Elevator: Source is a Half-Life 2 mod which puts the player on an elevator that visits a number of strange floors. It requires Gary's Mod and HL2:Ep2, but you can sample the experience with this gameplay video.
posted by codacorolla on Jan 16, 2012 - 40 comments

Motorcycle modification means something entirely different across the developing world. You can deliver cold drinks, cargo, one person, three or even more with a special sidecar. You can cook hot food and sell it. Or critically, you can quickly transport someone in need of emergency medical care when roads are bad and facilities remote. They're supported by roadside repair shops, tyre shacks, petrol pumps and more. Bonus FTW
posted by infini on Jun 30, 2010 - 13 comments

Ford Model T owners "transformed the cars into tractors, pickup trucks, paddy wagons, mobile lumber mills and power plants for milling grain." [more inside]
posted by Knappster on Jul 31, 2008 - 8 comments

Russell Higgs has been adorning his face and head with various objects and posting photographic portraits online since July 2006. Dutch artist Levi van Veluw also likes to modify his face by putting things on it and photographing the results.
posted by madamjujujive on Apr 12, 2008 - 11 comments

PEZ Dispenser Modification From the strange to the sweet, and everything in between.
posted by gummi on Oct 17, 2007 - 27 comments

Hacking the Senses: The brain is far more plastic than we commonly realize. Presenting new 'senses' via the old inputs works extremely well, to the point that long-term volunteers are a little lost without their new abilities to feel magnetic north or absolute orientation. Tasting direction; feeling pictures. Fascinating stuff. In a loosely related article, genetically modified mice are able to see the full color range visible to humans, even though the last natural mouse able to see this way died out a hundred million years ago. Add the new sensors, and the brain reconfigures. [via]
posted by Malor on Apr 5, 2007 - 68 comments

Defensor Fortis: A Photo Set. A soldier in Iraq has been posting images of consumer vehicles modified and employed by "Civilian Security Contractors". [via] War has always seemed to instill the creative spirit in its participants, and we also have a detailed history of Military vehicles making a successful transition into the civilian marketplace. With the unprecedented rise in Mercenary Employment, it's hard to tell where the innovation is coming from - the top down, or the bottom up? Our favorite grease monkey seems to have missed out on all the hot welding action, but you can't blame him for not trying. At the very least, it seems they can all agree on something.
posted by prostyle on Jun 7, 2006 - 33 comments

An*l Bleaching Cream ... courtesy of the Village Voice. (no photos, but one would have to say, NSFW)
posted by R. Mutt on Jul 13, 2005 - 55 comments

"If you love someone, you want to give something of yourself to them... Go big or go home you know?" Show that special sweetie of yours that you care with the magic of mutual self-mutilation. Really, how often were you using that ring finger, anyways?
posted by Simon! on Jul 8, 2005 - 31 comments

The Ethics of Deep Self-Modification. What will happen when machines gain the ability to modify their own psychology? Do we have a responsibility to step in? What happens when we have the ability to modify ourselves? Philosopher Peter Suber has dedicated himself to issues of self-modification... not just in psychology, but also in constitutional law. Small wonder that this is the guy who invented Nomic. His site is littered with great stuff; he now is primarily involved with the open access movement. Check out his open access primer and blog.
posted by painquale on Jan 3, 2005 - 14 comments

If Michael Jackson hadn't undergone any plastic surgery, today he would look like this.
posted by Mwongozi on Nov 30, 2003 - 29 comments

Hot modders is a term I propose to apply to those people who pump up and modify their computers until they're no longer recognizable as a drab metal box and drab monitor, similar to hot rodders and their cars. Here's a guy who's turned a gutted 17 inch monitor case into a fully functional PC and has provided a pretty good description of how he did it, with lots of pictures. I'd buy one. Plus, for no reason, there's kitties! (via my friend Hurin at Dor-Lomin via Blue's News)
posted by WolfDaddy on Jun 5, 2003 - 28 comments

Testimony of Teens Kidnapped w/ authorization of parents and taken to overseas "behavior modification" schools. After researching these schools almost 5 years ago I am horrified that most of them are still running and whose teachings are even showing up in the form of seminars in kindergarten. Has anyone else had experience with schools like this, whether directly or through a family member or friend ?
posted by bkdelong on Sep 30, 2002 - 17 comments

Extreme Hi-Fi Buff. "...A further modification to loudspeakers that I found well worthwhile is to fill the cabinet with sulphur hexafluoride gas, SF6, in place of the air..."
posted by Spoon on May 28, 2002 - 18 comments

Finally, some genetic modification I can sink my teeth into! Wired reports this morning that an Australian researcher has identified the genetic characteristics for "tenderness" and "toughness" in cow muscle tissue. Aussie cattle ranchers are already gearing up to produce animals that result in more tender, juicier beef. I'm drooling already.
posted by briank on Aug 22, 2001 - 14 comments