Steampunk

When it comes to a design aesthetic I am most fond of STEAMPUNK. Its a genre of literature and design that postulates an alternate world still primarily powered by steam and imagines a time of fantasy where the computers (and other modern advances) are invented a hundred years before they actually were (thus regressing the age of science fiction decades before it came into prominance). It often combines the Modern Age with the Victorian Age. Its a world were you would imagine Jules Verne as its guiding genius and architect. Speaking of genius, the designers at Wetaworks have created steampunk weapons that make you wish that such a time actually existed...like the space age in the time of Queen Victoria. How can anyone not find these cool? I love all the brass and varnished woodgrains, the rivets and the exposed components. The movie DUNE had many of these design elements and when I imagine the world that the novels create it always has a steampunk flare. This is the best description of STEAMPUNK that I have ever seen -

"Steampunk is Goth, Punk, Geek, and Maker Culture whipped into a delicious melange with a healthy seasoning of political and environmental activism. It's the intersection of science and romance, it's sustainable rebellion."

-Steampunk Workshop