I do it mainly because it is a tradition of the scientific gentry to take measurements and build almanacs. Think Reed’s (nautical) or Wisden (cricket) but on

I do it mainly because it is a tradition of the scientific gentry to take measurements and build almanacs. Think Reed’s (nautical) or Wisden (cricket) but on a much more local scale. It’s probably why the article references the fact that their gauge is made of copper — taking pride in a sense of tradition and solidity by using a brassy looking scientific instrument made of metal. My own gauge is plastic but I mounted it on a solid oak stave. We try to follow in the footsteps of Kelvin, hiking to his waterfall with a hardwood case of glass thermometers etc. I would probably be into steampunk as an aesthetic if it were more hard scifi and less makebelieve. Compared to steampunk bric-à-brac, a copper rain gauge is steam punk science that is actually scientific, as opposed to an iPhone case with brass cogs glued to it. It serves a practical purpose too — when you have a privet hedge and a lawn to care for and your climate provides rainfall on an intermittent basis, it’s important to know when the soil needs some artificial millimetres on it to keep the foliage going.