href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/carlzimmer/sets/72157601351535771/">
class="inset" alt="click" title="click for photoset"
src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1435/1173226117_faab61f1eb_t.jpg"
align="left" border="0" height="75" width="100">Carl
Zimmer has been
href="http://scienceblogs.com/loom/2007/08/06/branded_with_science.php">documenting
the results of various scientist's impulses to have themselves inked
with images related to science. The phenomenon is something
of an oddity, though, since scientists tend to be more on the
contemplative side, as opposed to being impulsive. Now, for
those who would like to test their hypotheses before putting them into
action, there is a solution.
href="http://loic.zimmermann.club.fr/blog/index.php?2007/10/14/158-final-pictures-with-the-tattoo-thing">Loic
Zimmerman is developing a method of using computer graphics
to
show a person what the tattoo would look like on their bodies.
that way, they take their virtual skin for a test drive,
before the commit takes place.
Zimmerman's site is mostly in French. An English explanation
is
href="http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/test-drive-your-tattoo/cg-tattoo-program-allows-you-to-try-it-before-you-buy-it-322938.php">here.
To be fair, he's not so much developing a method of showing people what they would look like, but doing it entirely manually. For me to go and use his method, I'd have to get damn good at CG, or find someone who is good.
Now if he could figure out a good automated way of doing so, then that'd be impressive. But it's the same problem of getting good CG people that are mimics of real-life people.
(More importantly, I have three tattoos so far, and I knew damn well what they would look like on my skin, because I spent hours doodling them on paper, thinking about them, changing them, etc. I would hope a lot of people are the same way.)