I am rather amused at the juxtaposition of a steam-era metaphor when discussing internet-age science fiction. It's rather akin to complaining about the quality of today's race horses when everybody else's checking out NASCAR.

Meanwhile, I'll be (metaphorically) hanging out with the likes of Stross, Scalzi and Banks. Scifi hasn't died - it never needed reviving. It's just that it's harder and harder every year to distinguish it from reality...