I love to cook and I'm puzzled why more Hackers don't. To me, cooking is the anti-thesis of coding. Both are about the deeply satisfying act of creation but one is abstract, permanent and virtual. The other is visceral, messy and temporary. This yin-yang balance appeals to me immensely and both are major parts of my life.
Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?
141–150 of 192 posts
Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?
#142Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (no-gi), surfing and classical/figurative painting. I used to be a street performer and avid skateboarder when I was a teenager.
Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?
#143I love to cook and I'm puzzled why more Hackers don't. To me, cooking is the anti-thesis of coding. Both are about the deeply satisfying act of creation but one is abstract, permanent and virtual. The other is visceral, messy and temporary. This yin-yang balance appeals to me immensely and both are major parts of my life.
I love to cook as well. I find is a very relaxing thing to do with a sense of completion at the end. When you are hacking on a long project you may not get that sense of completion.
Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?
#144I'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.
My friend Fred Gitelman would suggest that some of Warren Buffet's best friends are bridge players:
Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?
#145I'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…
Can you give me an example of thinking critically and rationally vs thinking analytically?
I tried to use 'thinking analytically' to describe the calculation-evaluation cycle that is present in so many strategy games, especially chess-style games. I guess it wasn't a very good descriptor. Anyway, it's too late to edit it.
The typical chess mental game involves chains of calculations to visualize future positions, then evaluating those positions based on the potential of good or bad chains of moves. "Strategic" plays are based on the possibility of generating or preventing future tactical plays.
Bridge is more a game of inferences; out of the 26 or 39 cards you can't see (depending on the phase of play), the most important part of the game is guessing how those cards are distributed and planning for the contingencies that might arise (or the ones you need to arise). There are very few situations that involve long chains of calculations and possible positions; most of it is planning correctly, estimating probabilities (unless you're one of those talented people who can do the exact math in their heads), and good guesswork. Or at least that's how I play it...
It's very refreshing to play a game that works out those areas of the mind, which are so important, but for which there are few direct workouts. The best play is usually clear post-mortem, and hands change every 7 or 8 minutes, so you get a lot of quick, direct feedback.
The second most important part of bridge is communicating with your partner based on the limited language of putting cards down on a table, and the reason it's not the first most important part is because communicating correctly depends on inferring correctly, planning, and understanding partner's plans.
Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?
#146I 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
Anyone in or traveling to the Southern Ontario area is welcome to look me up for a trip to nearby crags or gyms.
Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?
#147I love to cook. Something that I find most of us geeks are really bad at. Amazes me how many of my friends can't do simple things with a piece of meat and some veggies, but also how uneducated they are about food in general (The fault of the North American system, probably.) When it comes to cooking, I do it daily. Love doing Italian and French Cuisine and just sometimes picking at random from one of my cook books. I…
The fault of the North American system, probably.
What the hell is the North American system?
Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?
#148I'm surprised home brewing (beer) isn't more common. I thoroughly enjoy making my own recipes as it is a sort of cross between the art of cooking and science of chemistry.
My brews get better each time.
My friend and I started http://brewadvice.com (based on the Stack Exchange) platform. The community has been very helpful.
Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?
#149Does 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.
Does writing blog posts making fun of people who get crypto wrong count as a hobby? ;-)
I believe that's more of a public service. :)
Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?
#150Kayaking and mountain biking, nothing extreme, just a way to be closer to nature and admire it in all its grandeur.
My dream would be kayaking the glaciers at banff national park, alberta canada. That turquoise lake is just a feast to the eyes, and the soul.