THE DATAMANCER
Richard Nagy, a.k.a. Dr. Datamancer, is one of the rising stars in the world of Steampunk modding. The Chino, Calif.-based Nagy builds what he describes as "prestidigital datamancery & paraphernalic technofetishism" contraptions, including neo-Victorian computer keyboards, laptops and desktops, all of which work and command top dollar from his private clients and at auction. Nagy's custom-built systems can be seen at Datamancer.net. Unlike some Steampunk DIYers, Nagy is commercially minded, though his ambitions fall well short of volume production of his systems for the mainstream market.
"Personally, I would like to find myself in a niche market like Alienware or Voodoo. They were case modders and hardware tweakers who had the niche of very high-end gaming machines and who got enough notoriety that they were acquired by Dell and HP," Nagy tells ChannelWeb. "I don't know if I'd want to go the whole corporate selling-out route, but I'd definitely want to secure a niche market, you know, take Datamancer to Datamancer Incorporated."
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