Mindsigh

SLeuth – short story part 2 published

Posted by jerry on May 31st, 2008 — Posted in Journal, New media, Writing

I have been part of a writers’ group in the virtual world SecondLife for some time, and last year was asked if I’d like to submit something for the literary journal SLiterary. The deadline was only a few days away, but I had been toying with an idea for a novel for some time and thought I’d try out a sample piece and see what the reaction would be.

That was Part 1 of SLeuth – a kind of detective fiction set partly in SecondLife and partly in the real world. The piece was accepted and I was paid in real money – a bonus in my view – and received very good feedback from the editors – two real-life literary editors.

Later, I was invited to speak in-world as an invited guest at a ‘meet the author’ gathering in SL. There, I got to meet a number of my readers and engaged in really stimulating discussion. But one of the key things that came out was that they wanted to know what happens next. I had kind of thought of this as a one-off to test the waters, but as the deadline fast approached for the second edition, the editors approached me and specifically requested part two, and they would keep the deadline open to give me time to submit it.

In the end they won and I wrote the second part – but it has shown me above all that there is a real appetite for this tale. You can download the journal by clicking on the images below and the pdf will be delivered to your machine. It’s free and gratis as the costs of the journal are met by advertising. So here are the journals with part one and two of SLeuth – let me know what you think… 🙂

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Stanley Steamer – Ottawa Science and Technology Museum

Posted by jerry on May 29th, 2008 — Posted in History, Steam

Stanley steamer 1921

It looks like many other 1920s cars, but this one would meet the most severe emissions controls. Steam cars are like that. The 1921 Stanley tourer at the Ottawa Science and Technology museum is in excellent condition – and is in good hands to stay that way.

Stanley steamer 1921

Although Stanley was the most commercially successful steam car, they were never produced in the sort of numbers that gave the Ford Model T its name. By 1921 the Stanley was showing its age with conservative engineering and was no longer really competitive with comparable internal combustion engined cars. They took around a half hour to drive off from cold, and even with the radiator-style condenser, they still only went about 150 miles on 24 gallons of water and similar distance running on kerosene with a 20 gallon fuel tank.

Stanley steamer 1921

These cars could certainly keep up with the traffic of the day, but the complicated firing up ritual and the ever-present risk of explosion made these a car for the enthusiast, rather than the commuter. There was no need for a conspiracy to put these cars out of business – economics of small scale production and a failure to develop a truly competitive vehicle was quite sufficient. It wasn’t until the ill-fated and over-priced Doble that steam cars really showed a practical alternative to the internal combustion engine – and with petrol prices climbing and concerns about emissions mounting, there may yet be a market for a well-designed sleek modern steam car (perhaps a hybrid with compressed air for that quick start in the morning). But they have their charm and I would be very happy to drive one of these today!

Stanley steamer 1921

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Brooks steam car – Ottawa Science and Technology Museum

Posted by jerry on May 24th, 2008 — Posted in Steam, Technology

I had read here about the Brooks steam car – made in Canada in the 1920s. The car was underpowered and overpriced, but it was manufactured and more than 100 were built. Only a handful survive. This is a tale of how I got to see one up close and personal.

The article mentioned that there were four in Canadian museums and three in the UK – there may be eight Brooks steam cars left in the world – so it’s a rare item.

Knowing I was to be traveling to Ottawa I emailed the Science and Technology Museum to find out if the car was on display. I received a lovely email in response with apologies that the car was not on display, but I could make an appointment to view the car at their warehouse.

At the appointed time I met with the Assistant Curator for Transportation and was taken to an amazing warehouse with several steam cars – more on those later. The 1926 Brooks Tourer was unmistakable with its fabric body – it looked in amazing condition, as though it was driven in just a week ago.

I was able to take a number of photos that I would not have been able to get if the car were on official display. The first two photos that follow were supplied by the museum and used by permission.

Brooks steam car – photo courtesy of the Ottawa Science and Technology Museum – used by permission