What's Your (non-tech) Hobby? 407
Slipped_Disk asks: "Being the curious sort, I was wondering what the Slashdot crowd did while you're not reading Slashdot or doing any of the other geeky things we usually do. So tell me, what is your non-techie hobby? I'm defining non-techie as stuff you do when you're not using a computer, so 'I play videogames' doesn't qualify, but 'I build game consoles' does. I'm especially interested in distinctly non-electronic stuff (ie: film photography, building models, training sociopathic attack cats, etc.). I'm looking forward to some interesting topics, here!"
You're new here? (Score:5, Funny)
move (Score:2)
Re:move (Score:2)
Re:move (Score:2)
PS: if one day you work out and the next you feel all stiff going for a short ride just to oxygenate your muscles will remove lactic acid from them making the pain go away. Try it.
Lego (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Lego (Score:2)
I desperately wish I knew what became of all my childhood LEGO. I at least remember what became of my Atari VCS, my comics, and my Star Wars action figures, but for the life of me, I have no idea what happened to my bricks. I wish I still had all those '70s and '80s sets I used to have. As it is, the oldest
What I do (Score:2)
Re:What I do (Score:2)
Getting lost in the alps (Score:5, Informative)
we've been over this before (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:we've been over this before (Score:5, Interesting)
I believe you're wrong: I don't think that most geeks don't do what "common people" do, it's more a matter of either having more hobbies or being more devoted to them.
After all, when I'm not doing something with some computer, listening to music, reading, taking photographies (sorry, gone totally digital after my old film camera broke), building worlds (uhm... that something I do both with a computer and with pen and paper, does it apply?), sewing (guess this applies :) ), roleplay, painting, or whatever else I sometimes do, I also enjoy shopping, as long as it's for something related to one of my hobbies, or drinking and eating with (somehow geeky) friends.
Re:we've been over this before (Score:4, Funny)
Just remember, the safety word is banana.
Model Airplanes and Photography (Score:2)
I become engrossed in those depending on the season. Socializing with non-geeks can also be interesting but not for long periods of time.
I play with the cat a lot, and play the piano but those interests are pretty much on and off.
I think many geeks are into photography for some reason. Photography in itself is very much an artistic endeavor and so is playing the piano or violin (not many geeks here)... nothing to do with computers except many of the techies love to put up good images on their websites and
Being handy... (Score:3, Interesting)
Only because I moved in with my girl, she can't stand the noise (of course) and we have to split 35m2 so going up was the only sollution.
A year ago I made my own computer-travel-case to go lan'ing
Wood rules my friends
Re:Being handy... (Score:2)
-- Tim
Remember... (Score:3, Funny)
Wing Chun Kung Fu (Score:5, Interesting)
Anyway, done properly, Wing Chun is very meditative and physically taxing (if you're doing the stance properly). At the same time, itâ(TM)s something anyone on two feet can do. It's an internal martial art like Tai Chi which, but it has some immediate and effective applications. It's nothing like you see in the movies though. It's very subtle and hard to appreciate until you actually feel some of the effects.
But besides all that, it's what I do to associate with non-geeks. I couldn't stomach the thought of golf, so Wing Chun it was. Ironically about half the folks that attend the classes are in some way into IT, but we don't talk shop much.
For anyone who is curious and resides around the Minneapolis/St. Paul MN area, send me an email at: VincePlatt AT Yahoo D.O.T com.
I'm a medieval recreationist (Score:3, Interesting)
I take part in armoured combat, recreate clothing and artefacts of people who could have existed in pre1600 history and attempt to recreate their lifestyle. It's a lot of fun.
Re:I'm a medieval recreationist (Score:2)
In fact, one sub-hobby (crossbow making) took off and became it's own mini-business
Lots o' stuff! (Score:2)
Re:Lots o' stuff! (Score:2)
Re:Lots o' stuff! (Score:2)
Fencing (Score:5, Interesting)
Screw fencing. SWORDFIGHTING. (Score:2)
No offense to the fencers, but studying medieval or Elizabethean fighting is much more fun. And no, I'm not talking SCA here.
http://www.thehaca.com/
Learn how to swash and buckle! It's fun!
Re:Screw fencing. SWORDFIGHTING. (Score:2)
Fencing, SCA, historical martial arts... they all have different takes on the same basic idea. Fencing is a very stylised, more competitive form of swordplay. SCA focuses more on just having fun and the social aspects. Medieval martial arts are more into the research and history. More like different varieties of apples, than apples and oranges.
Re:Fencing (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Music (Score:2, Interesting)
Mountain Biking. (Score:3, Interesting)
My first hobby is Cross Country Mountain biking. One of my first uses of the internet was to read about it in rec.bicycles.offroad (A sadly defunct news group thanks to trolling).
Back when I was a student, I even went to the trouble of leaning a fair bit about engineering and metallurgy. (eg The effect of heat treatments on the crystal structure of aluminium alloys). Now I just ride more instead :-)
I still involve computers though. I have a GPS mounted on my bike, which I use to record my route. When I get back I download the route to my PC, and then use some perl scripts I wrote to create a highlighted map of my route, which I can print out for later use.
Do many other slashdoters share my hobby? Back when I was at university, most of my fellow club members where engineering students rather than anything else. (One had even welded his own frame).
Re:Mountain Biking. (Score:2)
I've noticed my geek tendencies when out biking and skating, as well. I usually bring a heart rate monitor so I can track whether I'm in an aerobic zone, and I bring the GPS while inline skating. It makes a good speedometer/trip computer. And, I've downloaded trail maps to my Windows box (when it's functioning, that i
Triathlon (Score:2)
hmm,.. (Score:3, Interesting)
Anyone else love the outdoors? (Score:2)
I love backpacking, cross-country skiing, river and sea kayaking, and anything else that involves me, the world, and my moving through that world under my own power.
For the usual egocentric geek type, the control freak who likes computers because they obey his every command, the outdoors is really perfect. You can go wherever you want to go -- no WALK/DON'T WALK signals --, there's plenty of techy gear to obsess about if you want to, and yet it's a raw encounter with
Re:Anyone else love the outdoors? (Score:2)
I like to snowboard and recently have fallen in love with snow blades for their high manuverability and nearly non-existant learning curve (diamond trails on the first day).
Hiking / camping is another favorite that I don't get to do as often as I'd like, but will be heading out into the wilds again soon enough.
I'm off for some kayaking as soon as work finishes up for
Well ... (Score:2)
Non-techie stuff I do:
That's as well as the usual stuff like travel, reading, clubbing and gig-going that any normal person does. Though I suppose there are plenty of abnormal people among the Slashdot readership ...
Chris
lots (Score:2)
jogging
lifting weights
motorcycles
cars
You know, most of the stuff I was interested before 1993.
Origami... (Score:3, Interesting)
My main hobbies (Score:2)
Re:My main hobbies (Score:2)
Re:My main hobbies (Score:2)
Non electronic stuff huh? (Score:2)
-- iCEBaLM
time consumption (Score:2)
Enjoy nature (Score:2)
I'm relatively new to the city I live in, so I like to get on my mountain bike and explore the many parks, trails and scenic routes that the city has to offer.
The beautiful scenery does not end at city limits, so I frequently find myself driving around here and there, discovering (among other things) new wineries in the process (mmmm.... wine...). This means that my car has to be in good shape, so I spend a good amount of time making sure it runs well by
I have a relationship... (Score:5, Insightful)
Part of the fun of said relationship is that, sometimes, I find myself doing things that I'd never dreamt of doing. Like visiting a garden centre, spending half the weekend looking for the right pair of shoes, or wondering what's the point of underwear that's so small that you could swallow it without even noticing. But after nine years or so, you tend to develop the ability to either tune out that stuff or - shock, horror - like it. (There's a degree of sadomasochism involved here - relationships aren't for the those with low pain thresholds.)
On the plus side, I also find myself doing things that lots of you, err, more available guys are always dreaming of doing. Believe me, there are plenty of things in life better than downloading your favourite distro at maximum speed on the day it's released and, for most of them, two's better than one.
Re:I have a relationship... (Score:2)
I didn't realize that all underwear was edible.
Hmm... (Score:2)
Non-tech would have to be
-- Dicker around in the garage (just got a radial arm saw)
-- Play with my son (ok, not really a hobby but a necessity)
-- I still build models. I'm working on a B17 for my son's room
-- A little bit of painting
Wow. I did't realize my life was that boring without computers. How depressing.
well.. (Score:2, Interesting)
Ultimate Frisbee (Score:2, Informative)
Not sure what Ultimate Frisbee is? Kinda like a mix between freeze tag and soccer, but with a Frisbee. Want more? Do a google on it.
Re:Ultimate Frisbee (Score:2, Informative)
Best and most popular sport most people have never heard of.
I'm a writer. (Score:2)
Doesn't actually help to get me away from the computer much, though.
(ps - if you enjoy writing, or reading for that matter, my favorite writer's site is this one: Lit.org [lit.org] - enjoy)
House (Score:3, Interesting)
I've been working with a lot of wood lately because we're doing a unique rustic design for our living room, and that's been a lot of fun, so we're going to try building some furniture. I don't know why, but my wife is really interested in doing that. Maybe if we get good we can make some extra money doing it.
Other than that I've been eating and sleeping, not much time left for other things.
Photography! (Score:2, Interesting)
I enjoy the whole process, from composing and shooting, to developing in the darkroom. Sadly, the darkroom takes an enormous amount of time and requires a decent room, which I don't have now. Even so, the thrill of wa
It's... Acting! (Score:5, Interesting)
Well, more like a permanent apprentice. There's a professional theater group in my area that offers apprenticeship opportunities to non-professionals. Sometimes these apprentices are folks that want to get into the biz. Or, sometimes they're like me, they just want theater as a hobby. I've had chances to develop all sorts of useful skills: Construction, lighting control, sound, wiring, organization, memorization, and of course, public speaking. And it's a great way to meet people, too.
Hang gliding (Score:3, Interesting)
Training dogs (Score:3, Interesting)
Bicycling (Score:2)
The leader [raceacrossamerica.org] is already over 1700 miles into the ~3000 mile race and is averaging over 15 miles an hour, with about 3 hours of sleep in the last 5 days. It started Sunday morning.
When's the last time you traveled 3000 miles under your own power?
I also build and program microcontrollers - mainly PIC right now, but I just attended an Atmel conference (for the free goodies, of course) and am pla
Lot's of stuff (Score:2)
Lego, Homebrew, 4wd offroading, movies.
Re:Lot's of stuff (Score:2)
Wine (Score:3, Interesting)
Many of my geek friends are also home brewers, and so I will eventually be trying my hand at beer.
Beer (Score:2)
The basics are simple, but if you get into it things can become very complex.
Advanced beer brewing makes an excellent geek hobby, as it mixes biology, chemistry, thermodynamics, and electronics. Electrical + mechanical engineering skills are excellent for controlling and building advanced brewing equipment such as RIMS brewing systems. I will likely not pas
Flying (Score:2)
Join a flying club, not a school or some fancy schmancy place but a real honest flying club out of a hanger, or caravan or small club rooms where you can shoot the breeze with like minded individuals, have someone there teach you to fly stick-n-rudder in an ultralight/microlight, or a Cub or something like that, and just generally free your mind of technical crap for an hour or two or three a week.
There's nothing better than looking down on the world from above, up at the sky from b
Would you believe... (Score:2)
Now, I wouldn't advocate taking up ballroom simply because there tends to be a shortage of men, but I will mention that I got to know my fiancée by being on the team with her.
Hockey (Score:2)
First off,
National Trivia Network (Score:2)
It's fun trying to answer trivia questions covering the gamut from "Which planet has a moon name Nereid?" to "Which sitcom family had a dog named Tiger?". Add in the ability to compete with other bars across North America and it's quite enjoyable.
Brewing beer/wine (Score:2)
Car Geek (Score:2)
I'm kind of a car geek. I think that cars are just cool machines -- and I love driving them. Particularly when they're light (under 2500 pounds) and tossable (I'm particular to RWD). I've been into autocrossing for the past few years, and am getting into track stuff as well. My next project will be building a cheapo performance rally car...and learning how to drive it. That'll be further down the line once I'm able to better finance it.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Car Geek (Score:3, Interesting)
S4's make me drool.
I'm actually into racing in the stock classes, so I'm not all that into mods -- I'm more into fixing the driver first (that's the most important part)...although I'll be getting into the NASA time trials [nasaproracing.com] pretty soon, which is pretty much "run whatcha brung" [nasaproracing.com] -- so I'll have to start getting set up with a few handling mods as well as some brake work (nothing more than SS lines and racing pads though).
German car parts are damn expensive -- on my last car (German GT car), I had to do much
Paintball (Score:3, Interesting)
Flying (Score:5, Interesting)
You can get up from the Flight Sim and try the real thing. Start at BeAPilot.com [beapilot.com]
In my case I dreamed about flying all of my life. I decided to give it a go while I was still young enough to enjoy it.
I had three concerns:
1) It's very expensive. I can't afford it. (It took a while for me to notice that I could afford it.)
2) I need to do other things like get a new degree, etc. This will take up a lot of time. (So what? I wasn't making good progress toward that goal anyway.)
3) If I start, I'll be obsessed by it and I won't do much else. (Again So What? It ain't a drug addiction. It turned out that the obsession wore down, but not much. Like most pilots I think it's so magical I never get tired of talking about it, even if you get tired of hearing about it.)
Worse than I imagined, I bought a plane. There's where all my money goes.
There actually is a wave of techies that became pilots about the same time I did. We thought we had money to burn when the stock market was flying high.
Even now, you can earn a Private Pilot certificate in the US 6 months or so for $5000 or less.
Join me in the air.
Building large things out of wood (Score:2)
Rugby, boat building, and auto repair (Score:2, Interesting)
German Board Games (Score:4, Interesting)
There are some games that involve skill in america, but they are mostly based on knowledge and not strategy. Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble are two. Even our war games are primarily luck based. Risk has dice, Axis + Allies has dice, even the great Shogun (Samurai Swords) has dice.
If you head over to http://www.boardgamegeek.com you'll see there are a ton of board games that just arne't well known in america, but there are two or three companies who bring them over in English. Games like Settlers of Catan, El Grande, and my favorite Puerto Rico! These games are games of pure strategy, and you need a lot of friends to make them happen, so sorry rest of
The majority of them fall into a few categories. Tile laying, where you lay out cardboard tiles to form different things. Wooden Cube: where you place wooden cubes in different "bins". And bargaining, where you make deals with other players and make deals to achieve victory. Every game is different and contains multiple different aspects of the three categories. I love Puerto Rico so much because it doesn't fall into any of the 3 categories. It is a pure game of best strategy wins.
So, next time you have 3 to 5 people and nothing to do get yourself a german board game. boardgamegeek will be sure to reccomend a good one. If you have 10 hours you can play Die Macher! the simulation of the german senate. I again highly reccomend Puerto Rico. Also, check out some of the "spiell de jahres"(sp) in german it means game of the year. I think Puerto Rico and Settlers are both past winners. Settlers of Catan is probably the most popular and a good starter game because it does involve a slight random factor.
Re:German Board Games (Score:3, Interesting)
That's not to say all American games suck: R
Amateur Radio, Alpine Hiking, Shooting (Score:2)
I've got my technician license and I mess around on 2 meter and 70 centimeter bands. I'm studying for my general so I can play on the world wide HF bands.
I grew up somewhere famously flat, so I go alpine hiking/rock climbing when I get the chance - next weekend! near Red Rocks! After Widespread Panic show!!!
I've owned a Glock 17, Glock 19, Ruger P85(sucks), a Smith and Wesson Model 19, a Smith and Wesson Model 640, and a bunch of long guns. We've got an excellent range here in the city but I real
hrm? (Score:2)
Okay, Photography, Movies, Architecture, Travel, learning French, Writing, Capitalizing Letters, Spelling Colour With a U, and Other Assorted Things.
Oh yeah, and chewing gum. I like gum.
Sailing (Score:2)
In addition it is a very geek friendly sport with a lot of things to tweak and upgrade on the boat to make it go just that much faster.
Graveyards. (Score:3, Interesting)
I explore and photograph graveyards. I've been to about 120 in Cook County, Illinois, and perhaps 40 or so elsewhere.
With the exception of the modern "memorial park" cemeteries, something interesting can be found in nearly any cemetery. Even the smallest is likely to have something - I particularly like discovering hollow monuments made of zinc hidden away in small urban graveyards.
Of course, there is a geek side to this as well - cameras and lenses are as much a high-tech device as any computer, more in the field of optics than electronics. Primarily, I use Nikon D100 and N90 bodies with a Nikon 28-105mm lens; I have 18-35mm and 70-210mm lenses, and a 35mm shift lens as well.
Still, the technology is not my primary focus; it is merely a tool to be used in collecting and preserving the images of graveyards before they are gone.
My book, "Graveyards of Chicago", can be found on Amazon; and my website is graveyards.com [graveyards.com]
I get off my fat ass... (Score:3, Interesting)
Granted, this is Hawaii so there is much nature to see, but nature is everywhere, just get out of your office for awhile.
Favorites...
Hiking to the lip of 1500 ft waterfalls and looking back over at the tiny little tourists way on the other side... then skinny dipping in the secret pools behind the fall lip.
Treking out into the Kau desert to find pit craters and volcanic cones.
Going down to South Point (the southern most point in the US) and swiming at the green sands beach. The sands are green because of an abundance of the semi-precious gemstone peridot.
Putting on scuba or snorkle gear and going to view the beautiful fish that live around here.
Simply relaxing in the volcanically heated hot ponds.
Hiking to the fresh lava flow to watch the lava enter the ocean - with huge billowing steam clouds... or cooking chicken [dolphinbayhotel.com] in the fresh lava.
Hiking to the summits of Mauna Kea (where the astronomy domes are) or to the summit of Mauna Loa (which has a crater 12 miles in diameter) - both of which are at 13,800 ft above sea level - meaning little air but plenty fun.
Just going down to the ocean and sitting and watching the waves, looking for whales, viewing the giant sea turtles and thinking about my day/work/life.
Go driving off road in Guyana (Score:2)
TwoTomCats [twotomcats.com]has the details.
Mountain Biking (Score:2)
There's lots to do without your computer... (Score:2)
When I'm not at the machine, I dig homebrewing beer, mountain biking (moslty singletrack), playing guitar, woodworking (I've even made guitars). My fiancee and I are in the market for our first house, so I'm looking forward to the remodling and stuff that goes with that.
For every one of my interests have I used the web as a source of information. Guitar tabs, bike specs & trail conditions, homebrewing tips, guitar plans, woodworking plans, etc.
Re:There's lots to do without your computer... (Score:2)
Photography (Score:2)
Club DJ & Radio Host (Score:2)
I'm playing at the DNA l
training sociopathic attack cats (Score:3, Funny)
Role playing (Score:2)
I can't believe its only been mentioned once so far, and in passing ... or doesn't it qualify as non-techie? ;)
Role playing (no, not that kind). Dungeons and Dragons, Shadowrun, Mage, MERP, and many friends.
Its a lot of fun, doesn't (necessarily) involve sunlight, and does involve friends (even some non-techie ones).
Homebrew (Score:2, Informative)
If you're interested, check out this [northernbrewer.com] forum if you're interested - there's a wealth of homebrewing wisdom there! The forum is run by my local homebrew store, Northern Brewer [northernbrewer.com]. I'm not affiliated with them aside from being a happy beer-brewing cus
Fire Fighting (Score:2)
I'm in law school (Score:2)
After programming since I was 9, a few years back I decided that it was time for a change. So I chose something I found interesting.
It's been my main hobby for the past 2 years, and I still have a lifetime to go, but it's great. I've learned to look at things from another perspective, and it may even save me from this economic downturn.
I plan on becoming an IP lawyer (so when we do get those software patents here in Europe, at least I will be able make some money off them). When I get
You mean, like, a life? (Score:2)
I work out
Damn, I dunno: sleep?
Homebrewing Beer (Score:2)
Involves chemistry and the challenge of making lots of brewing gadgets.
Cooking, Reading, Music (Score:2)
As far as music goes, I play the clarinet, bass clarinet & steel drums (see recent pole).
Writing... (Score:2)
Odd mix... (Score:3, Interesting)
I enjoy backpacking (I used to get out about a long weekend every month. My new job hinders that due to scheduling and location). I am trying to figure out how I can take the time to do the Appalacian Trail in one go.
I have also become interested in saltwater aquariums. I am currently setting up a 75 gallon tank (with 20 gallon sump, for a total water capacity of about 90 gallons) for an octopus. You can follow along some of my progress in my journal.
I am also trying to get more and more into digital photography.
I am not sure if "travel" falls into the category of "hobby", but I do an awful lot of it. This summer will find me going to San Francisco, Kentucky, New York City, and St. Thomas, USVI. I usually travel about one weekend a month. This is all pleasure/vacation travelling. I do a lot of it alone.
Juggling (but I have a degree in mathematics, so that might be a given)
I suppose that is just a good start of my list.
Studying for Wiccan Ministry (Score:4, Interesting)
i write stories, poetry, and songs (had a band, sang, for said band...) play a reasonably nice guitar at an abysmal skill level, and read when the neuro problems ease up enough to let me. Oh, and i paint, with enthusiasm (and acrylics) if not with talent... I have a lot of houseplants (some of which are in good health) and a cat.
Rock Climbing (Score:4, Interesting)
Ice Hockey and Number Theory (Score:3, Interesting)
I also [like most geeks] have a passing interest in number theory. I'm currently [when I've the time/when I feel like it (hence a hobby)] poking around a little bit at my own implimentation of the quadratic sieve, seeing if I can make it better. It's on the computer, but technically doesn't have to be.
Poooooooorrrrrrrnooooo! (Score:4, Funny)
Actually, the truth is, and this is going to sound strange for a six foot, 275 pound ex-marine, I like interior decorating, shopping for art and furniture, cooking, reading, and watching anime DVDs. I'm currently setting up my next apartment, and it's going to be a beautiful, serene bastion of order and grace. Everything in it is going to be coordinated; bright, white paint, chrome, white, and "blonde" wood furniture, lots of chrome and lucite... Basically a modern, minimalist environment where chaos is totally banished. I'm going to get home from work, put on a Vanilla candle, put something quiet on the CD-Player, AND FIRE UP UNREAL TOURNAMENT!!! BOO, YA!
(Ahem. Heheh. Sorry, didn't mean to ruin the mood...)
Re:SCUBA (Score:2)
I got to watch PADI open water training dives in tropical waters, and I'm glad I was certified in New England. The level of training was much better, more thorough, than that particular PADI crew. I put a lot of it d