Quote from: Ladybird;465126Define "human".

I'm of the opinion that we had our first singularity along those lines the day one of our ancestors picked up a rock, and realised he could use it to bash things harder; he became more than just the sum of a batch of genetic soup. Every single tool we've developed is just a more elaborate, more specialised, type of rock, and geek masturbation about "the singularity! the future!" is a waste of time and effort that could be used to actually make today better.

Its true that the single largest leap in our evolution has been the moment we became "homo habilis"; I'd say there have been a few other significant developments as well: language, mastering fire, agriculture (and civilization), and the written word (and mathematics, and general abstraction); and on a slightly lesser scale the printing press and the internet, two quantum leaps in the ability to process the knowledge-potential opened up from the development of the written word.

I'm never a big fan of "geek masturbation", but there is really no question that we are on the cusp of two major breakthroughs that can lead to us essentially taking control of our own biological evolution: genetics and artificial intelligence.  And as soon as, with either of these, we can create an intelligent life form that is capable of processing information at several orders of magnitude beyond our current capabilities, the whole game changes.  The quasi-religious overtones of "geek rapture" that some singularity-fanatics have is perturbing, and I agree that its no reason to stop worrying and working on the problems of today (shit, that's HOW you can get to "the future", not by some kind of pseudo-messianic wishful thinking), but at the same time I'd say failing to take note of the astounding potential that the current breakthroughs in computing and genetics can have to radically alter everything about our world is basically just the opposite way of massively failing to pragmatically deal with the "problems of today".

RPGPundit

Charlie Stross lays the smack down.

-Frank

Cranewings - All you need is a little Moore*.  First two volumes of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen for the over the top gonzo, and From Hell for the dark, sticky heart.

*Mad props to O'Neill and Campbell, of course, I don't want to imply that these are "Moore's works".

I've got LOEG sitting here, for years, but never watched it. Maybe I'll throw it in.

Quote from: Cranewings;465649I've got LOEG sitting here, for years, but never watched it. Maybe I'll throw it in.

The comic is better than the movie by a considerable margin. Until the comic brings in the martians, then they are about the same in overall quality.

-Frank

Quote from: FrankTrollman;465669The comic is better than the movie by a considerable margin. Until the comic brings in the martians, then they are about the same in overall quality.

-Frank

Redeemed by the presence of Rupert the Bear!


But yes the first one is gold.

There's a steam powered AI that controls corpses in Perdido Street Station.  The main character actually attempts to STOP a singularity from occurring.

I quite like Volume 2 - maybe I'm just a sucker for romance.  Fortunately, I don't need to comment on subsequent works, as they clearly fall outside of Victoria's time.

Destroy the movie, find whomever gave it to you, and punch them in the face.  It's not too late.

Just ran my first steam punk game. I'll hit the high points -

Rode into town on a magic storm that also brought demons.

Fought demons including one fight where a train conductor tried to help with a mini gun.

Rode on an airship.

Irritated members of the order of reason and various Mage the Excuse groups.

Went to Cambridge and saw the self constructing steam computer and the source of steam punk pressure batteries.

Learned it is constructing and improving itself.

Fought "the organist" who came into town on a train destroying buildings with a car sized organ / energy projector. Sent him to the insane asylum. Met the twisted alienist jail keeper.

It was fucking eventful for barely 3 hours.

Sounds like fun.  Reminds me of Howl's Moving Castle and Dead Lands, in a good way...

I hereby submit that hard science alternative history Steampunk be designated as Dry, while gonzo fantasy Steampunk answer to the appellation Wet.

I'll take plain old "steam" over "steampunk" any day.  Give me Space: 1889, no punks included.

RPGPundit

space 1889 is still considered steampunk; it's just a descriptor.

Indeed, Space:1889 is often the first thing that comes to mind at the word steampunk, even though the game predates the term.  Solving mysteries in Victoria's London without any supernatural elements or alternate history/technology would be steam without the punk, but I'm not aware of such a game existing.  Boot Hill would qualify as punk-free steam, I suppose.

What is there that's "punk" about Space:1889? The second half of the word cyberpunk once MEANT something, you know.  You can't just add -punk to the end of something and declare that it makes it different than otherwise.

In Space:1889 you play authority figures, heroes, working to defend civilization and the British Empire (or whichever other empire your PCs come from, though the default is clearly the Brits) and bring the light of Victorian culture to the savages on Earth and other planets.

If anything, its the opposite of "steampunk".  Its "SteamChap".

RPGPundit

It's just a genre tag. That's all.