Chaos Computer Club Congress goes steampunk

FBZ sez, "The 24c3 (annual congress of the Chaos Computer Club) is going steampunk! The theme this year is 'Volldampf voraus!' ('Full steam ahead' in German). Any steampunk creator, other maker type people, robot builders, hardware hackers, and other such creative types are encouraged to answer this year's call for participation, as well as more traditional hacker themed talks and presentations."

The 24th Chaos Communication Congress (24C3) is the annual four-day conference organized by the Chaos Computer Club (CCC) in Berlin, Germany. First held in 1984, it since has established itself as "the European Hacker Conference". Lectures and workshops on a multitude of topics attract a diverse audience of thousands of hackers, scientists, artists, and utopists from all around the world. The 24C3s slogan is Volldampf voraus! - the German equivalent of "full steam ahead" - a particular request for talks and projects featuring forward looking hands-on topics. The Chaos Computer Club has always encouraged creative and unorthodox interaction with technology and society, in the good tradition of the real meaning of "hacking".

Link (Thanks, FBZ!)

(A useful and curious collection of previous steampunk links

[#1 posted by Anonymous , August 28, 2007 9:09 AM]

As a german boing boing reader, i can tell that 'steampunk' is getting really big here in europe. And why? Because of the great folks who do great work by blogging and writing about these things.

I personally believe that they wouldn't have chosen this motto if not every single self-respecting geek would read BOINGBOING and bookmark instructables.com. Even here overseas...

[#2 posted by Anonymous , August 28, 2007 9:16 AM]

"Volldampf voraus" (full steam ahead) is really just a common figure of speech in German. And going by the actual announcement there doesn't seem to be any specific emphasis on steampunk.

[#3 posted by TomTheGeek , August 28, 2007 12:39 PM]

For the record Corey, I curse your name every time I hear the word "Steampunk". I realize that language is a changing thing and new words are created all the time but dang it if that word doesn't piss me off.

[#4 posted by Teresa Nielsen Hayden/Moderator , August 28, 2007 1:15 PM]

Tom, Cory was in elementary school when Tim Powers and James Blaylock invented Steampunk and K. W. Jeter invented the word to describe what Powers and Blaylock were doing.

[#5 posted by Anonymous , August 28, 2007 1:45 PM]

Jst fr th rcrd:

1) Stmpnk scks.
2) Stmpnk s rrlvnt.
3) Stmpnk s NT pplr.
4) Stmpnk s bzrr ftsh.
5) Cry s pssbly crzy.

Thr, fl bttr.

[#6 posted by Teresa Nielsen Hayden/Moderator , August 28, 2007 3:46 PM]

Don't even start. Someone who was honestly bored by the subject would pass it by and read something else.

[#7 posted by Anonymous , August 28, 2007 6:16 PM]

Hhh wlcm t th ntrnt Trs!

[#8 posted by lisa , August 29, 2007 9:02 AM]

@Anonymous:

It may not come out very well in the CfP, but this year's CCCongress' aesthetic theme _will_ be steampunk. The slogan was actually made up to match the steampunky theme :)
So, book your flights and flock to Berlin, steampunksters, and bring cool stuff to look at and play with.

Cheers,
Lisa

[#9 posted by Anonymous , August 29, 2007 3:03 PM]

I located some other German speaking news agency claiming that this year's theme is directly linked to steampunk: http://futurezone.orf.at/tipps/stories/216908/

But the Chaos Computer Club itself doesn't seem to confirm any of that.