Shopping for a shelf? Need to find a cabinet to fit your stereo? Then roll a ruler onto your skin. This is an ink “stamp” wheel, with indices that mark inches (or centimeters), and fractions thereof. For one way to make a quick and useful ruler, roll it from a fingertip along the back of the hand, up to the shoulder of a straightened arm.
It should use skin-safe, temporary tattoo style ink. This could be a service offered by hardware stores.
-- Amos Kito, Dec 08 2003

not desperate then? http://www.halfbake...esperate_20Measures
[po, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Stamp Wheel http://images.googl...oe%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DN
[half, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Using a blunt butterknife, I have just grooved my thumbnail at one millimeter intervals, for more accuracy when measuring small items. Very good idea.
-- Fishrat, Dec 08 2003


Is Fishrat G. Gordon Liddy? Pleased t' meetcha.
-- thumbwax, Dec 08 2003


Bun for you, sir. [+]
-- Letsbuildafort, Dec 08 2003


Can't wait till we start our geometry unit at the school. he he he...
-- futurebird, Dec 08 2003


+ This may have been partially baked in antiquity. The cubit was defined as the distance between the king's elbow and the tip of his middle finger. However, the convenience for present-day DIY practitioners of the decicubit (about 2 inches) and the centicubit (just under Œ") can't be denied. Just inscribe these sub-divisions on your arm, and the ever-helpful assistant at Home Depot will be delighted to offer you a two centicubit drill bit, or a handful of three decicubit nails.
-- phlogiston, Dec 08 2003


Skin isn't terribly rigid and it tends to stretch and deform a lot. Depending on how you stood and how you held your arm, the distance might change by enough to make your measurements inaccurate. Certainly no more effective than e.g. knowing the length of your foot and using that to measure off distances.

Maybe if you had a specially-made shirt or a belt you could use instead - special fashions for the DIYer. Although you might not want to go into a hardware store when all the big builders' trousers are falling down.
-- kropotkin, Dec 08 2003



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