Before the Crash [Tattoo]

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jupiter_tattoo.jpg Bob Howe writes, “In 1992, at age 34, I decided to get a tattoo. I’m a speculative fiction writer. I wanted something grounded in the natural world, that symbolized the connection between inner and outer space, and that was unequivocally male without being bellicose. I wanted something that wasn’t a momentary fad, that was timeless and eternal:  I chose Jupiter. Two years later, Shoemaker-Levy 9 slammed into the face of the planet, altering it forever.”

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January 30th, 2009 2:04 PM by Carl Zimmer in Science Tattoo Emporium | 4 comments | RSS feed | Trackback >

4 Responses to “Before the Crash [Tattoo]”

  1. 1.   Meg Says:

    The solar system is unequivocally male?

  2. 2.   Bob Howe Says:

    Jupiter, in Roman mythology, is unequivocally male: no one said anything about the solar system having a gender, much less being male.

  3. 3.   Jennifer Says:

    Bob, he said he wanted a tattoo that was “unequivocally male,” but he didn’t get a tattoo of the Roman god Jupiter, he got a tattoo of the planet. Meg’s question is perfectly reasonable.

  4. 4.   Jennifer Says:

    And I’m not a careful enough reader. *You* got a tattoo of the planet. Heh.

    But Meg’s question is still reasonable.

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