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Steampunk, Datamancer.net and Enochian keyboards
By Psyche | March 30, 2008
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I have a confession to make: I have a huge crush on the whole steampunk subculture.
The aesthetic of steampunk harkens back to an era where steam power was still widely used, and often adopts a pseudo-Victorian look. Inspiration is taken from H.G. Wells, Jules Verne and fantastical technological inventions, sometimes set in an alternate-history.
I don’t see much awareness of it in Toronto (or perhaps it’s here, but I’m just not seeing it?); my first encounters with it were from flyers posted online for club events in other cities, and, of course, the gorgeous steampunk laptop (pictured above) created by Datamancer.net: a fully functional laptop made of wood, copper, and brass which starts with a clock winding key.
Indeed, Datamancer.net has created a variety of modded compute-related items, including keyboards in a variety of styles (even an Enochian steampunk keyboard! - pictured left), an Opti-Transcripticon (flatbed scanner), and various miscellaneous items.
Datamancer.net does custom work, using authentic pieces to mod current technology where possible, but due to the labour-intensive nature of his creations, they are quite pricey. Still, fun to look at.
For more on what can be done, also check out SteampunkWorkshop.com, the SteampunkHome blog and SteampunkMagazine.com. Love it.
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March 30th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Hmm, I’d been thinking of modding my Asus Eee PC in some way, and tiny as it is, it would look great with a finish like this. Might take away its primary advantage of being light weight and portable though. Although that might depend on exactly HOW I mod it…
…the leather bound tecknogrimoire design might be closer to what I need! (Although apparently that was abandoned and turned into the steampunk laptop anyway!
[Reply]
Psyche reply on March 30th, 2008:
Check out the Opti-Transcripticon - a scanner modded to look like an old leather bound book. Perhaps you could do something like that? It’s lighter than the wood and brass, but still very snazzy.
Whatever you do: pics are a must!
[Reply]
Anton Channing reply on March 30th, 2008:
Yeah, a friend of mine leather binds books. Maybe I could get him to show me how to do it for my laptop. I did have a good look around that site and the scanner was one item that caught my eye… :)
[Reply]
Psyche reply on March 30th, 2008:
I’m a vegetarian, but I can’t help but think that would look awesome.
March 30th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Well, I guess I’m about 90% vegetarian myself at the moment, but I still eat meat occasionally (maybe once a week or once a fortnight when I’m being really good), so I haven’t got around to giving up leather yet. It would be hard for me to do so as I have a bit of a fetish for it. PVC and Rubber just don’t do it for me in the same way as Leather and Silk.
But anyway, as far as a book is concerned, I suspect the principles would be the same with leatherette? I mean, I don’t plan to get sexy with my laptop! I don’t love computers quite THAT much!
Oh dear, now I have Naked Lunch on my mind…
[Reply]
Psyche reply on March 30th, 2008:
I’ve been a strict ovo-lacto vegetarian since I was a child (I don’t eat or wear anything that had a mother). Leather stinks, but it’s true, PVC and rubber don’t really compare in terms of look and feel.
I imagine that leather would respond better than rubber to the higher temperatures that a computer can reach - another moral setback for me!
Still have yet to read Naked Lunch. Curious about the reference though?
[Reply]
Anton Channing reply on March 30th, 2008:
Okay, Naked Lunch spoiler alert!
I’ve only just started reading the book, so I’m more talking about the film. I haven’t reached this scene in the book, but in the film the type-writer gets turned on while he is typing and turns into an organic entity with sexual orifices and protrusions.
The thought of getting sexual with a computer kind of reminded me of that… :)
[Reply]
Psyche reply on March 30th, 2008:
Ok, now I really have to read this book.
April 9th, 2008 at 10:32 am
You know, I was at an event called the “Power Tool Drag Races” a few years ago and someone was driving around a steam-powered three-wheeled wagon contraption. I’ll see if I can dig up the mobile shots I took of it for you.
-k.
[Reply]
Psyche reply on April 9th, 2008:
That would be neat - I love stuff like that. It’s just so cool.
[Reply]