Steampunk is really, really big here at Dragon*Con. It's just about everywhere you look. The costumes and contraptions are marked by an intricately elaborate design aesthetic and they are beautiful - goggles, gears, the romance of a time that never was.

Maybe it's because I recently watched the film adaptation of H. G. Wells' "The Time Machine," or maybe because Dragon*Con itself just has that effect, but in the midst of it all, I really do feel as though I've been transported to an alternate universe. And that's what steampunk is all about.

Imagine an alternate history where steam power is still widely used - Victorian era Britain is the favored setting - and add to that a healthy dose of sci-fi / fantasy and a whole lot of design thinking and craftsmanship. FULL POST