Steampunk? I thought I had my ear to the ground, but...

[TL]

...apparently, the "Steampunk" "movement" has been around for a while...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/08/fashion/08PUNK.html

[TremblingEagle]

name all the bands with the old time-y look/sound gimmick

I can only think of the Decemberists
but I'm sure there was more

[ericluxury]

I wouldn't sweat not knowing about steampunk. It's mostly just an aesthetics thing, which looks cool enough when photographed around only other steampunk things and lit correctly, but fairly ridiculous when surrounded by the real world. There are a few writers who write about that stuff, Neal Stephenson being the best one.
Proponents of steampunk are much more likely than normal people to call Tom Waits their favorite musician. They are also more likely to have soul patches than usual.

[yesno]

It's a sci-fi thing.  Where some people imagined what life would have been like, had Charles Babbage's mechanical computers actually been built.  19th century information revolution.  

Some people have gotten really taken with the aesthetic and have taken it way too far.  Personally, I like the Brazil/warped 1950s look better.  Like the ElectriClerk computer:

[senorcorazon]

It's a nerd thing. BoingBoing'ed for months and months -- they have some pretty cool examples on there. And some VERY lame ones.

Can I throw Cory Doctorow in the Hate Pit again?

[Gregory]

Yes, he owns a flat-screen television, but he has modified it with a burlap frame. He uses an iPhone, but it is encased in burnished brass.

This is as far as I got.

[jed]

I didn't know cocaine was so big in the 19th century.

[Bryan]

I turned on my computer last night to see that story as the FRONT PAGE HEADLINE on the NY Times site. Preposterous!

[Sarah]

I didn't know cocaine was so big in the 19th century.

Never read the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, eh?

Also, only Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age really qualifies as steam punk.

[kimota]

Cocaine was in a lot of medicines in the 19th/early 20th century.  It was a very popular ingredient and was also used as local anesthetic, among other things.  It kind of went by the wayside in the 30's when amphetamines started taking the place of cocaine in medicines.  Doing historical archaeology on turn of the century pharmacies taught me a lot about that era's medicines and such.

[KickTheBobo]

It's a nerd thing. BoingBoing'ed for months and months -- they have some pretty cool examples on there. And some VERY lame ones.

Can I throw Cory Doctorow in the Hate Pit again?

Please do.

But at least let him plug his new e-book beforehand!

[Stupornaut]

I think the last thing this world needs is more techno-geek rebellion. What, they're going to find new image macros to annoy everyone with?

[dania]

So somehow an affinity for antiques makes you an artist?  I can't believe they chose to use that creepy picture of that dude with the carrot top and burgundy jacket.  He looks diseased. 
"With its enticing marketing hook, steampunk is rapidly outgrowing niche status."  Wow, I can't wait to see the same shelf I built in my window sold at Urban Outfitters for $300. 
I feel sick

[God Stewart]

That article should have gone more like this:

FAD: STEAMPUNK

Wouldn't it be great if you commuted to work in a dirigible? Wouldn't your toilet look better if it were made out of copper and polished wood? Did you think the movie Wild Wild West was totally underrated? If so you should secure your place in the imaginary world of steampunk.
 
I guess if I took part in civil war reenactments I'd say, "Finally, we're not the biggest nerds on the planet."

People with time on their hands drive me crazy.

[gravy boat]

 
I guess if I took part in civil war reenactments I'd say, "Finally, we're not the biggest nerds on the planet."

You deserve to be blasted by my imaginary cannon fire at Sharpsburg this September 17.