Steampunk makes the New York Times
See here (registration possibly required). From the sounds of it, marketers have finally noticed steampunk and are now going to be trying to make some money from the “subculture.” So like, watch for steampunk video games and Halloween costumes. It was nice to see the band Abney Park mentioned. Last time I checked on them, they were still calling themselves “goth.” They were already sporting the steampunk goggles, though, so they must have been on their way to being the first steampunk band.
Why steampunk? A computer teacher I know puts a mechanical typewriter in his classroom, and he notes that it’s by far the most popular device in a classroom filled with technology. The kids like to see the mechanical effect of the pressed key and how it results in the stamped letter. Our ubiquitous computers are far more mechanically complex of course, but most of that complexity is invisible. They’re just boxes. Steampunk brings some of that fascination with mechanical beauty back into those boxes. Google “steampunk” along with “mouse” “keyboard” or “computer” for some examples.