January 2014 Articles (10)

Steampunk and Disney fans alike, this one’s for you!

On February 22, The Disney Gallery at Disneyland park will unveil a new exhibit titled "Mechanical Kingdoms ~ Steam-Driven Visions of a Victorian Future." Though certainly not part of the steampunk wave (at least not consciously), Walt Disney Imagineers have been creating their own visions and versions of retro-futuristic technologies since well before that time, incorporating them…

Animation has exploded onto the sivler screen like never before!

It's everywhere, folks, with shorts from every studio you care to name.

There's hardly a movie on the silver screen that doesn't feature an animated short beforehand alongside the newsreel.

Warner Brothers,…

The Warner Brothers have entered the animation game with some unforgettable characters of their own!

Taking on Disney's Silly Symphonies head on, the Warners have launched a two-pronged animated offensive with Loonie Tunes and Merrie Melodies. A product of the dream team of Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising, these silly music-driven shorts are sure to get your gut shaking and your feet tapping.

And boy have they taken the animated world by…

[image from AP]

He was a jovial man, fond of literature and poetry.  He was a peaceful man by nature, but became forever associated with war.  He was a natural tinkerer who as a child obsessively disassembled and reassembled anything mechanical.  Born Nov 10, 1919 to a middle-wealth "Kulak" agricultural family (a group specifically…

Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks are back, and this time with sound!

Yes, folks, the new "talkie" revolution which began with last year's The Jazz Singer has spread to the world of animation.

And this time it takes the form of a cute and …

Today's Google Doodle honors the 123rd Birthday of Diesel Era writer and folklorist Zora Neale Hurston.

As an anthropologist, folklore researcher, and writer she introduced the world to much of the folklore and beliefs of African America, including the Caribbean.  It is she whom you can thank for Vodou and Zombies entering the public lexicon…

Hi dieselpunkers.

I just wanted to share with you our new website for the dieselpunk/ retro sci-fi cliffhanger action comedy webserial "Constitutionens Voktere"/"Guardians of the Constitution", a series of short films that have been featured here before.

voktere.blogspot.no

And after a…

The other day I got my Nessie microphone from Blue. The Nessie is an entry level $99 USB cardioid (unidirectional) mic with a built in shock mount, pop filter, serpentine neck, and non latency headphone jack. What all of that means is that it is probably the best entry level USB microphone you can get for the price. It's aimed at podcasters, folks who do presentation voice overs, and people who want their Skype chats to sound really…

Animation is taking an adult turn here at the Cabaret as new cartoon sensation Betty Boop heats up the screen!

Boop-Oop-a-Doop! 

Max Fleisher has done it again, folks!  The man who brought you Koko the Clown is tackling the Flapper phenomenon head-on with a jazz…

Happy New Year, Dieselpunkers, and here's a little New Year's present from the world's oldest and creakiest New Year's Baby— me.



Yes, it's the January 2014 Pilsner's Picks, and it's getting harder and harder nowadays to find those steel needles for the old Orthophonic Victrola. In any case, here's a little hot music to warm up the house on these cold winter days.…