chateau bizarre: hardcore glamour & curious finds, reviewed daily » science & gadgetry

Datamancer

lilah wild — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:25:31 +0000

Computer equipment done over in steampunk trappings. This site is a feast of fabulously anachronistic projects – laptops crafted to look like Victorian music boxes complete with little feet, an LCD housed inside a gothic cathedral, a bass amp built into an old Philco radio cabinet – right now the main focus is keyboards of velvet and brass and crystal, and there’s a mailing list for finding out when the latest dream machine goes up for sale.

Museum Store Company

lilah wild — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:11:38 +0000

Decor and adornment replicated from art and artifacts around the world: Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Hindu, Asian, African, Aztec, medieval, and a touch of abstract modern are scattered throughout pages of historically-inspired jewelry and housewares. Loads of statuary from Buddha to Beethoven, the games include mummy bridge decks, the gadgetry runs towards sundials and hourglasses, and Frank Lloyd wright pops up in the earrings. Thanks Neil!

TokyoFlash Japan

lilah wild — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:27:00 +0000

Absolutely psychotic watches where the little LED lights do more than just circle prettily around on your wrist – they demand interpretation to tell you the time. Operating guides posted in the product descriptions walk you through the process, which is fairly easy once you get the hang of it, and also don’t miss the totally indoostrial bracelets. Thanks, TurquoiseRaven!

Dapper Cadaver

lilah wild — Tue, 05 May 2009 00:46:00 +0000

A SoCal shop full of haunted house decor, lots for sprucing up the residences of the morbidly inclined or shooting a b-movie. Edible blood by the gallon, latex intestines, classic Victorian floor candelabras, “toe pincher” coffins, apothecary jars, cemetery lawn signs and graveyard gates, foam weapons and the makeup to reflect their damage, the 9-piece Professional Mad Scientist assortment, lifecasting kits, zombie silhouettes, a whole page of vintage medical curios, and bulk discounts. Some of their stock is offered for rent, not to buy, so check first before placing an order.

American Science & Surplus

lilah wild — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:42:00 +0000

A fantastic melange of experimental weirdness that’s been around since the 30’s, offering electronics, tools, lab kits, crafts, toys, home and garden stuff, something for everyone to twiddle around with. Anatomical charts, battlebot gear, Crystal Farming Made Easy, glow-in-the-dark room decor, steampunky brass sundials, playa dwelling essentials, random disgusting things, thousands and thousands of randomly useful things accompanied by frequently-wry product descriptions geared to even the most science-averse.

Scientific Collectables

lilah wild — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:36:00 +0000

Antique instrumentation for steampunk assemblage or elegant geekery. The compasses number nearly two hundred; telescopes, barometers, sextants, slide rules, 50’s calculators, anemometers, and other miscellaneous bits of usefulness abound, often with the cute little carrying cases that so sadly have disappeared from most modern gadgetry.

Stanley London

lilah wild — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:28:00 +0000

Shiny brass reproductions of navigational devices and other steampunk delights. Compasses, telescopes, and sextants are the main draws, with a ton of accessories in the Miscellaneous section: pocket watches, swords, compacts and sewing kits, globes and barometers, levels and scales, sundials, drinking and gameware, all kinds of old-world gadgets for the thrill of scientific discovery or just getting up to rakish behavior.

Archie McPhee

lilah wild — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 01:09:00 +0000

A fantastically weird toyshop in Seattle, where the online catalog is divided into categories like Catapults, Evil, Sushi, Jesus, and Candy. Kitchen wares, drinking goods, and some other actually-functional things are sprinkled into a mass of pirate umbrellas, Venus de Milo party picks, wrestling masks, Holy Toast, deluxe finger monsters, Cold War Unicorn play sets, mannequin heads, Wind-Up Hopping Liederhosen, and of course a site like this wouldn’t be complete without the option of Mystery Boxes.

Vat 19

lilah wild — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:38:00 +0000

A catalog of oddities for the home and office, some merely cute, others quite useful in an offbeat way. Self-extinguishing beeswax candles, invisible bookshelves, windchime alarm clocks, desktop-sized vintage 80’s video games, salt and pepper shakers that hug each other, dial-a-drink cocktail shakers, journals made from floppy disks, collapsible BBQ firebowls, all kinds of weird little gadgets.

Evolve Fish

lilah wild — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 03:02:00 +0000

Ever wonder where those hilarious bumper-sticker Darwin fish come from? This site has a lot of great permutations of the original, including “Satan,” “Freud,” and “Tuna.” They also carry a ton of stickers, buttons, shirts, cards, all kinds of reading material, science toys, Wash Away Your Sins soaps, pride stuff, and other snarkilicious miscellanea for progressives, pagans, and other subverters of the status quo.

Dead Batteries

lilah wild — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 06:00:00 +0000

In a world of anxious press releases and endless flowery ad copy, it’s almost heartening to run across a site that greets potential customers with an upraised middle finger. Enshrined amid some truly obnoxious web design, AA batteries are restyled with comic and pinup imagery. Yes, they work, and come with a profanity-laden guarantee, and are quite popular as vibrator accompaniments.

The Science Fair

lilah wild — Tue, 16 Nov 2004 03:17:00 +0000

Lots and lots of fun (and educational) playthings. Rock candy kits, chemistry sets, rock tumblers for the jewelry crafters, solar cell panels, electronics, weird games, microscopes, tons of glassware, and pre-packaged experiments for the budding mad scientist.

Automata Shop

lilah wild — Mon, 04 Oct 2004 06:00:00 +0000

Brought to you by Cabaret Mechanical Theatre, a touring exhibition of fabulous moving sculptures that we highly recommend visiting if they appear in your local science museum, the Automata Shop brings penny arcade dioramas to life: motion art is for sale as well as considerably less expensive paper cutout kits and “design-your-own” sets.