By John Herrman, 5:25 AM on Tue Sep 30 2008, 11,695 views (Edit, to draft, Top, Slurp)

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This week saw the commencement of the first annual Handcar Regatta race, in which over a dozen teams took to the rails in a ridiculous variety of human-powered steampunk machinery. The event wasn't so much a race as it was a showcase of overwrought vehicle design, taking inspiration from everything from hamster wheels to animals to, courtesy of the one team that took the "regatta" part literally, Viking longships.

The machines are admittedly very cool, though I'd feel dishonest extending that praise to the throngs of attendees, who dress and act as though they were spawned from some horrible, dank pit found somewhere between Wild Wild West and BoingBoing's front page, circa 2005. Best part of the video: when one of the organizers says "Santa Rosa has needed something like this for a long, long time." Someone should pass on the news before this gets out of hand. [Press Democrat]