A black-and-white photo of a person mid-air in a Superman-style body suspension pose, supported by multiple hooks in their back and legs, smiling joyfully toward the camera. They are suspended horizontally in a large indoor space with high ceilings and visible rigging. A group of onlookers—some seated, some standing—watch with expressions of admiration, amusement, and support. The atmosphere is lively and communal, capturing a moment of shared experience and transformation.

Best. Windows. Tattoo. Ever.

Or is it an anti-Windows tattoo? I’m not sure… Paul got this Windows 98 bluescreen tattoo done by Sam Rulz at Two Hands Tattoo in Auckland, New Zealand.

Update: If you’re wondering about the motivation, the artist explains,

What Paul loves most is the idea of explaining this tattoo to his grandkids, when Windows 98 is so outdated as to be completely obsolete. The knowledge that this tattoo’s subject will certainly become outdated was key to inspiring Paul’s decision to make something so indefinitely fleeting so indelible. As was the idea of taking something so mundane and using it in such a way usually reserved for subjects the wearer deems important. Truth is Paul doesn’t love Windows 98, and Paul doesn’t hate Windows 98, Paul doesn’t really give a fuck about Windows 98 one way or another.

The guts of it is; Paul wanted this Tattoo because it goes against the norm, it is not an image that one would see and instantly consider appropriating as a tattoo. It encourages people to think and ask questions, not necessarily ask Paul questions, but question what they currently think or know about Tattoos. That’s what good art does; it stirs conversation within the audience. The same goes for all other art forms, painting, film, music… You may not like it, you may not understand it, the important thing is that you’re thinking about it, you’re not just a passive viewer. All art has an intended audience, its very possible that what you are looking at, watching, or listening to …wasn’t made for you.

Comments

155 responses to “Best. Windows. Tattoo. Ever.”

  1. mike Avatar
    mike

    hahaha. the blue screen of death.

  2. Dan Avatar
    Dan

    what a goon.

  3. KittieLee Avatar

    Oh god I hated that screen.

  4. mark (Manbeast) Avatar
    mark (Manbeast)

    Not sure whether that’s excellent or not….suppose it depends on ya sense of humour….I think it’s kinda geek chic (no offense intended)

  5. _Zala_ Avatar
    _Zala_

    Haha, me too. But I love the tattoo 🙂

  6. vegenero Avatar

    Fucking hell. That’s pretty intense a tattoo to get, even for a geek. I know Microsoft has traumatised millions, but I wouldn’t let it go as far as carve my flesh (I’d rather go for a kernel panic tattoo instead 😉

  7. rebecca Avatar

    that is why i

  8. rebecca Avatar

    love macs. it’s funny though! (got cut off..)

  9. Shauncey Fury Avatar

    holy shit…he HAS to get some blue background on that thing.

  10. Keri Avatar
    Keri

    That’s hilarious! I love this guy =]

  11. rosie Avatar
    rosie

    I love it! And the tattoo itself is really well done…

  12. Dann Avatar

    that’s when i decided to get a mac, and never looked back haha

  13. filthee Avatar

    this is wonderful!

  14. gillian gamine Avatar

    i totally knew this would get modblogged =]

  15. Marshall Avatar

    Best. Nerd. Tattoo. Ever.

  16. Kara Avatar

    That’s awesome. Just awesome.

  17. _Zala_ Avatar
    _Zala_

    Ooops, my post was a reply to #3, not #4.

  18. Caroline June Avatar

    Oh that’s absolutely brilliant

  19. Fox34 Avatar
    Fox34

    A small price to pay for being able to, Overclock, Mod, Upgrade, Game, Code, Soft-mod, Compatibility, Performance…the list goes on for a PC over a MAC ; ) but hey, you can play the sims on a mac =P

  20. Max Brand Avatar

    that’s pretty funny….dumb, but funny….

  21. readers write Avatar
    readers write

    i cant help but think that knocking someone out with that tattoo on your arm would be so grand.

  22. Nikki Avatar
    Nikki

    Oh my god. My hero. =P

  23. Dusty Avatar
    Dusty

    What I like best about this tattoo, is if you use google image search for “windows 98 bsod”, you get the exact text he used for the tattoo on the first page

  24. Taryn Avatar
    Taryn

    This is great!

  25. emiri Avatar

    sam is awesome! so excited to see her work up here. 🙂

  26. Aimée Avatar

    Knew there’d turn out to be a little Mac/Windows debate in here lol

    And yes, the tattoo amuses me as an avid Mac lover.

    It all depends on what you want to use the computer for. And you can always get a PC without Windows 😉

  27. kookyknut Avatar

    mac v pc?

    *yawn*

    beautiful work… not sure if I can understand the relevance.

  28. xpalehorsex Avatar

    flawless victory.

  29. worthlesswords Avatar

    I went through 3 computers because of the blue screen of death!
    Bastards.

  30. Megan Avatar

    .love.it.

  31. Harry Avatar
    Harry

    I use a windows 98. On it right now! It’s only good for storing my music and surfing the web. It will crash twice a day on average and there are a lot of websites that make it crash for some reason, but thankfully not BME.

  32. redredred Avatar
    redredred

    “Or is it an anti-Windows tattoo?”

    It is a pro Linux tattoo I think. Or pro BSD, if you are more paranoid. Or is it pro Solaris? Plan9? BeOS?

  33. Fallen Angel Eyes Avatar

    That is awesome from a geek POV and really well done from a modding POV. The lettering looks nigh perfect and it’s very straight. I can’t even write on unlined paper without slanting, let alone tattoo someone.

  34. R4BiX Avatar

    Freaking kewl tattoo, hope we see some more of those… love it!!! A PC lover here. . . let the exploits of both sides continue. LINUX 4ever.

  35. Chickens Bum Avatar
    Chickens Bum

    I also see it as an anti Microsoft/Windows Tatoo…

    Thats why i, and many others use LINUX, Ubuntu 7.04…

  36. tehskorm Avatar

    I have no idea how well tattoist can do transpency effects, but someone should do the OS X kernel panic

  37. Daniel Avatar

    oh my god!!!…thats Friki…friki…friki…

  38. Eric Avatar

    Awesome…

  39. Randy Avatar
    Randy

    Would’ve been better if his arm was tattooed blue and the text left as white/skin colour.

  40. nice Avatar
    nice

    microsoft will never give him a job

  41. Mike Avatar
    Mike

    This is the stupidest thing i’ve ever seen. how is this guy gonna feel when he’s 75 and has that stupid thing sagging at his wrist.

  42. Ciaran Avatar
    Ciaran

    Fool!!! Fool is all I can use to describe this, yea blue screen of death, not funny… What a fucking retard…

  43. MACs4F4gs Avatar
    MACs4F4gs

    Omg, u forgot to put macs screen of death

    “(insert program) has unexpectedly quit. You will need to restart your computer.

  44. Andy Avatar
    Andy

    ^Why are people like the last two comments even on bme? Damn us, Let’s all go and get tribal!

  45. Andy Avatar
    Andy

    *Well, 57 and 58

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