Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 192 posts

Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#21

Post by gmjosack »

One of my favorite things to do is to go out and travel. Leave the computer at home for the weekend or a week and go visit somewhere new. Spend some time with friends and loved ones. As a side hobby, I've really been into taking pictures because I want a photo journal of all of those experiences and I want them to be as good as possible.

Some great resources for traveling are Spirit Airlines and Travelzoo.com. With Spirit you can pay something like 40 dollars a year and they will send you deals every few days in the mail with flights as low as $9 (plus tax). Travel Zoo sends amazing deals weekly.

In addition to that I love cycling, wakeboarding, cooking, and lots more but they mostly all involve getting out of the house and away from a computer.

Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#22

Post by yan »

ryanwaggoner wrote: post #20

Flying (halfway through pilot training), scuba diving, travel, reading, and I hope to take up sailing later this year. I tend to enjoy things that combine multiple skills and disciplines into one activity. For example, becoming a pilot requires proficiency in a variety of technical areas such as navigation, weather, and aircraft operating procedures, but it also requires learning airmanship and the art of flying the…

I really enjoyed flying when I used to fly. After ~35 hours, I ended up soloing twice and then had to stop. (Initially due to a long stretch of poor weather, then a re-evaluation of my financial situation :))

Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#23

Post by Casperin »

PieSquared wrote: post #16

Capoeira. It's a mix of Brazilian martial arts, music, culture, dance, and game, and one which requires physical training as well as the ability to think quickly and creatively on one's feet, and it teaches you how to truly control your body, something most people never learn to do. Many people don't know much about it, but it's a beautiful sport. (Martial art, not dance. Common misconception is that it's non-contact…

I used to do Capoeira too until I broke my wrist. My knees weren't too happy about it either.

Now I do climbing (no, it's not as hard on the wrists). As much as I enjoyed Capoeira, I have to say, that I enjoy the whole "me vs the wall" aspect - especially bouldering. I suppose it's because I'm an introvert. :)

Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#24

Post by arohner »

Ultimate Frisbee. It's real good exercise (which hackers need), and there's something peaceful about throwing a frisbee. Plus "reading" the disc (figuring out where it's going to land) is interesting because a disc has a few more degrees of freedom than a ball.

Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#25

Post by potatolicious »

hopeless wrote: post #15
dthakur wrote: post #5

Photography ( http://divya.ca ) and Motorcycling

Photography too... particularly landscape and wildlife photography. It forces you to get outside, to wait, to be still and patient.

Photography also :) glad to see some photogs on HN. I do mostly street photography - I find that it gets me engaged with people and forces me to be much more social than I'd otherwise be (I do stare at a screen all day for my day job...)

[edit] Also, working in an industrial kitchen. Nothing like getting your hands dirty that takes your mind off brainy matters like programming.

In the end IMHO the best hacker hobbies are the ones that are mentally nothing like hacking at all.

Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#26

Post by roel_v »

MMA. In my experience the technical sophistication and methodical nature of submission setups appeals to people who are abstract thinkers. Many people need to get over the bar brawler reputation though :) Don't worry, most practitioners are a lot smarter than the typical Tapout fan :)

Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#27

Post by _3ex7 »

sjsivak wrote: post #7

Cooking is probably my favorite hobby, I love doing something with my hands and really feeling accomplished when I make a great meal. This may sound childish, but I also really enjoy building and playing with LEGOs. I just have a few sets but I constantly rebuild them and I find it is an interesting thing to do while listening to music.

Cooking is mine as well. It is an invaluable skill for man, woman, and child.

Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#28

Post by rubyrescue »

yan wrote: post #22
ryanwaggoner wrote: post #20

Flying (halfway through pilot training), scuba diving, travel, reading, and I hope to take up sailing later this year. I tend to enjoy things that combine multiple skills and disciplines into one activity. For example, becoming a pilot requires proficiency in a variety of technical areas such as navigation, weather, and aircraft operating procedures, but it also requires learning airmanship and the art of flying the…

I really enjoyed flying when I used to fly. After ~35 hours, I ended up soloing twice and then had to stop. (Initially due to a long stretch of poor weather, then a re-evaluation of my financial situation :))

i loved flying and hope to go back to doing some at some point. i have about 150 hours, flew some fun high performance and complex aircraft. just too expensive to keep up...

Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#30

Post by mrduncan »

cynicalkane wrote: post #18

I'd like to tout an increasingly rare hobby among younger people (non-retirees): Bridge, the card game. It has a rule structure and that hidden-information element that appeals to nerds, but it forces you to think critically and rationally instead of analytically (usually--opportunities for highly analytical plays pop up), and forces you to be able to relate with another person both at and away from the table, since…

Based on a CNBC special I saw a year or two ago, I believe Warren Buffett is also regular bridge player.
Post reply on HN