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The Four Hobbies, and Apparent Expertise

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Re: The Four Hobbies, and Apparent Expertise

#101

Post by sacrosancty »

PaulRobinson wrote: post #87

When you present a four square quadrant to measure something in terms of two values (axes), with two categorical values like this, I’d like to request you do it the same as every successful management consultancy and pitch deck in existence: the aspirational/better/best quadrant needs to be top right, not top left. I looked at this and immediately squinted, because it looked like doing the gear was the thing we shoul…

Who says any of the quadrants is aspirational? The author presents them as equally worthy, and why not? They're hobbies, not work. The whole point is to do what you enjoy. No need to feel bad for having a "bad" hobby.

Re: The Four Hobbies, and Apparent Expertise

#102

Post by Zababa »

rfrey wrote: post #30

For efficiency, I took up machining, where "Doing" and "Gear" have had a cosmic "merge cells" command applied to them. The only reason to own machining equipment is to USE it... to create tools and fixtures to improve your machining equipment.

It works with software/programming too, you can create your own tools the same way you create your "end product".

Re: The Four Hobbies, and Apparent Expertise

#103

Post by glogla »

dehrmann wrote: post #89
glogla wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You forgot the people who love SQL and people who hate SQL.

How one feels about SQL is moot because it isn't really a choice. Same for shell and client-side Javascript.

Yes, but people will still not stop complaining and arguing about all of those.

Re: The Four Hobbies, and Apparent Expertise

#104

Post by criddell »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #63

I’ve found some of the most useful people on forums like StackOverflow, have very little experience actually shipping product. They are often my “go to” people, for things like the correct way to do stuff, or for rabbithole exploration of technology/technique, but it comes more from a place of theory, than it does, from practical application. This is not always a bad thing. In fact, it can be a very good thing. I’m v…

> There’s a lot of looking down of noses, between “doers,” “talkers,” and “thinkers,” but I’ve found it’s best to have respect for each other, and combine our strengths.

Nicely said. While “those who can, do; those who can’t teach” is funny, it’s usually so, so wrong.

Re: The Four Hobbies, and Apparent Expertise

#105

Post by pbmonster »

NegativeLatency wrote: post #43
dehrmann wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> With running, it's harder to believe that the gear is what's holding me back from performance. Running reminds me of strength training. No one thinks a new barbell is going to add 10% to their one-rep max.

I do some triathlons a couple to times a year, and I find it enjoyable to beat people on a steel frame bike with lower quality / older gear. Also riding a recumbent really gives you perspective on what a fast bike is. No amount of carbon fiber can beat the more streamlined and comfortable position.

> Also riding a recumbent really gives you perspective on what a fast bike is. No amount of carbon fiber can beat the more streamlined and comfortable position.

Until the uphill starts...

Re: The Four Hobbies, and Apparent Expertise

#106

Post by nevi-me »

I've had to be deliberate about what I do with embedded programming.

I sat down to introspect, and realised that I was:

- learning the inner workings of various electronics

- learning #![no_std] Rust

- learning about software standards like Matter

- doing projects that I never complete

- reading, discussing, watching

From the 4 quadrants, I don't think I was doing enough of the first, being to produce DIY devices that I can use around the house. It was only when I deliberately decided to focus on the first, that I was able to tame my time spent on the other 3 quadrants.

That has sometimes meant accepting that I should use things like ESPHome, build my firmware/software in C and C++, etc.

Else my expertise will forever be theoretical, not the reason why I got into embedded development in the first place.

Re: The Four Hobbies, and Apparent Expertise

#107

Post by 7952 »

sveme wrote: post #100
gensym wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is exactly why I switched my sport of choice from cycling to running. In cycling, I kept getting pulled into the gear and tinkering. (It didn't help that I raced cyclocross, so during race season, every Monday was spent cleaning and repairing the result of the previous day's races). TBH, it was fun, but if I spent as much time training as I did tinkering, maybe I would have had some decent race results. With run…

But rock climbing doesn't have the gear heads of other hobbies - at least, I've never encountered these. There are definitely people that enjoy the technical aspects of how to best secure yourself with your gear, what knots to use and so on, but otherwise I haven't had many of these discussions. On that aspect, rock climbing and especially bouldering are very similar to running. Don't get me started on trail running,…

YouTube seems to have some gear focused channels like HowNOT2.

Re: The Four Hobbies, and Apparent Expertise

#108

Post by pbmonster »

dehrmann wrote: post #32
gensym wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is exactly why I switched my sport of choice from cycling to running. In cycling, I kept getting pulled into the gear and tinkering. (It didn't help that I raced cyclocross, so during race season, every Monday was spent cleaning and repairing the result of the previous day's races). TBH, it was fun, but if I spent as much time training as I did tinkering, maybe I would have had some decent race results. With run…

> With running, it's harder to believe that the gear is what's holding me back from performance. Running reminds me of strength training. No one thinks a new barbell is going to add 10% to their one-rep max.

Not a new barbell, no. But there is potential for endless fiddling with nutrition, supplements and exercise plans.

More than enough gym bros enjoy taking about 3x12, 5x5, creatine shake timing and hormones more than lifting heavy things.

Re: The Four Hobbies, and Apparent Expertise

#109

Post by RHSman2 »

jiggawatts wrote: post #14

I started off in the "enjoying collecting gear" quadrant of photography, then I heard an insightful comment by a pro: "If you have $5K, you can either buy one good lens and use it to take photos of the pigeons outside your apartment, or spend that money on a destination holiday and take pictures of amazingly beautiful places with your old lens which still works perfectly fine." I stopped buying new kit and started go…

As an ex pro photographer (not great as I am an ex!) but the best camera is the one easy to access and use. While my photos don't have the three dimensional quality they used to have, they are in the moment and captured by doing rather than doing photography. iPhone Camera. Incredible.

Re: The Four Hobbies, and Apparent Expertise

#110

Post by xmcqdpt2 »

RHSman2 wrote: post #96
dehrmann wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> With running, it's harder to believe that the gear is what's holding me back from performance. Running reminds me of strength training. No one thinks a new barbell is going to add 10% to their one-rep max.

What is hilarious in road cycling is all the middle aged men who really do believe that kit = faster. If you have any basic bike of a reasonable standard, it is ALL about hours, weight and power. Nothing else. On a one hr climb up a 10% mountain, nothing is gonna save your fat ass.

Yeah, having a 3k$ carbon bike or a 1k$ aluminum model doesn't make a difference that's true. However, having good cycling clothes is way more comfortable, as is a lightweight helmet. A more upright bicycle absolutely robs you of energy due to wind resistance, even at low-ish speeds on flats (30 km/h).

I could exercise on my 40 lbs, 3 speed upright 1940s english roadster in jeans and a sweater for cred, but that doesn't sound fun at all. People who don't cycle (unlike me and you I guess) can't price cycle kit by eye so they'll see me in lycra and think that I'm some dentist when in fact my gear is all very reasonably priced, comfortable and appropriate to my level.

Also, it always bother me that people talk about 10,000$ bikes or whatever which is very far from reality, meanwhile they buy 45,000$ cars when 20,000$ cars exist and no one bats an eye.

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