop (GW), the owners of Warhammer), and countless mini-movies using elements of the GW computer in-game footage created by frustrated fans in the interim. Now, finally, an official WH40K movie - Ultramarines - is in production.

For those who have read the above with absolutely no understanding, enlightenment may be found over at the Strange Dreams blog. And guess what? Those who wish to know more may find just what they need over at the Strange Dreams blog as well!

Attack of the Show

Bizarrely, and most edifying, we discover that the adjoining Strange Dreams - Steampunk Art and Fiction has been featured on g4tv.com's Attack of the Show (AOTS)!

In their own words,

We go around the blogosphere to find blogs that deal with very specific things, and uncover the best and coolest there are to see.

Far be it for us to blow our own trumpet, as immodest as that may be! AOTS Presenters including Kevin Pereira, Olivia Munn, Layla Kayleigh show, on a weekly basis, that

There's the inside track, and then there are those who pave the inside track. Attack of the Show gets you inside, underneath, around, and behind the newest tech, the hottest games, the fastest-breaking news, and the oddest oddities from the fringe.

I'm not sure, but it may be that steampunk is being classed under the last criterium!

Rather marvellously, Dr Fabre's Heliograph is also featured, and deservedly so! It goes without saying that Jake Von Slatt's Steampunk Workshop should also feature large. I must admit, it is humbling to be in such lauded company, to say nothing of raising expectations overnight!

The Show's site may be found here, with the video here, or beneath for your edification!

Take a trek over to Strange Dreams, The Heliograph, and Steampunk Workshop to see what the fuss is all about!

Video Games - E3 2009 - Attack of the Show

Happy HG Wells Day!

Today, 21 September, sees what would have been the 143rd birthday of the genius of Herbert George Wells.

Today will see the usual material pulled out, with commentary upon his War of the Worlds and, possibly my favourite, The Time Machine, but I like to try and do something different here. Many will liken Wells to Jules Verne, but I will leave commentary upon that subject to the great HG and Jules themselves:

I do not see the possibility of comparison between his (Wells) work and mine. We do not proceed in the same manner. It occurs to me that his stories do not repose on a very scientific basis. No, there is no rapport between his work and mine. I make use of physics. He invents. I go to the moon in a cannon-ball discharged from a cannon. Here there is no invention. He goes to Mars [sic] in an air-ship, which he constructs of a metal which does away with the law of gravitation. Ca, c'est tres joli, but show me this metal. Let him produce it.

As well as being one of the most influential authors of his, and subsequent, time, Wells was also a great social thinker and activist, being an active Fabian. his reposte to Verne ran:

There's a quality in the worst of my so-called "pseudo-scientific" (imbecile adjective) stuff which differentiates it from Jules Verne, e.g., just as Swift is differentiated from Fantasia—isn't there? There is something other that either story writing or artistic merit which has emerged through the series of my books. Something one might regard as a new system of ideas—"thought."

Wells was about ideas, about how humans interact amongst themselves and with new development. His non-fictional writing is as interesting as his fiction. He was passionate about science, and about the possibilities which it unlocked for human potential - his publications upon war were concerned with minimising the impact which war had upon society, leading to his exploration of more efficient ways of conducting military actions and the use of technology to do so - notoriously the "Land Iron Clads", which he first published in 1903 (you can read it online here). He is also credited with being the inventor of recreational war gaming, and his Little Wars of 1913 may indeed have been the first miniature war game.

His writing on the future, upon the bettering of society but also upon the efficiency of the military war machine and the conduct of war, can be understood when you recognise that Wells was an ardent utopian. His Modern Utopia, The Shape of Things to Come, In the Days of the Comet are all brilliant, and Wells invented the dystopia with When the Sleeper Wakes (1899) and he explores the dark side of human nature in The Island of Doctor Moreau, a well as the fascistic authoritarianism in The Autocracy of Mr Parham and The Holy Terror.

His utopianism is probably most evident in his work on the League of Nations charter, and in his enthusiasm for a world state and, in a way which would be horrifying later in the twentieth century, eugenics. You can read excerpts from his New World Order here. He met world leaders, personally meeting and interviewing Stalin (a transcript is available here) and Roosevelt in 1934, in an attempt to bring about a better world, but ultimately he died a disappointed man, writing that it may be better for humanity to become extinct and replaced, a notion which he had harboured for most of his life (his thoughts on human extinction may be read here).

A brilliant article upon the life and works of Wells may be found here.

A piece on his influence on history may be found here.

If you fancy building yourself a model Land Iron Clad, try this.

The HG Wells Society may be found here.

Possibly the most faithful (but ultimately commercially unviable) rendition on screen of his War of the Worlds may be found here.

Oh, and if you use Google, and have wondered what all the crop circles and other strange logos have been about for the past month - it has all been leading up to today. The mystery is unravelled here.

Asylum - the UK Steampunk Convivial convention

Now that the time is fast approaching, an update to my previous post concerning the upcoming Steampunk Convivial in Lincoln on 11-13 September, 2009.

The home of the Annual UK Steampunk Convivial may be found here, and the latest news here and here. This has developed rapidly in the past few months, to the extent that epacks being sent out to ticket holders as I write!

The Steampunk Convivial will be taking place in the "Steampunk Quarter", beneath Lincoln Castle's walls. The entertainment looks quite mind-blowing, and is spread over three days. Friday night's entertainment includes a BBQ and Beer Festival (yay!); Saturday includes a host of events, from creative writing and DIY workshops to a treatise on Time Travel, with a steamfair and ending with the Empire Ball in the evening. The highlight of the day will be and audience with Robert Rankin and booksigning with phenomenal author Toby Frost (who also happens to be a denizen of the Gatehouse's Smoking Lounge!). Sunday will be more relaxed, with picnics and exploration. The Bazaar Eclectica will be running on Saturday, with traders and a 'bring and buy' sale. Live music will include the fantastic Vernian Process and Ghostfire, amongst others.

For those who are steampunk virgins (as it were), information and guidance on etiquette and dress may be found here.

This really is an event not to be missed. Full pricing information and tickets can be found here, and extremely reasonable they are too!

Heartfelt wishes and congratulations to the organisers for this momentous occasion!

British Steam Car Challenge Team Smash Land Speed Record

Huge congratulations to the British Steam Car Challenge team, who, on Tuesday 25 August 2009, smashed the land speed record for a steam-powered car, reaching a top speed of 151.085mph.

The team consisted of members of the previous ThrustSSC Project, and initally hoped to reach speeds of 200mph, although the final design may be capable of 'just' 170mph. The average speed over two runs was 139.843mph, finally toppling the previous remarkable record of 127mph by Fred Marriott way back in 1906!

Speaking from Edward's AirForce Base, California, principal driver Charles Burnett III, from Lymington, Hampshire, (who drove both runs) commented:

"It was absolutely fantastic I enjoyed every moment of it. We reached nearly 140mph on the first run. All systems worked perfectly, it was a really good run. The second run went even better and we clocked a speed in excess of 150 mph. The car really did handle beautifully. The team has worked extremely hard over the last 10 years and overcome numerous problems. It is a privilege to be involved with such a talented crew, what we have achieved today is a true testament to British engineering, good teamwork and perseverance”

At 40 bars of pressure, with 400°C steam flowing through 3km of tubing at 40 litres a minute, Mr Burnett is a brave man indeed to drive such a machine. This is a major, and well deserved, achievement, and hearty congratulations go to the whole Team, who have proved yet again the power of steam in the modern age, with the pioneers of the Steam Age still at the frontier of steam technology!

Videos of the runs may be found here, with the BBC report and footage here. More details of the project may be found at their website here.