Knuckle tattoo blog

Nathan Black says: "I collect pictures of people's knuckle tattoos and the stories behind them. I've got about 170 or so sets up and I've been collecting them for about a year and a half." Link

Previously on Boing Boing:
• Subcutaneous brass knuckle implants
• Brass-knuckle purse said to land wearer in airport security hell
• LOVE / HATE knuckle tat gloves
• HOWTO knit gloves with "knuckle tattoos"
• Wooden brass knuckles

[#1 posted by Takuan , March 28, 2008 4:15 PM]

OK, I'll play: "left" "rite", "rice" "dung",

[#2 posted by DiePickleDie , March 28, 2008 4:27 PM]

"huge" "hung" !!

[#3 posted by Antinous , March 28, 2008 4:27 PM]

"gorm" "less"?

[#4 posted by Takuan , March 28, 2008 4:32 PM]

on da dole

[#5 posted by DiePickleDie , March 28, 2008 4:35 PM]

"void" "gone"

[#6 posted by Antinous , March 28, 2008 4:36 PM]

Tak-kun,

Did you notice #2's moniker?

[#7 posted by coldspell , March 28, 2008 4:47 PM]

where is "asdf jkl;"?

[#8 posted by benchatt , March 28, 2008 4:51 PM]

I read this McSweeney's list awhile ago and never really suspected people actually had some of these. One person's short humorous list is another's daily life. Rad.

[#9 posted by Jake0748 , March 28, 2008 5:04 PM]

Antinous - at least he didn't specify Japanese pickles.

[#10 posted by Roach , March 28, 2008 5:13 PM]

Ah, little lad, you're staring at my fingers. Would you like me to tell you the little story of right-hand/left-hand? The story of good and evil? H-A-T-E! It was with this left hand that old brother Cain struck the blow that laid his brother low. L-O-V-E! You see these fingers, dear hearts? These fingers has veins that run straight to the soul of man. The right hand, friends, the hand of love. Now watch, and I'll show you the story of life. Those fingers, dear hearts, is always a-warring and a-tugging, one agin t'other. Now watch 'em! Old brother left hand, left hand he's a fighting, and it looks like love's a goner. But wait a minute! Hot dog, love's a winning! Yessirree! It's love that's won, and old left hand hate is down for the count!

[#11 posted by Takuan , March 28, 2008 5:21 PM]

? the German fellow?

[#12 posted by geo the moose , March 28, 2008 5:30 PM]

what I enjoyed most from this was the drug free tats and the can of beer in his hand...

[#13 posted by cls , March 28, 2008 5:34 PM]

#7 - I laughed out loud at this. Typing class flashback..nooooooo.

[#14 posted by Jesse M. , March 28, 2008 5:34 PM]

"KNUC" "KLES"

[#15 posted by cls , March 28, 2008 5:34 PM]

#7 - I laughed out loud at this. Typing class flashback..nooooooo.

[#16 posted by Evil Jim , March 28, 2008 5:38 PM]

Ah, how wonderfully tacky.

Strange how many of those knuckles are wet. Also how many aren't inked very straight. And again, how many are messages to remind the wearer of some truth or part of their life, yet the letters are positioned so the wearer can only read them properly with great difficulty. Otherwise they look like this: ǝʌoן=poƃ

[#17 posted by arkizzle , March 28, 2008 5:45 PM]

Ant / Jake / Tak

at least he's not called KieuseruTakuanKieuseru

[#18 posted by arkizzle , March 28, 2008 5:47 PM]

* s/he *

[#19 posted by Antinous , March 28, 2008 5:54 PM]

Based on the suggestion, I'm going with 'he'.

[#20 posted by Takuan , March 28, 2008 5:58 PM]

The Saure Gurke.... I could have fun with this....

[#21 posted by arkizzle , March 28, 2008 6:00 PM]

Ah.

Yes, it would seem likely at second glance.. :)

[#22 posted by arkizzle , March 28, 2008 6:11 PM]

Tak, are you a PKD fan?
If you've read "The Galactic Pot Healer" you may remember "The Game" that the hero engages in with his various associates around the world..

You take a famous phrase or title and translate it into another language, then you take the translated text and translate it back (many times maybe) between the languages until you get a cryptic reworded version of the original.. The game is deducing what the original text is..

I googled an example because I don't have my copy here:

So I would pose to you: The male offspring in addition gets out of bed
To which the correct answer would be: The sun also rises

There are some better examples in the book, but I always thought it sounded fun.

I'll try to find a good one :)

[#23 posted by Jake0748 , March 28, 2008 6:18 PM]

All - #2 is a male, says so in his profile. Also he HATES pickles.

[#24 posted by Takuan , March 28, 2008 6:51 PM]

one is not a "fan" of Horselover Fat. One is permitted, if lucky and granted incredible favour under Heaven, to be allowed to know of his Great Works - and if inutterably fortunate, to actually pass ones unworthy eyes over the Sacred Pages.

Yeah,I like his stuff. Pot Healers around here somewhere, moldering in the paperback midden.

Game on!

Re: Herr Saure Gurke, whydya guys scare him like that? I was going to gently introduce him to a pickle - or vice versa.

[#25 posted by larisa0001 , March 28, 2008 6:54 PM]

One that I saw elsewhere said "SANDWICH" - as in "knuckle sandwich", I suppose.

[#26 posted by Antinous , March 28, 2008 6:58 PM]

I was going to gently introduce him to a pickle

Oy, with the phrenology again.

[#27 posted by arkizzle , March 28, 2008 7:01 PM]

TAK (an easily guessed, but slightly non-linear one)

An older violin more consonant of the caramel.

[#28 posted by arkizzle , March 28, 2008 7:06 PM]

hmm.. I suspect PKD used some poetic license and a thesarus, rathen than multiple translation.

We can bend the rules if you like, or keep it country.

[#29 posted by Takuan , March 28, 2008 7:09 PM]

I thought those WERE the rules! (of course I drew a complete blank as soon as your entry came up)

[#30 posted by arkizzle , March 28, 2008 7:23 PM]

Well, it just seems if you use babel fish et al, when concocting the puzzle, you get quite a messy sentence, where as if you manually change each word in your start-sentence, you get some clever double meaning stuff, like the son/sun above.. (which a machine translator wouldn't do)

So the rules may be either:
1. use a translator to get authentic trans-garbage (as many passes and languages as you like)
OR
2. Use a thesaurus and your creativity to make a poetically (or not) cryptic conundrum.

The answer to the one above:
An older violin more consonant of the caramel

is

The older the fiddle the sweeter the tune.
(multi pass, spanish and portuguese)

[#31 posted by Takuan , March 28, 2008 7:26 PM]

I prefer #2 (more like doing cryptic crosswords)

(and like James Gardner at the roulette wheel in that old western: Spin it!)

[#32 posted by arkizzle , March 28, 2008 7:34 PM]

here's one using rule2

the entire collection of pedestals that you own, is the property of america..

[#33 posted by Takuan , March 28, 2008 7:35 PM]

here; "fuzz of the ripped bailey" (just gittin warmed up)

[#34 posted by Takuan , March 28, 2008 7:36 PM]

all your bases is belong to us

[#35 posted by Takuan , March 28, 2008 7:37 PM]

theme is titles

[#36 posted by arkizzle , March 28, 2008 7:42 PM]

yep :)

yours are far tougher looking, I never do the cryptic crossword tho, I could be battling a master :(

damn, it's like hairy.. torn.. court..
hmm

[#37 posted by arkizzle , March 28, 2008 7:45 PM]

ok, gimme the first one, so i can get your style..

[#38 posted by Takuan , March 28, 2008 7:46 PM]

let's ease into this: PKD titles

[#39 posted by Takuan , March 28, 2008 7:49 PM]

PKD novel title

[#40 posted by Takuan , March 28, 2008 7:49 PM]

60's slang

[#41 posted by Takuan , March 28, 2008 7:53 PM]

6 words,

[#42 posted by arkizzle , March 28, 2008 7:57 PM]

ha! i was trying to unpuzzle, "theme is titles" unntil ur next comment popped up

what a dick (hoho)

[#43 posted by Takuan , March 28, 2008 8:00 PM]

South Park lateral clue: What does Towelie do?
http://www.citypaper.net/blogs/clog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/towelie.png

[#44 posted by arkizzle , March 28, 2008 8:04 PM]

haha, same thing i'm just about to do, funnily enough.. It might be inpinging on my ability to problem solve though.

[#45 posted by arkizzle , March 28, 2008 8:05 PM]

fibres.. ah ha!

[#46 posted by arkizzle , March 28, 2008 8:09 PM]

all i have on this one is.. a million little fibres, which it isn't

towlie + "fuzz of the ripped ..."

I'm losing my game :(

[#47 posted by arkizzle , March 28, 2008 8:24 PM]

Well, while I'm losing, I'll pose one to you. Easy, same theme:

Authority figure: "commence saline seepage"

[#48 posted by Takuan , March 28, 2008 9:09 PM]

Flow my Tears, The Policeman said

The_____ _____ _____ (towlie's forte) ________

first two words clue in YOUR last one (60's slang)

[#49 posted by Takuan , March 28, 2008 9:31 PM]

anyone, anyone.... Beuller, Beuller.......

[#50 posted by Jake0748 , March 28, 2008 9:51 PM]

Takuan, don't try to entice me with your cheap Ferris Beuller references. Ben Stein is dead to me now. Besides it's bed time.

[#51 posted by lestyoubejudged , March 28, 2008 10:31 PM]

Oh man, my dad just passed away a few months ago and one of his greatest trademarks was his tatoos. And his knuckles said F*** You! All the more amazing as he ultimately became a Christian. Also of note, his nipples were labled sweet and sour.

[#52 posted by Takuan , March 28, 2008 10:39 PM]

The ____ in _____ _____ ______

[#53 posted by Takuan , March 28, 2008 10:40 PM]

anyone?
http://www.markaelrod.net/wp-content/uploads/2006/06/Ben%20Stein.jpg

[#54 posted by Takuan , March 28, 2008 10:48 PM]

another then

"are the reveries of skinjobs referrent to powered Bushites?"

[#55 posted by arkizzle , March 29, 2008 6:47 AM]

Sorry Tak, I fell asleep (i'm on UK time)

I still have no clue what PKD title that could be tho..

I'll have a go at the next one, but I'm off to Oxford in a minute.

[#56 posted by arkizzle , March 29, 2008 6:55 AM]

Wait.. is it "The man in the high castle?"

god damn, if it is.. it's one of my favourite books ever, dunno if it goes with "fuzz of the ripped bailey" tho.. i certainly tried and rejected it in the beginning with the bailey - courtyard - castle connection and the high - towelie connection.. but "fuzz of the ripped.."

The second one is really nice though:

"are the reveries of skinjobs referrent to powered Bushites?"

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.

Very nice use of skinjob and bushite, I tried gaming that same title last night, but all my attempts were way too obvious :)

[#57 posted by arkizzle , March 29, 2008 7:07 AM]

OK,
fuzz = "the man"
ripped = "high"
bailey = "castle"

TOUGHY!

here's a quick two for you while I'm gone.. slighly more cryptic on my part, but you'll get them in no time:

º Everywhere, contracted

° Golf-club~ing on the subject of a miniature domain

[#58 posted by billy , March 29, 2008 10:04 AM]

them tattooed folk are quite the enthousiastic bunch

[#59 posted by Takuan , March 29, 2008 10:26 AM]

Puttering About in a Small Land

[#60 posted by Takuan , March 29, 2008 10:30 AM]

How to Build a Universe That Doesn't Fall Apart Two Days Later??

[#61 posted by arkizzle , March 29, 2008 4:38 PM]

is #60 a response to "everywhere, contracted"?

[#62 posted by Avram , March 29, 2008 5:59 PM]

"LUV" "HĀT"

[#63 posted by Takuan , March 29, 2008 6:14 PM]

I wish,still haven't got it (universe....not Vast Active Living System??)

[#64 posted by blogmother , March 29, 2008 7:30 PM]

Cl. ="fnd" rt. tts, ddls stmps, 'phn crds, bjcts tht lk lk stff (ptts tht lk lk Mthr Thrs) nd th lk mk grt cntnt fr blgs

Disemvowelled as spam. --TNH

[#65 posted by arkizzle , March 30, 2008 7:32 AM]

hehe! nope :)
Puttering... was right though, well done.
"everywhere, contracted" is a little tricky actually, here's a clue that should easify it a bit:

one word

[#66 posted by Takuan , March 30, 2008 10:47 AM]

duh; Ubik

[#67 posted by arkizzle , March 30, 2008 11:22 AM]

YEH! haha

[#68 posted by Takuan , March 30, 2008 12:11 PM]

on a happy note, that German fellow dropped me an email with his picture

http://animatedtv.about.com/library/graphics/sideshowbob.jpg

[#69 posted by arkizzle , March 30, 2008 4:08 PM]

You know, I did a background check on his philosophy, and some of his ideas seem quite plausible:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjxOt2u2BGM

Maybe he has a newsletter or something.. need we subscribe?

[#70 posted by Rapatski , April 1, 2008 3:02 PM]

Oh-h can I join? Not too sure about this attempt, but have a go: "An Universal American Stock Invention"

[#71 posted by Tattoo ED , May 5, 2008 5:34 PM]

Hey very cool blog. I added your blog in my tattoo board:

http://www.fantasmforum.com

Continue your great job !!!