Ask HN: What are your hobbies, and why are they cool? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What are your hobbies, and why are they cool?

#91

Post by bstamour » Fri, May 08, 2015, 2:59 PM UTC

manlio wrote: post #59

bstamour wrote: post #15

I practice/teach martial arts 2-4 times a week. People pay me to hit them, and that's why it's so cool :-) Joking aside, it's a great way to stay in shape, and the people at my dojo are fantastic - they're like a second family to me.

Could you elaborate on what kind of MAs are you into? I always wanted to try, but I hate the hyper aggressive, macho-alpha-thing attitude that I suspect I'd find in, say, the box gym down the road. Is it even a true stereotype?

I practice Isshinryu, a particular style of Karate. We place about equal emphasis on traditional aspects of Karate (empty-handed forms, or "katas", traditional weapons, etc), as well as in sparring. While we do occasionally get the odd macho-man in our club, the vast majority of us are regular people looking for a fun way to stay in shape.

As for your stereotype, it really depends on the gym. I'd say if you're looking to do mixed martial arts of boxing, the probability of finding a meathead-alpha-gym will be higher, but there are MMA and boxing gyms that are also laid back. So in a nutshell, you really have to take it on a gym-by-gym basis. If you're looking at getting into MA, find a place close to you, and sit in and observe a few classes before giving it a try, and be aware of the vibes you get from it. If you get a decent feeling about the place, see if you can try a lesson or two for free, to see if it's for you. Repeat this process for other gyms and soon you'll find the one for you :-)

Re: Ask HN: What are your hobbies, and why are they cool?

#92

Post by cpncrunch » Fri, May 08, 2015, 3:18 PM UTC

Flying planes:

http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/CpnCrunch/library/?sort=3&...

Re: Ask HN: What are your hobbies, and why are they cool?

#93

Post by k__ » Fri, May 08, 2015, 3:22 PM UTC

Gaming, Coding and Music (Guitar/Bass).

Because you can start them without leaving the house and I have always been a little bit awkward in social situations.

They are cool because they have a huge variety. No game is the same, there is plenty of software that can be developed and an abundance of songs that can be played. Also I can create my own songs and games if I like to.

After I became better with the outside world I started stuff like swimming, and biking. They are a bit limited in their variety, but swimming is in the water, which is good when getting heat-up while doing physically demanding stuff and biking is a rather practical thing I can do on a everyday basis to get from A to B and also for leisure in the wild.

Re: Ask HN: What are your hobbies, and why are they cool?

#94

Post by MrGando » Fri, May 08, 2015, 3:44 PM UTC

Fly Fishing, more than a hobby it quickly turns into a philosophy...a way of life. You become a protector of nature, your surroundings. It has many facets, if you want to do delicate work with your hands you can pickup fly tying, fly casting can be a highly technical sport on it's own. And then there's al the trickery of the dozens of fly fishing styles and techniques...

If you want a good excuse to immerse yourself in nature, understand some living systems, and catch a fish (to release it), pick up Fly Fishing... It changed my life.

Re: Ask HN: What are your hobbies, and why are they cool?

#95

Post by balabaster » Fri, May 08, 2015, 3:56 PM UTC

slayed0 wrote: post #63

balabaster wrote: post #54

Homesteading I guess I'd say "cool" is in the eye of the beholder, but here is what I really enjoy about it: - It reduces my dependence on mainstream living. - It increases my ability to live sustainably. - It reduces my cost of living immensely which frees up my income for more interesting projects. - It's incredibly cheap to get into, it costs next to nothing for seeds for a few plants to start small and a handful…

This is the dream... Unfortunately it doesn't seem feasible to set something like this up in my SF apartment so for now it will have to wait.

The problem isn't that it's not feasible. The problem is your SF apartment. If it's really the dream, reprioritize, find a property that does allow it, ditch the apartment and never look back ;)

Re: Ask HN: What are your hobbies, and why are they cool?

#96

Post by gadders » Fri, May 08, 2015, 3:59 PM UTC

Strength Training.

It's cool because:

1) Being strong is an awesome thing to be. It's like a secret superpower when you can lift heavier stuff than other people.

2) It's objective. The weights I am moving either get heavier, or they don't.

3) It has loads of health benefits, especially as I am 44 next month and stuff is starting to go south. Strength training prevents muscle loss and strengthens my bones.

4) I go at lunchtime, so it gives me a slice of "alone-time" in the middle of the day where I can reflect on things. I get some of best work ideas in the gym.

Re: Ask HN: What are your hobbies, and why are they cool?

#97

Post by gadders » Fri, May 08, 2015, 4:02 PM UTC

MrGando wrote: post #94

Fly Fishing, more than a hobby it quickly turns into a philosophy...a way of life. You become a protector of nature, your surroundings. It has many facets, if you want to do delicate work with your hands you can pickup fly tying, fly casting can be a highly technical sport on it's own. And then there's al the trickery of the dozens of fly fishing styles and techniques... If you want a good excuse to immerse yourself…

You can also keep the odd fish, and cook what you caught yourself. That's pretty cool too.

Re: Ask HN: What are your hobbies, and why are they cool?

#98

Post by IkmoIkmo » Fri, May 08, 2015, 4:06 PM UTC

Derpdiherp wrote: post #18

Motorcycles - There's no feeling like it, you get time to unwind and be in your own head if you need it, or you can push the envelope and empty your head of everything but the road. The maintenance / mechanics side is really rewarding as well.

It's one of the few reasons I regret living in a very urban area in Europe (Amsterdam), there's very little space. I'm completely fine with that in terms of a home, I don't need a massive kitchen and massive bedrooms etc. But I really wish I had a garden and a garage. If I had either of those I'd love to get into motorcycles. Without them, it just feels like my expensive toy is out there on the street and if anything ever happens to it, I can't tinker away patiently, I pay a guy to fix it or rent a workspace and fix it on a timer.

I've watched a ton of videos on repairs and maintenance and modifications etc. I can't imagine really enjoying it that much if that element is removed.

Beyond that I'd be pretty scared of riding a lot. Does anyone have some statistics on this? I always had the impression that even if you ride perfectly, you're vulnerable to other people's mistakes. Bf of a friend of mine got killed that way.

Re: Ask HN: What are your hobbies, and why are they cool?

#99

Post by elorant » Fri, May 08, 2015, 4:09 PM UTC

rock8y wrote: post #66

elorant wrote: post #62

Massage. Both giving and taking. It relaxes me, even when I give one. Farming, where I grow my own vegetables in a small garden I have in the back of my vacation’s house. I have the opportunity to eat organic vegetables but the real benefit is that I’m exposed to nature and that has a soothing effect in my mind. I also have a small winery where I produce my own wine. I don’t know if this would apply as a hobby but I…

Elorant, Is there an inexpensive way to be a masseur you are aware of ? Every school seems to be expensive where I live at.

I live in Greece so I doubt my experience would be of any use to you. For the record though I attended lessons at a private institution. And by the way you can check YouTube [1], there are thousands of good instructional videos about massage, from Thai to Swedish.

[1] Here's one example of a good massage channel I've found: https://www.youtube.com/user/psychetruth

Re: Ask HN: What are your hobbies, and why are they cool?

#100

Post by IkmoIkmo » Fri, May 08, 2015, 4:10 PM UTC

bdat wrote: post #79

jasonkester wrote: post #3

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…

Hello fellow boulderer! I have seen (anecdotally) that climbing has adverse effects on slouching. Your back muscles grow disproportionately to your chest muscles producing rounded, hunched shoulders.

The muscle growth you describe would have the opposite effect. Back muscles help pull the arms and back to the back.

That's just a general rule though. If you hang from your shoulders but let your shoulders go, instead of pulling them back (which builds back muscles), I can imagine a slouched look developing. But if you pull back your shoulders it'll have the opposite effect, building muscle that improves your form.

I guess at the end of the day you have to focus on the sport you love, and do correcting exercises to keep your body in balance on the side. Most sports have lots of repetition on key moves and they lead to all kinds of issues, so I'd argue this is true for any sport.