Ask HN: What are your (non-hn-related) hobbies? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What are your (non-hn-related) hobbies?

#121

Post by jscn » Tue, Oct 06, 2009, 12:10 AM UTC

jacoblyles wrote: post #6

Muay Thai, Jiu Jitsu. Learning the warrior mindset you need in the ring will change your perspective on a lot of things in life. And it will keep you in excellent shape, minus injuries.

Seconded. I spent a couple years training Muay Thai before getting bitten by the BJJ bug. I'm trying to fit in more standup again now, but I still try to spend at least an hour every weekday on the mats.

Having a very physical hobby keeps me grounded in reality after spending most of the day thinking about philosophy or writing or coding (I'm a student). There's a lot of pretty direct feedback about your improvement over time, too, which I find can be lacking in more intellectual pursuits.

Re: Ask HN: What are your (non-hn-related) hobbies?

#122

Post by tptacek » Tue, Oct 06, 2009, 12:54 AM UTC

mahmud wrote: post #34

mcantor wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Upvoted for beer & foreign languages, but at the risk of starting One Of Those Debates; why the video game hate?

Two reasons: 1) I am a knowledge-whore. I like to think that after doing something for a substantial time, I will come out of it having learned something. I would consider film culturally enriching, mostly because I watch fringe, independent or foreign films; For some reason, I have a very high opinion of filmmakers as artists. However, I can't say the same about video games or their artistic or cultural merit. I am…

I'm with you on video games, anime, and sci-fi/fantasy; for some reason, things targeted at geeks always rub me the wrong way. For instance, I can for the life of me not figure out why people enjoy Battlestar Galactica.

I'm not with you on TV. The best films I've seen in the past 5 years are nowhere nearly as good as The Wire or the first 4 seasons of The West Wing.

Re: Ask HN: What are your (non-hn-related) hobbies?

#123

Post by tptacek » Tue, Oct 06, 2009, 12:56 AM UTC

unalone wrote: post #39

mahmud wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Two reasons: 1) I am a knowledge-whore. I like to think that after doing something for a substantial time, I will come out of it having learned something. I would consider film culturally enriching, mostly because I watch fringe, independent or foreign films; For some reason, I have a very high opinion of filmmakers as artists. However, I can't say the same about video games or their artistic or cultural merit. I am…

So you hate video games for the same reason theatergoers hate the cinema at the turn of the century. You hate the current offering rather than the medium itself.

Video games suck up lots of time and leave you with nothing when you're done. Two hours spent bickering on IRC or Hacker News at least teaches you things. I'm not sure if that's exactly what mahmud said, but that's my reasoning, and I thought his was close to mine.

Re: Ask HN: What are your (non-hn-related) hobbies?

#124

Post by tptacek » Tue, Oct 06, 2009, 12:58 AM UTC

tricky wrote: post #62

mattmichielsen wrote: post #24

Brewing beer and working on sub-$1000 BMWs and Porsches.

I'm putting together an '88 924S for DE right now. The fuel pump went out on my $1400 e36 today at lunch. I'll fix it in the parking garage after work. I guess that means my hobbies include wrenching on german junk, playing synth rock twee core, snowboarding, running, and writing.

You got an E36 for $1400? How many miles?

Re: Ask HN: What are your (non-hn-related) hobbies?

#125

Post by chaosprophet » Tue, Oct 06, 2009, 1:45 AM UTC

Aircraft modelling. Particularly the executive jets. Time passes by in a whirl. Either that or Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Re: Ask HN: What are your (non-hn-related) hobbies?

#126

Post by acangiano » Tue, Oct 06, 2009, 2:07 AM UTC

tomjen2 wrote: post #104

paddy_m wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have thought of getting into fencing. DHH's article about it a couple years ago piqued my interest. Maybe I'm just elitist, but I think that with more obscure sports/hobbies you meet more interesting people. Anyone can play/talk about basketball, without much effort put in to play/learn about the sport. A sport like fencing though, requires a much more serious investment of time and follow through. Has anyone else…

That is funny, I started thinking about fencing (or rather sword fighting in general) a couple of weeks ago. Do you by chance have the link to his article? My google-fo seems week.

  Do you by chance have the link to his article? My google-fo seems week.

http://www.loudthinking.com/posts/2-getting-back-to-the-foil

Re: Ask HN: What are your (non-hn-related) hobbies?

#127

Post by Tichy » Tue, Oct 06, 2009, 5:54 AM UTC

varjag wrote: post #110

Documentary photography. It is in large part about social skills: getting access, asking questions, talking people in, negotiating through police fences etc. Something totally opposite to my dayjob.

Anything to look at on the web? I have a lot of respect for people going into the trenches.

Re: Ask HN: What are your (non-hn-related) hobbies?

#128

Post by mahmud » Tue, Oct 06, 2009, 6:33 AM UTC

lil_cain wrote: post #95

imack wrote: post #15

Rugby. Any adversity you encounter in day-to-day startup operations doesn't seem as bad as when it's compared with getting pummeled by Aussie and UK ex-pats.

league, or union?

Aussie Rules! :-P

Re: Ask HN: What are your (non-hn-related) hobbies?

#129

Post by mahmud » Tue, Oct 06, 2009, 6:34 AM UTC

varjag wrote: post #110

Documentary photography. It is in large part about social skills: getting access, asking questions, talking people in, negotiating through police fences etc. Something totally opposite to my dayjob.

How does one get in touch with documentary filmmakers and photographers to get them a scoop?

Re: Ask HN: What are your (non-hn-related) hobbies?

#130

Post by varjag » Tue, Oct 06, 2009, 9:08 AM UTC

Tichy wrote: post #127

varjag wrote: post #110

Documentary photography. It is in large part about social skills: getting access, asking questions, talking people in, negotiating through police fences etc. Something totally opposite to my dayjob.

Anything to look at on the web? I have a lot of respect for people going into the trenches.

Let's see.. here are couple of shots from post-elections protests in Minsk, Belarus, March 2006.

The night when results were announced. People look happy but really they were not, just reacting to a sarcastic joke off the stage. For whatever reason, this photo ended all over Chinese blogs in 2007, captioned as "people rejoicing New Year". http://www.thespiderawards.com/2007presentation/photoshow/no...

Paramedics working over a protester after a clash. He was delivering a portable toilet to the tent camp encircled by riot police. Broken ribs, concussion. I was the only photographer hinted to his coming, due to good networking with protesters; however I got caught up amidst the melee, so action shots turned lousy. http://s3.amazonaws.com/lightstalkers/images/60557/23_2_640....

Now, a less dramatic story. An agricultural fair in Orsha, Belarus. It was an old Pagan celebration of harvest, revived by the president. A dissonant mix of pseudo-folklore and 3rd world style heavy policing in classic Soviet entourage. A total insider show, where local brands and enterprises are mandated to participate (sort of a national exhibition), and with the president de-facto assuming the role of Harvest God. http://pa.photoshelter.com/gallery-slideshow/G0000vbMKecuSr4...

So nothing groundbreaking really, but remember, we're talking hobbies here :)