Domo. Domo.
Vegetarianism update: There is no "e" in "tofurky." What's that about, vegetarians?
Orchid update: Here are some of the orchids I got.
The others are not in bloom.
Steampunk update: fascination is in temporary decline, due to other things going on.
I was going to tell you my theory of why it's so cool, and I'm glad I didn't, because now I think it was probably false. Definitely the anachronistic aspects play an important role (e.g. the juxtaposition of victorian aesthetics with robots and space flight, or of abraham lincoln with cyborg weaponry) as does retrofuturism in general, but what is it about steam and the 19th century in particular? My best guess is that on the one hand, it is an era with which we can longingly share their enthusiasm and optimism regarding technological (and social) progress; anything prior to the Industrial Revolution would just seem weird (Even cotton gin punk is kind of pushing it. Though, come to think of it, alchemypunk would be pretty cool. I digress.). But on the other hand, it is not so recent that such notions of boundless progress lose their ring of quaint innocence. We can smile at the idea of clockwork servants serving us tea, and our suspension of disbelief need not be hindered by the jadedness of postmodernity.
Man, I hope you didn't have to read that paragraph. This is what happens when I post at this hour.
Aging update: 28. Festivities have been very pleasant.
Orchid update: Here are some of the orchids I got.
The others are not in bloom.
Steampunk update: fascination is in temporary decline, due to other things going on.
I was going to tell you my theory of why it's so cool, and I'm glad I didn't, because now I think it was probably false. Definitely the anachronistic aspects play an important role (e.g. the juxtaposition of victorian aesthetics with robots and space flight, or of abraham lincoln with cyborg weaponry) as does retrofuturism in general, but what is it about steam and the 19th century in particular? My best guess is that on the one hand, it is an era with which we can longingly share their enthusiasm and optimism regarding technological (and social) progress; anything prior to the Industrial Revolution would just seem weird (Even cotton gin punk is kind of pushing it. Though, come to think of it, alchemypunk would be pretty cool. I digress.). But on the other hand, it is not so recent that such notions of boundless progress lose their ring of quaint innocence. We can smile at the idea of clockwork servants serving us tea, and our suspension of disbelief need not be hindered by the jadedness of postmodernity.
Man, I hope you didn't have to read that paragraph. This is what happens when I post at this hour.
Aging update: 28. Festivities have been very pleasant.
posted by Evan at 1:17 AM
3 Comments:
I think there's some sort of vegetarian "best-stitute" rule about omitting vowels---witness the army of "chick'n" products. Maybe they think we need orthographic evidence that we're not buying meat? That wouldn't explain the lack of an 'e' in 'Tofurky', though.
I'm (slowly) reading Stephenson's The Diamond Age now; although it's only partly steampunk, I'm enjoying it thoroughly. Same could be said for the Mieville novels, especially Perdido Street Station.
28---now that is just terrifying.
Oh yeah, I forgot about chick'n and turk'y and such (...st'k?), which now makes me start to suspect that each company is just trying to carve out its own tiny proprietary (and ever more linguistically tortured) corner of orthography-space.
Awesome; I didn't expect to like The Diamond Age at first, but I might actually like it better than Snow Crash, though this probably has more to do with the speculative moral psychology than the setting. Not that the setting isn't great too, though.
Don't make me thump you with my cane, whippersnapper.
You are so oooollllld
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