Oh, I see what you did there!

Posted on August 6, 2010 by Rob

The dynamic duo of Mr. Decker and Miss. Nae are back on ModBlog with an interesting look into Nae’s hand implants that you may have seen before.

It seems Nae was in a bit of a fender bender the other week, and while she is fine, she did get a few x-rays taken just to be on the safe side. Now I know we’ve all seen images of mods appearing in x-rays before, but I think this is the first time (at least that I could find) where a large silicone implant came up so noticeably in the image.

nae

I guess this really does prove that over time Brian can really get under your skin, and stay there. I kid of course, otherwise Brian’s better half will come knock on my door and kick my ass.

Anyway, I’m always intrigued as to what the doctors say after looking at an x-ray and someone’s mods show up. Anyone have any good war stories from the ER?

One fish, two fish. Red fish, blue fish.

Posted on August 6, 2010 by Rob

The lovely Ms.Book uploaded this picture yesterday and I couldn’t get it onto ModBlog fast enough. The piece, by Damian Campagnaro, is still in process, but the photo is incredible. I’m actually just going to leave it here for you to enjoy. No witty commentary, just a fantastic picture.

book

If you have some time today, check out the Wildlife and Nature tattoo galleries. There’s a lot of brilliant images in there.

As if Farmville wasn’t enough

Posted on August 6, 2010 by Rob

Now you can lose even more productivity at work by playing Tattoo City! No seriously, I wish I was making this up. Some company has decided to create a Facebook game in which you customize your character, then manage and operate your very own tattoo studio.

The goal of the game is simple – create the biggest and best tattoo parlor in existence by tattooing your customers and earning money. The game requires more actual interaction on your part than other Facebook games, as you’ll earn money by taking “shifts,” which are active periods when your Tattoo Parlor is open.

Now if that doesn’t seem addictive enough for you, it looks like the game has additional mini-game, and all sorts of other things designed to make you keep playing. I’m sure there’s an option in there that will let you spend money on things to make your shop the best digital shop around. Don’t forget you’ll also have something else to flood your friend’s walls with, so you may want to cut back on some of your other game.

Now of course, it would be interesting to walk into a studio one day and see the staff all working away in the virtual studios, although come to think of it, I do know a couple of shop managers that probably will get a kick out of this game. It is interesting to think that a company put a lot of development time into a game that for the most part would only appeal to a very niche audience. Then again, after that story earlier in the week about the parents getting their children tattoos for going back to school, nothing should surprise me.

Just keep in mind, that if you do decide to play this game, you will be giving the company that owns it free access to all of your information, as well as any public information your friends may have that you have access to. There’s your obligatory paranoid non-endorsement of the game.

So, is anyone playing this? Is it enjoyable, or just another farmville clone?

The ties that bind

Posted on August 6, 2010 by Rob

There’s something uniquely appealing about corseting. The way it can take a set of piercings to an entirely different level for the person who has the corset done. Not to mention the fact that it provides an opportunity for some amazing photographs. We’ve seen all kinds of different corsets, on women, men, couples, and so on, but I can’t for the life of me recall ever seeing one done on a man’s throat before. Well, that’s exactly what Miss Cale did last month, and now we get to see the end result of her work.

corset

Have any interesting corseting photos? Submit them to BME, it’s always great to see additions to the corset piercing galleries.

As the corvid flies…

Posted on August 6, 2010 by Rob

VenomVyxen uploaded this piece entitled “Corvid Cluster” to BME the other day. At first glance I didn’t think too much of it, but after getting a closer look at the crow’s head, and seeing the detail in it contrasted against the cluster of crows making up the body it really stood out. Now I know some people may think that this particular style of image may be too “trendy” or “overused”, but does it matter? It’s a wonderful piece of art that both the artist and recipient are happy with; and to me, that’s what matters most.

It’s Friday morning, only a few hours left in the week before the weekend gets into full swing. So try to get through today as the crow flies: as quickly as possible, and in a straight line to the weekend.

crow

And you know your heart, well it’s an idiot heart

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Rob

This scarification piece by Ighlif got me thinking that this is a clever reference to a song, or I’m just reading too much into the imagery.

In either case, the fresh cutting combined with the text underneath was really eye-catching. I’m always curious as to how a scar will turn out, but in this case I am doubly so, as the contrast between the two stands out so well. Given how well the last scar of Ighlif’s we featured turned out, I think the recipient is in for a beautiful looking scar.

heart

You can find the full sized image here, as well as other works by Ighlif in the scarification galleries.

The Flower of Life

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Rob

Aesthetics can often play a large part in the appreciation of a mod. Not always mind you, but often enough that it’s fair to say that it is quite commonplace.

The beauty of an aesthetic judgment is that it is subject to personal interpretation. For example one person may love the look of multiple facial piercings, while another may not. There is no right or wrong answer in this situation because human beings, as individuals aren’t locked into a single mindset as to what is pleasing to the eye. Obviously in the case of animals, mate selection is a primary motivation, and many species have adapted/evolved to the point where mate selection comes down to which potential mate displays the proper requires traits the best.

Now I realize that a lot of this is pretty common knowledge, and I do have a reason for bringing all this up. The Flower of Life is a geometric figure that has been linked to almost every culture ever known to man. For different people, the image means different things, but most recognize the inherent power of the symbol. One variation of the Flower of Life is that of Metatron’s Cube. The cube is thought to be a visual representation of the basic building blocks of the universe, right down to a single atom. So it was no wonder that while I was browsing the BME galleries my eye was drawn to this tattoo uploaded by Atrocity Exhibition.

If you look closely, you can see that not only is the image painstakingly geometric, but the spaces between the lines are filled in not with a solid color, but with very small black dots. This symbol, combined with the flower atop it, really stood out to me as one of the finest examples of blackwork I’ve seen in a very long time.

The picture was taken the day after it was done, and I’m really curious as to see how it will look when it’s fully healed.

Up, up, down down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Rob

I like to think that when it comes to video games, I was born in the perfect year. You see, when I turned 8, the Nintendo Entertainment System hit stores in North America. I was definitely the target audience the marketers had in mind. Two years prior I had gotten hooked on G.I. JOE and Transformers, this year, Nintendo owned my soul. As kids my age grew, so did the video games. 8-bit became 16-bit, then 32, 64, and so on.

Today there is an entire generation of people who were raised on Mario and Link. They in turn are now raising their children in a world where owning multiple top of the line gaming systems is almost the norm.

So it should come as no surprise that when we feel nostalgic, we think back to our favorite NES games. Personally, River City Ransom will always hold a special place in my heart. Which probably explains why I’m so fired up to see the Scott Pilgrim film.

For those not familiar with Mr. Pilgrim. The premise is simple, boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy must defeat girl’s seven evil exes to win girl’s heart. Ok, so maybe a little more complicated. What really drew me in (aside from the fact that it’s based in Toronto) was the entire series is jam-packed with NES references.

Now because I’m looking forward to the film, I decided to see what our geek tattoo galleries had in terms of 8 and 16 bit tattoos. I was not disappointed at all.

nes4

nes3

nes2

nes5

nes1

So fess up. What was your favorite Nintendo game? I know you all have played with a Nintendo at least once before.

Did someone say BBQ?

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Rob

“Grilling, broiling, barbecuing – whatever you want to call it – is an art, not just a matter of building a pyre and throwing on a piece of meat as a sacrifice to the gods of the stomach.” James Beard, ‘Beard on Food’ (1974)

So rumor has it that SoCal BME members have been getting together once a year for the past decade to enjoy an afternoon around the grill. Another rumor floating around is that this year’s BBQ is happening THIS WEEKEND!

So whether you’re a long time BME vet, or brand new to the community, you’re more than welcome to stop by Presidio Park in San Diego this saturday and partake in the festivities.

flier

If you have any questions, feel free to drop Midian2000 or Shaman a line on IAM, Facebook, or e-mail.

It’s too bad I won’t be in town. I would have loved to have the chance to cook up another Bacon Explosion for people.

Back to school!

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Rob

Well modified parents, it’s about that time of year when you can finally celebrate. In a few short weeks, the youngsters will be heading back to school, letting you call in sick to work and enjoy a silent few hours at home before the bell rings.

But before the quiet can settle in, there still is the matter of the dreaded back to school shopping. Things have changed over the years when it comes to shopping for the little (and not-so little) ones. Many moons ago, parents would help the kids pick up supplies; pens, notebooks, backpacks, etc., and probably pick up a new outfit or two for the first day of school. Nowadays, things are a little different.

In a recent American Express survey, notebooks and clothes are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to fall spending.

Clothing, shoes and school supplies were the top three categories, making the shopping lists of more than 80 percent of consumers. Other popular categories include books (43 percent), sports equipment (24 percent) and healthcare (23 percent).

But parents also had some more discretionary purchases in mind, with nearly half saying they planned to spend on cosmetic services for their kids. Of that group, respondents were divided among manicures and pedicures (24 percent), teeth whitening (18 percent), spa services (12 percent), waxing (11 percent) and tattoos (9 percent).

Yep, you read that right. 9 percent of the people polled in the survey had planned in their budget a new tattoo for their offspring. I know that for years now body modifications have been becoming more and more acceptable in mainstream society, and you can call me old fashioned, but I think I would probably not give my kids money for a tattoo if the only justification was that it was to show off for the new school year.

So ModBlog reader, what are your thoughts? Would you get your children a new mod for the first day of school, or would you rather spend the money on something banal, like spa services and teeth whitening? Actually come to think of it, I’d probably be a little creeped out if my kids asked me for money to get waxed before hopping on the bus.