As most of my readers and acquaintances know, this last weekend was the 3rd annual Gear Con in Portland, OR. As usual I attended along with my husband. This year not only were there great costumes, but all three days held martial art classes concluding in an exhibition. The highlight of the weekend was the concert by Abney Park Saturday night, but I'll leave that to my post on the 29th. 
One of the workshops I attended was an author panel and one of the questions asked, "Why do you believe steampunk is so popular today?" came up. One author said something along the lines that the Victorians were dealing with financial difficulties, as well as social and ethical questions and linked it to what we are going through now. I had never really thought that through before but as soon as she spoke I realized she was correct. People are looking into the past to try and figure out what to do about the future. The Victorian period was such a large and very fast growth of not only technology but social and ethical thought.
In the late 1800's if someone called for help it was socially and morally expected for you to go help them. The same was true if someone yelled, "Stop that man". Technology grew so fast that in a matter of a couple of years transportation, how people communicated with each other, and even fashion and civil rights were drastically different. Sound familiar? 
Tesla developed several designs of generators that people could build and operate without a lot of money, the radio and even a device the size of a small box that could shake his whole house and then the neighborhood.
What would you like to see happen in the future? I have more photos of GearCon 2013 posted to my website
www.maepen.weebly.com
