Vol I / Issue xv ~ 18th of August, 2007
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CONTENTS:
- Letter from the Editor
- Events & Announcements
- Classified Advertisements
- Contact, Circulation, and other Essential Information for the Reader
- New Babbage and Steampunk FAQ
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Given the circumstances as of late, with my role as an active SUI officer, plus attending to my duties with the Babbage Cog, I am trying my best to keep abreast with all the happenings in our community, especially in light of these gruesome murders. I will continue to publish information related to the case, as clearance from Bow Street allows, and as time permits.
In your service,
Miss Eggberta Echegaray
In the span of two days, yet another victim, Mr. Giles Canning, has been murdered in what appears to be in broad daylight!
The body was found next to Ms.Ordinal Malaprop's factory, with a knife pierced deeply into the victims back, along with a curious letter attached to it. Upon further investigation, a small note was found lying next to the body, along with a copper phonograph cylinder. All of these artifacts are now being held as evidence, at the Bow Street Station and are being analyzed.
The SUI have begun Investigations into the collected crime scene artifacts, and have fully read the letter, which was attached to Mr.Canning's person, mentions that our very own Mayor, Shaunathan Sprocket, may have something to do with these murders. Upon questioning our own Mayor, who denies to have any involvement with these murders, states that this group of people, who call themselves "The Thirteen" are trying to set him.
Upon further investigation into the artifacts, the sunrise photogram cylinder, has a mysterious recorded voice detailing a working experiment. According to the person on the recording, the experiment was a success, but then soon after wards, the voice starts to mention a problem, a huge explosion is heard, and the recording abruptly ends. The SUI believe, this is the experiment that blew up Prof.Eliot's secret island laboratory, but are still at a loss as to what the device in the experiment is.
As briefly mentioned earlier in this report, the small note which was found lying next to the body, lists some of New Babbage's residents. The SUI are currently in the process of questioning these said people, and as well as, providing them protection.
A person, who will go un-named, brought forth to the Bow Street Station, what looks like plans for a mechanical device. The schematics are titled “Porta Terranum Device" and upon further investigation, the SUI believe that these plans could be a link to the murder of Prof.Eliot.
The SUI are making a formal request to our fine citizens, to bring forth any leads, with what they believe to be evidence in this ongoing investigation. For further reading on this ongoing investigation, please read Ms. Natacha Chernov's exemplary investigative coverage, of these murders:
http://natachachernov.blogspot.com/2007/08/murder-in-babbage.html
Eggberta Echegaray
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EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Put your event and/or announcement here!
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CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS
HELP WANTED: EDITORIAL ASSISTANT FOR THE NEW BABBAGE COG
The chosen E.A candidate will gain experience with all aspects of publishing by assisting the Editor in Chief, with the administration of planning and production of The New Babbage Cog.
Typical work activities will include:
- Support and assist the Editor in Chief with all activities leading to the monthly publication.
- Liaison with freelance writers, and photographers.
- Research, organize, write own articles adhering to deadlines
- Contribution of ideas and stories
- Help to organize, copy and paste text and images to the out of world Babbage Blog Payment of the role will depend on Advertising revenues submitted to The New Babbage Cog.
VOLUNTEER FREELANCE REPORTERS/PHOTOGRAPHERS
Reporters/Photographers are needed to cover stories for the New Babbage Cog. Need steampunk stories directly related to the New Babbage sims, her residents and aethernet steampunk websites of interest.
Typical work activities will include:
- Research, organize, write own articles adhering to deadlines
- Contribution of ideas and stories
- Most photographs are in sepia, please keep that in mind when submitting snapshots
Content ideas:
- Architecture of New Babbage
- Business Owner’s Spotlight
- Inventors Corner
- Special New Babbage Event coverage
- New Babbage stories
- Aethernet Steampunk culture: Steampunk movie, music, book, clubs reviews, websites of interest.
Please write a short email summary, explaining your affiliation and knowledge about the Steampunk culture and the New Babbage Sims. Submit your email to Miss Eggberta Echegaray at
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NEW BABBAGE AND STEAMPUNK FAQ
Q. What is New Babbage?
A. New Babbage is a planned group of themed sims designed to promote a steampunk aesthetic.
Q. What is
A. The first, and to date the only, of the planned New Babbage sims is
Q. What is "steampunk?"
A. Steampunk is a genre of speculative fiction, usually science fiction, that explores the question of how past eras, particularly the Victorian period, would have looked if more modern technology had existed using only the tools at their disposal. Thus the steampunk aesthetic often makes use of wood, brass, iron, and steam-powered engines to construct fantastic machines that never were.
Please see the steampunk Wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk
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Q. Is New Babbage for role-players?
A. New Babbage is for anyone interested in steampunk ideas. Although many residents dress and role-play the part, all are welcome to participate in the activities here (period attire not required), and are encouraged to explore the technology made available to us in SL New Babbagers are builders, scripters, and texture artists, curious and experimental by nature, come together to invent, create, and commune.
CONTACT, CIRCULATION, AND OTHER ESSENTIAL
INFORMATION FOR THE READER
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Ethics Statement:
THIS IS A COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER, NOT A VEHICLE FOR EXPOSE. All reporters for The New Babbage Cog are obligated to inform potential interviewees when they are gathering data for a report on our behalf, or clearly identify themselves as a TNBC journalist. This is a community paper, not a vehicle for expose; all investigative reporting must be above-the-board. Deception is against the intended spirit of community embraced by this paper and will not be tolerated. If a citizen encounters an aggressive reporter claiming to work on behalf of The New Babbage Cog, they are urged to report same to the Editor.
Contact:
-- Visit us:
Temporary location: The Willow Tea Room Lot # 20 New Babbage Cultural District
-- Drop a notecard:
Notecard communications can be sent to Miss Eggberta Echegaray
-- IM:
You may contact Miss Eggberta Echegaray by IM with any newspaper business.
-- Aethernet mail:
Messages sent to
Miss Eggberta Echegaray.
-- Ms.Echegaray's SL Office Hours: Mon – Fri
Circulation:
The New Babbage Cog is circulated in three ways:
1. new issues are sent automatically to subscribers of the New Babbage Cog group.
2. Issues are available from a paper boxes at the following locations:
-- Babbage Square telehub
-- Willow Tea Room
-- Undershaw Restoration Society
Back Issues:
All back issues of The New Babbage Cog will be available free of charge. They can be found in the Willow Tea Room on the first floor.
Submissions:
Volunteer freelance and column writers are welcome to propose stories. The New Babbage Cog also welcomes news tips, reports, and story ideas from interested parties. Please see our contact information above.
Advertising:
Advertising should be germane to subjects of greatest import to residents of New Babbage. Although our sensibilities are quite modern and liberal, The New Babbage Cog reserves the right to determine an ad's fitness for inclusion based on its pertinence to steampunk, Victoriana, retrotech, industry, anachronism, and other related concepts.
Advertising is L$50 to New Babbage citizens and L$100 for out-of-towners, per listing, per issue. For both residents and non-residents, space is limited to 500 characters per listing. Each ad may include one embedded texture and one landmark. File attachments must be delivered at the time of ad reservation. Please see our contact information above to inquire.
Errata:
[There are no errors known to be in need of correction at this time. The New Babbage Cog is obliged to anyone who sends notification of a mistake, so that rectifications might be swiftly published.]
Copyright Disclaimer:
This issue of The New Babbage Cog, and it's intellectual property, are owned by the contributors to the newspaper and is also publicly owned by the City-State of New Babbage, which at the time of it's printing, was under the care of Mayor Shaunathan Sprocket.
Copyright 2007 of the Common Era
The New Babbage Cog