ScatteredGenius.com

Steampunk hits the New York Times. Still a little frustrating, though, because some of the examples they give are just people wearing Victorian costuming. Vickky clothing and goggles do not a steampunk make.

Also what makes me growl through gritted teeth is that there’s not a SINGLE mention of Cyberpunk, the great grandaddy suffix of all of these movements…

To some, “steampunk” is a catchall term, a concept in search of a visual identity. “To me, it’s essentially the intersection of technology and romance,” said Jake von Slatt, a designer in Boston and the proprietor of the Steampunk Workshop (steampunkworkshop.com), where he exhibits such curiosities as a computer furnished with a brass-frame monitor and vintage typewriter keys.

Steampunk Moves Between Two Worlds - New York Times

ScientLOLojyuuichi!!

This is fantastic on many levels of fantastic.

HI SAM

Second Skin takes an intimate look at computer gamers whose lives have been transformed by the emerging genre of Massively Multiplayer Online games (MMOs). World of Warcraft, Second Life, and Everquest allow millions of users to simultaneously interact in virtual spaces. Second Skin introduces us couples who have fallen in love without meeting, disabled players who have found new purpose, addicts, Chinese gold-farming sweatshop workers, wealthy online entrepreneurs and legendary guild leaders - all living in a world that doesn’t quite exist.

So a few months ago, I heard in mumbling that there was some sort of “Internet humor convention” called LOLcon or something. After some futile research I came up with nothing…

But I was just presented with the link of links this morning. Behold ROFLCon,

basically an ‘internet meme convention.’ I can’t believe it… haha. Look at the list of confirmed guests.

Lastly, this particular activity sums up how this is going to be an amazing and weird event that I can’t afford to miss…

8-? — Party of the Internet 2008 — Every internet meme, ever. In one room. Partying out. Promise: they will be cranking that soulja boy.

I am going, tickets and hotel are booked. See you there.

While Gawker commenters know every obscure web site or at least can fake it, regular readers may want an explanation of some of the Internet’s most strangely influential sites, an explanation shorter than Wikipedia’s 2200-word article about 4chan. So I’ll define Encyclopedia Dramatica, 4chan, /b/, Something Awful, and YTMND.

Normally doing this kind of thing just anger the bugs on the other side of the upturned stone, but this sums most of these sites pretty well. Apart from comparing and insulting SomethingAwful by comparing it to EbaumsWorld, most of the descriptions are right on.