29
Jun

Our digital lives are empty and sad

   Posted by: Swizec   in Uncategorized

If you liked this post you should follow me on Twitter,
or see the music I like on last.fm,
or perhaps leave a comment, I like comments,
or go do your job because I know you're slacking,
or go write a blog of your own,
or tweet about something interesting,
or go out and have some fresh air,
or find a girlfriend,
or a boyfriend,
or a manbearpig,
or for fuck's sake stop reading this already,
no?
This entry was posted on Monday, June 29th, 2009 at 11:50 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

6 comments so far

sparkica
 1 

Your story is a very beautiful and nostalgic one. Don’t worry, The Machines are not dead yet. Steampunk will live for ever, at least for people like you and me.

You know… if you take different stance, you can even start to see some magic in colorful wires, sometimes you can even hear circuit-boards counting zeros and ones…

Nothing is lost except for seconds you spend counting (them) instead of living (them).

Swizec, why are you so sad lately? Or am I wrong?

June 29th, 2009 at 12:17
sparkica
 2 

Hmm, where did my comment go? :S

June 29th, 2009 at 12:20
swizec
 3 

@sparkica I find it interesting how many steampunks there seem to be around here, soon as one publicly announces they’re a steampunk, bamf, 50% of the people say they are as well.

What’s up with that? Why don’t the local steampunks also look and behave in a steampunk manner? Why are they so shy about it? It’s just strange …

And yeah, you’re wrong, I’m not sad, just have a lot on my mind as of late :)

June 30th, 2009 at 12:58
Simon
 4 

Because there is more to steampunk than silly outfits? What appeals to me is appreciation of the mechanical, punk/DIY attitude and some aspects of anachronism (for instance in terms of language).

Aesthetics & stories are nice sure, but that’s art; a level of interpassivity is expected. Dressing up as this great explorer is just make-believe. Why settle for that, when you can have a genuine experience and actually go on an off-road expedition to Tunisia? Incidentally this is the biggest contradiction in steampunk. The DIY bit is often at odds with anachronistic aesthetics. What is more steampunk, building a real flying composite airplane with digital avionics or a model steam engine with shiny brass bits? My choice is clear.

June 30th, 2009 at 16:38
Swizec
 5 

You don’t have to dress-up completely so as to become silly looking. Just a nod to the steampunk aesthetics here and there *shrug* Think of it like networking, you wouldn’t have any followers on Twitter if nobody knew you had an account, likewise it’s difficult to meet other steampunks when you can’t see any.

As for the building. I’ll take building a real composite aeroplane without digital avionics. And I totally would do it too if I had anywhere to do it.

But I’m starting off small. This summer I’m building a trebuchet at my gf’s house to learn how to weld :P

June 30th, 2009 at 18:08
Hellas
 6 

Maybe if would we have better knowledge about digital equipment we should see little bit of spirit in the digital stuff too. I am dont saying that you dont have appropriate knowledge, but everything is in the eye of beholder and on some way subjective.

July 5th, 2009 at 13:44
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