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Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

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151–160 of 192 posts

Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#152

I 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?

That was kind of a vague swipe at North American food culture and schooling in general.

I didn't mean to much harm, but in summary .. we are not educated about food/cooking in elementary or secondary school (There are classes, but fully optional) .. and well, look at what most people in America eat. Snobby? Sure, but it's true.

Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#153
post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Oh cool.. do you have any of your photos online? I'm also into street photography: running a photoblog where I post a photo every workday ( http://journal.boblycat.org/cosmozoo ). Still going strong since 2005 or so, and I concur it's a great compliment to screen-gazing.

Sure do: http://www.flickr.com/photos/potatolicious/

Nice pictures :) I wish I could keep up a shoot rate of one a day... Nothing kills the creative eye quite like code all day ;)

Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#154
post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Indeed. In fact, Buffet and Gates often play bridge together, both online and IRL.

Tough to go against those guys in a cash game :)

Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#155

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…

I still love my Saturday morning cartoons.

Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#156
post #38

I play the didgeridoo. I picked up this hobby after my lung collapsed spontaneously, and the surgeon recommended that I learn to play a wind instrument. Since the medical bills came out to over $100,000 dollars (paid with cash money FTW), I didn't much feel like spending money on a really expensive instrument that I might not even like. I also set aside an hour or two a day to read classic literature, or hard-to-read…

Mastered circle breathing yet? My brother-in-law is a dig player. It's just freaky to hear him play a note for minutes on end...

Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#159

I'm really into metal casting. Got into a few years ago by bastardizing a kiln I found on craigslist. Have since moved on to building my own propane furnaces and rigging old microwaves to melt copper. I don't know that I'm actually any "good" at it, but I do enjoy it a lot. I like working with a material that you have to respect highly or it will burn a hole straight through you. And I have been able to cast some rud…

I went to the local blacksmithing group just this week. I think I'm going to join. The work looks like fun and I liked the social atmosphere (slightly grumpy old guys who reminded me of my dad). > rigging old microwaves to melt copper Whoa. I guess you're still here to type about it . . .

I have had a lot of fun blacksmithing (although haven't done it for a while).

Re: Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies?

#160

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.

I love cooking as well - it's the cleanup after that keeps me from doing it more often - I hate doing the dishes.
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