Are you old enough to remember Usenet? (Are you old enough to miss Usenet?) Good news - early posts have now been archived at the Usenet Archives! It's not complete, but it's a start. (There are no posts from alt.gothic; I checked.)

Steampunk is still alive and well and the Steampunk Explorer even has a weekly news digest!

If you're in Kent, or just wish you were in Kent these days, there are online maps which can guide you through the world of various Dickens characters.