Learn about Tattoos.

Tattoos - think of them and the first word that comes to mind is 'style' or 'fashion'. But do you know how they originated? Tattoos have come a long, long way. Initially used for purposes such as identification and worship, tattoos have evolved into ultimate fashion statements today. Since when have tattoos been in existence? The art of tattooing has been around for a very long time. Not for a couple of decades, but for thousands of years.

Tattoo customs:
Why was tattooing done initially? What are the various purposes for which tattooing was done? Well, in different parts of the world, different groups of people undertook tattooing for different purposes. Tattoos, now popular fashion statements, were primarily done for the purpose of identification of tribe, marital status, motherhood, gang, etc. or as a form of prayer or offering to the Supreme Being.

Modern tattoos:
The art of tattooing has evolved tremendously over time. Everything has changed from the purpose of tattooing to the designs, all over the world. The general perspective about tattooing has changed.
Tattoos have come a long way from being used as symbols of identification and offerings to deities, and have now established themselves as fashion statements. Be it any part of the world, getting one's skin tattooed is hip and happening. It has become a highly personal statement. People prefer getting a design which conveys their own unique flavour. And, this trend is growing. A number of women are now going in for cosmetic tattooing. Women all over the world are discovering the cosmetic benefits that tattooing can provide such as camouflaging a skin defect or having lipstick or eyeliner permanently applied. Tattooing the eyeball is another recent trend in the fashion world.
The way in which the society looks at tattooed people has taken a complete turnaround. People who get tattooed are no longer considered outcasts or weird. In other words, social acceptance of tattooing has increased considerably. This has taken place on account of a number of celebrities from different spheres sporting tattoos Angelina Jolie, Paris Hilton, Sean Penn and Johnny Depp among others.

To sum it all up, this quote on tattooing would not be inappropriate:
"A tattoo is a true poetic creation, and is always more than meets the eye. As a tattoo is grounded on living skin, so its essence emotes a poignancy unique to the mortal human condition. "
Major references:
1) http://www.quotegarden.com
2) http://www.chinavista.com
3) http://www.vanishingtattoo.com
4) http://tattoojoy.com
5) http://en.wikipedia.org
6) http://www.smithsonianmag.com
7) http://www.tattooartist.com
8) http://tattoos.iloveindia.com

NANO TECHNOLOGY IN TEXTILES.

Did you hear of a shirt that reads your body parameters and sends information to a remote computer through a wireless communication system?Have you watched leading athletes perform better on the tracks due to smart fabrics they wear?This is the wonder of Nano technology! The new age technology that optimises performance and provides smart solutions for the future.Nano Technology means configuring molecules to change in size and properties for enhancement as in the case of smart fabrics. When a glass trips on your trousers, its nanotech fabric will simply repel the juice drops. The Nano-Tex fabric coated with nanotech engineered molecules attach themselves to one another, and then attach to the fabric forming a nano shield against juice stains.Nano-Tex, located at Emeryville, California, is another pioneer in the field has been acknowledged for rescuing Burlington Industries by turning its textiles into high-tech wonders.Though Nano-Tex is available in chain stores and supermarkets, it may be coming to a soldier or police officer shortly. World's 20 largest textile mills have acquired Nano-Tex licensing technology so far. You may soon get to wear its products as this revolutionary innovation begins to appear in every-day life, though invisible to the naked eye, as yet.Working the military, emergency workers and doctors in this sunrise area, Bethesda, Md. based Sensatex, developed what it calls a 'smart shirt' - clothing having tiny microscopic wires interwoven into the fabric itself. Vital parameters like heart rate, respiration rate, body temperature, caloric burn, body fat, and UV exposure can be communicated to the doctors from the field itself.Sensatex technology can be incorporated into any fabric (cotton, lycra, wool, silk, etc.) or blend of fabrics without effecting the look, feel or integrity of the fabric that it is replacing.The SmartShirt System integrates advances in textile engineering, wearable computing, and wireless data transfer to permit the collection, transmission, and analysis of personal health and lifestyle data.“We haven't even begun the nano-revolution,” quips Sensatex CEO Robert Kalik. "Throughout society, the ability to unplug from wires and utilize smart textiles to gather the information and then disperse that information, that data, through wireless communications, will be really the textile of the future," Kalik adds.“We're solving seemingly mundane but actually quite large problems like spill resistance, wrinkles, perspiration, odor in every day clothing,” said Nano-Tex CEO Donn Tice.