About

The Unorthodox Society for the Elucidation of Retro-Futurism

("The USERs")

It began with an idea.  That idea was all about Steampunk and encouraging it locally. But that idea needed a name and the name needed to be an acronym. So began "The Society for the Elucidation of Retro-Futurism".  Also known as "The USERs".

Several years passed.....

Then there was a logo;

USERs Logo V1

Another year later, the logo needed an update;

USERs Logo V2

Why the change to the logo? Well, its a bit reminiscent of Doctor Who. We like the idea of exploring and adventuring sans weapons. Our minds and skills are our weapons. Not that walking canes and parasols can't be used as weapons, but they are less obvious.

Society Mission:

• To inform and enlighten the masses by methods orthodox and unusual about the essence of Steampunk style.
• To ensure that, like any sub-culture, there are purists at its core who continue to create an aesthetic that is original, practical, creative, and yet still stylish and true to its origins.
• To encourage all interested enthusiasts to the genre.

Definitions:
Some definitions for the geeky wordsmiths among our readers.

unorthodox

/ʌnˈɔːθədɒks/
adjective

adjective: unorthodox
contrary to what is usual, traditional, or accepted; not orthodox.
"he frequently upset other scholars with his unorthodox views"

synonyms:
unconventional, unusual, uncommon, unwonted, out of the ordinary, radical, revolutionary, nonconformist, irregular, offbeat, off-centre, avant-garde, original, new, novel, fresh, eccentric, exotic, Bohemian, alternative, idiosyncratic, abnormal, extreme, divergent, aberrant, anomalous, bizarre, outlandish, perverse; informaloff the wall, oddball, way out, cranky, zany; rareheteroclite
"Hobson's unorthodox views denied him an academic career"

heterodox, uncanonical, heretical, nonconformist, dissenting, dissentient, renegade
"unorthodox religious views"

society

/səˈsʌɪɪti/
noun

noun: society
1. the aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community.
"drugs, crime, and other dangers to society"

synonyms:
the community, the public, the general public, the people, the population; More

2. an organization or club formed for a particular purpose or activity.
"the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds"

synonyms:
association, club, group, band, circle, fellowship, body, guild, college, lodge, order, fraternity, confraternity, brotherhood, sisterhood, sorority, league, federation, union, alliance, affiliation, institution, coterie; raresodality
"a local history society"

3. the situation of being in the company of other people.
"she shunned the society of others"

synonyms:
company, companionship, fellowship, friendship, comradeship, camaraderie, social intercourse
"she shunned the society of others"

elucidation

/ɪˌl(j)uːsɪˈdeɪʃ(ə)n/
noun

noun: elucidation; plural noun: elucidations
explanation that makes something clear; clarification.
"work that led to the elucidation of the structure of proteins"

synonyms:
explanation, clarification, illumination; commentary, interpretation, explication, gloss, annotation, account, report, setting out, exegesis; comment, exposition
"his elucidation of the finer points of horse racing is excellent"

retrofuturism

/ˌrɛtrəʊˈfjuːtʃərɪz(ə)m/
noun

noun: retro-futurism
the use of a style or aesthetic considered futuristic in an earlier era.