Steampunk: Channeling the Spirit of Victorian Inventors

Today's Boston Globe takes note of the endlessly creative band of steampunk aficionados who seem to be channeling the spirit of Victorian inventors with their imaginative versions of modern technological objects. Check out the article's extensive photo gallery and prepare to be amazed.

"In the past two years ... steampunk has emerged in the real world, as a growing number of enthusiasts build steampunk objects and then share photos of them on the Internet. One of the first was the appearance last summer of a group of robots designed by the San Francisco Bay Area artist I-Wei Huang: they look like nineteenth-century locomotives with legs and are literally steam powered.

"This year alone has produced steampunk watches from Japan (bizarre assemblages of rusted brass, cracked leather, and antique watch faces) and a steampunk tree house (a steaming metal tree that houses a main room with all manner of secret compartments and drawers) at the annual Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert. There is even steampunk fashion, such as a combination dress/overalls adorned with gears and belt loops for every lady's steampunk tools.

"In their embrace of the toothy cog and the sooty pipe, this guild of steampunk hackers represents a rebellion of sorts against our iPhone moment."

Shown here: Steampunkworkshop.com's modified keyboard and flat-panel monitor.

Related links:

datamancer.net

Steampunk Magazine