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Though it’s been around since the late ’80s, steampunk is … well, picking up steam again these days, primarily in the form of a very large and looming online presence. Everywhere you look these days, it’s all about steampunk. And I get the fascination. It’s like watching pageantry, in all it’s costumed glory, only it’s real. I’ve never submerged myself so entirely in a subculture so as to dress and live a part that is outside the bounds of what mainstream society considers “normal” (what does that mean, anyway?), but I’m all for it. And the great thing about steampunk is that it’s functional fantasy. It’s the unlikely intersecting of technology and romance that results in a young New York City professional showing up to work in a waistcoat and ruffled shirt holding an iPhone that’s been modified to look like it was designed in a Victorian metal worker’s shop.The steampunk revival makes me wonder: Does steampunk exist here? I’ve never seen any sign of it, but that’s not saying much. If you’re out there, steampunks, show yourselves! It would be interesting to see if and how the sub-culture is evolving here and what form it takes. E-mail me photos of yourself and any steampunk accessories, art, fashion you’re into.

Not sure what I’m talking about? Read this.

Suspect you might be a steampunk? Check yourself against this list.

You’re a Steampunk If…

•You bought a flatscreen television and then outfitted it with a burnished brass frame.

•You own a pair of aviator goggles.

•You’ve replaced all the keys on your computer keyboard with keys from an old typewriter.

•You’d rather wear a puffy dress with big sleeves than something a little more comfortable.

•H.G. Wells and Mary Shelly started a religion, you would be a devoted follower.

•You make regular trips to junk yards, rummage sales, estate sales, etc. to find gas lamps, brass chandeliers and parasols.

•Alexander McQueen really gets you.

•One of your favorite movies is The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

•You are a member of a vaudevillian theater troupe.

•You know who Abney Park is and you can sing along.

An example of a steampunked laptop computer.

Good day, dear readers. Here they are:

•This guy can make you a zombie. For a fee. Thanks buddy, but for 80 bucks, I think I could buy me a real one. But he does have quite a knack for creating the undead.

•Peter Travers has an early review of Dark Knight.

•Get the new Dude action figure. Or don’t. I’m not. But I do love the Lebowski.

•Chucks go viral. Just keep clicking on the links at the bottom right of every new screen and realize that there’s never going to an end to our collective love of Converse.

•Jones Cola has launched a line of Campaign Colas.  (The folks at Jones love a good gimmick.) The Clinton cola is flat, the McCain cola tastes sort of old and burnt and the Obama cola is a little too effervescent, but it’s still the celebrity cola of choice.

•Canadians don’t like Mike Myers. But, really, who else do they have? They lost Jim Carrey to us ages ago and Howie Mandel was never worth claiming in the first place.

•A Beastie Boy tries his hand at documentary filmmaking.

•Katy Perry of “I  Kissed a Girl” insta-fame is also Katy Hudson, a one-time Christian recording artist.  That explains a lot.

•Here’s a list of 20 words you can’t say on cellphone TV. Warning: Colorful language after the link! 

•Slate.com reports on a reality TV school, which claims toteach you everything you need to know to act real.

•Check out the winning design for Saudi Arabia’s new cultural center. Trippy!

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Le Crepe Cafe
Waikiki Food Court
2250 Kalakaua Ave.
Open daily, though no exact hours are posted
372-3989

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Stashed in the basement space that’s known as the Waikiki Food Court, Le Crepe Cafe cooks up perfect Parisian-style crepes that are, without doubt, the best crepes in the city.

Marysol Ruiz, and her husband Soufiane Bouharkat, have managed to transport a bit of Paris to Waikiki with their little kiosk that’s making quite an impression on Honolulu food lovers. With their menu of sweet and savory crepe selections, it’s worth a trip to the tourist strip for one (or two) of their freshly made crepes.

Though the creperie offers a variety of fillings, from cheese to tuna to fruit to chocolate and any combination of those, my favorites are the simple ones: the “Oh My Sugar!” (sweet butter and brown sugar) crepe and the “Moulin Rouge” (cheese, chicken, tomato, basil).

Marysol and Soufiane will be at this weekend’s Flavors of Honolulu.

The key to good crepes: even heat and perfectly spreadable batter.

Kamel Hachemaoui manning the griddle.

Kamel has the flipping down to a delicate art.

The making of a “Moulin Rouge” crepe.

Simply delicious: the “Oh My Sugar!” crepe.

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I think we’re overdue on this. Let’s talk about our favorite things. I’ll tell you mine, then you tell me yours. Deal?

The best thing I read: Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography by David Michaelis (thanks, Matt, for the suggestion)

The best thing I almost read: Leonardo da Vinci: Flights of the Mind by Charles Nicholl. I’m still working through it, but so far, so good.

The best thing I watched on television: The HBO documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

The most awesomely bad thing I watched on television: I Survived a Japanese Game Show! Ajide!

Current guilty pleasure: So You Think You Can Dance night with the girls. Poor crazy Mary Murphy. She never escapes unscathed.

My current favorite song: Love as Laughter’s “Baby Shambles” off their new album Holy.

Best movie I saw: Lars and the Real Girl. I missed it when it was in theaters and just watched it last weekend. Loved it.

Best thing I ate: Late-night nachos from Beto’s Tacos y Platos in Kailua

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Good day! Here they are:•Israelis like the Zohan.

•Johnny Depp is awesome. But I already knew that. *sigh*

•NPR wants to know what your favorite albums of 2008 are. It’s still kind of early to pick favorites, but from the list, I picked Juke Box (Cat Power), Evil Urges (My Morning Jacket) and Vampire Weekend (Vampire Weekend).

•Speaking of My Morning Jacket: The band’s three-hour long Bonnaroo set is available for download.

•Despite devoted fans’ efforts to save it, Moonlight is gone for good.

•A voyeur was caught peeping at Aloha Tanning, an Ohio tanning salon. He was reportedly taking pictures with his cell phone, which was hidden in one of his, um, orifices. Wonder how many bars he gets up there?

•Here’s Roy Christopher’s annual summer reading list. I’m still working on getting through my winter list.

•Holy spider-walking Regan! An Exorcist action figure!

•DIY: Make your own money clip…out of money. Seriously.

•What’s your Swedish furniture name? This generator will tell you. Here’s mine: