Inspired by [RayfordSteele]'s "You need bookshelf camouflage. Paint book covers all over your body. Don't forget the Dewey Decimal numbers." annotation on the 'Bring it on back NOW' idea.
Many bakeries (brick and mortar ones, anyway) now offer a service where an image is spray-painted onto a cake. The image generally comes from a catalog, but some bakeries will also do customer-supplied images.
I'm thinking: why not scale up this technology? Go to the tanning salon or hair stylists, lay on a table with goggles over your eyes and a computer-driven air gun spray-paints an image on your skin. Image size is irrelevant.
I was originally imagining this being used at Halloween but since the ink isn't permanent, it might become a fad.-- phoenix, Apr 29 2002 Might be interesting for precision makeup application. A person could select a makeup design that they liked and the equipment, using facial feature recognition, could adjust the design template to fit the face for the makeup application.
Accuracy would be desired as having mascara sprayed into your eye would be a Bad Thing.-- bristolz, Apr 29 2002 This sounds very cool. But since the eyes are often heavily decorated areas (as is the mouth) i think there would be huge pressure for the paint to get closer to the eyes, and more accurate.
Possibly some muscle relaxant or somesuch would help keep the lids closed while you painted over them, and while the paint dried. Or large, protective contact lenses?
You would also have a burgeoning industry in "strange" inks - glitter, mirrors, someday maybe even holograms.-- sadie, Apr 29 2002 When my brother went to college, he and some dormers would get in a van, get drunk - stop for hitch-hikers - once the hitch-hiker was in range, they'd open the back door and spray 'em with a fire extinguisher loaded with colo(u)red propellant - usually green. BTW, it was a bible college he went to.-- thumbwax, Apr 29 2002 random, halfbakery