steampunk posts

Filed under: Software, Found Footage, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

Found Footage: 3 Numbers traveler's multicalculator

by Steven Sande (RSS feed) on Apr 24th, 2009

TUAW readers know that I'm a sucker for good iPhone user interface design; that's why I love the apps from Tapbots so much. I also have a soft spot for steampunk, so when we received a tip about the 3 Numbers "traveler's multicalculator" (click opens iTunes) today, I immediately clicked through to watch the demo video.

3 Numbers is the brainchild of Berlin developer Halle Winkler. It's not just a converter application, it's an adventure! Visiting the 3 Numbers website, you find that this mysterious polished brass device filled with glowing vacuum tubes and spinning gears was "found" by the developer in an old dusty box in the attic.

3 Numbers is more than just a pretty face, though. It has some unique features, such as being able to keep up to 3 numbers in a holding area for future use, writing notes to accompany calculations, and being able to access those notes from any Bonjour-enabled computer on your wireless network.

Please enjoy the developer's video demonstrating this US$4.99 app, accompanied by the lovely strains of Elgar's Enigma Variation #10.

Tags: app store, AppStore, iphone, steampunk

Filed under: Accessories, Humor, Odds and ends, iPhone

If daVinci had designed the iPhone

by Dave Caolo (RSS feed) on Feb 4th, 2009

The steampunk mod meme is not going away. From the Mac mini to R2D2, all sorts of hardware is being made to look Victorian. No one knows why.

Artist Kevin Tong continues the tradition with the iPhone ... sort of. The iSteamPhone T-shirt presents the iPhone in a blown-apart presentation like you might find in a daVinci sketch pad. Even the "parts" of the iPhone are vintage. Note the analog clock and what looks like a muffler in the center.

True, we're cheating here a bit in that this isn't a physical steampunked iPhone, but who wants to see that? The T-shirt is clever and sure to be a hit at your next MUG meeting. Grab yours for $20US.

[Via Guy Kawasaki]

Tags: iphone, mods, steampunk

Filed under: Mods, Mac mini

Mac Mini gets Steampunk'd

by Brett Terpstra (RSS feed) on Mar 3rd, 2008

Steampunk. Since the late eighties, the genre has spawned a diverse lineup of books, movies and – perhaps most importantly – hardware mods. The playground ranges from Nerf guns to revamped R2D2s, but computers have likely been one of the most attractive targets for Steampunk modders. Sadly, the romantic vision of technology-sans-silicon has been heavily oriented towards the PC platform, leaving most Macs untouched by the fog of steam and coal smoke.

A new entry in the Mac category – created by one Dave Veloz for his wife – takes on a Mac Mini and forges a machine that Captain Nemo would be proud to use. The keyboard may be familiar, and the monitor is an evolution of previous works, but the treatment of the Mini and gold lettering in vintage Victorian style brings the full package together in a wonderfully Mac-centric, Steampunk fantasy vision with superb attention to detail. And all that work didn't just sit around looking pretty: the final product was set up at Dave's wedding to display a slideshow of engagement photos.

We at TUAW would like to extend a hearty "hurrah" to Dave for what may be the coolest mod ever to befall a Mini. Maybe even cooler than the Millenium Falcon mod. And yes, that can be taken as an official challenge: show us what you've got!

Thanks Jim!

Tags: Mini, mods, steampunk

Filed under: Hardware, Odds and ends, Mods, Apple

The Clockwork Pismo

by Scott McNulty (RSS feed) on Jul 31st, 2007

If one were to draw a Venn diagram of my interests this clockwork Pismo mod would fall squarely in the overlapping circles of 'Steampunk' and 'Apple tech.' Tom Mordasky at MacMod.com took some broken clock gears, aluminum, a sharp knife or two and created a thing of beauty. Pictured above, before he applied some glossy paint, this Pismo (which is a G3 Powerbook, for those of you who are only familiar with Apple's more recent metallic efforts) looks like something Jules Verne would be proud to write with.

[via Brass Goggles]

Tags: apple, g3 powerbook, G3Powerbook, pismo, steampunk

Filed under: Cult of Mac, Odds and ends, iMac, Apple

Steam powered iMac

by Scott McNulty (RSS feed) on Jul 11th, 2006

I spent much of my college days reading Victorian literature, and since I also happen to be a SciFi geek it should shock no one that I enjoy Steampunk (though I would be shocked if many of you even know what Steampunk is). It seems that Jeremy Deller and Alan Kane share my love of melding 21st and 19th century technologies together because they are responsible for the Steam Powered Internet Machine.

It makes me so happy to live in a world where a steam powered iMac exists.

[via Make]

Tags: alan kane, AlanKane, jeremy deller, JeremyDeller, make, steam punk, SteamPunk, the steam powered internet machine, TheSteamPoweredInternetMachine

Tip of the Day

To get an instant map to any address, just go to your Address Book and right click on the address field of any one of your contacts and select "Map Of." The address will then be revealed in Google Maps on Safari. You can do the same if a data detector determines there is an address in an e-mail in Mail.

Learn More

TUAW flickr Pool

www.flickr.com

Featured Galleries

TUAW bloggers (30 days)

#	Blogger	Posts	Cmts
1	Steven Sande	46	3
2	Dave Caolo	35	4
3	Mel Martin	31	0
4	Mike Schramm	30	0
5	Josh Carr	18	24
6	Michael Rose	18	26
7	Victor Agreda, Jr.	17	6
8	TJ Luoma	14	25
9	Erica Sadun	14	2
10	Ken Ray	11	2
11	Chris Rawson	11	0
12	Joachim Bean	10	3
13	Aron Trimble	10	5
14	David Winograd	10	5
15	Sang Tang	9	0
16	Megan Lavey	8	9
17	Brett Terpstra	7	5
18	John Burke	6	3
19	Lauren Hirsch	4	0
20	Kent Pribbernow	3	0

More Apple Analysis

AAPL on BloggingStocks The Apple category feed from BloggingStocks.com
AAPL Quote, News & Summary The AAPL financials page from AOL Money and Finance
iPhone analysis from BloggingStocks iPhone tag feed from BloggingStocks
Macintosh news and reviews on Download Squad The Macintosh category feed from Download Squad

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)