It's been around quite a while. I've stumbled into it off and on over the years.

The best place to catch up on everything would be a site called Brass Goggles. Some say Steampunk is  making itself out to be a successor to the Goth movement (erm, well, there may be some things that are the same, but someone's always making some claims...;) There's Clockpunk (clockwork-driven engines) and dieselpunk (some folks just cant' get along without a gas engine...;)

I remember  some of it starting with books like The Difference Engine, along with the Peshawar Lancers, by Stirling, the Lost Regiment series by Forstchen, Harry Harrison did an alternate Civil War, yada yada, that came out in the 90s. There's hosts of sites; most you can find from Brass Goggles above (including Abney Park and other music, Girl Genius, the Continentals, Wondermark and other online comics, the list goes on)

It's a lot of fun, but it currently is a fad on the upswing. Now give it a year, and it may be the 'mullet of the oughts'...;)

I wish I'd said that.. The Staircase Wit

anahl nathrak uth vas betude doth yel dyenvey..;)