MODs and Accessories: Is it that important? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Cynthetiq · 08-17-2004, 11:26 AM

I was just reading a couple other threads and it made me think that I needed to start this discussion.

Do we really need to individualize and uniquify EVERYTHING?

From clothes to cars, cellphones to pagers, computers to Xboxes... you name it and there's some mods and accessories for it. There's absurd accessories from obnoxious flashing LEDS for cellphones, to the Rice giant wings...

I had a Totoya Corolla '86 4dr, I sank close to $5,000 on a stereo system. The car was worth $12k when I bought it, and had I had more time and money I would have done more to the car. I gave it away along with all the stereo components. I did have some good SPL and good RTA stats....

Since that time, I've not bothered to ever really mod anything that I own anymore. I don't see the point. I would rather spend the money elsewhere.

Does it really give you that much satisfaction to spend sometimes spending more on the accessories than on the actual object itself?

Mephisto2 · 08-17-2004, 11:35 AM

Some people like to "personalize" things I suppose. Stand out from the crowd, draw attention to themselves.

In a kinda interesting related topic, I was listening to a radio program the other day (yeah, I know... very old school), which was discussing love and lust. An American pyschologist professor was saying that both men and women have adapted (in a Darwinian manner) to "sexual display" - no different from Birds of Paradise I suppose.

By drawing attention to themselves, they increase their chances of attracting and keeping a mate.

Of course, in "higher animals", and uniquely in humans who have evolved advanced consciousness, this has gone on to manifest itself in competitiveness, "showyness", and other attributes (like language, gossip etc).

I'm not suggesting that we're slaves to our genes (with apologies to those who willfully missinterpret Richard Dawkin's seminal work The Selfish Gene), I'm just saying that like all human behaviour, it has its roots in our early evolutionary history.

Probably, not the answer you were looking for Cyn! I could say "Just 'cuz it looks pretty"... :-)

Finally, as an aside, I tend NOT to personalise anything I own. I always try to buy the best and I think it cheapens it by adding gaudy gimcracks...

Mr Mephisto

Speed_Gibson · 08-17-2004, 11:37 AM

my general response is 'hell no, I don't need no stinkin' mods to anything'
I prefer computers, stereos, cars, and whatever else to be clean looking and functional.

World's King · 08-17-2004, 11:39 AM

My penis has pin-strips.

Cynthetiq · 08-17-2004, 11:55 AM

interesting mephisto.... yes, I think some of it is attention whores yelling,"Look at me!!"

Fremen · 08-17-2004, 12:07 PM

Or, it's just people trying to be heard above the increasing loud susurration of our society.

skier · 08-17-2004, 12:44 PM

i'm not really sure what susurration means...

Any modifications I do to my material goods are decorational. I do it so I look different from evreyone else. I'm tired of seeing people wearing the same clothes, the same haircuts, buying into stereotypical roles because they are told it's cool. Not just pop fashion, but gothic and punk stereotypes too. If you want to be different so badly, why are you trying to get into a group?
I mostly buy plain clothes and make my own designs. I don't want to wear Orange County Chopper gear because they were on TV. I don't want to have the same cellphone that everyone and their brother has. I don't need to wear the same blue jeans everyone else wears. I have no need to compromise my own ideals of self to feel part of a group. It takes little effort to distinguish yourself from the masses of people that pass by you in life. I just like to celebrate how unique I am. And I know I can't be the only one that feels this way.

MSD · 08-17-2004, 01:15 PM

I like making things work and look better than they did originally. Whether it's a paintball gun or a car, just like it was from the factory isn't good enough.

Cynthetiq · 08-17-2004, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skier

i'm not really sure what susurration means...

If you want to be different so badly, why are you trying to get into a group?

that's kind of part of what this thought for me leads too.... if you are trying to individualize vis a vie these Objects, then aren't you thus not really all that individual?

and i have no idea what susurration means either....

oh... looked it up... whisper or murmur... what an illiteration Mr. Freman.

moonstrucksoul · 08-17-2004, 01:26 PM

i keep my cars, simple. I keep my hair, even simpler. No tattoos, currently no visable piercings. i like to be anonymus. the nail that sticks up, gets hammered down.

bigoldalphamale · 08-17-2004, 01:37 PM

no visual mods to my car...everything is under the hood and barely noticable to anyone save someone who drives a bone stock G35 coupe. i dont care for flash and much like mr.selfdestruct...there's room for improvement on almost every product that can be bought. my computer had an ok graphics card...but for $200 i purchases a SILLY graphics card. some mods are just necessary for improved functionality and have nothing to do with my appearance or anything akin.

k1ng · 08-17-2004, 01:44 PM

I tend to keep things simple. I would rather spend more for a nicer "widget" than get a cheaper one and add things to it. I'm actually very fond of a simple/basic look (Apple does a good job of that).

I don't understand people who have a $500 '83 Caddy with $5000 20" wheels and a 4 12" subs in the trunk. It's absurd! Just buy a nicer $8000 car instead.

skier · 08-17-2004, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cynthetiq

that's kind of part of what this thought for me leads too.... if you are trying to individualize vis a vie these Objects, then aren't you thus not really all that individual?

Do you mean that people modifying their possesions are doing so in compensation for their lack of true individuality? Just trying to see your persepective here.

guthmund · 08-17-2004, 03:26 PM

I don't presume to know what Cynthetiq is attempting to say, but I'll agree with that statement, skier.

In my opinion, most people are so desperate to see themselves as different from the herd that they modify and accessorize any and everything to seem unique.

Just look at piercing and tatooing. When I was a kid, it was fashionable for guys to get their ear pierced to show they weren't slaves to society. Then there were nose rings, eyebrow, tongue, belly buttons piercings, and lip rings and then when those weren't good enough you had to get multiple variations of those to show everyone that you were a rebel, by god. Now, I understand the latest fad is inserting stuff underneath your skin. The same is true of the tatoo. It was once the domain of sailors, bikers and general ruffians. Now everybody and their mother has some tatoo somewhere.

Modding cars was the craze in high school and now it's computers. All these folks are running so hard from the idea of being just like everybody else, they've failed to see that they are just like everybody else.

It is my belief that individuality doesn't come with the products you choose to buy and "uniquify." I mean, your stuff doesn't come with a certificate of cool along with the warranty. It comes from the individual. The things that you say, the beliefs that you hold, the way you carry yourself in certain situations, not the stuff you have sitting on your shelf or out in your garage.

Do I personalize my stuff? Sure, but I do it for me, not for the folks who come visit me. Does that make my unique? I don't think so. It just makes me...me.

Cynthetiq · 08-17-2004, 04:13 PM

skier/guthmund yes, your ideas are where this road always leads me to. It's like the early 90s when I used to say,"What happens when alternative isn't alternative anymore?" and sure enough... it was mainstream.

big/MSD and the modders, I can agree to some degree, some things stock just don't perform as well as hopped up variants and such but those are not fluff parts either. Mods to the internals do make a quantifiable difference. The fluff parts, parts/mods strictly for the aestethics... those are what I'm pondering in this discussion.

Destrox · 08-17-2004, 06:05 PM

I suppose I am one of these people that you are pointing out. I love to personalize anything and everything I can.

Why you ask?
Well, why does there need to be a reason other then just because? I do it because I feel like it, I do it because I love to take somthing and phsyicsally make it better then it was before.

We dont all buy white cars or trucks do we? No, we get paint jobs on them that shows a sense of our own style. We dont all wear the same clothing do we? No, we wear what suits to our own style.

I really dont see where this thread was ment to go. A mod is no different then wearing a tie with a shirt rather no tie. Its somthing that adds that little extra somthing that just makes it to the better.

While not every mod is good to ones opinion, but neither is say that tie previously mentioned on a shirt that doesnt match it.

Its their money, their choice, and your choice to look away.

Somthing else just popped into my mind about this post, those who really do *care* or get bothered about such trivial issues of people personalizing their things. You do see how much you are like that bitter old lady everyone had in their neighborhood that would complain and whine about other peoples issues and not her own.

skier · 08-18-2004, 02:19 AM

Guthmund, you truly have a gift for expressing thoughts through written language.

I totally agree with you that many people 'run so hard from the idea of being just like everybody else, they've failed to see that they are just like everybody else' but I feel it should not be a blanket statement to all people that modify their belongings.

We did not have to draw stick figures on cave walls, or carve elaborate designs on our spears. WE've been modifying belongings for a long time. Modification to an object to makes it unique and special, to make it something that needed your own personal touch, to spend time and effort adding to your belonging instead of merely purchasing it and leaving it alone... i'm searching for words here. It makes that object no longer something just any person could go out and get, provided he had some cash in his pocket. It makes it uniquely tied to you. You did this. You made it nicer/stronger/cooler/faster/pretty. And this is something nobody else can do just like you can.

Amano · 08-18-2004, 03:03 AM

"Individuality is the greatest mass phenomenon in American culture," said one of my professors in class (Sepp Gumbrecht)

flamingdog · 08-18-2004, 03:49 AM

I am split on this, because I see no reason not to modify, but I am not much of a modifier. I have stuck a spiderman badge on my bag before, and I have a barcode stuck over the Dell logo on my monitor, and some furry dice in my car, and I have a beard, which seems to make me stand out a lot among my peers, but it's really just subtle stuff like that.

I won't get tattooed or pierced (although I won't rule it out either) simply because every cat and his mother is now getting a tattoo or a piercing. I almost feel like my individuality is expressed in my apparent lack of need to shout about it.

It extends to clothing, I favour simple, comfortable clothes that I think look good, I don't wear rings, bracelets or necklaces, and just one of three tasteful, understated wristwatches, and I don't usually keep them on very long.

At the end of the day, I think it comes to down to maturity, perspective and self-confidence. If you are confident in yourself, you don't need a cartful of stuff that is intended to scream 'ME!'

Cynthetiq · 08-18-2004, 06:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Destrox

I suppose I am one of these people that you are pointing out. I love to personalize anything and everything I can.

Why you ask?
Well, why does there need to be a reason other then just because? I do it because I feel like it, I do it because I love to take somthing and phsyicsally make it better then it was before.

We dont all buy white cars or trucks do we? No, we get paint jobs on them that shows a sense of our own style. We dont all wear the same clothing do we? No, we wear what suits to our own style.

I really dont see where this thread was ment to go. A mod is no different then wearing a tie with a shirt rather no tie. Its somthing that adds that little extra somthing that just makes it to the better.

While not every mod is good to ones opinion, but neither is say that tie previously mentioned on a shirt that doesnt match it.

Its their money, their choice, and your choice to look away.

Somthing else just popped into my mind about this post, those who really do *care* or get bothered about such trivial issues of people personalizing their things. You do see how much you are like that bitter old lady everyone had in their neighborhood that would complain and whine about other peoples issues and not her own.

I'm not trying to be that old lady in the neighborhood, but actually trying to understand the motivation behind it. I'm not saying that modding or accessorizing is bad, what I am wondering is why it's so over the top. I have been in some meetings and seen some product development where the object being sold is the loss leader and the accessories is truly where the market is and the profit.

merkerguitars · 08-18-2004, 07:39 AM

Why I do mods to the items I own. Because I have talents and skills, I like to use them, be creative and improve my skills.

omega2K4 · 08-18-2004, 09:13 AM

The only thing not stock on my car are the wheels. I'm planning on doing some under-the-hood work soon after the warranty is expired.

clavus · 08-18-2004, 09:47 AM

I drive like an asshole, so I keep my car as generic looking as possible. I figure that the people I piss off may be less likely to recognize me at a later date.

I decorate a lot of things - I flamed my mailox. My garage cabinets are are painted with different designs. My Sacramento Kings hat is about to get a little anti-Chris Webber logo added to it. I also make things (pottery, etc.) that are totally unique. Mostly I do this to please one person - me. Most of the furniture in my house was made by a loved one or refinished/modified by me.

I just like looking at the the work from my own hands and the hands of those who mean something to me.

Redjake · 08-18-2004, 10:36 AM

I like to make my computer look different than other people's. If every computer was the same, and by God they almost are (mommy and daddy bought me an HP for college!), I'd probably jump off a cliff somewhere after strangling myself with UV IDE cables.

guthmund · 08-18-2004, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skier

Guthmund, you truly have a gift for expressing thoughts through written language.

...but I feel it should not be a blanket statement to all people that modify their belongings.

Thank you, that was a very, very nice thing to say.

Absolutely. I should've pointed out that what I said wasn't meant to be taken as a blanket statement. After reading what I posted, I realized that it could be construed that I have some sort of grudge against all "modifiers."

Quite the contrary, in fact, I applaud those who choose to take some generic, store bought, off the shelf anything and make it their own. However, I just think that whatever you choose to "uniquify" (I really like this word...

) you should do it for yourself not to give off a vibe, or maintain a rep, or to keep up with the Jones.

Aggghhh....I can't seem to make this sound right, so I'll just direct you to Clavus ' post as it does a much better job saying what I'm thinking.

Carno · 08-18-2004, 09:31 PM

I may change something because I don't like the appearance of it, or I simply add things to to give it a little flair.

clavus · 08-19-2004, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guthmund

Aggghhh....I can't seem to make this sound right, so I'll just direct you to Clavus ' post as it does a much better job saying what I'm thinking.

I like to eat the still-beating hearts torn from the chests of tiny puppy dogs.

Seriously, THAT is what he is thinking.

Cynthetiq · 08-19-2004, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skier

Do you mean that people modifying their possesions are doing so in compensation for their lack of true individuality? Just trying to see your persepective here.

I'm not sure if that's what that ultimately leads to but it could very well be. As I walk about NYC I see every type of gadget and possession and everything is so heavily modified from it's original state usually. I also see some of my collegues who mod ALL their possessions, not just one, but almost like if it's stock it's not very good at all.

Thus some friends of mine that lament about some of the things that I'm able to do, buy property, go on vacations, eat out all the time, and not watch my spending habits... wonder how I do it. I look at them and all their defunct possessions (old technology that they paid top dollar for..) collecting dust and invariably no longer being used even though they are not broken.

bigoldalphamale · 08-19-2004, 10:47 AM

there are some things that are made/exist/beg to be modded and have nothing at all to do with being an individual or lack thereof. off the top of my head:

Cars: there's no such thing as too much horsepower/torque
Computers: there's no such thing as too much computing/processing power

i even modded my paintball gun...because there is no such thing as having too much firepower.

i wakeboard, snowboard, and mountain bike on stock gear and its fine...those things perform better when i am able to improve my own talent in using them. i hunt with a gun that is so far from stock that i couldnt even tell you who the manufacturer is...but it suits the required functionality i need for hunting.

i guess i dont see too much harm in mods...as long as they are functional. i hate rice on cars. i dont understand neon in computer towers. i dont understand plastering stickers all over your snowboard, wakeboard, et al, i dont understand dropping a 120 gig hard drive in your TiVo (who's going to watch a backlog of 5000+ hours of tv?)

i understand some modding...and i dont understand other modding. none of it upsets me though.

cyn...do you need a hug?

Cynthetiq · 08-19-2004, 10:58 AM

Quote:

i guess i dont see too much harm in mods...as long as they are functional. i hate rice on cars. i dont understand neon in computer towers. i dont understand plastering stickers all over your snowboard, wakeboard, et al, i dont understand dropping a 120 gig hard drive in your TiVo (who's going to watch a backlog of 5000+ hours of tv?)

thanks BAM, I don't need a hug, but will always take one

I agree with that... non functional mods and accessories I believe are what I'm talking about... I agree with the horsepower, computing power....

the Tivo mod, I don't understand. I'm mad when I realize that I have tens of hours on the Tivo that I "need" to watch. A friend of mine modding his Xbox (not to that extent) but wants to drop in a large HD into it so that he can do more media things etc. He's been trying to convince me to spend another $200 to get my Xbox all modded etc, when all I want to do is play some games on it. He's like but yeah you can do this, that and the other thing with it... and I'm like but I have a server to do that... but yeah you can do it from your Xbox...Not that he doesn't already have servers and computers up the ying yang at home already too...

Bentley Little · 08-21-2004, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Mephisto

Some people like to "personalize" things I suppose. Stand out from the crowd, draw attention to themselves.

In a kinda interesting related topic, I was listening to a radio program the other day (yeah, I know... very old school), which was discussing love and lust. An American pyschologist professor was saying that both men and women have adapted (in a Darwinian manner) to "sexual display" - no different from Birds of Paradise I suppose.

By drawing attention to themselves, they increase their chances of attracting and keeping a mate.

Of course, in "higher animals", and uniquely in humans who have evolved advanced consciousness, this has gone on to manifest itself in competitiveness, "showyness", and other attributes (like language, gossip etc).

I'm not suggesting that we're slaves to our genes (with apologies to those who willfully missinterpret Richard Dawkin's seminal work The Selfish Gene), I'm just saying that like all human behaviour, it has its roots in our early evolutionary history.

Probably, not the answer you were looking for Cyn! I could say "Just 'cuz it looks pretty"... :-)

Finally, as an aside, I tend NOT to personalise anything I own. I always try to buy the best and I think it cheapens it by adding gaudy gimcracks...

Mr Mephisto

Mr. M., to add to that...

You know, I am married now, but when I was dating, I would completely avoid people who had to bring so much attention upon themselves by having everything flashing, bright, whatever. What are they compensting for? Are they just hiding the fact that they don't have any personality or are too shallow? I think yes. But as far as mods go, I think they are a waste of money. I don't need to define myself with things. It really makes me sick when people go so far out of their way to draw that much attention to themselves.

skier · 08-21-2004, 06:11 PM

Just some thoughts. Is fashion a mod? THe latest styles, types of clothes, the still ahve the basic function of covering us up from weather and each other. This is not personal modification, but modification at a grander scale- our society. I think that we live to change things around us, not because of abstract concepts like beauty and art, but because when we first started out, molding our environment into various things saw great benefit for us. Everyone has a "little inventor", a creative side that needs to express itself, whether by changing the materials around us or the person within, or both.
Am I way off base here? It just popped into my head.

guthmund · 08-21-2004, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clavus

I like to eat the still-beating hearts torn from the chests of tiny puppy dogs.

Seriously, THAT is what he is thinking.

"Still beating?" See I got, "Warmed over entrails..." I guess I was a little off, eh? Oh well, the intent is what matters, right?

Fashion is more about following "the cool." It's more about copying than doing anything original. That being said, I think there is a bit of the mod mojo working in fashion.

Jeans for example. When I was growing up it was ripped and faded. You had to do it yourself, but everyone had to have them. Then after they caught on, you could buy them pre-ripped and pre-faded. Now your paying extra to have someone wear out and rip up your perfectly fine pants.

Same thing with women, remember when low-riding jeans weren't sold in every store on every shelf in every mall in America? Women used to cut off the waist of perfectly fine jeans to achieve the look. Now it seems they've become the standard of the female jean market. I can't possibly imagine how those things are comfortable, yet nearly every woman I see seems to be wearing them.

xepherys · 08-22-2004, 04:47 AM

Cyn/Speed-

I like to customize my computer to BE more clean looking. I have a nice, simple aluminum case and want to make aluminum faceplates for my optical drives and floppy so they match. I'm not a fan of cut windows (though my case has one by default, which isn't terrible looking) and neon lights. Some modding isn't for aesthetics at all. I'm looking to move to a water cooled system, both for performance and for longevity of the system. Unless you open the case, you'll never know it was there.

King-

Doesn't that hurt like a bi&ch? :-p

At any rate, I don't think that customization or modding is inherently bad. What if you had a mark (or symbol) that you used to assure something was yours? Should you not place it on objects you own? Should you to protect it (like an Xbox at a LAN gaming party)? I guess my question to Cyn is... what's WRONG with customizing everything and anything? I'm a middle-of-the-roader on this topic I suppose. But I do see value in it for many, and it interests me to the degree that I like to see what other people do to their belongings.

Cynthetiq · 08-22-2004, 05:07 AM

skier.... fashion is part of it. Note that there are "fashions" to mods. Note that car mods from the 80's with the pinstrip EKG on the windows are no longer fashionable. Snake Eyes LED wiper washers were, and those taillights mods now are.

xepherys i don't see it as inherently bad. just as to how important it is to someone...as some people feel the need to mod everything & nothing stock is worthwhile. To me most of the mods that people invest their time and money into a product that over time becomes worthless, and their work didn't add anymore value or useablity to the item.

It's not something that interests me any longer. It did at one time, and I wonder what value changed.

majik_6 · 08-22-2004, 06:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cynthetiq

To me most of the mods that people invest their time and money into a product that over time becomes worthless, and their work didn't add anymore value or useablity to the item.

But how do you define value or worthlessness? Is it sheerly in terms of society's determined market value? If this was the case then there would be no need for many of the sentimental stuff we do on a daily basis.

I know in my case, I have a 1992 S10 that books for around $2,000 in it's current condition. I have somewhere between 12-15K in it, with another 10-25K in work planned. It's not really helping my chances of reselling the vehicle, but I have no plans of ever putting it on the market. It makes ME happy. I love to create, to make something my own. For me, modifications (visual and functional ) do just that.

And another thing, don't all modifications serve SOME function? Even if that function is just to get people staring or to amuse oneself in some manner, it's still serving a purpose.

As for bodymodifications, I'm pierced and tattooed and it's something I plan on going into professionally. Why? Because when I look at myself in the mirror, my piercings and ink look good to me. I feel better with them. It's the same reason that someone gets their hair styled a certain way or bothers to shower, workout, or wash their face on a regular basis. It makes them feel attractive/confident/just-plain-good.

I guess some people are happy with something the way they got it, but for myself (and many others) there's always some little detail that can be changed to make an object (or my body) more to my liking. It's not because I'm a pessimist or overly critical (I'm far from either), it's just that I like to know that I've made something uniquely mine. It may not be one-off, it may not even be that different from everyone else's, but I've done something to closer align the reality with the ideal that I've set in my head.

Cynthetiq · 08-22-2004, 06:39 PM

I don't doubt the body mods thing. There's a guy that I've been dying to take a picture of.. he's about 80 sitting in a wheelchair with oxygen tubes going into his nostrils. He's got lots of piercings and tatoos. Not much to look at now, because you can't see the picture of the woman on his arm, the skin is all wrinkled deforming the image. I'm sure he's got some wonderful stories to tell about his body mods, but the lifestyle that surrounds it is not for me. As permissive as the current employer that I have, I cannot guarantee that in the future thus I have only the one left ear pierced twice.

For the car, I too have written about a dream I have of being able to restore a car. In fact, my goal with any vehicle would be to create a vehicle nice enough to make it into a magazine, from restoration to audio competition. I know at some point in time a project car will be in my garage.

I just wonder when I got "old". I didn't see it coming, I didn't feel it happen. I just look back now and my priorities are different.

08-17-2004, 11:26 AM	#1 (permalink)
Cynthetiq Tilted Cat Head Administrator Location: Manhattan, NY	MODs and Accessories: Is it that important? I was just reading a couple other threads and it made me think that I needed to start this discussion. Do we really need to individualize and uniquify EVERYTHING? From clothes to cars, cellphones to pagers, computers to Xboxes... you name it and there's some mods and accessories for it. There's absurd accessories from obnoxious flashing LEDS for cellphones, to the Rice giant wings... I had a Totoya Corolla '86 4dr, I sank close to $5,000 on a stereo system. The car was worth $12k when I bought it, and had I had more time and money I would have done more to the car. I gave it away along with all the stereo components. I did have some good SPL and good RTA stats.... Since that time, I've not bothered to ever really mod anything that I own anymore. I don't see the point. I would rather spend the money elsewhere. Does it really give you that much satisfaction to spend sometimes spending more on the accessories than on the actual object itself? __________________ I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not. What's the best nation in the world? DO-NATION!

08-17-2004, 11:37 AM	#3 (permalink)
Speed_Gibson Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Location: right here of course	my general response is 'hell no, I don't need no stinkin' mods to anything' I prefer computers, stereos, cars, and whatever else to be clean looking and functional. __________________ Started talking to yourself I see. Yes, it's the only way I can be certain of an intelligent conversation. Black Adder

08-17-2004, 11:39 AM	#4 (permalink)
World's King Here Location: Denver City Denver	My penis has pin-strips. __________________ heavy is the head that wears the crown

08-17-2004, 11:55 AM	#5 (permalink)
Cynthetiq Tilted Cat Head Administrator Location: Manhattan, NY	interesting mephisto.... yes, I think some of it is attention whores yelling,"Look at me!!" __________________ I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not. What's the best nation in the world? DO-NATION!

08-17-2004, 12:07 PM	#6 (permalink)
Fremen With a mustache, the cool factor would be too much Location: left side of my couch, East Texas	Or, it's just people trying to be heard above the increasing loud susurration of our society. __________________ Google

08-17-2004, 11:35 AM	#2 (permalink)
Mephisto2 Junkie	Some people like to "personalize" things I suppose. Stand out from the crowd, draw attention to themselves. In a kinda interesting related topic, I was listening to a radio program the other day (yeah, I know... very old school), which was discussing love and lust. An American pyschologist professor was saying that both men and women have adapted (in a Darwinian manner) to "sexual display" - no different from Birds of Paradise I suppose. By drawing attention to themselves, they increase their chances of attracting and keeping a mate. Of course, in "higher animals", and uniquely in humans who have evolved advanced consciousness, this has gone on to manifest itself in competitiveness, "showyness", and other attributes (like language, gossip etc). I'm not suggesting that we're slaves to our genes (with apologies to those who willfully missinterpret Richard Dawkin's seminal work The Selfish Gene), I'm just saying that like all human behaviour, it has its roots in our early evolutionary history. Probably, not the answer you were looking for Cyn! I could say "Just 'cuz it looks pretty"... :-) Finally, as an aside, I tend NOT to personalise anything I own. I always try to buy the best and I think it cheapens it by adding gaudy gimcracks... Mr Mephisto

08-17-2004, 12:44 PM	#7 (permalink)
skier Rawr! Location: Edmontania	i'm not really sure what susurration means... Any modifications I do to my material goods are decorational. I do it so I look different from evreyone else. I'm tired of seeing people wearing the same clothes, the same haircuts, buying into stereotypical roles because they are told it's cool. Not just pop fashion, but gothic and punk stereotypes too. If you want to be different so badly, why are you trying to get into a group? I mostly buy plain clothes and make my own designs. I don't want to wear Orange County Chopper gear because they were on TV. I don't want to have the same cellphone that everyone and their brother has. I don't need to wear the same blue jeans everyone else wears. I have no need to compromise my own ideals of self to feel part of a group. It takes little effort to distinguish yourself from the masses of people that pass by you in life. I just like to celebrate how unique I am. And I know I can't be the only one that feels this way. __________________ "Asking a bomb squad if an old bomb is still "real" is not the best thing to do if you want to save it." - denim

08-17-2004, 01:15 PM	#8 (permalink)
MSD The sky calls to us ... Super Moderator Location: CT	I like making things work and look better than they did originally. Whether it's a paintball gun or a car, just like it was from the factory isn't good enough.

08-17-2004, 01:26 PM	#10 (permalink)
moonstrucksoul hovering in the distance Location: the land of milk and honey	i keep my cars, simple. I keep my hair, even simpler. No tattoos, currently no visable piercings. i like to be anonymus. the nail that sticks up, gets hammered down. __________________ no signature required

08-17-2004, 01:37 PM	#11 (permalink)
bigoldalphamale Loser	no visual mods to my car...everything is under the hood and barely noticable to anyone save someone who drives a bone stock G35 coupe. i dont care for flash and much like mr.selfdestruct...there's room for improvement on almost every product that can be bought. my computer had an ok graphics card...but for $200 i purchases a SILLY graphics card. some mods are just necessary for improved functionality and have nothing to do with my appearance or anything akin.

08-17-2004, 01:44 PM	#12 (permalink)
k1ng Nothing Location: Atlanta, GA	I tend to keep things simple. I would rather spend more for a nicer "widget" than get a cheaper one and add things to it. I'm actually very fond of a simple/basic look (Apple does a good job of that). I don't understand people who have a $500 '83 Caddy with $5000 20" wheels and a 4 12" subs in the trunk. It's absurd! Just buy a nicer $8000 car instead. __________________ "Delight in excellence is easily confused with snobbery by the ignorant." -Joseph Epstein

08-17-2004, 03:26 PM	#14 (permalink)
guthmund big damn hero	I don't presume to know what Cynthetiq is attempting to say, but I'll agree with that statement, skier. In my opinion, most people are so desperate to see themselves as different from the herd that they modify and accessorize any and everything to seem unique. Just look at piercing and tatooing. When I was a kid, it was fashionable for guys to get their ear pierced to show they weren't slaves to society. Then there were nose rings, eyebrow, tongue, belly buttons piercings, and lip rings and then when those weren't good enough you had to get multiple variations of those to show everyone that you were a rebel, by god. Now, I understand the latest fad is inserting stuff underneath your skin. The same is true of the tatoo. It was once the domain of sailors, bikers and general ruffians. Now everybody and their mother has some tatoo somewhere. Modding cars was the craze in high school and now it's computers. All these folks are running so hard from the idea of being just like everybody else, they've failed to see that they are just like everybody else. It is my belief that individuality doesn't come with the products you choose to buy and "uniquify." I mean, your stuff doesn't come with a certificate of cool along with the warranty. It comes from the individual. The things that you say, the beliefs that you hold, the way you carry yourself in certain situations, not the stuff you have sitting on your shelf or out in your garage. Do I personalize my stuff? Sure, but I do it for me, not for the folks who come visit me. Does that make my unique? I don't think so. It just makes me...me. __________________ No signature. None. Seriously. Last edited by guthmund; 08-17-2004 at 03:28 PM..

08-17-2004, 04:13 PM	#15 (permalink)
Cynthetiq Tilted Cat Head Administrator Location: Manhattan, NY	skier/guthmund yes, your ideas are where this road always leads me to. It's like the early 90s when I used to say,"What happens when alternative isn't alternative anymore?" and sure enough... it was mainstream. big/MSD and the modders, I can agree to some degree, some things stock just don't perform as well as hopped up variants and such but those are not fluff parts either. Mods to the internals do make a quantifiable difference. The fluff parts, parts/mods strictly for the aestethics... those are what I'm pondering in this discussion. __________________ I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not. What's the best nation in the world? DO-NATION!

08-17-2004, 06:05 PM	#16 (permalink)
Destrox Metal and Rock 4 Life Location: Phoenix	I suppose I am one of these people that you are pointing out. I love to personalize anything and everything I can. Why you ask? Well, why does there need to be a reason other then just because? I do it because I feel like it, I do it because I love to take somthing and phsyicsally make it better then it was before. We dont all buy white cars or trucks do we? No, we get paint jobs on them that shows a sense of our own style. We dont all wear the same clothing do we? No, we wear what suits to our own style. I really dont see where this thread was ment to go. A mod is no different then wearing a tie with a shirt rather no tie. Its somthing that adds that little extra somthing that just makes it to the better. While not every mod is good to ones opinion, but neither is say that tie previously mentioned on a shirt that doesnt match it. Its their money, their choice, and your choice to look away. Somthing else just popped into my mind about this post, those who really do care or get bothered about such trivial issues of people personalizing their things. You do see how much you are like that bitter old lady everyone had in their neighborhood that would complain and whine about other peoples issues and not her own. __________________ You bore me.... next. Last edited by Destrox; 08-17-2004 at 06:09 PM..

08-18-2004, 02:19 AM	#17 (permalink)
skier Rawr! Location: Edmontania	Guthmund, you truly have a gift for expressing thoughts through written language. I totally agree with you that many people 'run so hard from the idea of being just like everybody else, they've failed to see that they are just like everybody else' but I feel it should not be a blanket statement to all people that modify their belongings. We did not have to draw stick figures on cave walls, or carve elaborate designs on our spears. WE've been modifying belongings for a long time. Modification to an object to makes it unique and special, to make it something that needed your own personal touch, to spend time and effort adding to your belonging instead of merely purchasing it and leaving it alone... i'm searching for words here. It makes that object no longer something just any person could go out and get, provided he had some cash in his pocket. It makes it uniquely tied to you. You did this. You made it nicer/stronger/cooler/faster/pretty. And this is something nobody else can do just like you can. __________________ "Asking a bomb squad if an old bomb is still "real" is not the best thing to do if you want to save it." - denim

08-18-2004, 03:03 AM	#18 (permalink)
Amano Insane	"Individuality is the greatest mass phenomenon in American culture," said one of my professors in class (Sepp Gumbrecht)

08-18-2004, 03:49 AM	#19 (permalink)
flamingdog Still fighting it.	I am split on this, because I see no reason not to modify, but I am not much of a modifier. I have stuck a spiderman badge on my bag before, and I have a barcode stuck over the Dell logo on my monitor, and some furry dice in my car, and I have a beard, which seems to make me stand out a lot among my peers, but it's really just subtle stuff like that. I won't get tattooed or pierced (although I won't rule it out either) simply because every cat and his mother is now getting a tattoo or a piercing. I almost feel like my individuality is expressed in my apparent lack of need to shout about it. It extends to clothing, I favour simple, comfortable clothes that I think look good, I don't wear rings, bracelets or necklaces, and just one of three tasteful, understated wristwatches, and I don't usually keep them on very long. At the end of the day, I think it comes to down to maturity, perspective and self-confidence. If you are confident in yourself, you don't need a cartful of stuff that is intended to scream 'ME!'

08-18-2004, 07:39 AM	#21 (permalink)
merkerguitars Buffering......... Location: Wisconsin...	Why I do mods to the items I own. Because I have talents and skills, I like to use them, be creative and improve my skills. __________________ Donate now! Ask me How! Please use the search function it is your friend. Look at my mustang please feel free to comment! http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?t=26985

08-18-2004, 09:13 AM	#22 (permalink)
omega2K4 Natalie Portman is sexy. Location: The Outer Rim	The only thing not stock on my car are the wheels. I'm planning on doing some under-the-hood work soon after the warranty is expired. __________________ "While the State exists there can be no freedom. When there is freedom there will be no State." - Vladimir Ilyich Lenin "Reason has always existed, but not always in a reasonable form."- Karl Marx

08-18-2004, 09:47 AM	#23 (permalink)
clavus pow! Location: NorCal	I drive like an asshole, so I keep my car as generic looking as possible. I figure that the people I piss off may be less likely to recognize me at a later date. I decorate a lot of things - I flamed my mailox. My garage cabinets are are painted with different designs. My Sacramento Kings hat is about to get a little anti-Chris Webber logo added to it. I also make things (pottery, etc.) that are totally unique. Mostly I do this to please one person - me. Most of the furniture in my house was made by a loved one or refinished/modified by me. I just like looking at the the work from my own hands and the hands of those who mean something to me. __________________ Ass, gas or grass. Nobody rides for free.

08-18-2004, 10:36 AM	#24 (permalink)
Redjake I'm a family man - I run a family business. Location: Wilson, NC	I like to make my computer look different than other people's. If every computer was the same, and by God they almost are (mommy and daddy bought me an HP for college!), I'd probably jump off a cliff somewhere after strangling myself with UV IDE cables. __________________ Off the record, on the q.t., and very hush-hush.

08-18-2004, 09:31 PM	#26 (permalink)
Carno Junkie	I may change something because I don't like the appearance of it, or I simply add things to to give it a little flair. __________________ http://how-to-spell-ridiculous.com/

08-19-2004, 10:47 AM	#29 (permalink)
bigoldalphamale Loser	there are some things that are made/exist/beg to be modded and have nothing at all to do with being an individual or lack thereof. off the top of my head: Cars: there's no such thing as too much horsepower/torque Computers: there's no such thing as too much computing/processing power i even modded my paintball gun...because there is no such thing as having too much firepower. i wakeboard, snowboard, and mountain bike on stock gear and its fine...those things perform better when i am able to improve my own talent in using them. i hunt with a gun that is so far from stock that i couldnt even tell you who the manufacturer is...but it suits the required functionality i need for hunting. i guess i dont see too much harm in mods...as long as they are functional. i hate rice on cars. i dont understand neon in computer towers. i dont understand plastering stickers all over your snowboard, wakeboard, et al, i dont understand dropping a 120 gig hard drive in your TiVo (who's going to watch a backlog of 5000+ hours of tv?) i understand some modding...and i dont understand other modding. none of it upsets me though. cyn...do you need a hug?

08-21-2004, 06:11 PM	#32 (permalink)
skier Rawr! Location: Edmontania	Just some thoughts. Is fashion a mod? THe latest styles, types of clothes, the still ahve the basic function of covering us up from weather and each other. This is not personal modification, but modification at a grander scale- our society. I think that we live to change things around us, not because of abstract concepts like beauty and art, but because when we first started out, molding our environment into various things saw great benefit for us. Everyone has a "little inventor", a creative side that needs to express itself, whether by changing the materials around us or the person within, or both. Am I way off base here? It just popped into my head. __________________ "Asking a bomb squad if an old bomb is still "real" is not the best thing to do if you want to save it." - denim

08-22-2004, 04:47 AM	#34 (permalink)
xepherys <3 TFP Location: 17TLH2445607250	Cyn/Speed- I like to customize my computer to BE more clean looking. I have a nice, simple aluminum case and want to make aluminum faceplates for my optical drives and floppy so they match. I'm not a fan of cut windows (though my case has one by default, which isn't terrible looking) and neon lights. Some modding isn't for aesthetics at all. I'm looking to move to a water cooled system, both for performance and for longevity of the system. Unless you open the case, you'll never know it was there. King- Doesn't that hurt like a bi&ch? :-p At any rate, I don't think that customization or modding is inherently bad. What if you had a mark (or symbol) that you used to assure something was yours? Should you not place it on objects you own? Should you to protect it (like an Xbox at a LAN gaming party)? I guess my question to Cyn is... what's WRONG with customizing everything and anything? I'm a middle-of-the-roader on this topic I suppose. But I do see value in it for many, and it interests me to the degree that I like to see what other people do to their belongings.

08-22-2004, 05:07 AM	#35 (permalink)
Cynthetiq Tilted Cat Head Administrator Location: Manhattan, NY	skier.... fashion is part of it. Note that there are "fashions" to mods. Note that car mods from the 80's with the pinstrip EKG on the windows are no longer fashionable. Snake Eyes LED wiper washers were, and those taillights mods now are. xepherys i don't see it as inherently bad. just as to how important it is to someone...as some people feel the need to mod everything & nothing stock is worthwhile. To me most of the mods that people invest their time and money into a product that over time becomes worthless, and their work didn't add anymore value or useablity to the item. It's not something that interests me any longer. It did at one time, and I wonder what value changed.

08-22-2004, 06:39 PM	#37 (permalink)
Cynthetiq Tilted Cat Head Administrator Location: Manhattan, NY	I don't doubt the body mods thing. There's a guy that I've been dying to take a picture of.. he's about 80 sitting in a wheelchair with oxygen tubes going into his nostrils. He's got lots of piercings and tatoos. Not much to look at now, because you can't see the picture of the woman on his arm, the skin is all wrinkled deforming the image. I'm sure he's got some wonderful stories to tell about his body mods, but the lifestyle that surrounds it is not for me. As permissive as the current employer that I have, I cannot guarantee that in the future thus I have only the one left ear pierced twice. For the car, I too have written about a dream I have of being able to restore a car. In fact, my goal with any vehicle would be to create a vehicle nice enough to make it into a magazine, from restoration to audio competition. I know at some point in time a project car will be in my garage. I just wonder when I got "old". I didn't see it coming, I didn't feel it happen. I just look back now and my priorities are different. __________________ I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not. What's the best nation in the world? DO-NATION!