So this morning, somebody asked me an interesting question. They said, "Cubey," and then I waited while their hands did that Second Life air-typing animation, and several seconds later they continued, "where the heck is this steampunk airship you keep talking about?" And then they walked right up to me and said, point-blank, "I want a frackin' steampunk airship NOW!" Then, pulling out the largest hand-cannon I'd ever seen, they blasted me across the sim, shouting "PWNED! LOL!!!1" (Alright, none of this actually happened. I just thought a little narrative would liven up an otherwise dull blog entry.)

Functionally, the airship -- or the Merlin* as it will be known -- is almost complete. All of the features are now installed, so now we pause and review what we have and break out the spit and polish. Hopefully more polish than spit. Spit-encrusted vehicles are upopular for some reason.

Also, designer Reitsuki is currently refining the model, smoothing the sculpted prims, and adding new features like flags and (this part is pretty awesome) an exterior rack of torpedoes. Yes, you will be able to launch actual torpedoes and send enemy ships to Micky Dolenz' locker. I mean Davy Jones. His locker.

So keep your eye on this page for news (did you know I have an RSS feed?). I expect we'll launch Merlin possibly on the second weekend in September, or thereabouts.

*Nope, it's not named after the wizard. It's named after the bird.