Dawn of Alternative Party 2008
In the year 2007 a small team of organisers from the Alternative Party travelled back in time, or something closely akin to it. It hadn't been intentional and, indeed, Setok and Ravel were quite unprepared. It all started at the 2007 Alternative Party inside the storage room where they were briefly meeting to discuss matters of importance. Ravel accidentally pressed one of the switches in the electric cupboard and literally in a blink of an eye they got transported to late Victorian London. Needless to say, the travellers were somewhat surprised to step out of the cupboard and to find themselves amidst hearses, steam powered locomotives, ladies and gentlemen in fine costume and the unbelievable stench of sewage, filth and gin. More surprising still was how the computer age had already begun.
The past they visited was not from the path this world has taken, but one in which large corporations and government had employed Charles Babbage and his engines, or mechanical computers, to power their accounts and data. Not only that but the telegram network had been applied to connect these machines together, forming connectivity between the far corners of the Empire, passing messages at lightning speed and creating a web of knowledge far beyond anything that had ever before existed. People could enter libraries and get instant information printouts about the situation in South Africa or business in India. Scientists could use the power of multiple machines around the world to solve the most magnificent of problems. Employees could pass small snippets of information, or even humorous entertainment amongst themselves to ease the stress of labour. It was a revolution that would surpass even that of the steel-empowered industry before it.
The duo's adventure lasted only one day before the time portal closed and they were whisked back to the party place, stunned and amazed by their experience. It was immediately decided that they should celebrate the sheer scale of what they had witnessed and to make the next Alternative Party the platform for that celebration. Thus the Alternative Party 2008 will be a showcase for this Victorian inventiveness and dedication. It will be bringing forth the spirit of that age to the 21st century in dress, steam, brass, cogs and computers. The age of the computing dawn.
More about Steampunk
- Steampunk on Wikipedia
