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Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

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Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#131

Post by philh »

j_baker wrote: post #123

I've begun to learn playing go. It's kind of hard to find people willing to play though.

You may know about this, but http://gokgs.com is an active online community. I don't think I've ever had to wait more than a few minutes for a match against someone similarly-ranked (my own rank's been anywhere between 15 and 25 kyu).

I don't know how easy it is to learn there, though. Playing offline, there's usually a stronger player around who can notice specific mistakes that I make and explain them to me after the game. ("You're being too submissive", "this is bad shape - play here instead".) Without them, I imagine I'd still find out what works, but I would improve much more slowly.

Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#133

Post by cynicalkane »

kashif wrote: post #61
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…

I play bridge too. http://bridgebaseonline.com is my online bridge resource. For those who want to get started this is a basic bidding overview - http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~hde/bidding.htm

Cool, what's your screenname? I go by ckane.

Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#134

Post by kashif »

cynicalkane wrote: post #133
kashif wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I play bridge too. http://bridgebaseonline.com is my online bridge resource. For those who want to get started this is a basic bidding overview - http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~hde/bidding.htm

Cool, what's your screenname? I go by ckane.

keios

Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#136

Post by hvghtx113 »

arohner wrote: post #24

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.

http://pickupultimate.com is a great place to find a place to play

Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#137

Post by dannyr »

yan wrote: post #19

I am a rock climber and have met or seen at least half dozen people on HN who also climb. Can't say enough nice things about it, gorgeous hobby. edit: I was also curious about this, and created a similar thread a while ago: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=862139

I used to climb and I'm looking to climb again later this year.

I used to go to Planet Granite in both SF and Sunnyvale and I got to meet a number of startup guys.

I usually do bouldering since I have no regular belay partner.

Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#138

Post by cperciva »

Does writing blog posts making fun of people who get crypto wrong count as a hobby? ;-)

I'm also a classical violinist and play in a local (amateur but quite good) symphony orchestra.

Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#140

Post by jazzychad »

1. Watching cartoons. Seriously. I'll watch an hour or so of old cartoons before going to sleep to unwind my brain from programming.

2. Playing music. This is my creative outlet. I play several instruments, and using music theory to create music is a different sort of way to be analytical and creative at the same time. I've always thought of music as the most universal way for people to appreciate math in its purest form, even if they don't realize it.

3. Bowling and Golf. Both are "sports" in that they are competitive and involve physical activity, but they can both be done alone and on my own time. They are also both very physics-based games which satisfies my need for mental engagement; consequently this makes me "that guy" in group bowling outings that takes it a bit too seriously :)

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