Helmet Paint Job iBook Mod

joesao writes "Remember that beautiful red iBook from a while back? So Pbsource has a post about a guy who hired a French helmet painter to scrape the lid of his iBook and turn into this. I wish somebody would start doing art replicas. Van Gogh, anyone?"

Oh Great...

[Big Sean O]

Now that somebody figured out how to paint the lid of an iBook, we're going to be assulted with Slashdot stories on all types of Lidart:

Including Pinup/Nose Art, Graffiti-inspired Art, and even 70s Van Airbrush-inspired art.

Here's a thought... Somebody draw the daVinci of the naked guy [umn.edu] and put the apple over the naughty bits.

Ulp. I guess the same thing could be done with Mr. Goatse.

Idea withdrawn...

Re:Oh Great...

[NeuroKoan]

How about this one [applefritter.com]?

Potential Money Maker

[Whatchamacallit]

Apple should consider making the iBook case easier to remove and offer a variety of high quality skins. i.e. have some artists design say 10 different designs and offer them installed at the apple store.

Then again, they just patented some funky light based color scheme, theme that can change. So it's possible that the exterior of an iBook in the future could change colors on it's own. Hummm a retro 60's tie-dye in motion like the iTunes Visualizer reflecting on the exterior case would be awesome!

Re:Potential Money Maker

[Soul-Burn666]

Like the success of changeable skins on Nokia cellphones!

Could be cute!

Re:Potential Money Maker

[nuckin futs]

Remember, Apple came up with the "Flower Power" and "Dalmation" iMacs. It was not skinnable, but it still did not sell.

Re:Potential Money Maker

[Big Sean O]

That's because they were both ugly.

I know someone who wanted an 'old style' (clamshell) iBook, but she refused because the only two colors available were blueberry and tangerine. She waited until the graphite iBook came out. Macs have a reputation of being the 'pretty' computer. Once you make that a selling point, people get personal about aesthetics.

If there was a way to (easily and safely) change the lid on your 'snow' iBook to your own design, I'm guessing it would sell nicely.

Re:Potential Money Maker

[drsmithy]

Macs have a reputation of being the 'pretty' computer. Once you make that a selling point, people get personal about aesthetics.

This is actually one of the main reasons I find it deplorable Apple don't offer a multi-button mouse as an option. Not because buying one elsewhere is a problem, but because after shelling out that much for a machine which is supposed to look good (and uses that aspect as one justification for its higher price) I want a damn mouse that matches !

Re:Potential Money Maker

[elemental23]

Actually, I understand the Flower Power iMacs were huge in Japan. Somehow that doesn't surprise me.

Re:Potential Money Maker

[soupforare]

Apple already had 'skinnable' laptops with the Powerbook 1400.
You could get "Bookcovers"(tm) from Apple and others. Apple had(s) a template on their ftp you can download to print your own.
I seem to recall an actual useful Bookcover, a solar panel to recharge your battery, if I'm not mistaken

Re:Potential Money Maker

[Secret Chimp]

If you remember the original G3 Powerbooks, the ones with the green glowing apple that was upside-down when the lid was open and kind of swoopy dark black plastic surrounding a lighter gray column in the center with the gloApple on it, I believe that you could actually print out and attach "skins" to the two swoopy sidepieces of on the back of the lid by folding the edges into some seams or something like that. I remember MacAddict including a few of those "skins" on their CDs for a few months back when that G3 PB case design came out. However, there was an article on /. a few weeks/months ago about Apple requesting a patent for something like case designs that can dynamically change their appearance, so perhaps "case art enabled" notebooks and desktops aren't that far off.

Re:Potential Money Maker

[phillymjs]

Here's another PBG3 mod. [tow.com] This one employed adhesive vinyl, and produced pretty nice results in the photos I've seen.

~Philly

Laptop skins.

[saintlupus]

Apple should consider making the iBook case easier to remove and offer a variety of high quality skins. i.e. have some artists design say 10 different designs and offer them installed at the apple store.

They did something similar with the PowerBook 1400 - there was what they called a "bookcover" system where you could change the cosmetics of the lid with a paper insert.

As far as I know, nobody ever really took advantage of it. Then again, now that people are putting neon lights and exhaust tips and shit on their computers, silly cosmetic features like that might do a little better in the marketplace. Who knows.

--saint

Re:Potential Money Maker

[BigBir3d]

Already in the works by someone else:

MacSkinz [appleskinz.com]

covered before

[agdv]

It was covered at /. so long ago, it's probably a rerun instead of a dupe.

French Helmet Painter?

[spRed]

Umm, is something lost in the translation or is 'Helmet Painter' really a profession in France?

Most requested Helmet themes:
Welcome Germans!
I *heart* cheese [or mimes or Jerry Lewis]
Does this scarf make me look gay? good.

Re:French Helmet Painter?

[jlower]

It's a profession in the US also. Just an airbrush artist that has specialized (as have I but with a much different canvas).

Holy shit that's hilarious

[BoomerSooner]

just follow the guy's link (notice mine is related to my name).

Re:French Helmet Painter?

[speechpoet]

Umm, is something lost in the translation or is 'Helmet Painter' really a profession in France?

Yes. And in German, it's someone's name.

Re:French Helmet Painter?

[stoney27]

Well could he be a French Canadian? Those hockey goalies really like their helmets painted.

Re:French Helmet Painter?

[BigBir3d]

Troy Lee [troyleedesigns.com] has been making a living at it in the USA for some time now.

Check out the helmet of the month section to see what he can really do.

Helmet?

[airdrummer]

when i saw the picture i thought it looked more like a bowling ball;-)

case mods

[prichardson]

For sweet case mods chack out www.applefritter.com

Re:case mods

[jo_ham]

My girlfriend sent me this link earlier today:

http://www.kodawarisan.com/ug/iBook/clear/clear1 .h tml

Remember those transparent personal stereos where you could see all the working parts?

Re:case mods

[miguel_at_menino.com]

My girlfriend sent me this link earlier today

That's the difference between Mac geeks and non-Mac geeks.

Mac geeks have girlfriends.

I'm only after her for her firewire port...

[jo_ham]

Remember folks, if your girlfriend smokes after sex, slow down or use a lubricant.

Re:case mods

[Elwood P Dowd]

>> My girlfriend sent me this link earlier today

> That's the difference between Mac geeks and non-Mac geeks.
> Mac geeks have girlfriends

Either that, or Mac geeks are girls.

hmm

[RaboKrabekian]

Does anyone think this looks like some sort of flat imac swirl cake? A kind of compu-dessert?

Re:hmm

[Virus1984]

One word: "lickable"

My favourite mod yet..

[henele]

For the nicest mod, and possibly most accessible mod I have seen for an iBook check here [malaran.com].

Its also one of the nicest designed and filled sites I think I have ever seen...

Re:My favourite mod yet..

[tbone1]

For the nicest mod, and possibly most accessible mod I have seen for an iBook check here [malaran.com].

Uh, no.

Re:What about PC Laptop modding sites?

[Alan Partridge]

PC people have bad taste by definition - if they saw something as beautifully modded as this iBook, they'd naturally assume that the owner was gay.

Re:What about PC Laptop modding sites?

[Alan Partridge]

what, you mean FPS gaymes like Quake III?

I prefer it in 'capture the fag' mode. myself

Nice job!

[Zhe Mappel]

That's one of the few computer mods I've ever seen that didn't look like a pathetic attempt to merge the aesthetical sense of vacuum cleaner design with 1970s Chevy Van rehabs.

Re:Apple Laptop Keyboards Unsuitable for Unix User

[MoneyT]

Not that you would actualy care because that would shoot your entire troll to all hell, but there is a wonderful utility out there called uControl

Availible right here [gnufoo.org] it will allow you to MAP THE CONTROL KEY TO THE CAPSLOCK KEY or any other god damned key you choose. So now that your problem is solved, go buy a mac and stop posting this over and over.

Re:Apple Laptop Keyboards Unsuitable for Unix User

[JonathanBoyd]

Actually a cursory glance at his post shows that he did mention uControl and stated it was available for MacOS X. His problem, however, seems to be that there is no solution for some of the other Unix varieties which he uses.

Re:Apple Laptop Keyboards Unsuitable for Unix User

[plastik55]

There is a patch for the Linux kernel which solves the problem. I'm using it right now.

What's this guy running, NetBSD?

Patent

[Peer]

Hmmm... didn't Apple patent 'devices capable of dynamically changing their ornamental or decorative appearance' [slashdot.org] recently??

Maybe we can expect such things from Apple soon (maybe even on the fly ;)

Re:Patent

[Freezebot]

Or maybe it's already here: remember the new PowerBook 17" with its fiber optics keyboard ?

That's what we could call a 'device capable of dynamically changing its ornamental or decorative appearance'.

Or maybe I'm still asleep.

Re:Patent

[Peer]

No, it's not that. See the pictures that come with the patent request.

Roy Lichtenstein iBook mod

[Fred IV]

Cool. A chance to show off my new mod. Still a work in progress, I've only done the lid so far... http://www.geocities.com/derenthal/

Where to buy lids?

[FunkDaddy]

Where could I buy an iBook lid to try my own art? I'd hate to try it on mine and ruin it.

Re:Where to buy lids?

[FunkDaddy]

http://www.wegenermedia.com/ibook2p.htm Found a place....