Why?  Because it has airships in it.  And the Nazis ruined airships for us.  So I’m going to watch it when this movie comes out, just so I can see Nazis get their ass kicked.  Iron Sky tells a story of how the Nazis sent some backup Nazis to the moon to hold out and build up forces so that they could one day come back and win World War II.

Whatever.  It’s some kind of goofy Mars Attacks take on Nazis in some kind of post-war Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow style.  I doubt I’ll see it in the theaters unless they change up the trailers, or if I’m really bored.  Although, just looking at the poster makes us wonder exactly what will happen.

The trailer reveals Airships (oooooh), gears (aaaaaah), space stations, space battles, A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthogs, hot blonde Nazi cheerleaders, a token black guy, they blow up the Statue of Liberty and make fun of Sarah Palin.

UPDATE: I watched it. Totally worth it. ΩΩΩΩ½ – Four and one-half Omegas.

Via: iWatchStuff

Airships have made their comeback, and in more than one way.  Lockheed Martin has been developing the High Altitude Airship (HAA) which can reach 60,000 feet and provide advanced tactical information.

And there’s more.  Cargo, Passenger, Satellite, and other airships.

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Escapement, by Jay Lake.  3 Omegas out of 5.  A novel set in a SteamPunk universe where the world is hollow and filled with gears, and a giant Wall dividing the world is guarded by mechanical Brass Men.  This is the sequel to Mainspring (maybe, it’s hard to tell if it’s actually a sequel).  The story follows a young girl from a tiny fishing village who wants to see more of the world, and as fate would have it, is compelled to do just that.  Soon into her journey, she learns of the great mechanical prowess of the British and sets out for England.  However, her skills in constructing the rare Gleam attract the attention of evil-doers, and her magnificent adventure ensues.

The book is a little slow to start, but by the end of the first chapter, I was into it.  The quality of the writing is slightly above average, and probably worth reading for the SteamPunk enthusiast.  However, compared to other respected works, such as those by Arthur C. Clarke, James Rollins, C.S. Lewis, or Anne Rice, it’s just not as good.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good story, and I wanted the story to continue; but for the non-SteamPunk’r, this book is a solid “maybe”.  It made me want to read Mainspring.  In defense of Jay Lake, this is my first SteamPunk book; I’ve read thousands of books, and somehow missed this genre until Dr. Warthan handed it to me.

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The Omega7Red website is now officially online.  I’m out of still in web development Hell, but now I can blog away about whatever steam-powered, clockwork-wielding, vacuum-tube-based, gun-carrying hottie that I want to.  And while I’m still a little unsure about what Aether is exactly, the first official blog goes to Farming.  Well, I have a farming background – Rice Farming.  Now, this:

Almost looks like it would work.  The large maneuvering fans, which look to be made of cloth and windmills, might just keep the airship lined up as it harvested the crop.  Though, I wonder what’s being used to cut and collect the crop (can’t see from this angle).  Usually, I would expect a cutting header pulled by beasts or tractors.  Anyways, it makes for a nice piece of art suitable for the kitchen, and it’s available in print.  Available for purchase here.