SAN FRANCISCO, CA --(Marketwired - September 09, 2015) - A cultural phenomena that celebrates a future that never happened, Steampunk culture borrows from Jules Verne, Victoriana, and Goth fascinations and blends them with a healthy dollop of 21st century high tech. James H. Carrott, co-author of Maker Media's 2013 book, Vintage Tomorrows , explains that "steampunk is playing with the past."
The world that Steampunk envisions is a mad-inventor's collection of new contraptions, powered by steam and driven by gears. Now, Vintage Tomorrows is inspiration for an eponymous new documentary by filmmaker Byrd McDonald. Reviewing the film for GeekWire, Daniel Rasmus writes, " Vintage Tomorrows offers several important lessons that today's consumer designers should consider taking to heart in order to bring more beauty, improved innovation, better resilience and a sense of ownership to our technology."
Pleased that the book that prompted the film is enjoying a renewed popularity, Make: Books publisher Brian Jepson says, " Vintage Tomorrows the book and Vintage Tomorrows the movie are like siblings who grew up alongside each other. In some ways, the movie is a character in the book, and the book is a character in the movie. For a complete picture of the Steampunk world, catch 'em both."
Intel's resident futurist Brian David Johnson joins Carrott in Vintage Tomorrows for a globe-spanning journey to dig beyond definitions and into the heart of this growing subculture. Through interviews with experts such as Margaret Atwood, China Miéville, William Gibson, Cory Doctorow, Bruce Sterling, and James Gleick, this book looks into steampunk's vision of old-world craftsmen making beautiful hand-tooled gadgets, and what it means for our age of disposable technology.
The past is Steampunk's playground-a place where dynamic minds and ready hands create a fantasy world imbued with history, humanity, and a sense of humor. With Vintage Tomorrows , you will discover how this elaborate view of a future that never existed can help us look forward.
For book details, go to MakerShed.com . For updates on the film, visit Vintage Tomorrows .
About MAKER MEDIA Maker Media is a global platform for connecting makers with each other, with products and services, and with our partners. Through media, events and ecommerce, Maker Media serves a growing community of makers who bring a DIY mindset to technology. Whether as hobbyists or professionals, makers are creative, resourceful and curious, developing projects that demonstrate how they can interact with the world around them. The launch of Make: magazine in 2005, followed by Maker Faire in 2006, jumpstarted a worldwide Maker Movement, which is transforming innovation, culture and education. Headquartered in San Francisco, Maker Media is the publisher of Make: magazine and the producer of Maker Faire . It also develops "getting started" kits and books that are sold in its Maker Shed store as well as in retail channels. The Make: brand caters to a universe of more than 25 million makers collectively across its Make: magazine, makezine.com, Maker Faires, and Maker Shed properties.
Gretchen Giles ggiles@makermedia.com 707.570.7887
