31–40 of 128 posts
Its very humbling to know that we're nothing but a tiny speck on the Universe, and there's gazillions of stars, galaxies and most probably life doing the same things that we do, and thats cool. Go figure.
Rock Climbing, specifically Bouldering, makes a great hobby for a computer programmer: 1. It works the right muscles to fight all the terrible things that programming does to your body. Slouching fixed, wrist issues fixed, obesity fixed. 2. It's crazy fun and addictive. You will make time to go climbing. There is no concept of "I should probably go climbing but..." like there is with the gym, running, etc. If it's ph…
Seems like your body'd be your own worst enemy in that situation.
i started about 3 years ago when i was already past 30, so i'm one of the new crop of "old newbies" that emerged with the recent crossfit craze (never tried that though). i'm not especially strong and i probably won't ever get near where my 20 year old colleagues are, but i don't care much about that. i train 3 to 4 times a week for about 2 to 3 hours.
why do i do it: the physical exertion really helps me relax after a day of sitting and intense, concentrated work in front of the screen. it also prevents my posture from getting worse by strengthening my back muscles and really, really hammering correct posture into my daily routine. the increased strength and muscle mass helps preventing every day injuries and - well, this is an investment in the far future - age related maladies like osteoporosis or mobility problems. of course i also like the body that comes with it (not all weightlifters are overweight - to the contrary).
furthermore an intense training session really improves my mood. no matter how grumpy, tired and powerless i feel, the more i actually want to work out, even if i'm not in the mood for it - because i know i'll feel a lot better afterwards.
why weightlifting is cool: lets be honest - being able to push more than your bodyweight in iron over your head is kind of cool. looking good naked doesn't hurt either. the risk of injury is comparably low - it's actually one of the sports with the lowest risk of injury for several reasons:
* it's single player. you don't get tackled or rushed or injured by others (whether on purpose or by accident). you're in control. if you get hurt, it's almost always your own fault due to not being being careful.
* you don't twist around, so the risk of tearing your ligaments is low.
* it's an extremely technical sport; it takes years to perfect your technique. better technique leads to more weight lifted, even if your bodily strength didn't improve that much. with good technique, the risk of injury is low. without good technique, you aren't able to lift a lot of weight. it's practically self regulating. and usually you train with a trainer who corrects your form. even fitness training in a gym is more dangerous. of course, injuries do happen occasionally and you're rarely completely without pain - something always hurts, even if it's only sore muscles.
downsides of weightlifting:
you do need specialised equipment; a platform and standard gym bars don't cut it either. without a weightlifting club nearby you're probably out of luck.
due to the lack of lifters i do have to compete for my club (where i train), whether i want it or not (except for reasons, of course - injury, exams, family, vacation, ...). that means every couple of weeks a whole saturday is practically lost for prep and the competition (doesn't bother me much, i kind of like competing even though i'm always overly nervous). also athletes at our club are paid an allowance for competing (for the time invested), so the club membership fee for the year is actually negative.
Powerlifting - It allows me to eat what I want whenever I want because my body burns more calories at rest. It also is a good outlet for stress and rewarding when you hit goals that you worked towards. Calligraphy - Cheap to get in. Bought a parallel pen for something like $11 and some Claire Fontaine paper and started learning. It's very much a hobby that you get out what you put in. No artistic ability required, an…
Just because you exercise doesn't mean you can eat what ever you want. I wish it worked that way. http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB100014240527023039497045794613...
Triathlon - Obviously a great source of exercise. Teaches you to expand yourself (time, goals, etc.) because you have to train for swimming, biking and running. Races are competitive, but the racers are also very friendly (perks of a somewhat niche sport). And then of course it's always a wow factor among others since races last from 15 miles ("sprints") to 140 miles (Ironman).
Building electronics, studying computer engineering, physics, mathematics, in addition to computer science, programming, logic, formal languages, various theories of philosophy, psychology, cognitive science - this is because I usually feel like I am drowning in information, so I study, refine, simplify, and create strong associations in my mind of core concepts that I discover through carefully and tenderly planned activities of observation and thought. I do not care if they are linguistically inexpressible, it's like finding the perfect models for every field, that build the foundation and explain the creation of all the other things (or are capable of being questioned, elaborated on, relabeled or categorized, or destroyed, depending on whether they retain their truth characteristics).
Zen Buddhism - for when I repeatedly hit the same vague mental wall that the above procedure constructs. I can't prove that it exists or why, but I know it exists and it bothers me, sometimes.
Why: 'When there is a humanitarian crisis, such as the Nepal earthquake, OpenStreetMap (OSM) volunteers from around the world rapidly digitize satellite imagery to provide maps and data to support humanitarian organizations deployed to the affected countries.'
see other info + "How To Get Involved" :http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/2015_Nepal_earthquake
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"The Internet Mapmakers Helping Nepal"
How "crisis mappers" activate after a catastrophe
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/05/the-ma...
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"How hundreds of volunteer mappers are helping to keep Nepal earthquake aid from getting lost"
http://scroll.in/article/724301/how-hundreds-of-volunteer-ma...
It's also possible to achieve great results because your process can be really close to a professional one at a much smaller scale, plus it's easy to have access to the same ingredient diversity and quality as any microbrewery.
It's a great hobby overall but it's best to pair it with another one where you move. :)
Woodworking, specifically with hand tools. I love everything about it. The history and tradition of the craft and seeing the work of craftsman around me, especially when travelling. Satisfaction from finishing a project or applying a newly learned technique. Not to mention that wood as a medium is both challenging and rewarding. This comment could never do it justice.