I'm A Steampunk, How About You?

Junk Thief has slowly become aware that he's part of a subculture without intentionally joining it. There've been clues and mention of the Steampunk movement popping up lately, but he wasn't that clear on what it is. He remembered seeing this video on the Wall Street Journal site last summer and he certainly saw examples a couple of weeks ago at the Edwardian World's Faire which was referenced in an NPR piece this afternoon that put the whole thing in perspective. Surely that's what those mysterious but glorious inventions in the storefront near the 24/Mission BART -- such as the one on the right -- are. There are even Steampunk iPod skins out there. How typical of Junk Thief to be clueless as to what the kiddos are up to while being totally in sync with it. Maybe Junk Thief TV with its many references to the past qualifies as a Steampunk channel. That sure sounds a lot cooler than "retro".

This whole idea of turning backwards to go forwards is really central to the Junk Thief aesthetic that celebrates everything of the Beaux Arts/Modernisme/Edwardian area evidenced in his recent homages of the George Melies, Antoni Gaudi and Claude Debussy. And, honestly, isn't that computer at the top of this post a hell of a lot more attractive than those white laptops with glowing apples? Junk Thief just can't wait to see the reaction of the Geek Squad guy the next time he comes out and sees the laptop with wrought iron bear claw feet.