Daft Punk

There's this idea called Steampunk. If you're not familiar with it, it's the idea of building modern machinery with steam-era technology.  And there are now variations on it. For instance, Dieselpunk has futuristic stuff in early 20th century style.

I've always wanted to see a reverse Steampunk, where people would build steam machinery with modern technology. You'd think that some bored engineers would try to build a super-efficient computer-controlled steam locomotive out of kevlar and carbon fibre. I assume something like that would be called Steammetal.

But another possibility is: if we can imagine how people in the past would have made awkward and intricate machines that reach beyond their age's technological abilities, why not reach forward from now, and build crazy, over-ambitious substitutes for future technology.  I'm thinking of the sort of thing people from the future might look back and view as whimsical "Siliconpunk"?

I think we already have, and it's called Google Glass. It seems like a crude attempt to replace some future technology, such as a direct neural implant connecting your brain to the Internet. And it comes off as just as unnatural as the steam contraptions of steam punk. So to the people predicting that 2014 will be the year of Google glass, I have to disagree. More like 2064 will be the year of people using their Huawei Neural Interface to look up historical photos and videos at the Central Knowledge Wiki-pository, so they can make their costumes for National Cosplay Day (formerly Halloween.)