So, there are some things that most people do, playing games, watching movies or television, playing music. So let’s get specific.
What are some of your favorite things to do with your time? The more hyper specific the better?
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I build and fight combat robots. Think Battlebots but smaller.
I’m getting my kids started with LEGO Mindstorms! Sumo bots is the first idea that came up.
… I think my 13yo wants to go bigger. Welding, anyone?
I’d go with 3d printing before welding. You can so quite a bit with a 3d printer and the CAD skill you gain are quite useful. I printed most of the parts for my 3lb robot and it heald up quite well.
Thank you! He is actually looking into 3d printing but has not bought anything yet. I’d hate for him to spend too little and have a crappy experience with a poor printer; much rather pay some extra to have a solid start.
They are actually learning CAD/3D drawing at school - how cool is that??! Back in my day we had Commodore 64 and had to remember to press Enter before the line ended, because there was no such thing as automatic word wrap. Times have moved on!!
Do do you remember tamagotchi? The little electronic egg with a pet you should take care of? I collect those. They are more advanced now. They have color screens, they charge with USB, you can connect them and marry, have a whole families.
Painting expensive plastic with expensive paint.
Arguing with people on reddit.
Urban exploring (for lack of a better term) with no purpose other than to discover. I live in a city and I’m constantly just wandering around going down streets I’ve never been down or into alleys I’ve never been in or checking out stores I’ve never been to. This is my approach when I travel to other cities and other countries too, I often don’t have a plan for my trip/vacation, I just arrive there and then start to wander and see what I find.
paper models
Lately it’s been collecting Indie Perfumes. They are much more adventurous and complex than most mainstream scents. It’s really fun to pair scents with experiences or moods. I’ve roped my husband into it and it’s like a puzzle game to find scents for him as well.
Any favorite I could use as a present?
Not the op, but I really like Imaginary Authors scent lines. Specifically A City On Fire which smells like you were sitting next to a campfire for hours on end before you arrived wherever you are. Cape Heartache is also a really unique scent with strawberry and fir, so like a masculine sweet scent. And for something a lot less challenging, Fox in the Flower Field is also amazing. It leans more like a Chanel N°5 but cuts it with an ozone note that takes away the aldehydic note and replaced it with a darker undertone. I’d love to hear some other good scent houses people have used though too as I’m always looking for something new/exciting/different.
That’s a hard one! Do they use perfume already and have any scent preferences? I like foodie sweet scents, or vanilla scents.
I like sewing - I make a few pieces of clothing once in a while but usually I’m just mending things or adjusting the fit of store-bought clothes so that they look better on me.
I also love gardening - growing vegetables outside and mushrooms inside. I’m pretty new to both but the mushrooms in particular are really fun - many of them grow a lot faster than vegetables, so it’s exciting to have a faster feedback loop and try little experiments to find what works.
Sewing is one of the things I always wanted to get into, but I never found a good hook to pull me in. Any tips?
I think starting with alterations to clothes I bought at thrift stores or sales helped me a lot - I did a lot of that before I ever tried making something from a pattern. Even making a simple garment from scratch can feel like a big project, but if you’re just taking in the sides of a shirt (for example), it’s easier to get it done and feel good (even though picking out the seams first is so annoying)
Ohhhhh, I could tailor my t-shirt… Thank you :)
I really hope the sewing communities take off on here.
Yo I also do sewing and mushroom growing nice :D
Quite a few, actually
- Artisan Keycap collecting, to a lesser degree mechanical keyboards (I usually use them as displays to showcase my artisans)
- Boardgame collecting and playing. I’m a big fan of modern area control games. Also trying to design some. Slowly.
- I curate a magic the gathering commander cube. Hopefully mtgcube gets a community somewhere around here
- Reading, lots of fantasy there.
- EDM shows and festivals, recently. Probably have been going to too many, but I always jump in with both feet
Ohhhh, the keyboard thing sounds neat. I know some of my friends really love mechnical keyboards, but I haven’t see a lot of cutstom keycaps.
Got any favorites you’d like to show off?
Reading… I found this site that has quite a few novels of which authors post chapters weekly, bi-weekly or more…
https://royalroad.comMost of it is fiction/fantasy, quite a bit of it is litrpg
I can sink hours on this… Public transports, coffee break, lunch break, evening beer… I just can’t stop myself
I’m hoping that the r/fantasy and progressionfantasy groups move here. Currently rereading Cradle to catch up to Waybound
I enjoy building gunpla.
I got into contact juggling a decade or two ago. It is basically a form of juggling in which a clear or solid-colored ball stays in contact with your body to interesting effect. Think the Goblin King from the movie “Labyrinth”.
It is rare enough that you don’t meet many people that have seen it, and with enough of a learning curve that not many people that start ever really get anywhere with it.
-Edit- Random video of what I am talking about https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5MqvtiHpOw
Roller Derby - I strap on skates, pads, and helmet and then knock people on their ass. It’s great fun.
Hardware modding. Consoles, handhelds, old computers, RC cars… whatever.
I’m interested in learning how to solder, but not really sure how. I’m not a DIYer when it comes to electronics, so I don’t know what to practice on. I just feel like it’s a skill I should at least be familiar with.
I always recommended finding an old Playstation to learn on. They are incredibly simple in layout and the points take solder very easily.
Be sure to use some flux and you shouldn’t have too much of an issue.
At my company we have soldering station for learning purposes and when someone has never soldered anything we will just find some old/broken electronic device and let the person desolder everything on the board (and maybe solder some stuff back on). It’s great way to get a feeling for it and also is a good opportunity to learn about different components on the board. It’s less interesting than making something “functioning” but helps to reduce the fear of soldering “wrong” or breaking something.
I do enjoy bouldering and also jump rope. I suppose those are niche…
What’s bouldering? Is it just a different name for rock climbing?
It’s rock climbing but more specifically the type with no ropes or harness. Just the body and your chalk. The height ain’t high of course and there’s safety mats. Fun to solve those short problems.
