Many think steampunk is a fad that will flare up and burn itself out quickly, as most fads do. If steampunk fans’ willingness to permanently ink themselves with steampunk themed tattoos is any indication, the appeal of steampunk will be lasting a lot longer than expected. From the simplest clockwork and gears, to complex depictions of Victorian era mecha, steampunk tattoos run the gamut from pretty decorations to mobile masterpieces. Here are 9 of the most intricate and gorgeous examples of steampunk style body art:

(Images via nickbaxter, jockeyjournal, kungdesign)

The melding of technology with nature is a common theme in steampunk, as the dream of Victorian technology is to create a cleanly powered utopia much different from the sooty, chugging urban areas of the time. There is no better way to display the melding of nature and machine than by displaying a gorgeous steampunk octopus, or the more symbolic lightbulb and skull pictured above. Another popular design is the mechanical arm, where one can become part machine, at least, visually.

(Images via acemicaylak, fatmeatisgreasy)

Some people like to make themselves resemble machines in a more visually arresting manner, via the appearance of torn skin mistakenly revealing the clockwork components within. The realism of these depictions can be stunningly three dimensional in appearance. These tattoos aren’t for the faint of heart, as they tend to upset the squeamish viewer, and require countless hours under the needle.

(Images via bodyartmaster, esper.art.br)

Clocks are a major symbol of the steampunk genre because of their intricate, scientific nature, and the fact that they manage to overcome their fragility by managing to work hour after hour, day after day. The endless variety of clock designs and their classy appearance allow one to express their aesthetic without shocking the casual observer.

(Images via brassgoggles, audramelissa, industrytattoo, livewodeadtime, steampunkfashion)

As the foundation piece for the steampunk aesthetic, cogs and gears are present in nearly every steampunk tattoo. Some individuals would rather stick with the core of steampunk by creating complicated scenes filled entirely with intricate machine parts. These are the purists.

(Images via stresslines, about, vnboards, techyum, miguelangel)

Not everyone goes for the literal symbols of the steampunk movement; they choose instead to come up with more intricate designs that manage to display their loyalties through a Victorian style, rather than the less subtle clockwork machines. Steampunk is about science, so anything ornate but functional will do the trick.

(Images via ectomo, aaronthestrong, theshadowbox)

Bio mechanical tattoos have always been popular, but there’s been a surge in the number of steam driven organs appearing on arms and chests across the nation. When you truly take the antique beauty of steampunk to heart, you might as well display it… as a heart. With pumps, gauges, and valves, the clockwork heart is both fragile and consistent in fulfilling its duties.

(Images via woodspindle, checkoutmyink)

Robots are appealing in any genre, but there’s an added beauty to the uniqueness of the Victorian machine. Due to the labor involved in creating a robot from oiled gears and heavy steel, there’s an individuality to every steampunk robot that lends itself to ink. Lurching metal behemoths with giant rivets, and clouds of billowing steam are always a classic.

(Images via vi.sualize.us, nyquildriver)

Shoulders are often overlooked as potential canvases, but they are a great location for a large and yet easily concealable tattoo. With so much area to work with, tattoo artists can delve into details that would never be able to make it into a tattoo on a forearm, or even a bicep.

(Images via dangerousdeedee, checkoutmyink, tattoosartgallery)

Flight is an important aspect of the steampunk genre; whether you be on a gently floating airship, or swiftly climbing on clockwork wings, the intricacy of steampunk flight, plus the danger of soaring so high in the sky, creates an oddly compelling combination. Clockwork wings turn the angel wing cliche into something quite a bit more interesting, and the old favorite sparrow becomes a unique piece of art when it’s made clear it’s mechanical.

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It’s the 21st century – so why are printers still so bulky, ugly and wasteful? The time is ripe for printers that fit into the world of iPods, cell phones and paper-thin computers, and concept designers are stepping up to the plate with incredible visions of the future. Tiny stick printers that can go anywhere, printers that use pencil stubs or even coffee dregs in lieu of ink cartridges, printers that can erase and reuse paper. Some designs go further still, transcending mere ink to produce three-dimensional objects and even food.

Printing with a Pencil Stub

(images via: yanko design)

The problem with printers is, if you make a mistake, there’s no way to erase it. You simply have to start all over again, wasting both ink and a sheet of paper. So why not use graphite instead? This creative printer concept by Hoyoung Lee does that and more, using the nubs of old pencils that would otherwise be thrown away and even offering a built-in eraser for the second go ‘round.

Pencil Printer II

(images via: yanko design)

The built-in eraser function in the first design is ditched in this reworking by Hoyoung Lee, Seunghwa Jeong & Jin-young Yoon, making the printer a lot more compact. Sure, erasing by hand is more work, but you can do a more thorough job on your own anyway.

Printing with Colored Pens

(images via: yanko design)

Nobody likes buying printer cartridges, and it seems like we go through them so quickly. So it’s nice to see innovation that drains the last drops of ink out of colored ball point pens as a supplement to regular printer ink. The design may not work as-is, since ballpoint ink tends to be thick, but it’s an interesting idea.

Printing with Tea Dregs

(images via: core 77)

Coffee and tea are loaded with pigment and in fact often used as dye, so it makes sense to use them as a natural, free, recycled form of ink. This printer would allow users to place coffee or tea dregs into an ink case, eliminating the need to constantly purchase costly cartridges.

Scan-and-Draw Pen Creates Customized Ink

(images via: dornob)

A printer, scanner and pen in one? This pen makes it possible to write with any color from practically any object you can find, scanning the color and reproducing it from RGB ink cartridges. The design obviously has its limitations, considering the small size of the ink cartridges, but it’s an absolute dream for artists and could be useful for a range of everyday needs as well.

StickPop Printer is Ultra-Portable

(image via: ubergizmo)

Remember the days when we were all chained to our desks while on the computer or talking on the phone? Gadgets are going portable in ways we never thought possible a decade or two ago, so why not printers too? The StickPop printer concept is battery-operated, prints via USB cable and is small enough to fit in your laptop bag.

PrePeat Rewritable Printer Uses No Ink

(image via: engadget)

The PrePeat takes all of the above concepts and goes one step further: eliminating paper from the equation. This eco-friendly printer uses special paper made of PET plastic that can reportedly be used up to 1,000 times each. The printer, which uses no ink or toner, automatically clears used sheets and reprints. It’s a cool idea, but the cost is definitely prohibitive for now at $5,600.

Mini Giant: Crawling Robotic Large-Scale Printer

(image via: core 77)

Want to print absolutely anything, anytime, anywhere? The combination of ZINK paper, which has colored dye crystals embedded in it, and the “Mini Giant” crawling printer can produce practically anything – even large-scale posters. The Mini Giant propels itself across a piece of ZINK paper to create a print using heat-based technology.

Self-Replicating 3D Printer

(images via: dornob)

If you have even the slightest fear of computers taking over the world, this self-replicating 3D printer may be fodder for your nightmares.  The RepRap can manufacture complex three-dimensional objects… including copies of itself. But, Terminator implications aside, this thing is pretty cool: it turns your home office into a mini factory by simply downloading plans and then molding bars of plastic into various household goods.

Using a Printer to Make… Food?

(images via: dornob)

Considering that some printers can replicate, it’s not too crazy to imagine 3D printers that can cook and assemble food at the push of a button. Some futuristic food printer concepts imagine gadgets loaded with ingredients that can be whipped up into practically anything imaginable, though it probably wouldn’t taste much like the food we enjoy today.

This Printer Concept is Toast

(images via: dornob)

When it comes to printing on toast, many of us ask “why?” but just as many respond “why not?” While toasting a design onto bread is pretty impractical, it definitely makes this boring breakfast staple a little bit more fun. While the ‘Zuse’ toast printer (top) is more about form, the roller toaster is actually functional. It doesn’t print an image on the bread, but works like a printer, passing a piece of bread from one side to the other.

Taking Printers on the Road

(image via: yanko design)

If printers can create designs on paper, why not change up the surface? Road workers could get a lot more done by letting this solar-powered Road Printer do most of the work with pre-programmed templates and a jet-spray paint cartridge that moves from side-to-side between the wheels.

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Steampunk, the aesthetic of Victorian clothing and steam powered technology, is known best for its old timey costumes and eccentric, cog-laden accessories, but there’s a whole side to the movement that’s exploding in popularity: Artwork. The airships with their sky captains, the rumbling, lurching machines of war, and mustachioed heroes with rocket packs provide a plethora of content for any artist. Here are 11 of the best and most intriguing types of steampunk artwork:

(Images via anidea, steampunkscholar, steampunkmagazine)

A large part of the steampunk appeal is the variety of characters and the uniqueness of their clothing, appearance, and behavior. The Airship Captain and his nemesis the Air Pirate… the Soldier of Fortune with a rocket pack… the variety is endless. It’s natural that paintings and digital art would spend a lot of time focusing on these characters and their eccentricities. Bright colors and a lot of movement give these portrait subjects the appearance of swiftness and power.

(Images via boingboing, infinitecoolness, templates, lanalog)

Any sci fi world has to have robots, as they’re a crucial focal point for the examination into humans and technology. With steampunk’s emphasis on pushing the boundaries of technological innovation (albeit via outdated science), the creation of robots is a large factor in the genre. The clockwork, cogs and gears, element makes robots even more interesting because of their apparent fragility and uniqueness.

(Images via cgsociety, omega7red, saintview)

The only thing more fun than a clockwork robot is a clockwork robot hundreds of feet high. As is natural in any scenario that involves brilliant Professors, some of them are bound to be insane and power hungry, and just downright villainous. Whether these lurching colossi were created by an ambitious government power, or a greedy tycoon, they always add excitement to a steampunk tale. Artists have a lot of fun illustrating the destruction these creations can wreak on an urban center.

(Images via steamlords, ottens, mykeamend, phoenixnewtimes)

Airships are one of the staples of steampunk, and their importance to the movement is well represented by the amount of artwork centered on them. Whether they sail through the sky using gigantic Zeppelin style balloons, or are kept aloft by gigantic flapping wings and rotors, they are a stunning visual example of all that’s interesting about the culture, and the technological dream it represents.

(Images via ebsqart, elfwood)

Just as fantasy subcultures have an intense subculture that revolves around cartography, mapping the various lands in fictional universes with beautiful sketches and old style maps, steampunk has schematics of the intricate clockwork machines and attachments that are required in any interesting steampunk tale. Schematics are often beautifully rendered, but they’re also just as often quick entertaining sketches that appear to have sprung out of the mind of some madcap Professor.

(Images via izismile, darkroastedblend, haikubaikou)

As any steampunk world is part of a fictional universe, some artists tend to take the aesthetic into a more abstract direction. They dream of worlds in which animal and machine are combined, or where machines have become so advanced under steam power that they’re as ingrained as cars are in our world.

(Images via peachbeach, brassgoggles, steampunkrings, elfwood)

The prolific inventor and wildly intelligent inventor / gentleman is one of the many character types that are popular in costuming and art. The combination of old style stateliness with action and wild accessories lend an interesting duality to these characters.

(Images via myfreewallpapers, ubersuper, cghub, commissioned, ottens)

Victorian landscapes and visions of classic city centers is always beautiful. When you add the steampunk aesthetic, these landscapes can transcend what is truly possible and become utopian (or extremely industrial). The steampunk emphasis on machines and technology allow artists to incorporate incredibly interesting elements into what would otherwise be a mundane cityscape.

(Images via ottens, brassgoggles, drikoland)

Star Wars has leaked into nearly every subculture since its premiere in 1977, and steampunk is no exception. While many artists concentrate on creating costumes for Stormtroopers and Darth Vader that represent steam technology, there are also plenty of painters and digital artists who have taken a stab at this famous trilogy and its characters.

(Images via aj-concepts, gaiaonline, darkroastedblend, streettech)

Transportation is a fun element in any steampunk fiction. Pneumatic tubes, incredibly fast railroad cars, and powered bicycles are just some examples of the shaky steam powered vehicles that are common. The only requirement is that they be groundbreaking for the story’s period, and that they break down often, but can always be repaired on the go, and are always able to kick back into action when a second’s delay would have meant doom.

(Images via thegeekcouch, pinkkryptonite, forbiddenplanet, conceptart)

Any fiction includes war, but steampunk fiction adds new twists, with even more exotic ways for nations to butt heads. Flying ships, napalm, rocket packs, tanks and robots, all add to the variety of troops and machines that can be sent against one’s enemies. In some fiction nations fight in the old style, with alternating volleys of steam powered muskets and rocket barrages, but in most tales, it becomes much messier. Giant war machines are typically at the center of any big battle, and they add an intimidating visual element to steampunk artwork.

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As beautiful as a display of fireworks can be, they’re passive: viewers are just viewers, rarely having a hand in the actual design of the show. But a project going on right now in Vancouver called Vectorial Elevation allows people around the world to light up the city’s sky with a customized light show, all from their own computers. Commissioned for the 2010 Winter Olympics, the installation began transforming the city’s skyline on February 4th and will continue until Sunday the 28th.

“This website includes a virtual model of Vancouver where you are able to design “light sculptures” with 20 robotic searchlights located along English Bay. Once you are happy with your design you submit it together with your name, location and dedication or comments. Every night from dusk to dawn new designs are quietly rendered sequentially as they are added to a queue.”

“The project automatically creates a personal webpage for each participant, documenting his or her contribution with views from 4 project webcams. With a 15 Km visibility radius, the installation intends to blend the virtual space of the Internet with one of the most emblematic public spaces in Vancouver.”

Using the Google Earth plug-in, users view Vancouver in 3-D with an overlay of the project’s models, markers and controllers. The interface allows the participants to select and direct individual searchlights and move virtual cameras to capture the action. All of the users’ requests are sent wirelessly to the command center in Vancouver in the form of x, y and z coordinates. Those who don’t want to wait in line to take an active part in the lighting design can watch each evening’s shows live on the Vectorial Vancouver website.

Previous versions of the project have taken place in Ireland, France, Spain and Mexico starting in 1999. The first, developed for the Millennium Celebrations in Mexico City’s Zócalo Square, drew over 800,000 participants from all over the world.

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Video games have been pushing technology since Pong came out in 1972 and brought the industry into the limelight. Any gamer knows that sheer graphics and technology aren’t everything (the Wii is the perfect example), and that the industry is truly pushed by innovation in terms of interactivity, gameplay, and overall design. Here’s a look at 10 of the most interesting and innovative games that have graced our televisions:

Braid

(Images via ggl wire, bravenewgamer, savetherobot, metagame)

Braid is interesting as an experiment in gameplay. On the surface, the game seems like any side scrolling adventure, until you realize that most of the puzzles and action revolve around the ability to manipulate time. If your character accidentally falls down a hole, you can instantly reverse time and remove him from the situation. You can see several futures at the same time while you’re playing, seeing the potential boons and pitfalls of every potential action. When you add the fact that the backgrounds and characters are beautiful and appear to be hand painted, this game really stands out from the crowd.

Audiosurf

(Images via 4colorrebellion, quaedam, chrisfacezek, kotaku)

Audiosurf is a dynamic racing game that adapts itself to your MP3 collection. Unlike the famous Guitar Hero series, this game does not force you to play a concrete set list, instead it plays your music library, adjusting the racetracks to coincide with the note and tone of the music. This game is basically an interactive audiovisual companion to your favorite tunes.

Dune II: Battle For Arrakis

(Images via vgmuseum, allegro, nokiamobiletalk, webdesignerdepot)

Dune II is famous as the forerunner of the real time strategy game. Its gameplay contained features that continue to be a staple for every game in the genre: for example, the creation of bases to gather resources, defend against attack, and produce new units for your army. The ability to choose which group you’d like to lead (each with different strategic advantages and disadvantages), provides an additional facet to gameplay that hadn’t been fully fleshed out before. Each of these features was a plus, but putting them all together into one game created a legend.

Mirror’s Edge

(Images via gamespot, thehobbyshophero, maxontreik, gameslave)

Mirror’s Edge is famous for its crystal clear graphics and first person perspective. The control of your character is incredibly realistic, and the feedback makes you feel like you’re in the game, and the greatest parkour master of all time. Most of the game revolves around traveling throughout the city by leaping from building to building, and crossing narrow bridges, but the fast pace keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Fable

(Images via unlimitedgamer, softpedia, xbox-360den, gamespot)

Fable took place in a rich three dimensional world in which you were able to roam freely and choose when and where you’d like to start your various adventures, but what truly set it apart was the fact that the decisions you made would affect both how characters would react to your actions, but would also change your appearance and skills. The dynamic nature of the game, and feedback to your actions, made the gameplay incredibly varied and fun to replay… as both a hero and a villain.

Facade

(Images via gamedev, cbc, nerdyheartbeat, gamasutra)

Facade is more of an experiment in artificial intelligence than your typical commercial production. In this game, you find yourself in the sparsely furnished apartment of two characters having relationship issues, and you attempt to help them resolve their problems via your typed reactions to them and their situation. At times the interaction is surreal, as the characters are able to respond appropriately and realistically to your dialogue, but sometimes their reaction isn’t nearly as realistic (or it’s entirely off-base). Regardless of the consistency of the gameplay, the innovative nature of the game opens a door that most game designers hadn’t even known was there.

We Love Katamari

(Images via pwned, armchairempire, gamespot, itreviews)

We Love Katamari is notable for its simplicity: the entire purpose is to roll around gathering as many items as possible within the time allotted. The gameplay is as simple as can be, and surprisingly addictive. Basically anything you touch sticks to you and affects how you roll in terms of which side you’re pulled towards, how quickly you can get going, and how hard it is to stop. There isn’t an incredible amount of skill involved, though playing for a little while definitely improves your game.

The Sims

(Images via angelica686, webdesignerdepot, kotaku, 4ever7)

The Sims was a revolutionary step forward by one of the most esteemed game creators, Will Wright. At the time, it was the culmination of the entire popular Sim series, a chain of successful simulation games that include the famous Sim City franchise, the less well known Sim Farm and Sim Ant. The most interesting aspect of this game was the lack of a concrete goal. The entire game consisted of directing the daily life and career of a family of characters, and handling the purchase and design of their home.

Shadow of the Colossus

(Images via gametrailers, dobbsmethod, personalgaming, vancityguy)

Shadow of the Colossus has a unique premise: in a land full of giants, you are a normal sized man who is tasked with bringing down your gargantuan enemies. The game has an absorbing atmosphere that lends an airy, dreamlike quality to the setting, and seeing a giant lurch out of the fog is amazing. It’s even more amazing to take the giant on, and use the incredibly intuitive controls to bring it to the ground.

Spore

(Images via encefalus, digitalbattle, pastemagazine, jhard713, emol, endsights)

Spore makes the Sims look like a stepping stone, as it takes the entire simulation genre to an extreme. Starting from a two dimensional landscape with a birds eye view, you’re tasked with bringing a single celled organism through every step of the evolutionary process (including designing its form and function) until you have a tribe, and then a city, and eventually, a planet full of your creations. The scale of the game is impressive, but so is the functionality, as the game actually populates your land with other people’s creations that fit well with the balance of your ecosystem. It’s impressive as a single player sandbox, but also with how it manages to integrate the wider scope of the gaming network.

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