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What Paul loves most is the idea of explaining this tattoo to his grandkids, when Windows 98 is so outdated as to be completely obsolete. The knowledge that this tattoo’s subject will certainly become outdated was key to inspiring Paul’s decision to make something so indefinitely fleeting so indelible.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. NaReK Avatar
    NaReK

    Ya sólo te falta tatuarte las tres luces rojas de la XBOX360 y haces la tontería completa xD

  2. SePuLKrO Avatar

    Porke no te pones una brida plastica en la poya la dejas un rato y asi tienes tu propio TUX

  3. Zeeny Avatar
    Zeeny

    Geek………

  4. Crawler Avatar

    Menudo kapullo de pelotas!!!! Komprendo ke para tener tu momento de fama kieras hacer la koña, pero kuando te hagas viejo y te mires el puto y jodido tatuaje, pensaras lo SUBNORMAL ke fuistes.

    Putos payasos…

  5. yazata Avatar
    yazata

    Pelo amor de Deus… eu fujo de Windows e este gajo faz uma tatoo destas?

  6. gabriel Avatar

    That guy is going to wake up a few weeks from now and totally regret that. I have to admit, its kinda funny, but that has to be one of the most impulsive ideas Ive seen.

  7. alicia23 Avatar
    alicia23

    alguien me ha estado suplantando, yo soy la del primer comentario y este. me parece vergonzoso que haya aqui gente que suplante en comentarios. como diria tamara: me parece patetico! y claro que te agrego mario 23. será por conocer a gente…si quiere alguien mas que no dude en decirlo.
    gracias

  8. AV4TAr Avatar

    They will sue you!! ja…

  9. soak Avatar
    soak

    este tio es tonto y solo lo aprenta??…como se le ocure acerse eso en el brazo???….asi a voz de pronto yo opino k es…mmmm…esto….mmmmm…..como decirlo sin k parezca ofensivo….mmmm….GILIPOLLAS!!!…
    Saludos desde ESPAÑA!!!!^_^ O_0

  10. entensity Avatar

    I WOULD GET A FUCKIN CONTROL ALT DELETE TATTOO BEFORE I WOULD GET THAT SHIT

  11. andrew Avatar
    andrew

    that is fucking stupid, im sorry

  12. OhMyGod Avatar
    OhMyGod

    Idiot!!!!

  13. ANGELOTE Avatar
    ANGELOTE

    VAYA PEDAZO DE SUBNORMAL!!!!!!!!!

  14. I Avatar

    Que fricada más tonta,… hay q ser pim-pín!! Vaya inutilada!!

  15. alicia23 Avatar
    alicia23

    A mi tb me parece patetico q la gente se dedike a suplantar a las demas!! hay q estas aburrido! mario23 te kiero!! lo nuestro si es amor!! un flechazo en toda regla y con punto de partida en una pagina friky!! q triste son nuestras vidas….

  16. YAYO Avatar
    YAYO

    Debio haber sido mejor en el pecho o en la espalda…

  17. Pollon Avatar
    Pollon

    madre mia que gilipoyas….

  18. mario23 Avatar
    mario23

    claro que es amor!!sobre todo cuando lo practicamos, tu disfrazada de tux, yo de manzanita de apple…y el del tatto metiendonos su pantallazo por el culo…si esq es precioso…

  19. angyfm Avatar

    joder que ignorante de tio, jaja, bueno ali ya vamos siendo mas los que entramos y comentamos en castellano, ARRIBA SPAIN AND YONKIS!!!

  20. Bumblebee Avatar
    Bumblebee

    Windows no se cuelga JAMAS, JAMAS se cuelga Windows, jejeje

  21. ZING Avatar

    Switch to Linux… http://www.PCLinuxOS.com the best out rest the others!

  22. ytcracker Avatar

    my name is ytcracker and i am an internet legend. my wikipedia is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YTCracker

    most recently, i’ve been featured on mtv and spiketv because of my awesomeness.

    anyway, enough bragging – onto the tattoos.

    http://www.ytcracker.com/images/invincible.jpg
    just snapped that with my webcam – i touch my left arm for temporary invincibility.

    http://www.ytcracker.com/images/lnd.jpg
    i designed this tattoo – the background is the legend of zelda shield, the rest of the stuff you probably recognize. the meaning of the tattoo is the first hand is a human hand and the second hand is a ghost hand, meaning when youre dead you can still play the game, hence “legends never die.”

    http://www.ytcracker.com/images/foreverridin.jpg
    you can see my nerd life tattoo across my stomach and “dg inside” – thats digital gangster for all you n00bs – http://www.digitalgangster.com keep it treal

    yep.

    – bryce

  23. perropichon Avatar
    perropichon

    menos mal que al castron este no le dio por ponerse una carta de ajuste… o el arranque de la bios…
    es mas facil haberse tatuado… SOY TONTO

  24. alicia23 Avatar
    alicia23

    la gente sigue suplantando. pues que os den panda de gilipoyas!! de que vais??suplantaros a vosotros y dejarme en paz!! sois mas tontos que el del tatuaje!

  25. Tim Avatar
    Tim

    “All art has an intended audience, its very possible that what you are looking at, watching, or listening to …wasn’t made for you.” This is exactly the way i’ve always looked at and considered art. Wether you’re looking at a painting or watching a fight between two skilled fighters, you’re seeing forms of art. Everyone has a different opinion about what art is and i think that’s why art is such a great concept. Everyone can individually love or hate the same thing for their own personal reasons.
    Greetings,
    Tim

  26. Tanya Avatar
    Tanya

    well you deff. got ppl talking.. 151,now make it 152 with the addition of mine… awesome tattoo.. effing brilliant…

  27. Tom Avatar
    Tom

    Best tattoo i’ve seen in years!

  28. john Avatar
    john

    Seguro que el “artista” es un MACOSO, con esa mierda se eternizó su odio a windows.

    Frikis macosos..

  29. Q77 Avatar
    Q77

    #

    love macs. it’s funny though! (got cut off..)
    rebecca on July 26th, 2007 at 4:50 pm

    …Your Mac cut you off?

  30. jan Avatar
    jan

    as a statement: very well done, you got people’s attention as you wished and got them to debate about the art of tattooing.

    as a tattoo: sucks mucho big time ! you would’ve been better off photoshopping it unto your arm instead of actually getting the tattoo…

    i luv bmezine, keep it up!

  31. Funkizm Avatar
    Funkizm

    Well, it’s obviously brilliant: look at the response it’s provoked.

    Perhaps this tattoo will take on another level of meaning right after Paul crashes, er, dies. At that point a Fatal Exception will definitely have occurred and it will be apparent that someone pressed a key and the current Paul application has been terminated. Will someone be able to press Ctrl-Alt-Delete and bring him back to life or is that just a hint about future reincarnation?

    And wait a minute: Windows 98 apps didn’t run in their own protected mode memory space, so one app crashing often brought down the whole system. Stay healthy Paul, the whole she bang is counting on ya 😉

  32. Doido Avatar
    Doido

    Será que essa pessoa é normal?

  33. Viny Avatar

    SI FOR TATUAR TODOS OS ERROS DO WINDOWS VAI FALTA CORPO…HAUhuaUHAUHahU…. xD

  34. almenara Avatar
    almenara

    k triste por dios!!! jajajaja vaya gilipollas

  35. Oz Avatar
    Oz

    He doen’t have enough body for all windows error… Hahaha

  36. hispano Avatar

    Anda personaje k eres un liante friki amerikano tendrias k se anda k kuando te vea tu madre la kara de verguenza se deveria de kaerte

  37. mario23 Avatar
    mario23

    fijate la puta casualidad,que estoy ordenando las webs,y digo,que web es esta,entro y me fijo,el notas del tatuaje,va, borrar,y para mas sorpresa al cargar me encuentro a alicia23 contestando algo,leo mas arriba y veo que me an usado el nick mismo que yo puse, dandole coba y como no,ella contestando,cariño,esa ironia que usas es bastante patetica,no ves,contestando una y otra vez mensajes en un blog de un colgao,vamos,que al final,to lo tomastes en serio,y tan en serio..

    en fin….

  38. alicia23 Avatar
    alicia23

    paso de lo que me digais, soy libre de opinar lo que me de la gana para eso estamos en un país libre. y si te molesta te jodes!!

  39. inkt1 Avatar
    inkt1

    I think it’s awesome and definately worth the comments. I love all the people who hate it with that “my ideas are the only ideas ever. i’m normal and weird shit that i don’t get is lame. people who do stuff i don’t get are idiots.” ah. self check fellas. ctrl – alt – deleted. Time to learn that we don’t all have your level of genius/ignorance. ps. sam rulz rules!

  40. kalpesh Avatar

    I have always hated the blue death screen of windows, but this man has made death screen look more beautiful.

  41. commonsenseman Avatar
    commonsenseman

    wtf? are you freaking retarded? why the hell would you do this? get a brain, then a life dumbshit.

  42. melsgam Avatar

    im getting PRETTY sick of hearing this “when you get older and wrinkly blah blah blahf GIGHJ:grg;” bullshit.

    people with tattoos get them becasue they like them, if you’re on this site talking trash like that odds are you are here from an outsourced link, so i really would rather not give you the time of day to bitch you out. but honestly- get them now while you can, if you die tomorrow you wont get a tattoo you could enjoy. this guy could die next month, and then he wouldnt have to worry about what it looked like when he was 75.

    live for now. not for later. later may never come.

  43. Minerdaid Avatar
    Minerdaid

    Humans will be “freakers” than this guy. Cool, man; “very” cool…

  44. asd Avatar
    asd

    alert(‘ownen’)

  45. Dan Avatar
    Dan

    Worst. Tattoo. Ever

  46. Dizzy Chair Time Avatar

    Where’s the ‘any’ key?

  47. Andrew Avatar
    Andrew

    I support ya man, and your reasoning behind it. It IS all too true how “TBSOD” will become something of the past soon, and will be forgotten almost entirely.

  48. Jason Avatar
    Jason

    That sucks. Not the tattoo, but the text on it.

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