That said, I somewhat jokingly predicted this trend previously. With the 
    explosive growth of digital information and electronics, I think we'll see a 
    renaissance of analog, mechanical, and otherwise "physical" things.

I've also mentioned this to people, however, not jokingly but in all seriousness. I think it might have something to do with engaging the senses. The more senses you can uniquely engage, the stronger your connection to something will be. Vinyl records, for example, are doing nothing but exploding. I have all of my music in digital format for listening on the go, at work, etc., but there's something special about pulling a record off the shelf and out of the sleeve, setting it on the turntable and dropping the needle on it. It's more work, but you're rewarded handsomely for that work.