

16GB Mechanical Memory Key - johnnybgoode
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25988523

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Boxer
I find this USB stick distasteful. It's not mechanical, all the gears do
nothing. The designer took parts that had a precise function and rearranged
them into something useless for appearance's sake.

This is probably a weird reaction, but maybe other hackers felt the same way.

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J_McQuade
I agree entirely! I see a lot of 'steampunk' thinks like this pop up on the
MAKE Magazine blog (and similar) and have always found it somewhat onanistic,
despite the face-value beauty of some of the pieces.

In the end, I feel that form should follow function. Making something like
this look like it _should_ be functioning in ways that it never will perhaps
just serves to outline its mundanity.

(Ooh err, I've probably gone and thought about it too much again.)

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TrevorJ
I feel much worse about it when car companies or furniture makers try to make
one material look like another. Faux wood, faux leather, ect. I consider the
steam punk aesthetic to be purely ornamental. That the ornaments may appear at
first glance to have some practical purpose doesn't detract from the overall
aesthetic for me.

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patio11
If you liked that, you'd probably enjoy the steampunk laptop.

[http://www.datamancer.net/steampunklaptop/steampunklaptop.ht...](http://www.datamancer.net/steampunklaptop/steampunklaptop.htm)

Personally I prefer functionally tactile artifacts to imitation tactile
artifacts, but both of them do look pretty cool. (Imagine the difference
between a mechanical wristwatch and an electronic wristwatch which has an
internal speaker emit a ticking sound. The electronic wristwatch keeps better
time, but if you're going for extravagantly wasteful obsolete technology, then
go for the freaking gold.)

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johnnybgoode
Very impressive! Thanks. Most mods don't hold my attention for very long, but
that just looks incredible.

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gurtwo
Misleading title. This is just a standard USB memory key decorated with some
parts from a mechanical watch. Nice craftmanship though.

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johnnybgoode
Sorry, I just took the title from the page.

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eru
And HN policy says this is right, doesn't it? But perhaps we should allow
editorializing titles when they are misleading or sensationalist.

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grandpa
When did a 12 hour project become "an age"? Real watchmakers like John
Harrison spent /years/ on a single piece.

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psyklic
Did he sell it for only $10??

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johnnybgoode
No, but it does look that way at first. $10 was just the shipping cost. The
key sold for $165.

The idea of selling that for $10 seems almost criminal! Actually, even $165
sounds low, considering the time and parts he put into it.

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zackattack
What a gorgeous piece of craftsmanship. I would love a gift certificate to
etsy.

