Sunday, March 28, 2010

The Sub Genres of Steampunk

Corsets, petticoats, spats, goggles, and time pieces are some of the many things you can find in steampunk. Although it may seem pretty simple, there are also many different sub-genres of steampunk. Some of these include clockpunk, diesel punk, Western steampunk, and goth steampunk. Most are self-explanatory such as clockpunk which includes using technology based on springs and clockwork and dieselpunk with petroleum power instead of steam.

A clockpunk-inspired ring made from pieces of a watch.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Travel by Steampunk

Ferdinand Verbiest built the first steam-powered vehicle circa 1672. Made for the Chinese emperor, this was too small and only designed as a toy to be able to carry a driver or passenger, but was still the first working steam-powered vehicle. In terms of steampunk, a steampunk vehicle can literally mean a vehicle powered by steam or just by design.

Last year Toyota designed a new steampunk-inspired car called the FT-EV II, an electric car based on their iQ mini-car. What makes this vehicle steampunk-esque is it's very Victorian style mixed with modern technology. This vehicle will go on sale in the U.S. by the end of 2010 and will be known as the 2011 Scion iQ.