steam
"Steam is like an energy middleman between the many fuels we have and the electricity we want. Using steam may seem like an unnecessary diversion, ..."
"A steam engine is like a living creature," he said. "They're huge; they're powerful; they breathe. You can hear them breathing when they're rolling."
"A steam engine is like a toddler," Hammang said. "If you leave it for more than a few minutes, you're going to have problems."
METAMIA is a free database of analogy and metaphor. Anyone can contribute or search. The subject matter can be anything. Science is popular, but poetry is encouraged. The goal is to integrate our fluid muses with the stark literalism of a relational database. Metamia is like a girdle for your muses, a cognitive girdle.