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incidentreport31 · 3 years

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Episode One: In the Middle of the Street TRANSCRIPT

[You can listen to the show wherever you get your podcasts.]

[Intro music players.]

ANNOUNCER:

Three-Eyed Frog Presents: Incident Report Number 31.

[Theme song fades to a stop.]

[click recorder on]

ARCHIVIST:

Test. Test. One, two, three. (mutters) Bloody hell, why does it smell like something died in here? Well, guess we can’t prove something didn’t, eh? The recorder seems to be working, at least.

My name is Val West. I’m the newly appointed head archivist at The [REDACTED] Institute, which documents people’s possible experiences with the supernatural for both emotional support purposes and to get recovery time off of work, school, et cetera if the trauma is deemed severe enough by their employers or other supervisory staff.[beat as they scoff] Supernatural doctor’s note, innit...

The Head of the Institute, Mr. Neil Banks, has asked me to record these accounts because, well, there actually isn’t really a good reason. [mutters] Didn’t spend eight years getting a masters in library sciences to read stories into a dusty tape recorder, but, we all have to get by.

I do, at least, have people to assist me: two researchers: Zach Zamuel-Imogen Baker, and Christine Lewis, along with, I’m told, a very well-respected psychologist: one [hesitant] Dr. Oliver Possum, who will be advising me on any cases where there is necessary psychological follow up. I haven’t actually met any of them yet, but hopefully they will be helpful.

I was also explicitly told not to look behind the bookshelf to my left, so I will be looking behind the bookshelf later today...right. Guess I should get started, then.

[Sound of papers tapped on desk to organize them]

ARCHIVIST:

[They clear their throat.] For the consideration of Ortolan Bunting Law Firm: Ayla Stephenson’s encounter with a house that did not exist and her subsequent request for thirty hours of paid time off. No date given. Fine by me. Not gonna lose sleep over improperly filled out paperwork. Well. Start? I suppose? Yes.

[ACCOUNT.]

I feel the need to start with this, so you fully understand what I’m trying to say. I have a feeling you’ll just dismiss my story otherwise. I’ve lived here going on ten years now. Moved here on the promise of a job from the same company that I still work for today: Ortolan Bunting Law Firm. I drive the same route to work every day. I mean, I looked up the quickest way on the map when I first moved to town, and hey, who am I to question that? If it works it works. No need to make something difficult when the map’ll just figure it for you that first day, right?

I guess I’m getting a bit off topic here, but my point is that I’ve been going the same way for a decade, which is to say that I know the route to and from work like the back of my hand. Sure, maybe I don’t pay attention to every detail every day, I mean after ten years, the drive is almost an unconscious thing-

ARCHIVIST:

(mutters) Not a great way to build up your story’s credibility but, I digress.

[ACCOUNT.]

-but I still know all the road’s quirks, even if they don’t stick out to me after all this time. I know that the first left turn light on the way lasts for about two seconds and if you’re more than two cars behind in line, you’ll have to wait a whole cycle to go. I know there’s a business center that, god knows why, has their logo done in comic sans just off to the right before I merge onto the highway. Once I’m on that freeway for about fifteen minutes, I can see this drive through coffee place on one of the adjacent streets. Every single morning the line’s backed up out to the street- you’d think there’d be a better way to do that, but that’s more of a personal gripe and certainly not the point. On my way back from work, I take a few side streets to avoid rush hour traffic on the main road- just the way the map recommended on my first day, of course, I’m not looking to get lost in the backroads. There’s a few old houses, sometimes I see elderly couples sitting out on their porches. Sometimes they wave and I do have the decency to wave back, though some of my colleagues might not believe you… I’m afraid I’ve been a bit put off by this whole experience and have been taking it out on some of my coworkers. All the more reason to give me the [THE ARCHIVIST sighs this last part out as they are once again pulled out of the story] time off that I so kindly requested.

ARCHIVIST:

That last line is crossed out. It appears that Ms. Stephenson was reluctant for her Firm to read that bit if this ever got back around to them. To be honest, the way that this is going, I’m not so sure that plea would have done anything for her, but I am, of course, to remain the impartial academic in my work here, so I suppose I’ll allow the defacing of Institute paperwork just this once, even if the scribbles are rather unprofessional.

[ACCOUNT.]

There're a few empty lots there too. I think at one point, the city wanted to buy them up and make a park, but I don’t think they ever got around to it. Really don’t think they will now. I’m getting ahead of myself. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’ve been going the same way day in and day out for ten years… I’d notice if something was different.

ARCHIVIST:

I’m assuming… that is the point of this report yes? [beat] Continuing on.

[ACCOUNT.]

Nothing that day was really any different, I’d say. Just drove to work, hit all the usual landmarks: waiting to turn at the light, glancing at the comic sans sign, thinking that that coffee shop is definitely obstructing traffic, the usual. Went to work, got through the day with… minor amounts of stress… I mean it’s legal work, it isn’t fun, but somebody’s gotta do it. Got off right at five, gathered up my things and left. I took my usual streets, not really minding anything, but I noticed no one was out on the porches. That’s not unusual, I know, people can be inconsistent, it’s not a big deal, but looking back? Maybe they knew something was off… I mean if I’d lived in that neighborhood I certainly would have.

[Eerie music begins playing.]

I always drive with the radio on, can’t stand being alone with my thoughts on a busy street where road rage can make its way into my thoughts. Guess I should’ve mentioned that earlier, huh? Either way it seems important that I say it’s part of my daily life. I do it every day, and I’ve never had a problem with reception in that area, so when the sound started to glitch out, I thought something was wrong with my car. It was frustrating, sure, but not a big deal, even if I don’t necessarily enjoy the sound of static more than the average person.

I went through the usual useless attempts to fix it, of course. Smacked it a few times, turned it off and on again, but nothing changed. In the end, I just turned it off as I kept driving. Figured my own thoughts were better than the white noise that faded in and out of my speaker at an unpredictable volume. Things were fine for a few minutes. I’d almost gotten to the end of the street when I realized something wasn’t quite right.

At first, I thought maybe the light was just reflecting into my eyes weird. Maybe I’d just seen something out of the corner of my eye that there was a fine explanation for. Because… I knew this road. And there had never been a house there before. I was sure of it. A whole house isn’t something that could go up in a night, but you know that, you aren’t an idiot.

[Record scratch, cutting the music off.]

ARCHIVIST:

[pretentious bastard] I’d certainly like to think so, yes.

[ACCOUNT.]

But there it was. It wasn’t right next to the other houses, a few lots down the road instead. Other than my knowledge that it wasn’t there before, though, it could have blended into the neighborhood without anyone noticing.All things considered, it was a pretty nice house. Sure, it was done up in that fancy Victorian style and therefore inherently a little unnerving, you know how those old places just seem a little haunted even if they’re perfectly put together?

Still, beyond that, it was fine. Not broken down in that sort of creepy ghost way that you see in movies, or anything. The paint was pretty well done, only a little aged from the sun, and all the wood on the wrap-around porch was together. I mean if I was building a murder house, I would’ve splintered the boards and peeled up the exterior wall a bit, something along those lines, you know? It looked like someone could have been living out of it. Totally normal.

I know what you’re thinking, that I got out and had a look, but I can’t say I did. As the sun was going down? While I was all of a sudden unsure of my own thoughts? Really? No way in hell. I’m not an idiot either. So I kept driving. As I passed by, I got this strange feeling… like I wasn’t alone on the street. I don’t know if I imagined it or not, but with how much I was already questioning what I knew, I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer, and I sped away, not wanting to stick around any longer than I had to. Now, when I got home, I went through stages of denial before realizing that, hey, it wasn’t my damn neighborhood, and therefore not actually a problem that I would have to deal with.

At least until I was driving back from work the next afternoon. Funny how that works… your problems don’t just disappear because you’ve chosen to ignore them. Although ignore is a strong word considering I spent all day at work worrying about whether or not I should trust myself and whether or not I would see the house again when I drove home… I could’ve gone another route, of course. Could’ve gone even one street over and left it at that.

But that isn’t how it works, is it? I was so unsure of my own thoughts that I’d rather put myself in a situation that seemed potentially harmful than not know if I was wrong or not. [beat] So I went down the same route, just like I’d been conditioned to for the last decade. Once again, the couples were inside. They had to know something was wrong, I mean I was able to realize the house shouldn’t have been there and I didn’t even live in the neighborhood. I slowed my car to a snail’s pace as I inspected all about the street that I could. Not really sure what I was looking for if I’m being honest, but when I got to the house, I’d convinced myself that, yes, in fact, it was as real as the rest of the places on the block.

I don’t think it was really a conscious decision when I stopped the car. I’d just been going so slow already and… well I’d reached my target, hadn’t I? I sat and gazed over the house for a few moments. Looking over the perfect condition it seemed to be in, to no avail. It seemed to be perfectly normal. Maybe… Maybe I was really just in my head about all of this. Was it really that hard to believe? I should’ve just left, stopped staring at this place. Sitting there wasn’t going to change the fact that it was there, whether or not I could really trust my mind.

But… then I saw the curtains in the front window move. I snapped my gaze over to where I’d seen the motion and there was a little boy staring at me through the glass. He looked off to something behind the curtain before looking back over and waving, grinning a gap toothed smile at me. I... Well I wasn’t quite sure what to do with that so… I waved back. What else was I supposed to do? In an instance, I became convinced that I’d really just made the whole thing up. If there really was someone inside and nothing untoward seemed to be going on, the kid had seemed perfectly happy after all, then it had to be a real house. And really, if it had been some big spooky master plan, then why would he have acknowledged me? I’ve been to the movie theatre. I know children in horror flicks can be creepy, but just straight up waving at me like I was just another neighbor and nothing was going on? Didn’t exactly set up the sinister mood that I figured would have come from the place.

And then a hand shot out and. The kid recoiled as it shut, looking disappointed that he’d been caught doing something it was evident he wasn't supposed to. And I snapped back into trusting myself and sticking with my gut. I didn’t like the look of that. At all. Unfortunately, my whole life, I’ve generally been prone to the third fear response rather than either of the useful ones: I freeze. This time was no different. I couldn’t bring myself to drive away.

[In the background, eerie music begins playing.]

I sat there in dead silence for what felt like hours with a vague feeling of unease hanging in the air when the door opened. A man stepped out, wearing this fine tailored suit that I’d seen clients wealthier than I would ever be wear into my office and carried himself with the confidence of a person that knows no one is going to cross them. Despite all that, his face was soft. Approachable. Kind, even. Seemed like the kind of guy that knew he had money, but was willing to help you if you’d just say thank you afterwards.

As he approached my car he called out to me: “Hello there!”

Nice and friendly. Even with the strangeness of a few moments ago and my lingering unease, I could hardly bring myself to believe that this man would do anything to me. Sure, I was still stuck to my seat in fear, but he seemed perfectly safe. Maybe that’s just what it’s like to be charismatic though, looking back. I wasn’t sure what to do at that point, but my pre-programmed social response got the better of me and I rolled down my window to meet him.

“Hi.” I said. Just a simple greeting until I could really figure out what was happening.

He put one hand on the top of my car and leaned down to meet my eyes. As he spoke, his smile never faded: “So… I take it… you can see this place?”

Well, I was so taken aback I wasn’t really sure what to say, so I just nodded. And the next thing he said, well… threw me a bit off. He stood up, brushed off his pants calmly, turned back to the house, began walking, and he just said-

[Record scratch, cutting the music off.]

ARCHIVIST:

Now there’s a profanity here that I will not repeat, but it seems Ayla’s statement finishes there.

[The Archivist sighs and shuffles their papers.]

ARCHIVIST:

There’s not much followup to be done here. Ayla gave us a street address, but didn’t actually tell us which house it was. [mutters] Perhaps she’s more of an idiot than she claims to be.

Regardless, upon investigating the street, nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary, though none of our staff were familiar enough with the area to tell which houses should and shouldn’t be there. In my personal opinion, this is a mere case of a poor attention span. I can’t blame Ayla, I suppose, but was it really worth coming here and telling a whole dramatic story over it?

[scoff] There are some other areas of this statement that leave room for questioning and research, such as the radio static and the house’s residents. For now, however, I will be filing this one under “Irrelevant” in my mind. End recording.

[Recorder clicks on.]

[Recorder clicks back on.]

[There’s footsteps as HR walks down the hall. They knock on the Archivist’s office door. Meanwhile, the Archivist can be heard moving something.]

HR:

[muffled] Uh, hello? I’ve got something for the Archivist.

ARCHIVIST:

Oh, uh, yes, of course. Just let me— [They curse as they are heard tripping over piles of statements.]

[A pause.]

HR:

...should I come back at a later time, or—?

[The door suddenly swings open.]

ARCHIVIST:

Right. Blimey. Sorry about that, mate. What’s all this, then?

HR:

Er, are you the head archivist?

ARCHIVIST:

That depends, who’s asking?

HR:

Your HR. I’m also an intern under Mr. Banks, which brings about a whole array of other useless titles, but for your purposes, I’m just HR. My name is Luca.

ARCHIVIST:

Oh! Lovely. Mr. Banks told me I’d be seeing you. Um, pleasure to meet you.

HR:

Thanks, you—wait, wh—?

ARCHIVIST:

[trying to change the subject] Say, why are you here, Luca? Any plans for after your internship? I mean, surely, you have a field of study, a career plan?

HR:

[slowly, growing increasingly confused] Oh, um, yeah. I, um—well, I started here—um, yeah, after my internship, I. Uh.

ARCHIVIST:

It’s alright if you don’t have a plan, y’know. Took me a while to figure all my stuff out, and, well, I got out alive, didn’t I?

HR:

No, it’s just—I know I have something, I just. Um. [desperately trying to change the subject] What are you doing in there, exactly?

ARCHIVIST:

[beat] Oh, just some housekeeping.

HR:

...and that required you to move an entire bookshelf?

[A long pause.]

ARCHIVIST:

Listen, I know what this looks like.

HR:

Doesn’t he have a weird thing about that?

ARCHIVIST:

[passionate] Which is exactly why I did it! I mean, they’re not the heaviest bookshelves in the world, so it’s certainly not a matter of safety.

HR:

[mutters] As if Mr. Banks has ever valued the life and safety of his employees.

[Both are heard walking back into the office towards where the bookshelf was.]

ARCHIVIST:

[cont.] Which means there must have been something weird about the bookshelf—and I was right. See, look, there’s like a weird...hole. Thing.

HR:

...I’m guessing that’s why Mr. Banks made me bring you a shovel?

ARCHIVIST:

Hm? Oh, right, the shovel. Kind of forgot I had asked for that.

HR:

How did you not notice I was carrying it when I came here?

ARCHIVIST:

You see, within the hole, there’s this big mound of dirt, and I have reason to believe that there’s something hidden beneath.

HR:

[They sniff, then, disgusted] Oh god, why does it smell like something died in there?

ARCHIVIST:

That’s what I’m trying to find out.

HR:

Look, can’t you just...I don’t know, leave it? Like, just put the bookshelf back, spray some air freshener, and then be done with it? I really don’t want to have to write this up.

ARCHIVIST:

You expect me to work under these conditions? Having a mysterious hole in my wall with no idea what’s lurking within?

HR:

Look, I just think this is a really stupid idea. If Mr. Banks finds out—

ARCHIVIST:

He’s not going to! You— [they huff a sigh.] Would you just hand me my shovel? I’m going in!

HR:

Whatever you say.

[HR hands the Archivist the shovel.]

ARCHIVIST:

Thank you.

[They are heard shoveling for some time, before the Archivist finally seems to hit something.]

HR:

Is...is that…?

ARCHIVIST:

My god.

HR:

That’s a dead body.

ARCHIVIST:

Appears to be. [beat.] Do you know who it is?

HR:

I mean, they’re sort of hard to recognize now.

ARCHIVIST:

Perhaps the previous archivist?

HR:

I dunno, I never knew them.

[A long pause.]

ARCHIVIST:

Right, then. Back to work. Mind helping me move this bookshelf?

HR:

(under their breath) God, I’m gonna have to write this up, aren’t I?

[Recorder clicks off.]

[Theme music plays.]

[CREDITS.]

Incident Report Number 31 is a podcast made by Three-Eyed Frog Presents. This episode, “In the Middle of the Street,” was written, directed, and produced by Val West and Luka Miller with sound design by Luka Miller. This episode featured Val West as the Archivist and Luka Miller as HR. Music is produced by Luka Miller. To keep up with the show and find transcripts, make sure to follow us on our Twitter at @IR31Pod and on tumblr at @IncidentReport31. To contact us with any questions or concerns, feel free to email us at [email protected]. Thanks so much for listening!

#ir31pod transcripts

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stratharchives · 4 years

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Come and See: A Post-Grad Student Placement in Archives and Special Collections

We are delighted to present a guest blog-post from Neil, currently on student placement here at Archives and Special Collections:

Hi, I’m Neil Hemfrey and, as a post-graduate student of Information and Library Studies at Strathclyde, I was lucky enough to be welcomed into the Archives and Special Collections of the Andersonian Library for my placement. I’d never set even the slightest, wary foot in this “mysterious” department before, having always imagined the space as suited towards the “Professor Van Helsing” and “Dr. Indiana Jones” types and not the likes of a mere student who had a shaky grasp of referencing. How lucky I felt when I learned that my mortal presence was invited see the inner workings of a sanctum filled with special knowledge and history.

I’m seven weeks into my placement now and there’s, thankfully, not a kindly occultist nor a cocky treasure hunter, seeking to pursue world-ending artefacts, in sight. Instead, my misapprehensions have been pleasantly wiped away and I feel silly for it to have taken me five years to finally see Archives and Special Collections. In fact, it is the coolest department most people may not be visiting, and it IS a department for EVERYONE.

It’s quiet and peaceful atmosphere is a welcome change from the typical tension and stress I can feel permeating the study areas that I’m used to. Inky pens and angst-induced eating and drinking are left outside the department’s doors in favour of pencils, clean hands and calm. These measures ensure that the integrity of the items in the collection are preserved as well as, I feel, the integrity of your sanity in a learning environment. The friendly and enthusiastic team of archivists inside are keen to help whoever enters with their enquiry, whether it is for academic purposes or personal interest. Archives and Special Collections holds collections begging to be explored.

I have certainly been enthused by the invaluable work that takes place here. Enquiry-solving, cataloguing and preservation are simply three of the skilled jobs this team commits to every day, each integral to maintaining the legacy of the university and providing us with fascinating and surprising resources. The two BAFTAs of Verity Ann Lambert, the first producer of Dr Who, were definitely unexpected items to find in the collection. They were definitely unexpectedly heavy too. Archives and Special Collections could be the place to find the best Cluedo weapons.

For my personal project, I am helping the team record old and rare books into an online database called the English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC). This database contains a catalogue of items published between the 15th and 19th centuries in Britain, Britain’s former colonial territories, Ireland and the United States. My task is to check a selection of books from Special Collections against copies of those books on the database so that it can be publicly known to the institutions, organisations and individuals using the database whether the University of Strathclyde holds an item they need for their research. Checking two versions of the supposedly “same” book, as I have discovered, is no quick or simple matter. Any book, along with its title, from the outside can portray a look of ‘neatness’, ‘polish’, and sensible structure, then swiftly transition into a hair-tearing exercise. So, accuracy, a detail-oriented approach and the resolve not to be beaten into submission by a bundling of paper older than your great, great, great, great grandmother are key!

Every aspect of the books I handle, originating in the 17th and 18th centuries so far, were all once handmade. Unlike the books born of today’s technology, that can mass produce identical items speedily, books for the ESTC were all individually paginated, trimmed, bound, sewn and hammered together, resulting in incredibly unique items. The covers bound to protect the manuscripts inside are usually the most immediate and noticeable difference between books. As I have learned from my own personal reading, bindings used to be made from wooden boards, compressed paper, leather, vellum, and cloth.

Most challenges I encounter concern the pagination of the book, historical damage or missing plates. Firstly, in terms of pagination issues, I have found that in some volumes the page numbers do not match a chronological running order or have been bound in the wrong order completely. This can result in a book having more or less pages than another copy is catalogued as possessing. Secondly, historical damage I’ve seen has taken the form of holes/tears in pages that destroy text, or discolouration which has obscured text (like the interesting, brownish fingerprints I found in an old medical textbook), or pages being stuck together and hiding text. Thirdly, some books contain plates that take the form of separate pieces of paper added to the text, that are often on larger, folded, sheets that display illustrations or tables. In some cases these are missing, and the disappointment comes from not being able to see a ‘sweet’ piece of art that another copy of the same book possesses.

As the weeks go on, bringing me sadly closer and closer to the end of my placement, I’ll no doubt encounter further head-scratching problems and gawk-worthy information gathered in a different time from different mindsets. I feel very fortunate to have had my placement in Archives and Special Collections as it has educated me on handling and preserving historical texts as well as the importance of keeping accurate records for them so they can be shared. I feel this is very valuable as the issue of digital preservation for digital items seems to steal most, if not all, of the focus on my course. Going forward into my library career, I hope to continually improve my knowledge about Archives and Special Collections and advocate its immense value to protecting physical pieces of history; something we would be crazy to overlook.

#special collections #ESTC #rare books #cataloguing #student placement #volunteer #archives and special collections #university of strathclyde #books

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theresabookforthat · 6 years

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Saturday Reads: Steampunk!

Are you steamy this summer Saturday? As a popular literary genre and aesthetic, Steampunk can generally be defined as a story set in either Victorian England or America’s Wild West wherein modern technologies are re-imagined. For instance, “Dr. Who” has Steampunk elements with its time-travel plots. As for the genre’s origin story, K.W. Jeter wrote to Locus magazine in 1987: “Personally, I think Victorian fantasies are going to be the next big thing, as long as we can come up with a fitting collective term for Powers, Blaylock and myself. Something based on the appropriate technology of the era; like ‘steam-punks’, perhaps.”

FEATURED TITLES:

INFERNAL DEVICES by K. W. JeterThe classic Steampunk novel from the creator of the term itself. When George Dower’s father died, he left George his watchmaker’s shop – and more. But George has little talent for watches and other infernal devices. When someone tries to steal an old device from the premises, George finds himself embroiled in a mystery of time travel, music and sexual intrigue.

THE CLOCKWORK DYNASTY by Daniel H. Wilson

A Kirkus Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of 2017

A Popsugar Best Book of the Year

When June Stefanov, a young anthropologist specializing in ancient technology, uncovers a terrible secret concealed in the workings of a three-hundred-year-old mechanical doll, she finds herself in the middle of a hidden war that has raged for centuries. In the depths of the Kremlin in 1725, the tsar’s loyal mechanician brings to life two astonishingly humanlike mechanical beings. Peter and Elena are a brother and sister possessed with uncanny power and destined to fight an ancient battle.

CLOCKWORK FAIRY TALES: A COLLECTION OF STEAMPUNK FABLES edited by Stephen L. Antczak, James C. Bassett

All-original, never-before-published steampunk stories inspired by traditional fairy and folk tales. Combining the timeless fairy tales that we all learned as children with the out-of-time technological wizardry that is steampunk, this collection of stories blends the old and new in ways sure to engage every fantasy reader.

DEAD IRON: THE AGE OF STEAM by Devon Monk

In steam age America, men, monsters, machines, and magic battle for the same scrap of earth and sky. In this chaos, bounty hunter Cedar Hunt rides, cursed by lycanthropy, carrying the guilt of his brother’s death. Then Cedar is offered hope that his brother may yet survive. All he has to do is find the Holder: a powerful device created by mad devisers—and now in the hands of an ancient Strange who was banished to walk this earth.

THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE by William Gibson

A 20th-anniversary edition of the seminal novel that helped to bring about the current fascination with steampunk fiction. It’s 1855: The Industrial Revolution is in full and inexorable swing, powered by steam-driven cybernetic Engines. Charles Babbage perfects his Analytical Engine, and the computer age arrives a century ahead of its time. And three extraordinary characters race toward a rendezvous with history—and the future.

ANNO DRACULA by Kim Newman

It is 1888 and Queen Victoria has remarried, taking as her new consort Vlad Tepes, the Wallachian Prince infamously known as Count Dracula. Peppered with familiar characters from Victorian history and fiction, the novel follows vampire Geneviève Dieudonné and Charles Beauregard of the Diogenes Club as they strive to solve the mystery of the Ripper murders. “Glorious” – Neil Gaiman

PERDIDO STREET STATION by China Miéville

A magnificent fantasy rife with scientific splendor, magical intrigue, and wonderfully realized characters, told in a storytelling style in which Charles Dickens meets Neal Stephenson, Perdido Street Station offers an eerie, voluptuously crafted world that will plumb the depths of every reader’s imagination.

THE ANUBIS GATES by Tim Powers

Take a dazzling journey through time with Tim Power’s classic, Philip K. Dick Award-winning tale… Brendan Doyle, a specialist in the work of the early-nineteenth century poet William Ashbless, reluctantly accepts an invitation from a millionaire to act as a guide to time-travelling tourists. But while attending a lecture given by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1810, he becomes marooned in Regency London, where dark and dangerous forces know about the gates in time.

FOR YOUNGER READERS

THE KIDNAP PLOT (The Extraordinary Journeys of Clockwork Charlie) by Dave Butler

The first installment in an action-adventure series about a boy on a rescue mission: “Reminiscent of both Pinocchio and The Great Mouse Detective, this novel is tailor-made for young readers who love adventure narratives and steampunk fiction.”—Kirkus Reviews

THE SECRETS OF SOLACE by Jaleigh Johnson

Lina Winterbock lives in the mountain strongholds of Solace. She’s an apprentice to the archivists and should be spending her days with books, but the Iron War has changed everything—it’s too chaotic to study. The strongholds are now a refuge, so instead of learning about how to preserve the objects that mysteriously fall from the sky, she whiles away her time exploring the hidden tunnels and passages of her home.And in one of the forgotten chambers, Lina discovers a secret. Hidden deep in a cavern is a half-buried airship like nothing she has ever seen before.

THE INVENTOR’S SECRET by Andrea Cremer

A new steampunk series from Andrea Cremer, the New York Times bestselling author of the Nightshade novels. In this world, sixteen-year-old Charlotte and her fellow refugees have scraped out an existence on the edge of Britain’s industrial empire. When a new exile with no memory of his escape or even his own name seeks shelter in their camp he brings secrets about the terrible future that awaits all those who have struggled to live free of the bonds of the empire’s Machineworks.

STEAMPUNK CITY: AN ALPHABETICAL JOURNEY by Manuel Sumberac

Take an alphabetical journey through a rich and colorful steampunk world in this lavishly illustrated volume that invites readers to linger over every intricate detail. Though it began as a sub-genre of science fiction, steampunk has quickly crossed cultural categories to become a popular theme in fashion, design, film, music, and even food and drink

For more on these and related titles, visit the collection: Steampunk

#steampunk #theresabookforthat #penuginrandomhouse #saturdayreads #doctor who

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maciekpro · 4 years

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“Apollo 11” goes beyond a child’s dream from thirty years ago

APOLLO 11 - RATE 10/10

One of the first historical facts that I remembered as a child were the words spoken by Neil Armstrong jumping off the lunar lander — it’s a small step for man, but a great leap for humanity.

It was extremely evocative. I was way too young to watch live coverage of the moon landing and — at the end of the eighties in Poland — there were only two channels of national television, so it was rather difficult to come across snapshots from NASA. There was no internet either, so I relied on kid’s imagination.

Over the years, I consumed every film about space, that I could find. Mostly sci-fi of course. 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, Alien, finally Apollo 13. Never did I think that one day I would be able to watch the first moon landing almost one-to-one, in a documentary film made on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission.

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Todd Douglas Miller, looking for unpublished shots for his document, has acquired rather extraordinary archival materials from NARA (National Archives and Records Administration). It had beed locked away, untouched for fifty years! 70-mm. large format positives, obtained from 65-mm. negatives using the Todd-AO method.

The technicalities are usually of a minor importance, but are rather crucial in this case. In the 1950s, the United States cinema fought against the popularity of television by flexing its muscles with technological innovations. One of them was a large format positive, 70mm wide. It allowed the recording of a very wide picture and four soundtracks. Let’s leave the sound for a while (I’ll get back to this later).

Dan Rooney, a NARA archivist working with Miller, said during one of the working-talks that there was a certain amount of material from NASA on the large format tape. Miller asked for further information. It turned out that the agency has 165 rolls of 70mm film, of which 61 rolls related to the Apollo 11 mission.

Why did NASA shoot archival materials on a 65-mm. negative, changed in the Todd-AO process to a 70-mm. positive? This was due to a joint project with MGM Studios that unfortunately never did kick off. Despite this, during the documentary shots of the Apollo missions, it was decided to stick to the technology that was used in the implementation of such cinema legends as “The sounds of music”, “Around the World in 80 Days”, “Hello, Dolly!” and “Cleopatra”. Fortunately!

The quality of the 70mm large format positives delighted the creators involved in the project. Add to that modern editing techniques, post-production and color correction and you get an image that will knock your socks off. All this is buttered with the beautiful music of Matt Morton, which perfectly raises the mood (think “Interstellar”, but more classy).

And then there’s the sound. Radio recordings from each of several dozen loops at the Florida Flight Control Center, comms with astronauts in a rocket, comms between the LM lander, lunar orbiter and Earth, conversations on board — roughly ELEVEN THOUSAND OF HOURS OF AUDIO. 458 days! Titanic effort, but it allowed to lead a feature film-like narrative. There are no interviews, no talking heads, there are only a few simple animations describing the subsequent phases of the flight. The whole document is happening here and now, not looking back from the today’s perspective.

The footage taken by the team led by Theo Kamecke are spectacular. Remarkable shots of the Saturn V rocket being rolled on a giant transporter to the Launchpad, phenomenal close-ups of Neil Amstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins wearing space suits — their faces, full of emotions, focused on what they are going to achieve. This is extremely powerful.

Shots showing what was happening outside of NASA buildings are also a great strength of the film. We watch the rocket launch with the spectators onsite. People who came from different states and from abroad to see with their own eyes as the three superheroes are taking off to the moon. Aerial photos show the campers town, followed by close-ups of people in colorful vintage clothes (well, period-adequate really), wearing great hairstyles and fashionable glasses, laden with gadgets like 8 and 16mm movie cameras, telescopes, binoculars, battery operated tourist radios, cameras.

There are caravans, travel chairs, people sleeping in large station wagons, stands with hot dogs and sandwiches, flags. There is a VIP area, NASA officials and presidential officials, a crowd of women in dresses and gentlemen in hats mixes with military uniforms, journalists weighed down by equipment. Few hundreds of shirtless campers crammed into the concrete waterfront parking lot in front of the Pennys store. Grandparents show something to their grandchildren, fathers drink beer while their daughters look through binoculars. For me — a child of Polish martial law — all the damn colorful America of the sixties is there!

And here is the Apollo 11 mission. Seeing the Saturn V rocket standing on jet flames and clearing the tower I was all choked up. I cried with emotion. Such is the power of these images!

Amazing, moving shots from cameras on earth, and then from space. Satisfaction while watching this movie is beyond anything. It is absolutely better than any of my expectations. Better than any CGI in any feature film. Because it is so REAL! Nothing can be compared to that. Nothing in the world.

Emotions when approaching the moon are indescribable. I know they will make it, but when the 1201 and 1202 executive overflow alarms sounds, I’m on the edge of my seat! When Neil switches to manual control, overriding the computer; when the fuel reading is getting lower, and he is still looking for a convenient place to land, I’m on pins and needles. 60 seconds of fuel, 30 seconds, 15 seconds… Delicious sense of relief when they finally landed.

After all, I learned about it as a kid: “on July the 20th 1969, the astronauts of the American mission Apollo 11 landed on the moon surface for the first time” Then, I felt that it was something big. But certainly I had no idea that it was so great! The second time I cry when Amstrong utters his famous words and descends to the surface of the moon. The third I cry time when astronauts return safely to Earth. You may say I’m soft. That may be, but believe me, I got soaked in this movie like in a child’s dream from thirty years ago.

It is a total must-see. Maybe it’s the best movie ever made. Certainly the best in 2019 and the best movie about space in general. Ocasionally there are screenings in cinemas, but you definately can rent it on various streaming platforms. You definately should.

And once you watch it, please visit https://apolloinrealtime.org/11/ and see the study that Ben Feist did for the Apollo 11 mission.

#space apollo11 #cinematography #documentaryreview #childhoodmemories

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dailynynews-blog · 6 years

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What Disneyland Means to Them

New Post has been published on https://www.usatelegraph.com/2018/what-disneyland-means-to-them/

What Disneyland Means to Them

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Neil Patrick Harris on Disneyland

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June 2015

On the occasion of Disneyland’s 60th anniversary Diamond Celebration, it’s only natural to look back and reminisce about the grand dame of theme parks. (Although it’s also great to consider all of the new goodies the resort has introduced in honor of the birthday bash, including the Paint the Night electrical parade and the Disneyland Forever fireworks show.)

I had the good fortune to attend the Diamond Celebration kickoff and was able to speak with celebrities, Disney honchos, veteran Imagineers, and others about the beloved park and the man who first conjured the magic, Walt Disney. What follows are quips, quotes, reflections, and other thoughts about what Disneyland and Walt means to some fascinating folks.

Let’s start with Neil Patrick Harris. The multi-hyphenate star of stage, screen, and television really needs no introduction. He is a huge Disney parks fan (and fan of theme parks in general), is a perennial host of the Candlelight Processional at Epcot,and is the voice riders hear just before the launch of the California Screamin’ coaster at Disney California Adventure. Harris’ presence at the parks got a whole lot bigger (figuratively and literally) when he became the co-host of World of Color – Celebrate, the updated nighttime spectacular.

During the fountain and water screen show, Harris says that he couldn’t imagine a world without Disneyland. I had a chance to chat with him about the park and Walt after the debut of the show at the Diamond Celebration. Here’s what he had to say:

“Walt Disney was my idol growing up. I think it’s unbelievable how he committed his life to the complete amusement and enjoyment of others. He was really dedicated to that as an idea, and dedicated to Disneyland as an idea. To be turned down as many times as he was to get the money to fund Disneyland initially and then to have the drive to keep trying because he knew that it would succeed — I like that gumption. Ride for ride, what he’s created has had such a lasting effect on people.

I think Disneyland is an important place for families, couples — whomever — to come together and get to experience it. It’s a benchmark for creativity, ingenuity, intelligence, and exuberance. Now that I’m a parent, I’m much more aware of why things are impressive to kids. It’s easy to feed [my young children] short-attention-span visuals. But there’s something great about the pace of the Disneyland adventures that I think allows them to retain them longer. Pirates of the Caribbeandoesn’t have to be a roller coaster to be unbelievable.

Among my favorite attractions is Haunted Mansion. I collect memorabilia from it. I love the new Hatbox Ghost! I giggled like my children when I saw it. I also love Pirates of the Caribbean. I think it holds up so well. Radiator Springs Racers is fantastic. There’s a lot to love here.”

Next up: Imagineering Legend Bob Gurr on Disneyland

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Imagineering Legend Bob Gurr on Disneyland

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Bon Gurr worked alongside Walt Disney and was one of the original Imagineers who helped design Disneyland. At the time I wrote this, he was one of three people still alive from the pioneering team. Gurr had a hand in developing virtually every vehicle at Disneyland, from the gondolas on Peter Pan’s Flight to the monorail trains, during the park’s first couple of decades.

At the Diamond Celebration, Gurr invited me to join him at the private 1901 lounge at Disney California Adventure. We ordered “Gurrtinis” (a martini imagineered by Gurr that includes Bombay Sapphire gin), and he held court to discuss Walt and Disneyland. At 84 years old, he is remarkably spry and sharp and says that the opening day of the park is forever etched in his mind and still vivid today. Here’s what else he had to say:

“In the 1950s, [Walt Disney] collected 18 people from outside and within the studio to design Disneyland, one of whom was me. I have a unique perspective on Imagineering, which started as WED Enterprises. I came in 1954 and hopped aboard the high-speed train.

Walt had a great sense about people who were doing one thing, but might excel at something else. He asked a lot of people, including me, to do things that they never did. I was trained as a car designer in Detroit. I wasn’t an engineer. Walt figured if I could design the Autopia car bodies, I could do the whole damn thing. I couldn’t, but I kept my mouth shut. I read up and learned very quickly about the things I needed to get the job done. I was a tinkerer, and I knew how cars worked.

I’ll tell you why Walt Disney was so successful. His most important attribute was curiosity. He was endlessly curious, and he surrounded himself with curious people. He wouldn’t give up until everything was right. His work habits and ethics were infectious to the people around him. If they weren’t intent on doing things well, they weren’t around for long. Sure it took extra work. But Walt had a sense that people would always recognize when something was good.”

Next up: Imagineering Legend Marty Sklar on Disneyland

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Imagineering Legend Marty Sklar on Disneyland

•••

While he wasn’t there at the very beginning of Disneyland, Marty Sklar did work alongside Walt in the park’s early years. During his more than 50 years at the Disney company, Sklar held various positions including vice chairman and principal creative executive of Walt Disney Imagineering. Now retired, he serves as Imagineering’s international ambassador.

Sklar says that in Disneyland’s early days, he used to enjoy going to the ticket windows to eavesdrop on guests. “They’d say, ‘I want to go on the Jungle Cruise, the Mark Twain Riverboat, the Pirates of the Caribbean…but I don’t want to go on any of the rides!’ I figured out that “rides” meant the whip or the Ferris wheel at amusement parks. The public recognized these were different. They all had stories.”

Speaking of stories, the Haunted Mansion initially lacked one as Walt and his design team struggled to develop the attraction. “There was a sign I created in 1963 that eventually keyed the whole thing,” Sklar explains.

After Walt came back from a trip to London, Sklar asked him what he was doing overseas. “He said that he was searching old mansions and manor houses for ghosts that didn’t want to retire.”

Even though there was no consensus about the attraction, Walt went ahead and had the exterior of Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion built in 1962. Inspired by Walt, Sklar created a large help wanted sign inviting ghosts that wanted to continue practicing their trade in active retirement at the mansion to send their resumes to the “Ghost Relations Dept.” The sign hung for many years in front of the empty building.

“When (Imagineer) X. Atencio started working on the project,” Sklar says, “the sign became the thread of the Haunted Mansion.”

Up next: Disney COO Tom Staggs on Disneyland

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Disney COO Tom Staggs on Disneyland

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Until he was promoted to the position of chief operating officer of The Walt Disney Company earlier in 2015, Thomas O. Staggs was the chairman of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts and oversaw all of the properties around the world. He is widely viewed as the successor to Robert A. Iger, the company’s chairman and chief executive officer.

I sat down with Staggs during Disneyland’s 60th anniversary event in the patio outside Walt Disney’s apartment above the fire station in Town Square. You can read more of the interview, including Staggs’ thoughts about future developments at the park. Here are some of his personal recollections about Disneyland:

“I didn’t get to come to Disneyland when I was a kid. We couldn’t afford to make the trip. My first Disney park visit was 1989. I joined the company in 1990. It didn’t take me long to figure it out!

But I do have memories of watching [the television show] ‘The Wonderful World of Color’ on Sundays and getting glimpses of the park as I was growing up. It was aspirational. You didn’t have to visit the park to have a Disneyland memory.”

Up next: Disney Imagineer Kim Irvine on Disneyland

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Disney Imagineer Kim Irvine on Disneyland

•••

The director of concept design at Walt Disney Imagineering, Kim Irvine has a fascinating lineage. She is the daughter of Leota Toombs, an Imagineer who served as the model and voice for Madame Leota in the Haunted Mansion, and the daughter-in-law of Dick Irvine, also a legendary Imagineer. Kim shared a personal anecdote:

“I have a lot of Disneyland memories, because I’ve been coming here since I was two years old. Not that long ago, something special happened. My mother is Madame Leota in the crystal ball, and she’s also the little Leota at the end of the ride. That’s her voice.

I used to bring my kids here often when they were little, and my mom passed away when they were 5 and 10. One day we were going up the ramp [at the Haunted Mansion] and I said to the girls, ‘Wave to Grandma. There she is.’ And I heard the lady behind me say, ‘What a weirdo!’ to her kids. My 10-year-old still teases me about that. I’m actually very proud that my mom is Leota.”

Up next: Disney Historian Dave Smith on Disneyland

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Disney Historian Dave Smith on Disneyland

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The founder and former chief archivist at the Walt Disney Archives, Dave Smith is now retired.

Growing up in Southern California, Smith wasn’t at Disneyland on opening day, but he was there a year later in 1956. (“My parents wanted to wait for the crowds to subside,” he says.) He was fifteen-years-old and had won a Disneyland passport, which gave him free rein of the park, as part of a newspaper delivery contest.

At the time, guests had to purchase tickets to board the attractions. “This was before I had my license, so I went straight to the Autopia. In those days, there were no side rails, so it was more like driving a real car,” he says.

While walking around, Smith recognized Walt Disney wandering the park. “I wanted an autograph, but realized I didn’t have anything to write with, so I went to the Magic Shop and bought a two-foot long gag pencil. Walt politely explained that he couldn’t give me an autograph, because everybody would ask for one. He told me to write him at the studio instead,” Smith recalls. “I did, and he did send me his autograph. I still have it.”

Up next: Disneyland Exec Mary Niven on Disneyland

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Disneyland Exec Mary Niven on Disneyland

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Mary is the vice president of Disneyland Park and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the park.

“I was 12 when I first came to visit Disneyland. My family couldn’t afford to come [more often]. We lived in central California. We stayed in the trailer park across from the park. They had the ticket books at that time. We were here for two days. Disneyland, even then, had too much to see and do in one day.

My youngest sister was five, and I convinced her that the “E” ticket was not as good as the “A” ticket. I’m not very proud of that, but that’s something our family talks about to this day. She was too small to go on the “E” ticket rides anyways, but at the time I told her that for all of the wrong reasons.”

Up next: Opening Day Guest Bonnie Williams on Disneyland

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Opening Day Guest Bonnie Williams on Disneyland

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Because her church youth group was invited to the opening day ceremonies, Bonnie Williams was among the first children to cross the drawbridge into Fantasyland and ride Disneyland’s rides. She was nine years old at the time.

“I remember seeing Walt,” she says. “He looked like a giant. I told him, ‘I saw you on TV!’ The whole day was magical. I felt like a real princess.”

Williams says that her favorite rides on opening day were Peter Pan and Dumbo. To this day, I ride them. I continue to love Disneyland. A special piece of my heart is here.”

Up next: Walt Disney on Disneyland

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Walt Disney on Disneyland

•••

Let’s conclude this look back at Disneyland with Walt Disney himself. The following is excerpted from “Walt Disney: Famous Quotes,” compiled by Dave Smith. (1994, The Walt Disney Company)

“When I started on Disneyland, my wife used to say, ‘But why do you want to build an amusement park? They’re so dirty.’ I told her that was just the point–mine wouldn’t be.

Disneyland would be a world of Americans, past and present, seen through the eyes of my imagination–a place of warmth and nostalgia, of illusion and color and delight.”

Disneyland is like Alice stepping through the Looking Glass; to step through the portals of Disneyland will be like entering another world.

I just want to leave you with this thought, that it’s just been sort of a dress rehearsal, and we’re just getting started. So if any of you start resting on your laurels, I mean just forget it, because…we are just getting started.

#California #California Cruise #California guide #California places #cruise #Disneyland #guide #places

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dailynynews-blog · 6 years

Text

What Disneyland Means to Them

New Post has been published on https://www.dailynynews.com/2018/what-disneyland-means-to-them/

What Disneyland Means to Them

01of 09

Neil Patrick Harris on Disneyland

•••

June 2015

Next up: Imagineering Legend Bob Gurr on Disneyland

02of 09

Imagineering Legend Bob Gurr on Disneyland

•••

Next up: Imagineering Legend Marty Sklar on Disneyland

03of 09

Imagineering Legend Marty Sklar on Disneyland

•••

After Walt came back from a trip to London, Sklar asked him what he was doing overseas. “He said that he was searching old mansions and manor houses for ghosts that didn’t want to retire.”

“When (Imagineer) X. Atencio started working on the project,” Sklar says, “the sign became the thread of the Haunted Mansion.”

Up next: Disney COO Tom Staggs on Disneyland

04of 09

Disney COO Tom Staggs on Disneyland

•••

Up next: Disney Imagineer Kim Irvine on Disneyland

05of 09

Disney Imagineer Kim Irvine on Disneyland

•••

Up next: Disney Historian Dave Smith on Disneyland

06of 09

Disney Historian Dave Smith on Disneyland

•••

The founder and former chief archivist at the Walt Disney Archives, Dave Smith is now retired.

Up next: Disneyland Exec Mary Niven on Disneyland

07of 09

Disneyland Exec Mary Niven on Disneyland

•••

Mary is the vice president of Disneyland Park and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the park.

Up next: Opening Day Guest Bonnie Williams on Disneyland

08of 09

Opening Day Guest Bonnie Williams on Disneyland

•••

“I remember seeing Walt,” she says. “He looked like a giant. I told him, ‘I saw you on TV!’ The whole day was magical. I felt like a real princess.”

Williams says that her favorite rides on opening day were Peter Pan and Dumbo. To this day, I ride them. I continue to love Disneyland. A special piece of my heart is here.”

Up next: Walt Disney on Disneyland

09of 09

Walt Disney on Disneyland

•••

Let’s conclude this look back at Disneyland with Walt Disney himself. The following is excerpted from “Walt Disney: Famous Quotes,” compiled by Dave Smith. (1994, The Walt Disney Company)

“When I started on Disneyland, my wife used to say, ‘But why do you want to build an amusement park? They’re so dirty.’ I told her that was just the point–mine wouldn’t be.

Disneyland would be a world of Americans, past and present, seen through the eyes of my imagination–a place of warmth and nostalgia, of illusion and color and delight.”

Disneyland is like Alice stepping through the Looking Glass; to step through the portals of Disneyland will be like entering another world.

#California #California Cruise #California guide #California places #cruise #Disneyland #guide #places

0 notes