Dear BG: What are your hobbies?

[Aevis]

djing: doing it for 17 years now. 10 years of that being a club dj, although with a 3 years break. started with sneaking into a friends' older brother room with turntables. got more serious after joining a hiphop group and figuring out that i'm not a mc. went from gig warm-up/after-party djing into clubs. peaked first around 2002-2003 when i was doing 7+ nights a month. that burned me out so i took a break and just practiced some turntablism at home. got back after the first digital vinyl systems came out which suddenly opened an entire new world of djing.

nowadays, i play 2-5 times a month which is more than enough as i also work 100%. i wouldn't mind playing more but it would have to be enough and for a previosly specified period to allow me to drop my work load to 80% or 60%.

scuba diving: doing my openwater in summer 2010 was the best decision i ever made. there is nothing more amazing than floating over the edge of a reef top into a massive wall drop and continue your dive along it, with nothing but the big blue in your back. i'm still only a vacation diver with a mere 37 logged dives due to not having money ready for my own equipment. i'm holding everything back for my japan trip this april/may. as soon as i'm back, i'll get my own gear and start doing more local dives.

coding: i learned html back in '98, when mastering it meant to know how to properly use whitespace.gif in your table designs. over the years i did some community projects (most recent in sig) but no use for it in work. took a new job in 07 and suddenly found myself learning php/mysql. enjoyed picking up all the new stuff and continued to teach myself. modded our phpbb3 forums, then got into the joomla API. played around with some python and now doing my first projects in symfony2.

sadly, my boss is stuck in 2003 and i'm currently fighting to streamline our coding work with a framework and forget about his unmaintainable code. on the other end, i'll never become a professional programmer as i lack math skills. reverse engineering makes me want to hit some puppies.

lifting: it's all BG fitness thread's fault! was visiting the gym on and off for about 2 years. took a break for an entire year. got finally enough fat to commit myself for the real deal. been 10 months now and it became a lifestyle. started to lift 4 months ago and <3 it. it's a great balance to my IT job and i can't wait for summer

japanese: picked up japanese lessons once a week due to my backpack trip through japan. it was originally scheduled for march 2011 and my flight would've been just 5 days after the earthquake/tsunami. postponed a year and so my ~9months japanese became 1 year and 9 months. it's not like any language i learned before (i speak swiss-german, german, english, french), which makes it so fascinating and troublesome at the same time.

i also like to read (real books/mangas), tinker around with music production like isla and play videogames.

[Diamicles]

I'd say my two primary hobbies are disc golf and working out (and to a much lesser extent, Vidya)

Disc golf - there are a pretty large number of things to coordinate to throw a disc properly. Most of this coordination is the building blocks of translating as much energy from your body into launching (yes, launching is the best descriptor for it) a disc. Timing/Technique/translation of kinetic energy must all work perfectly - if one is very slightly off, then it will be apparent with your throw. Those that throw 400' and farther make it look easy - but don't be fooled, it's much harder than it looks. It's not about how big and strong you are, it's about how trained your body is to maximize the potential of your throw. I'm 5'6" and 155 lbs, and I can out throw many people that are much bigger and stronger because of the training and study of the technique of a proper throw.

Then of course, there are the other parts of the short game that require accuracy, and all of the mental aspects of golf. You can have all the physical tools, but if you're a basket case on the course you're never going to be any good at putting low scores down.

edit: I guess I should add something in about traveling to play too! There are thousands of disc golf courses in the US, and the PDGA (professional disc golf association - yes, it does exist) holds a pretty insane number of events about 9 months out of the year across the country. It's an absolute blast to get some friends and travel out of town to challenge yourself on courses you haven't played before - whether in a sanctioned tournament or causal environment. I've played about 65 courses in the midwest, and really enjoyed traveling last year. Des Moines, Bowling Green KY, and Tulsa so far are my favorite travel destinations for disc golf.

Working out - I take a different route than most of the crowd over in the fitness fanatics thread in that I go to a lot of group fitness classes. Body Step and Body Attack are incredibly fun to me, since there is a timing/rhythm/coordination that is involved, while still being very athletic and challenging. I actually teach Body Pump 3x/week, and I really enjoy working out and connecting with the people in the class. It's always more fun when you know there are others there struggling to make the end of the track right there with you.

Vidya - Don't get to play much anymore, but when I do I enjoy playing GT5 (with super sweet FFB Wheel and driving stand setup) quite a bit. I play Rift casually, the world PvP and Invasion events are pretty fun. Other than that, I'd say I've been playing ffxiii and mass effect 2 the most lately. Never liked the wrpgs like Fallout or Elder Scrolls series. mainly a fan of driving games, more traditional RPGs, and dungeon crawlers like Diablo.

[Coren]

Disc golf - there are a pretty large number of things to coordinate to throw a disc properly. Most of this coordination is the building blocks of translating as much energy from your body into launching (yes, launching is the best descriptor for it) a disc. Timing/Technique/translation of kinetic energy must all work perfectly - if one is very slightly off, then it will be apparent with your throw. Those that throw 400' and farther make it look easy - but don't be fooled, it's much harder than it looks. It's not about how big and strong you are, it's about how trained your body is to maximize the potential of your throw. I'm 5'6" and 155 lbs, and I can out throw many people that are much bigger and stronger because of the training and study of the technique of a proper throw.

I never have been able to translate my throwing motion from a regulation ultimate frisbee to a golf frisbee. I can throw 80+ yds with the former, about 12 with a massive hook with the latter. :D Damn little frisbees have it out for me.

[Diamicles]

I never have been able to translate my throwing motion from a regulation ultimate frisbee to a golf frisbee. I can throw 80+ yds with the former, about 12 with a massive hook with the latter. :D Damn little frisbees have it out for me.

No doubt, dealing with different flight properties, so the throw is drastically different, even though they are both frisbees in the end. Lots of ultimate players learn the disc golf throw much faster in the beginning than I did, from what I've seen.

I have an ultrastar that I use to practice my finesse shots with, they float so nicely when you hit them right!

[Norellicus]

Alright, here we go. Not really in any particular order here.

Reading: I love stories. Anything that sparks the imagination and throws me into another world is great. It doesn't have to be fantastical, I've read plenty that are set in modern day; there just has to be an interesting character to follow. Raw information can be interesting, but I'm more likely to absorb it if I'm following another character as they learn the raw data.

Puzzles: Not necessarily of the jigsaw variety, but more stuff that makes you think. A game as simple as Coins can keep me occupied for hours. I used to plow through those logic puzzle megabooks as a kid on road trips too, we had to buy a new one every few months.

Games: There are not enough hours in the day for me to keep up with all the different varieties of gaming that I love. Console games, MMOs, board games, RPGs...you name it. These excite me on a number of levels, because they can hit a lot of different highs for me; some tell a great story, others provide a puzzle to solve, and most are a conduit for social interaction (I have social anxiety problems, but at the same time I crave camaraderie, so finding common threads to connect to people on is important to me).

RPGs: This is arguably a subset of 'games' but it gets a special mention for the conduit it creates for my creative energies. I'm not a creator by nature, but I was born into a very artistic and expressive family, so I can't help but feel like I've got a creative streak with no outlet (I can't draw or other forms of art, and when presented with a blank slate and/or an infinite toolbox my mind goes blank; I also am bad at talking to a nonspecific audience or talking about myself, so writing is a struggle). Running and playing in RPGs gives me enough of a framework that I can then vomit ideas on to feel satisfied that I 'made' something. There's a bit of all the above things too, storytelling, tactical strategy, puzzles, social connectivity. Tucked away in here is also a distinct love of dice; I'm not sure what it is about them, I just love the way they look and feel and the ways you interact using them.

Technology: I love tech. Anything that breaks the boundaries of common wisdom through the rigors of applied science is just exciting.

Music: I feel compelled to put this here but I don't have much to say about it. I really just like music as a whole, especially when it does something different from the usual (though I'm as appreciative of a symphony orchestra as the next guy). I naturally gravitate toward modern interpretations of video game music as a result of this. This also touches slightly on my love of stories; music tends to invoke emotion, especially if there are significant events tied to a particular piece.

Audiophilia: As a sort of combination of the last two, I think it's really cool to see someone do something innovative with a piece of technology in order to further a given idea of music.

[FallingHigher]

- Running- been doing this for almost 2 years now. Done 3 10ks and a half marathon with hoping to do a marathon late this year/early 2013
- General exercise/diet- like to stay in shape and not be a fat shit. Am planning to start lifting soon and put on some muscle as I'm getting a bit scrawny
- Playing football (soccer)- part of a 5aside team in a Sunday morning league (by no means professional but still competitive) and play casually with friends too on Saturdays
- Writing- I like to think this is a hobby but I started writing a screenplay for a thriller film a couple of years back, wrote the first scene and thought it was shit, haven't touched it since. Hopefully I'll find the motivation to pick it up again...hopefully >.>
- Poker- Occasionally I like going down my local casino to participate in the tournaments there, or just generally reading up about the game or watch it on tv. Love the adrenaline rush playing a live game gives you

I would list video games but hardly play them much anymore.

[Pharaun]

since I love to work with southeastern asian food, and I always have a hard time finding ingredients, I ended up planting them myself in my backyard, also save a lot of money on herb and spices.

I'm starting my own herb garden this spring. I like the idea of just having a bunch of fresh herbs on hand when I want/need them instead of having to rely on dried herbs or buying them at the store and over paying for a miniscule amount. Finding some of the more exotic herbs can be a pain too.

[Manako]

I have too many hobbies, especially with work it is difficult to find time for them all! I really am a dabbler, its hard for me to give up on any of my hobbies.

Gaming: PC/PS3 and Wii, as well as occasional handheld gaming. I also play lots of boardgames, I prefer cooperative or asset building/strategy games over more direct confrontation games. I also play Hordes, which is miniature gaming, which is awesome and I also get to paint with acrylics which I enjoy.

Food: Love cooking and baking, definitely a better cook than baker. I enjoy reading foodie blogs and trying new things.

Reading: Definitely my hobby that has been the worst hit by not having enough free time, but I love reading! Normally power through books, and am fortunate that I can't fall asleep while reading.

Gardening: Now we have a small deck so we have a herb garden, can't wait to have some real property. While I was in college we grew some really nice peppers, but the deer ate all our other veggies.

Crafting: I dabble in various crafts, jewlery making, painting (acrylic on wood), sewing...

[Ddz]

Graphic Design - I moonlight from home running my small business. I think knowing basic design fundamentals and having an eye for visual aesthetics helps.

Snowboarding - started at 13 and has been my winter hobby since.

Soccer - I'm new at this, but it's fun and great exercise.

Bead Jewelry - my mom and I do this together. We mostly just take pictures of stuff we like and try to remake it with different colors or styles. My favorite jewelry to design is with pearls.

Scrabble - I am pretty good at Scrabble, and I have discovered Words With Friends, so I do that in my free time. Have always had an affinity for spelling and being good at word and spelling related things.

[Gulkeeva]

I'm quite shocked thought you would be into drinking PBR and line dancing.

haha nope, I don't drink/smoke and rarely go outside (nothing to do here where I live anyway)

The things I listed are pretty much my "bad habits" hentai/ecchi stuff especially, it runs through the mind 24/7 >.>

[Jakson]

jesus christ, zalius has his work cut out for him, some long fucking posts.

Reading - Used to scifi/fantasy, Palahniuk, Tom Robbins, but now more philosophy. Read part of Emerson's Nature years ago, picked it back up and, maybe this is some latent hipster bs, but I fucking love it.

Guitar/Music Theory/Music Composition - Forum name comes from Jackson Guitars. Just started playing classical, been composing for about 12 years, and have learned music theory in and out of school, though my music is mostly simple.

[chiyio]

Pretty similar to a lot of people here.

Running/Trail Running/Exercise - I've slowed down on the running lately though, I just don't enjoy hitting the pavement now that I'm 33 as much as I did when I was younger. It's even been a few years since I've done a marathon. More into trail running and hiking the fuck out of mountains now.

Gaming, sort of. - I mostly just collect rpg's. I hardly ever play them, I just like to collect them. I haven't played too much of anything else since I started ffxi, and I haven't even played that in a couple years. I have a MASSIVE game collection though, heh. (500+ steam games and pretty much every console jrpg ever) What is wrong with me =/

Reading - Either books or wasting time reading random stuff on the internet. I read a crazy amount about just about everything.

Martial Arts - I've been doing this a long time and if I wasn't constantly getting distracted by other things and taking breaks from it (mma, marathons, ffxi, etc) I'd be closer to my black belt, heh. Still, over the many years I've finally gotten pretty close and should finish up before too long. (a type of american kenpo if anybody is curious)

Anime - Though the last couple years I haven't watched nearly as much as I used to. I have a hard time getting into it anymore, especially sober. Maybe I've finally gotten too old.

Music - Industrial, ebm, idm, noise, trance, 80s, etc. Listen to music a lot, especially at the gym or while running.

Mostly these days my main hobby would just be hanging out with my GF I guess, heh.

[bechyni]

Normal stuff I suppose

Basketball: I have been playing since I was about 6 (23 now). Have played rec. at the park, school and with friends. We try to play at least once or twice a week but sometime classes/schoolwork gets in the way.

Anime: Typical reading/watch different shows.

Trombone: Have been playing since the 6th grade and have music as a minor now that I'm in college.

Video games: of course.

[Coren]

Martial Arts - I've been doing this a long time and if I wasn't constantly getting distracted by other things and taking breaks from it (mma, marathons, ffxi, etc) I'd be closer to my black belt, heh. Still, over the many years I've finally gotten pretty close and should finish up before too long. (a type of american kenpo if anybody is curious)

There is no "finish" in martial arts. Black belt is only the beginning.

[Arvin]

Since I moved to Chicago I've actually been training for the Marathon (I know, way early start) and been trying to get into long distance running.

This sounds odd, but since September my buds and I have found a hobby in going to a different bar every weekend in each of the respective neighborhoods of the city, just to see the crowds and people watch a bit to see the culture. It's a pretty addictive hobby.

Lastly, trying to rap and sing. I've always been embarrassed but ever since a karaoke kick a year ago I've wanted to hone my singing skills. I love rap, and would love to get fairly decent at it.

[chiyio]

There is no "finish" in martial arts. Black belt is only the beginning.

ya, I know. In my system "black belt is the beginning, not the ending" is a common quote. for me though, it's a big mental milestone. I've been doing this shit 15 years on and off, heh. break to do hard core marathons, a couple years doing mma, a few years doing ffxi. all those breaks here and there add up and slow your progress.

[pohibaba]

Juggling: I've been juggling off and on for about a decade now and I'm pretty decent; I can keep up a 7 ball and 5 club cascade pretty well. I think the most common misconception about juggling is that hand-eye coordination is the key: they're wrong. The key to juggling well is muscle memory and making good throws. The mantra I keep repeating to myself sub-conscientiously while juggling is "good throws." If you can keep the objects passing through the same place in the air each time, it'll keep them from colliding and it will make it so that your catches are much easier.

Poker: I played poker semi-professionally through college online and I still get out to the casino to play probably 5 times a month now. The main key to playing poker well is to remember three things. 1) Range-figure out the likely range of hands that your opponent has and the range of hands he thinks you have and learn how to weight them properly. 2) Equity-figure out what your equity is in the hand right now and what it will most likely be if played out all the way using proper game theory techniques. 3) Maximize-figure out how to maximize your winnings in this hand and in the entire session. There are a lot of parallels between poker and video/table top gaming which is why some of the top poker pros now were former starcraft and M:TG "pros".

[Streak]

Reading: Not too many new series out there but I keep cycling through a collection of my classics. My favourites are the Dragonriders of Pern and the Talents from Anne/Todd McCaffrey. I also love Neil Stephenson's books (SnowCrash, The Big U, Zodiac, etc). I found I surprisingly enjoyed Twilight, and the Hunger Games I read recently was OK but not stellar. Also a lost of Raymond E Feist although they are pretty repetitive.

Cooking: I'm separated now and was able to reconnect with doing a lot of things for myself. I enjoy cooking, seem to have good instincts for it, and always enjoy learning.

Rope Bondage: Seriously. It's exciting, creative and the end results are beautiful. It builds trust and communication. You really need the right sort of partner though. My girlfriend is great. She's not passionate about it, but she enjoys the process. It can be as simple or complicated as you want, and it's not expensive.

Video Games: Mostly FFXI but also a good collection of Nintendo DS, PS2 and PS3 games. My favourites series of all time was probably Parasite Eve. Very creepy, especially the last battle of PE1.

[aurik]

go - but also generally any "thinking" game which mix long-term strategy with short-term tactics. Not so much on video games anymore.
cooking - both cooking dinners and recently starting to get into making desserts and other things
hanging out - I spend quite a lot of time just chilling with my friends, I guess that qualifies it as a hobby.

[Zalius]

Surfing - Sadly I live two hours from the nearest beach, and five hours from the Outer Banks (where the best surfing is in NC), but I make an effort to go at least once a month from April to October, more often during hurricane season when it gets good. Other than gas, it's a cheap hobby, I've been riding the same two boards for almost ten years. (I picked up fiberglass repair, not as a hobby, but as a means to stretch the lifespan of my boards).

Car - Not as much now as I used to be, I was pretty involved in the whole street racing scene before those Fast and Furious movies ruined it for us. (After the first one, cops really shut down the scene because we went from 30 guys racing on a closed-off road behind an office park to hundreds of idiots racing on busy public streets). I have a 78 Firebird that I've owned for 16 years, it's my baby and I'm always working on it. It's currently torn completely apart, slowly being rebuilt. Beyond that, I'll help the occasional friend with something, but I've mostly left this behind as a hobby.

I also enjoy watching TV series with my wife. While not very educational or really a "hobby", we like to watch shows from start to finish and appreciate what actually goes into creating and maintaining a good series. The last series we watched was Breaking Bad (Amazing show) and now we're starting on Chuck. (Yes, we don't typically watch many shows as they air).

I want to fucking surf, have for a long time. I've put in literally 0 time though because I'm in the valley and we didn't get to go out much when I was younger. Any tips/advice on learning or picking it up quickly? I want to be able to go out for 3-4 hours once or twice a month just for fun, and surfing is one of the things that's influencing my decision of where I'm going to move to. Ideally somewhere not too crowded but with enough people to have some help out w/the learning curve.

I'm cartarded and I hate it. Any good references for understanding the general parts of every car and how the system itself works? I had a mechanics shop in high school but I've never been in a situation to need anything other than a mechanic and I do not like zis. I understand that every car has it's own quirks but I like to understand things before I start blindly adding/replacing parts.

Agreed on not watching shows as they air, I'll watch them as they come on, but for the early part of my life TV was a massive timesink that dropped my drive to do anything else. swore it away a few years ago.

Gaming - Usually if there's nothing to do I'll turn on the PS3 or Wii. I also play WoW casually on the weekends. Former slave to MMOs. (FFXI/WoW) So glad I dropped that lifestyle....

Cooking - I do the majority of the cooking in my home, and have been having fun with it. Getting a cast iron skillet, dutch oven, and a wok soon so I can expand my recipe list. It's amazing how much money you can save by not being lazy and cooking.

Art - I've drawn my entire life. Sadly I have put it aside more and more over the years. I prefer traditional, but I bought a Wacom Bamboo tablet a few years back and have dabbled in digital. I'll share a piece of my work with you all... Shitty, but it's something I threw together quickly. http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/i/20...ez-d3ecwxr.png

Internet - I can get fucking lost on this forum, Youtube, or Wikipedia for hours. Will continue to do so until the government nerfs it.

I still love MMOs for what they did for me, I'd love to have another free year to take off and dominate an MMO for a while again. My 2nd character to 70 in WoW is still one of the most fun memories with any game I've ever played, better than any endgame nonsense or anything - it was fun just to level up and meet people/gank people. Nothing in FFXI came close to the joy of walking out of a 3v1 alive with 20% of your mana left and none of the players releasing to GY. I have pictures on a hard drive in my garage that tell legendary stories but the motherboard is dead

good stuff @ the art, keep it up. art grows with people, it's like an amazing way to capture the nuances of your personality in an abstract way if for nothing else but to reflect on in a few years.

unify your browsing, its the best decision i've ever made. I have a few things that make up what i'm doing with my life (guitar, games, different aspects of internet marketing and personal development - I have more but they're all based on activity and i'm a crippled asshole atm). I'll open 3-5 related tabs in one window and 3-5 in another. If you organize your browsing enough, your brain will eventually organize itself. it's a lifehack for productivity and efficiency, i love it.

Cooking - This is my main way to channel my creativity, of course I use this everyday since my day job is a cook. One of park of cooking is of course, you don't eat shitty meals, and being able to tell protein's doneness just by touch like a boss, fuck thermometer.
MMORPG - I particularly like MMO because not only it's social but it's a game that its main goal is self progression, and in MMO the progression is very tangible.

i started cooking for myself last year - hadn't had the chance before then, personal stuff. i can't imagine going back to needing to buy premade food ever again, i want all that fucking money back man.

definitely agreed on the MMO part. this might sound lame, but one of the reasons that I believe in myself is because of how much i accomplished when i worked on it in an MMO. i had a pretty self-defeating mentality before them, so they've always got a sentimental meaning to me

Hockey - Been playing since I was young still super fun and a good workout and way to take out aggression on friends.
Skiing - Picked it up this winter having a great time but already getting bored on my small midwest slope I go to, need to get to some big mountain powder.
Video Editing/Film making - I have a degree in video/audio production but I've yet to put it to any real use so I consider it a hobby.

Skiing - patience (in learning), strength, balance, $$$$
Reading journal articles - willing to spend the time to learn the vernacular of scientific writing and understanding the process of science in general - curiosity/creativity needed
Glassblowing - don't have the money to do this as often as I'd like but it requires a good eye, steady hands/sureness in your movements, and general lots and lots of practice
Fucking - I enjoy it, have been complimented on my abilities many times, not sure what all it requires other than understanding verbal/non-verbal cues and learning what's good for each person

i'm not really interested in skiing, snowboarding has always been more appealing. why'd you decide on skiing vs. snowboarding?

man, you didn't need to preface the fucking part with "i enjoy it" lol. if you didn't enjoy it, that would have been more relevant to say. sportfucking is awesome though.

.

There are 2 things that make a big difference in my home kitchen. First is to have a really good set of knives (seriously good knives make such a difference), and I'm not talking like a $50-80 Walmart set. Don't be surprised if you are spending $50+ on a single knife. Second is to have good pots and pans, one of the secrets to good cooking is heat control. You want a pan that heats evenly and retains that heat well. If you get a pan that doesn't heat evenly it becomes very easy to burn what ever you're trying to cook. Again goods pans are not cheap, don't be surprised if you are paying anywhere between $70-$100 or more for a good pan..

good call on pans, never thought about that. i was boiling pasta this morning and realized that the pan wasn't heating evenly. I'd noticed it before definitely, but i never understood why expensive pans were expensive. +1 to brain, thank you sir

My hobbies likely come off pretty boring/unexciting, but meh... It's me.

I of course love the usual stuff like movies, TV shows, video games, and trying different foods/restaurants... but the more obscure would be:

Fitness/Health.

Spoiler: show

I've always played/loved sports and put an importance on health, but since entering the full-time work environment its become a major part of my routine. I never really had a routine I stuck by before so it was difficult for me to keep with it, but now that work forced me into one I've been dead-set on it.

At current I’ve religiously stuck to playing soccer for a team on Sundays, strength training Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday, and do a class (like spin) on Thursdays. I also have 4-5 cups of green tea a day, and other than that 99% of what I drink is water/protein milkshakes. I maintain a well-rounded diet of fruit/vegs/complex cards, and rarely if ever have any kind of fast or junk food (like chips, cookies, etc).

I suppose what keeps me successful in this is keeping a goal in mind to motivate myself towards, and have that be more important than any excuses or obstacles that come along to distract me from it. Not to say that my world should revolve around it (though honestly, with regards to fitness/health I wouldn't say that's too much of a bad thing), but I shouldn't prioritize things I know I shouldn't over it (IE: a tv show/being lazy/internet browsing, writing this post on BG).

A desire to learn and improve upon yourself is also pretty big, as well as finding ways to make it fun/satisfying as you progress, achieve milestones, and try different routines.

And while I love food, I'm very disciplined in what I eat and sort of trained myself to think of it as more of a chore at times, which keeps me from splurging on bad foods. The whole eat to live, not live to eat thing. It's OK sometimes, but not as the only priority in life.

Information Sponging.

Spoiler: show

I find a lot of satisfaction in finding out new things and staying current with information, a more recent ‘hobby.’ I used to ignore news and politics almost completely, but now I enjoy keeping as up to date on everything as possible. I also find a lot of satisfaction in researching anything I don’t know; I’m sort of becoming obsessed with facts.

So I’ve spent a lot of time researching silly little stuff I didn’t fully understand. Everything from exactly how a jet engine works, to the technology involved in LED vs incandescent lights, to how paper is recycled. Sometimes it’s interesting, sometime it isn’t. But I usually enjoy finding out.

This carries over to fixing things too. Like, I have no background or knowledge at all in plumbing, but I’ve fixed quite a few problems that were actually relatively simple to do (and saved a few hundred$) and easy to find guides for online. I’ve also taken apart things like cameras and managed to fix simple problems with them as well, which while intimidating at first were actually easy.

Skills necessary to succeed here would mostly just revolve around genuine curiosity to motivate you, patience in the time it takes to learn new ideas, some courage to try things you never have before (I know I was shitting bricks while dissembling my $200 camera, even though it was dead in the water beforehand) and keeping an extremely open (and unbiased) mind to new things and the information you find online. There are always many different opinions/views/options, so you can’t think that just because you read it somewhere you’re suddenly an aficionado, nor that it may even be accurate.

Numbers.

Spoiler: show

I suppose this sort of splices in with the above, but I’ve spent a good deal of time plotting up various numerical scenarios in excel/other means regarding so many different aspects of financing/budgeting/planning I’m pretty sure it falls as a hobby as well. In some way I think it may fall under a problem-solving desire, but it also comes in a great deal of practical use. I know exactly how much money I have coming in before/after taxes and how much I spend where, for what, and how on a daily/monthly/yearly basis and can predict how much I will over the year extremely well. Last year I predicted within %0.34 accuracy, and probably will improve that more this year.

I also love knowing stuff like exactly how long it would take to pay something off, save up X amount of money, or by minimizing the interest paid in knowing what payment moves are best to make (saved a good $10k here).

It’s nice, but of course it’s not for everyone. I’m very much a routine/planned/structured person when it comes to finances and the like so this applies well for me… and as such are likely the main qualities you’d need to keep up with/benefit from it.

I wrote too much shit so I spoilered.

Oddly enough I procrastinated going to the gym doing this, against what I said I should be doing lol. Going now though!

@info sponging, i have a big question that i've been working with for a while that i haven't been able to find a direct answer to. other than constant reinforcement & metaphorical relationships, are there any tricks to improving the rate of ABSORBTION of info? I have a ton of stuff that I learn, and it seems like i'm always remembering something that I forgot that would have saved my ass a lot of trouble. I've been working on reinforcing what I learn a lot more and converting my internal logic system from verbal to nonverbal (highly recommend this - try talking to your brain without words, only visual and mathematical representations of concepts. it's so much more efficient i'm almost upset that it took me this long to start doing it)

also @numbers, i've been thinking on teaching myself math & physics. any idea where would be a good place to start that? i can always google, but a comprehensive site for this kind of thing would be appreciated

Aside from gaming, here we go.

Reading books related to WWII(I think I have around three hundred different books pertaining to the war.)
Reading cook books(since my wife is only good for making dips.)
Collect Mechwarrior miniature figures(I have them up on a shelf in the spare room)
Watching WWII documentaries(most recently watched the 26 part World at War documentary.)

I have other hobbies but those are the most prevalent.

why such a wwii boner mr weave?

Going to Wikipedia to check something, then ending up on totally different topics and the next thing you know, its 5am and you just learned what the differences are between American Black Bears and American Brown Bears.

i want to do this now, thanks

I agree with the knives/pots comment, I bought 4-5 knives since I started cooking seriously, they probably cost me about $500 total, more if you count the whetstones as well.

My knives set so far:
Misono UX10 Chef knife - my most used, I use it everyday, all purpose knife
Mac Superior Bread knife - 2nd most used, for breads of course and fruits.
Tojiro DP paring knife - for delicate stuff/decorative work
Global Flexible boning knife - double for both meats and fishes
Minosharp 1000/8000 grit ceramic whetstone

Other tools:
Kitchen aid stand in mixer w/ attachments - hells yea, I use this for EVERYTHING.
GE food processor - It's alright, does the job.

Probably gonna get a slicer sometimes in the future.

since I love to work with southeastern asian food, and I always have a hard time finding ingredients, I ended up planting them myself in my backyard, also save a lot of money on herb and spices.

Things in my garden: Some of the herbs i keep indoor since it's so goddamn cold nowadays and i dont want to keep covering them with tarp.
-Italian Basil
-Thai Basil
-Cilantro
-Lemongrass
-Ginger/Galangal
-Banana
-Italian Parsley
-Jalapeno/Poblano/Bell Peppers
-Chives
-Kaffir Lime
-Loquat
-Butternut squash
-Some other citrus plant that my mom just gave me as a present, I have yet to check it out, lol.

i have decided after reading this post that i am going to grow my own odd foreign spices. ty

Watercolour is really amazing because it's a living thing; when you're working wet-into-wet (wet paint onto wet paper), how you push and pull the brush will make incredible, startling effects. Wet-into-dry just the same. It's a lot of waiting, as some times you'll need the paper to be bone dry to paint next to something without blending, and sometimes you're scrambling to get a lovely fade of colour into something else. I also enjoy it because you can add a lot of different media -- usually I'll draw onto the paper, then paint over it. The medium is transparent so you can do phenomenal things with layering. And GOD, the colour! Creating palettes is probably one of my favourite things. What makes a fantastic grey? Payne's Grey (which is a deep blue of all things) and Burnt Umber. You can make an entire painting with a palette of three colours if you'd like, just mixing different ratios. I'd like to start doing more watercolour and inks, since you can dilute inks in a similar fashion but they're a different transparency. Gold ink on watercolour makes things look like Byzantine icons.

As for music, definitely the later. There are programs for people who are more theory-based (here, write sheet music), and programs that allow you to pick out all your notes one-by-one or to connect a keyboard and pay as you normally would. I got into using the computer because I couldn't afford an actual keyboard workstation and rackmounts -- with a computer I can compose, arrange more sounds than would be physically possible to house in a single studio with traditional equipment, record... all of it.

Music programs have been discussed a few times in GD, and people have expressed their preferences, but I'm a firm believer in using whichever one feels the most intuitive, even if it isn't whoaghshit-top-of-the-line. As far as making actual 'arrangements' insofar as mixing and instrument placement, you better believe you can do all that shit with the computer now.

you're obviously pretty passionate about watercolor, that's awesome. the more you know. i'll prolly end up sticking with photoshop and stuff like that though, though one day i might invest in some art supplies.

as for computer produced music, definitely. i have an odd suspicion that using any amplifiers for recording will be phased out within the next 10-15 years, maybe sooner. love it.

Man I have like a zillion things I love to do, but basically anything where you get to know new places is my thing.
Snorkeling: All you need is knowing how to swim and a pair of zee goggles, the sea is a beautiful place pictures or videos doesn't quite cut it when it comes to the sea, though perhaps that can be said of most outdoor activities.

Walking: I could hobo it up to hell and back, simple, unrestrained and you get to see everything as you go, at your own pace, tied to this: riding a bicycle.

i'm more interested in scuba than snorkeling, but i like that its a lot lower maintenance than scuba diving. Anything i can do with 1 or 2 tools as opposed to a suit and a tank and flippers and goggles and a depth checker is welcome.

i haven't been able to do anything but walk these last few months so i feel you there, i like walking around and looking at stuff now. so many crazy/funny simple things happen around the block all the time, it's awesome.

also noted, i want a bike. forgot all about that.

I need less hobbies. Shit costs too much, and take too much time.

Computer Shit (gaming, repair, etc). I run a PC repair shop, so this doesn't really count, but I do love my FPS and MMOs, as well as the occasional well-made flash game.

Cooking. I love cooking. I like having people over to eat cooking. There's nothing like the feeling of watching people enjoy food you've made. It helps that my mom works at a William's-Sonoma part time over the holidays, so I "borrow" her 40% off to load up on all-clad and knives (I've got a Wusthoff set and a few Shuns, among others), as well as other toys like a Kitchenaid mixer, food processor, mandolin, and 2 Cuisinart ice cream makers. I thoroughly enjoy making deserts, and I love grilling. I use a Weber Q320 for the dirty work (yeah yeah, no charcoal; I don't get home till 9pm most nights, so waiting on that shit takes wayyyy too long). It heats fast and even, and doesn't drain your propane tank like bigger grills can.

Martial Arts. Specifically, Hapkido. My wife and I have run a school now for over 5 years. Hapkido is designed as a practical self defense style. It is korean, and utilizes many of the same strikes as the various TKD types. We do a lot of joint locks and arm bars, as well as sweeps and throws. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hapkido

Music. I play clarinet and trombone. I started clarinet in middle school 15 years ago, and still play in various amateur groups locally. Trombone I learned in college because marching clarinet sucks.

Frisbee. Ultimate frisbee, though I've decided it's just too damn much running. Still a great past time when you have an empty football/soccer field, some beer, and some friends.

Woodworking. I have a garage-full of toys. My favorite is an old-school crafstman radial arm saw that I picked up for cheap off of craigslist. I also have a couple of miter saws, a band saw, a floor-stand drillpress, a benchtop sander, and a scroll saw, as well as an assortment of hand tools (18v Li-Ion kick ass). I have never parked my car in my garage. Unfortunately I don't have the skill to make very complicated stuff.

Reading real books. Almost all fantasy, from classics like Tolkein to newer stuff like Sanderson. I own every Dragonlance book printed, and many Forgotten Realms. Currently I'm anxiously awaiting A Memory of Light. Sanderson needs to write faster, dammit.

Politics. I'll never discuss politics or religion with customers, but I do love a debate among people that can agree to disagree. Being a liberal here in South Carolina does kind of suck.

i fucking hate williams-sonoma. i walked in one time and was like woah what the fuck i do not belong here...turned right around lol. that was when i was like 16 though, might be better to check it out now.

never heard of hapkido, i'll check it out.

as for computery stuff, i have a computer with a lot of stuff on it's hard drive in my garage with a dead motherboard. whats the easiest way to get all the stuff on it out? I will eventually extract the graphics card on it but for now i have my work cut out for me on the projects that i'm working on.

I have a lot of hobbies, so many because I can't really keep my interest trained on just one thing for a very long time, so I'll list them:

Dance: I studied dance starting when I was five, and ended up "formally/officially" taking 20 years worth of classes. While I'm not currently taking any classes, I am still a dancer at heart - I am constantly choreographing pieces for my own benefit - sadly, most will never be seen as I'm not even affiliated with any dance program anymore, but I love to dance and choreograph more than probably anything else.

Crochet: Self taught, something I picked up when my grandmother died when I was twelve. (She never had the chance to teach me, so I taught myself to carry on her "legacy.") I started crocheting Barbie doll dresses, which was something simple enough for me to get used to working a pattern, and worked up to making afghans and baby clothes, though I definitely only make baby clothes when I have babies to make them for.

Drawing: Something I haven't done in quite a while, but I've always enjoyed drawing, particularly with pastels. I haven't been in "creative mode" lately.

Photomanipulation: I have a deviantArt page where I showcase most of this stuff, I haven't really touched Photoshop in the last few months though, due to the aforementioned lack of being able to get into "creative mode."

Video Games: Goes without saying, though the only thing I've played recently is WoW, mostly because I'm broke and a lot of the games I used to play didn't belong to me (ex-husband, brothers, etc).

Writing: Sad though it may seem, I've dabbled in the fan-fiction writing, though not terribly recently. I do also enjoy reading it, when I can find the rare pieces that are written by twelve year old fangirls who squee and masturbate to their own overly fluffy bullshit. I toyed with writing my own novel a few times, but I could never get very far with it, so I stick with short stories.

Trolling: It's a art.

A few other things I like to do but haven't done in years (so I don't really count them), are cross stitch, playing the piano (this I would do, if I had a piano), reading, biking, and hunting (something else I miss, but the game around here just sucks).

That pretty much covers it.

you should totally crochet nerd stuff and advertise it on bg/take custom orders. money on the side (it's totally possible to self-sustain yourself with virtually and trade right now with some basic business skills and 2-10 months of learning the foundation of internet marketing), plus i really want a moogle hat and linliel is a jerk and won't do it.

Mm, I have no idea how many pages it would come out to. It is currently at a little over 182000 words with 21 chapters in two arcs (which, if we go off wiki, is in the range of a novel). I'm going to go back and rewrite some portions of Arc 0 though, maybe even enough to split it out into two arcs. Kinda poking about with it right now, haven't really had any springs of inspiration. Plans for me so far include up to four arcs, maybe one or two more.

As for planning, I type most everything up on GDocs to use as a constant reference that I can carry about everywhere, especially since you can download from GDoc in multiple file formats and keep your text formatting intact. I usually create separate documents for major ideas and the chronology section. For the writing of the story itself I have what I call a 'planner', which is a rough outline of what should happen when. I operate mostly on the idea of making a very generalized outline and then daydreaming the story into place. Once I have a full chapter written in (somewhere around 6000-10000 words) I'll let it sit for a week or two then come back to it for revision and proofreading.

Edit: It should be noted that I'm actually typing the story up into Wordpress, on a local install, since that is how I intend to present it later. Also allows me to use typography plugins which help with presentation aspects.



You can get everything you need for starting for under a grand, shopping around. Kayak itself will cost you 300-500 for a good one. If you don't live in a cold place you can get by cheaper, since you won't need neoprene skirts or suits. I've been kayaking just about everywhere on the East Coast, with locations varying from out to the turtle breeding grounds in the Outer Banks (can only go their at certain times of the year and only accessible by boat) to Lake Mattamuskeet in the Great Dismal Swap. Two locations that are massively different and still like right next to each other. The number of rivers I've been on defies imagination, hah. Rivers are generally where you see the most stuff; everything from artesian wells to rare and endangered wildlife.

You most likely won't drown, but you should get help from someone getting started. Most kayaks, the most notable exceptions being lake and ocean boats, are actually designed to roll. You need to know how to roll so you don't drown though. Don't worry about it sinking - I know for a fact you cannot sink one of those plastic-like-hard shell-skinned boats even with water filling up to the cowl. Done it a few times, actually. Wooden boats and steel boats are a different story, and I wouldn't recommend those for a beginner.

When we were growing up my dad started us out in Pamlicos, which are like a lake kayak that is nearly impossible to flip. Later on moved us into the longer, sleeker, and definitely rollable white-water river / expedition kayaks.

Edit the second: Fun things to do in a kayak - get a short throw fishing pole ('cause regular poles won't work out so well in such a small boat) and try to catch yourself a 'motor'. IE a large fish that can move you around. The larger the better - let the fish wear itself out taking you on tours of the water. White water movement is always a blast, but don't think you can take Class IV and V on your first go (if you're looking at VI without a couple years of experience you're an idiot). Especially don't go waterfall hopping until you have a few years. Watch out for dams and dykes and hydrofoils, all things that will fuck you up.



It is definitely a hobby that teaches you the value of patience. It is also one of those that shows you the changes as you go along - you can tell how much your rushing is fucking things up and the final product is going to be a mess. Need a lot of space for it though, so you can just lay out an area for all your parts - especially when painting, but also helps during actual building to keep things organized. For painting I recommend a high quality compressor - airbrush unit, for cement it doesn't really matter what you get. You can get the metal / foil glue tubes and then apply glue with toothpicks or they make precision applicator units - though these are also usually made of plastic so after a few uses they're a mess.

cool man, thanks a lot. i'll be looking into both, i want to go on a kayaking adventure through oregon with a few other people.

one of my biggest problems writing is that i'd burn myself out pretty hard and set up super high expectations. the nice thing about it is that i have a newfound respect for 500-600 page books that are really well written that i don't think can be taught any other way. lemme know when you finish your book, ill totally buy it (as long as it's not like $75 fuck you)

idk what models to get yet because i'm out of the loop. i was a pretty big zoids nerd too though and i remember berserk fury (zeh fuhrer), so maybe i'll start there. thanks, really useful stuff.

Throughout the last 3 years maybe a year in total has been spent studying. It has been very erratic, thanks to not really having any decent plan to work with. Though, now I've got my studies under control pretty much.

I think people exaggerate the difficulty of languages like Chinese. From the little I have seen and heard the language should be easier to learn than Japanese for example. The grammar is rather simple and vocabulary builds on top of itself. Pronunciation can seem difficult at first but it's not really as tough to get grasp of as it would seem to us firsthand. Since from what I know each hanzi has only one reading it's also easier to master than Japanese with 2-10 readings for every character, although in total you will be required to learn more characters (3000-4000 instead of 2000~ in Japanese afaik). Most importantly the hardest part (imo) about the language, memorizing hanzi, is quite easily tackled with the help of internet.

So if you were thinking that Chinese(or Asian languages in general) is too hard or something of the sort, that's not really true. It's certainly a language that could prove to be useful in many ways.

yeah, learning chinese would be purely a financial investment for me though and i don't like that sorta thing. i might like it more than i think though, who knows. i'll be keeping it in mind, thanks. memorizing characters is cool with me because i'm a junkie for anything that works a different part of my brain for total mental fitness YEAH RIPPED BRAIN

I'd say my two primary hobbies are disc golf and working out (and to a much lesser extent, Vidya)

Disc golf - there are a pretty large number of things to coordinate to throw a disc properly. Most of this coordination is the building blocks of translating as much energy from your body into launching (yes, launching is the best descriptor for it) a disc. Timing/Technique/translation of kinetic energy must all work perfectly - if one is very slightly off, then it will be apparent with your throw. Those that throw 400' and farther make it look easy - but don't be fooled, it's much harder than it looks. It's not about how big and strong you are, it's about how trained your body is to maximize the potential of your throw. I'm 5'6" and 155 lbs, and I can out throw many people that are much bigger and stronger because of the training and study of the technique of a proper throw.

Then of course, there are the other parts of the short game that require accuracy, and all of the mental aspects of golf. You can have all the physical tools, but if you're a basket case on the course you're never going to be any good at putting low scores down.

edit: I guess I should add something in about traveling to play too! There are thousands of disc golf courses in the US, and the PDGA (professional disc golf association - yes, it does exist) holds a pretty insane number of events about 9 months out of the year across the country. It's an absolute blast to get some friends and travel out of town to challenge yourself on courses you haven't played before - whether in a sanctioned tournament or causal environment. I've played about 65 courses in the midwest, and really enjoyed traveling last year. Des Moines, Bowling Green KY, and Tulsa so far are my favorite travel destinations for disc golf.

Working out - I take a different route than most of the crowd over in the fitness fanatics thread in that I go to a lot of group fitness classes. Body Step and Body Attack are incredibly fun to me, since there is a timing/rhythm/coordination that is involved, while still being very athletic and challenging. I actually teach Body Pump 3x/week, and I really enjoy working out and connecting with the people in the class. It's always more fun when you know there are others there struggling to make the end of the track right there with you.

Vidya - Don't get to play much anymore, but when I do I enjoy playing GT5 (with super sweet FFB Wheel and driving stand setup) quite a bit. I play Rift casually, the world PvP and Invasion events are pretty fun. Other than that, I'd say I've been playing ffxiii and mass effect 2 the most lately. Never liked the wrpgs like Fallout or Elder Scrolls series. mainly a fan of driving games, more traditional RPGs, and dungeon crawlers like Diablo.

this is the first time i've ever heard of disc golf, will look it up. i'm intrigued.

Alright, here we go. Not really in any particular order here.

Reading: I love stories. Anything that sparks the imagination and throws me into another world is great. It doesn't have to be fantastical, I've read plenty that are set in modern day; there just has to be an interesting character to follow. Raw information can be interesting, but I'm more likely to absorb it if I'm following another character as they learn the raw data.

Puzzles: Not necessarily of the jigsaw variety, but more stuff that makes you think. A game as simple as Coins can keep me occupied for hours. I used to plow through those logic puzzle megabooks as a kid on road trips too, we had to buy a new one every few months.

Games: There are not enough hours in the day for me to keep up with all the different varieties of gaming that I love. Console games, MMOs, board games, RPGs...you name it. These excite me on a number of levels, because they can hit a lot of different highs for me; some tell a great story, others provide a puzzle to solve, and most are a conduit for social interaction (I have social anxiety problems, but at the same time I crave camaraderie, so finding common threads to connect to people on is important to me).

RPGs: This is arguably a subset of 'games' but it gets a special mention for the conduit it creates for my creative energies. I'm not a creator by nature, but I was born into a very artistic and expressive family, so I can't help but feel like I've got a creative streak with no outlet (I can't draw or other forms of art, and when presented with a blank slate and/or an infinite toolbox my mind goes blank; I also am bad at talking to a nonspecific audience or talking about myself, so writing is a struggle). Running and playing in RPGs gives me enough of a framework that I can then vomit ideas on to feel satisfied that I 'made' something. There's a bit of all the above things too, storytelling, tactical strategy, puzzles, social connectivity. Tucked away in here is also a distinct love of dice; I'm not sure what it is about them, I just love the way they look and feel and the ways you interact using them.

Technology: I love tech. Anything that breaks the boundaries of common wisdom through the rigors of applied science is just exciting.

Music: I feel compelled to put this here but I don't have much to say about it. I really just like music as a whole, especially when it does something different from the usual (though I'm as appreciative of a symphony orchestra as the next guy). I naturally gravitate toward modern interpretations of video game music as a result of this. This also touches slightly on my love of stories; music tends to invoke emotion, especially if there are significant events tied to a particular piece.

Audiophilia: As a sort of combination of the last two, I think it's really cool to see someone do something innovative with a piece of technology in order to further a given idea of music.

invest some time in electronic music, it seems like that would logically be something you'd be good at. music theory isn't hard if you're learning an instrument, it just comes naturally. i never would have listened to or understood mozart 5 years ago, but now i hear it and it's awesome. it's not so much about appreciation as it is being able to link your mind to the music and create your own little world, it's very difficult to explain. it's like changing music from this thing that pumps into your ears into a ride at an amusement park or an inner journey to the end of the song. great way to work over things in your life that are difficult, i could write about it for years though so i should prolly stop.

you've also just inspired me to use dice while composing. I'm strongly rooted in progressive music and odd times, but it's hard to make myself think outside of the box when i'm composing. i'm gonna grab a couple of dice and throw them and force myself to make something i like the sound of based on the # that comes out. should be fun.

agreed on tech. i need to remind myself to investigate technology a little more, it's tough to stay on top of this shit

I have too many hobbies, especially with work it is difficult to find time for them all! I really am a dabbler, its hard for me to give up on any of my hobbies.

Gaming: PC/PS3 and Wii, as well as occasional handheld gaming. I also play lots of boardgames, I prefer cooperative or asset building/strategy games over more direct confrontation games. I also play Hordes, which is miniature gaming, which is awesome and I also get to paint with acrylics which I enjoy.

Food: Love cooking and baking, definitely a better cook than baker. I enjoy reading foodie blogs and trying new things.

Reading: Definitely my hobby that has been the worst hit by not having enough free time, but I love reading! Normally power through books, and am fortunate that I can't fall asleep while reading.

Gardening: Now we have a small deck so we have a herb garden, can't wait to have some real property. While I was in college we grew some really nice peppers, but the deer ate all our other veggies.

Crafting: I dabble in various crafts, jewlery making, painting (acrylic on wood), sewing...

how'd you get started with jewelry making? i was a jewelcraft in wow, i think it would be kind of funny to make some of my own stuff. i also want to work with minerals and understand their musical properties, so i'm interested. thanks :D

Graphic Design - I moonlight from home running my small business. I think knowing basic design fundamentals and having an eye for visual aesthetics helps.

Snowboarding - started at 13 and has been my winter hobby since.

Soccer - I'm new at this, but it's fun and great exercise.

Bead Jewelry - my mom and I do this together. We mostly just take pictures of stuff we like and try to remake it with different colors or styles. My favorite jewelry to design is with pearls.

Scrabble - I am pretty good at Scrabble, and I have discovered Words With Friends, so I do that in my free time. Have always had an affinity for spelling and being good at word and spelling related things.

i like beads, it seems pretty simple. i saw akuma's necklace when i was a kid and thought it looked badass, i could see myself making my own bead necklace. do you buy the beads ahead of time or do you make your own? I'll probably end up carving wood beads, but making spheres is out of my league atm.

graphic design is dope, i do basic stuff for developing my own small info based sites. I learned how to make logos with vectors but i totally forgot how, what kinda business do you run?

jesus christ, zalius has his work cut out for him, some long fucking posts.

Reading - Used to scifi/fantasy, Palahniuk, Tom Robbins, but now more philosophy. Read part of Emerson's Nature years ago, picked it back up and, maybe this is some latent hipster bs, but I fucking love it.

Guitar/Music Theory/Music Composition - Forum name comes from Jackson Guitars. Just started playing classical, been composing for about 12 years, and have learned music theory in and out of school, though my music is mostly simple.

i am a masochist so it's ok.

at the simple thing though, there's nothing wrong with simplicity man. i'm big on working with contrast though, so i might be able to offer something useful to that extent.

one of the things that i noticed about buckethead's work is that he likes to contrast very simple ideas or lead them into very expressive parts. it has a "wtf where did that come from factor," but i think the guy also genuinely enjoys simple flowing melodies. a good example of that is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8akmP...ure=plpp_video (didn't embed on purpose, it's a live version of whitewash if you're unfamilar with it). aside from the 3 major tone changes he uses in the song, the melody is a slow moving mix of syncopation and hitting the beat in the first few repetitions, but it's mostly syncopated. after that though, it more or less explodes into a short bit of complexity, but it's the contrast that sets all that apart. because of the simplicity, when it's time for the higher intensity sections, it has a much more explosive feel to it from the contrast. that said though, the song is more simple than it is complex. if the rest of the song is set up around it, the difficult part of the solo only has to last for 5-15 seconds to hit a listener pretty hard, and writing in 64th notes for 15 seconds isn't THAT hard as long as you've got the patience to hammer out the phrasing until you're proud of it. after the solo in that song, he goes right back to the simple melody and i'm pretty sure that's intentional rather than spontaneous.

other than that i get my complexity fixes from animals as leaders & tool, but i'm in a pretty heavy learning period for prog that i should be adept in by the end of the next year or 2. working with 3, 5, and 7 meter progressions and complex progressions (ex, instead of playing 4/4, 4/4, 3/4 or 3/4, 3/4, 5/8, thinking in 7/4, 7/4, 7/8, 4/4, 4/4, 4/4, 4/4, 13/8 -). it's a mindfuck, but i want to go more complex than that too but my brain is feeble

There is no "finish" in martial arts. Black belt is only the beginning.

blackbelt is like the mmo equivalent of a level cap. it's not really the highest level, but it's the highest level.

Juggling: I've been juggling off and on for about a decade now and I'm pretty decent; I can keep up a 7 ball and 5 club cascade pretty well. I think the most common misconception about juggling is that hand-eye coordination is the key: they're wrong. The key to juggling well is muscle memory and making good throws. The mantra I keep repeating to myself sub-conscientiously while juggling is "good throws." If you can keep the objects passing through the same place in the air each time, it'll keep them from colliding and it will make it so that your catches are much easier.

Poker: I played poker semi-professionally through college online and I still get out to the casino to play probably 5 times a month now. The main key to playing poker well is to remember three things. 1) Range-figure out the likely range of hands that your opponent has and the range of hands he thinks you have and learn how to weight them properly. 2) Equity-figure out what your equity is in the hand right now and what it will most likely be if played out all the way using proper game theory techniques. 3) Maximize-figure out how to maximize your winnings in this hand and in the entire session. There are a lot of parallels between poker and video/table top gaming which is why some of the top poker pros now were former starcraft and M:TG "pros".

i'm terrible at juggling but i might try my hand at it. as for poker, the idea of tilting had a massive impact on my life, and i wish it was considered less of a poker term because it happens all over the place in people's lives. i played hold 'em for a while before the govt shutdown, idk if i'll go back, was fun though.

Reading: Not too many new series out there but I keep cycling through a collection of my classics. My favourites are the Dragonriders of Pern and the Talents from Anne/Todd McCaffrey. I also love Neil Stephenson's books (SnowCrash, The Big U, Zodiac, etc). I found I surprisingly enjoyed Twilight, and the Hunger Games I read recently was OK but not stellar. Also a lost of Raymond E Feist although they are pretty repetitive.

Cooking: I'm separated now and was able to reconnect with doing a lot of things for myself. I enjoy cooking, seem to have good instincts for it, and always enjoy learning.

Rope Bondage: Seriously. It's exciting, creative and the end results are beautiful. It builds trust and communication. You really need the right sort of partner though. My girlfriend is great. She's not passionate about it, but she enjoys the process. It can be as simple or complicated as you want, and it's not expensive.

Video Games: Mostly FFXI but also a good collection of Nintendo DS, PS2 and PS3 games. My favourites series of all time was probably Parasite Eve. Very creepy, especially the last battle of PE1.

...rope bondage? how is that a hobby, i thought that was a fetish. i'm confused.

go - but also generally any "thinking" game which mix long-term strategy with short-term tactics. Not so much on video games anymore.
cooking - both cooking dinners and recently starting to get into making desserts and other things
hanging out - I spend quite a lot of time just chilling with my friends, I guess that qualifies it as a hobby.

@hanging out, all comes down to your definition of a hobby i guess. i don't really see it as a hobby unless it's consciously rooted in personal growth while being enjoyable enough to earn your focus, but that's just me.