It can be whatever you think would fit the criteria. I'm interested in knowing what y'all are interested in. For me, I'm a heavy supporter of American football and Canadian football. It doesn't much fit the demographic of "pasty basement nerd," but there you go.
EDIT: Hot damn, it's reached 100 posts. I'm sure that half of them are mine, but whatever. I feel like I've peaked too soon.
The carillon. The carillon is the instrument which controls and makes up church bells. In order to be a carillon, there have to be 23 bells, or two octaves minus two notes (trad. Bottommost dflat and eflat) - otherwise it's just a chimes and chimes are boring. The only other carillonneur I know on hubski is birchbarkcanoe. We're a rare breed. Maybe I'll post a video of me playing sometime.
So, funny story. Back in college I spent a summer building Electric hot rods out in Port Townsend, WA. Which is an odd little berg; they filmed An Officer and a Gentleman out there. It would have been the "big city" in Washington except that the rails came and it was on the wrong side of the sound. There's a saying about Port Townsend: "Port Townsend used to be nothing but sailors, indians and assholes and now the indians are all dead and the sailors have all sailed away." Anyway. It's the kind of place where you could find electric hot rodders in 1995. As you might imagine, that sort of business park has other interesting occupants, like, say, Olympic Carillon. Yes, they make carillons. Yes, they build them out there. Yes, I got to walk around and talk to the guys that ran the shop - a couple of brothers who, for bizarre reasons, opened a carillon shop on the wrong side of the Sound. It was a hell of a summer. I lived on top of the bathroom in a quanset hut. I had maybe an 8x8 space. I never once heard a carillon chime, which sucked... but they banged on 'em every now and then. Fast forward fourteen years. Me and my not-yet-wife are clearing stuff and preparing to move down to California. She played oboe; I played oboe. She played oboe well; I didn't. She had an awesome old oboe that she decided she was going to get rid of because if you don't keep up your embouchure you might as well give up. So we took it to the guy her old music teacher recommended - pretty much the premiere oboe dealer in the US who happened to be up in Bellingham where we both did undergrad (me, some; her, all). And we get there and it's this nice dude and he was looking down his nose at her oboe 'cuz it was a Fox until he played it and then I swear to christ he got all weepy it sounded so good and he was ecstatic to have it he knew exactly the customer for it and isn't this lovely and I saw a picture of a carillon in his office. I inquired. "Oh, yes, my brother and I build them. Not many people know what they are." We then had to have a chat about that time we met fourteen years earlier when that weird electric hot rod shop opened up next door.
Wow! That is a really nice carillon. (whispers look at this! birchbarkcanoe)
Oh my goodness that is a really nice carillon.
it was really beautiful. It's about 6 stories up in a brand new tower on campus. It was super cool. The carillon player was super friendly and even let me strike a few notes. He was prepping for the big ceremonial ribbon cutting. You can see the video screen to his right - the orchestra was going to play on the ground and he had to watch the conductor (with a slight video delay) and try to keep up and play with the orchestra. It was really cool.
I'd venture a guess that I know the most here about running. I was a captain on my cc/track teams in high school and college. My senior year of college I got up to a little over 100 miles/week. My best mile is a 4:17, and my best 5k is a 15:01. Since graduating two years ago, I've done a couple half marathons and won them both. This last fall I started coaching a high school team, which has been a blast. One of my teammates that was a year older than me on my small college team (~20 people) is now a professional runner, and ran in the US 10k track championships last year. He has one of the 10 fastest D3 10Ks ever run (I think he's 8th or 9th).
I had no idea, that's awesome! Anther shameless plug, but did you ever see our "Running Sucks," video/podcast? Check it out: Do you ever do the "ultra" marathons? Those seem a bit crazy to me and not very good for your body. In fact, my guess is that anything over a half probably isn't the best for your heart/body. I could be wrong though. You're the expert though, what do you think?
That's an excellent episode of the podcast - thanks for sharing! I hadn't heard that one. I've never done any ultras, or any marathons for that matter. I've worked up to 20 milers in training. I'm considering trying my hand at a couple marathons in 2016, but I'm not sure yet. I'm just not sure how much I'd enjoy it. I think the half is a great distance. I'd say you nailed it - anything over a half marathon can potentially be real hard on the body. Different bodies can be better equipped to handle it, but the stress of consistent marathon (or ultra) training will almost certainly have a detrimental effect down the line. The big one is knees getting wobbly, which often doesn't kick in until years after a person's hardest running is over. During training, the shin splints, IT bands, and planar flescitis can get pretty rough as well. Still, sometimes I get pretty jealous of people who do ultras. The feeling I get after a great long run is one of my favorite feelings in the world. A girl I dated in high school has a sister who's one of the top women in the ironman triathlon in the US, and she's one of the smartest and most interesting people I've met. I saw in the podcast that you did some training for a half - are you still running?
Perhaps I can claim to be the house specialist in ultras, then. I don't have any special knowledge about health and safety, but my pet theory is that overtraining is the biggest risk factor for runners at any distance. Perhaps logging fifty miles in a day causes no more cumulative damage than covering the same distance over a week, running every day or two. (At least not for back-of-the-pack finishers like me, who prioritize having fun and not getting hurt.) But the more frequent outings must interfere with recovery. It is rare that I run more than once a week, and I am even lazier in the summer and winter. I suspect that the shorter races, usually on carefully-measured pavement courses, tend to inspire more competition and focus on finish times, while the longer events are typically off-road, with irregular distances, and are perceived more as fun challenges. Emil Zatopek, the Czech Locomotive, seems to have performed better in competitions after illness or injury forced him to back down from his famously aggressive training regimen.
There's a run here in Chapel Hill, NC that I really enjoy called the Tar Heel Ten Miler and I plan on starting my training for it this week. I've not been running for over 3 months. I'm starting cold essentially. I plan on two runs during the week and a longer run on the weekend. I know that feeling you mention at the end of a long run, it's an awesome feeling. I completed a half marathon and have done 3 ten mile runs. It's a great sport.
Thanks! One of the best things about running as a sport is that it's really inclusive and most runners tend to not give a shit how fast anybody is. Everybody can do it and have their own goals and reasons for running. It's fun being able to be competitive with it but the main reason I love running (and the thing that drew me to it) is that most runners tend to be cool/interesting people in general.
Do you use Endomondo? 'Cause if you do, add me and other hubskiers! I just started running again.
You can enter workouts, load info from smart watches or track your progress with your smartphone. You can also track your weight on there, and I track my heart rate with this thing.
I love to run as well! I have had some injuries that have curtailed my running significantly since I first started, but when I am healthy I love to get out there. I can't say I've run anything close to your times, I'm just out there to feel healthy and get that runner's high. I'm hoping to run a half this May, as long as I stay healthy. Any training and mileage tips would be greatly appreciated!
That's great! That's one of my favorite things about running as well: feeling good and gettin' those endorphins flowing. It's tough to give any solid training tips without knowing what your running background is like, but here's a few general ones: - build up your mileage slowly. the rule of thumb I've used is to add around 5% every week, and on every fourth week, cut back about 10%. (these numbers don't need to be followed to a T, but that general progression tends to work pretty well.) - about half of your runs should be "easy" runs. this could be anywhere from 1-8 miles depending on the person. make sure you keep your pace conversational and you feel good when you're done. - you should do a "long" run ideally once a week, or once every other week if your mileage is relatively low. again, this will vary a lot by the person, but it should be at least 20% of your weekly mileage. - 1 or 2 times a week you should try to get a "speed" workout in. this could just be a few minutes of a faster pace in the middle or a run, or 400 meter repetitions on the track, or hills. spice it up and think of fun workouts to keep your runs interesting. probably most importantly: - if it ever feels like you're training too hard, pump the brakes and take it easy for a few days. in fact, most of training should feel somewhat easy. it's those couple hard days per week where you want to push it. if every day feels hard, you're going to get injured, and it's always much easier (and more fun) to prevent injury than it is to get rid of it (as it sounds like you already know). That was more than I was planning on writing, but I hope that that's helpful in some way for you!
There are people who play vidjagames here but I guarantee you my encyclopedic knowledge on random games from 1997 that nobody gives a shit about is second to none on this website. I've got trivia coming out of my butt. Did you know that originally, Tetsua Nomura was going to use chainsaws instead of keyblades in Kingdom Hearts, but the idea was rejected by Disney? No? Well now you fucking do. Ya'll are too busy doing concerts in Carnegie Hall and curing cancer and shit.
hey
spots sign reading "For More Trivia, pull here!"
Gerdderrmit thenewgreen mk & forwardslash when I want the markup to change to code text it's so that I can do the asterisk self-action thing pulls the eightbit random game trivia lever
Did you know that Solid Snake/Big Boss from Metal Gear Solid is inspired by Snake Plissken, from Escape From New York? Did you know that if you wait an hour and half or so after beating Erika to Satoru no Yumeboken, and pressing a ridiculous set of buttons in the right order, you can read the message (read: rant) of an anonymous, hateful programer? Full message translated below: First off, Kaoru Ogura, who ran off with some guy in the middle of the project. Yes, you, you bastard. Don't show up at the office without showering after having sex 6 times the previous night. Next, Tatsuya Ōhashi. Yes, you, you bastard. Don't give me your flippant shit — coming in late on the day we ship the ROM like nothing's amiss. You can give me all the porn you want; I'm not forgetting that one. All that fucking weight you put on. No wonder you paid out 18,000 yen and still got nothing but a kiss out of it. Kenji Takano, Namco debugger. You are a part-timer; don't dick around with the project planner. And finally, Kiyoharu Gotō, the biggest thorn to my side in this project. Yes, you, you bastard. Once I get a time machine, I’m sending you back to the Edo period. Go do your riddles over there. Ahh, that's a load off...wait, no it's not. Kiyoharu Gotō — yes, you, you bastard. Aaaagh, just disappear already. Come to think of it, some people were helpful to me, too. Mr. Okada, who took all the good stuff. I know all about your abnormal tendencies. Yamagishi, who swore off soaplands until the project was over. Go ahead, knock yourself out now. Iwata, who joined in midway and gave it all he had. Sorry I yelled at you. Keep hanging in there. Fujimura, Udopyu, you probably had it the worst of all. Thanks. I mean it. Gotō's the one to hate here. Also, Takayama, Kudō, Suzuki, Makki, Kaneko, Aihara, Sato (the angel of my heart), Iga. Thanks, everyone. Yoko-G, good work. This game is dedicated to your wife's birthday." There's even more in that game. The last letter and first two letters of each password for a level spelled out a message: I changed my mind. Hurry up and get out of here!
"Mmm, that's a nostalgic song playing. Those were good times. Meanwhile, who the hell are these people with this project? I'm so glad it's over. You think it's nothing but good memories? Hell no! Let's use this space to give out some thanks.
Right then! Just you wait! I'll kill you right now!
Yeah, that's not my fault. mk and forwardslash handle that department. That said, we are busy rewriting Hubski and with it, better markup. All in good time...
I'm guessing I might be able to come close on FFs up through 10, and SNES RPGs like CT, Earthbound, SMRPG. and some PSX RPGs like Chrono Cross and FFT. I played the first two KH games and got pretty into them at the time but haven't followed them that closely since. I'm not that active in discussions about them on here or /r/jrpg and wherever else because I unfortunately have close to zero time to play any games lately, but I still follow the industry pretty closely and still have lots of useless knowledge tucked away in my brain about a lot of older games.
I've never been on a rollercoaster in my life. Still I'm having this incessant willingness to ride one for at least few years. What do you think are the best amusement parks in Europe? I currently live in Poland, but will move out soon, maybe to Netherlands.
My personal favourites are Europa Park and Phantasialand in Germany, Efteling in the Netherlands and Liseberg in Stockholm, Sweden. Haven't been to most of those but not because of a lack of will. I've heard Energylandia will open this year in Poland, I'd suggest checking that out!
This Energylandia (what a name!) seems more aimed at children, but I may check it out nonetheless. I remember reading about Europe Park and as I still remember it (my memory totally sucks) it must have seemed interesting. I may go to Germany on summer holidays and visit it.
Every coaster in Europe? What do you think of those in Gröna Lund, Stockholm, Sweden?
Ah Gröna Lund. On my bucket list. It's definitely one of the better city parks. I just love how every ride is woven together: Jetline is one of the few remaining coasters designed by the legend Schwartzkopf and as someone who just came back from riding one of his masterpieces I'd love to ride it. Did you know that Anton always was the first to ride his own ride designs? Look at the guy, being happy as fuck: http://schwarzkopf-coaster.net/pictures/ES/anton-himalayabahn1.JPG I haven't ridden any Zac Spins like Insane, but what I've heard about it is that 50% loves it and 50% hates it. Kvasten is one of the better family rides. And with Vekoma's new train designs, even small children can enjoy the thrill. Twister is a brilliantly made puzzle, that thing goes all over the place and somehow doesn't crash into itself. Kudos to the Gravity Group for that: Did you know that there were plans to extend the park and build an awesome big inverted rollercoaster and a Star Flyer? Too bad they haven't received permission to do so. 
I love Gröna lund. Stockholm is quite close if you go by train for me so I've been there a few times. I am in the love group for insane. It is amazing. And I'm very impressed by your wonderful and complete knowledge.
Less time than you'd think! There have been 1576 coasters in history, but if you narrow it down by coasters that are operating now and aren't kid rides you're left with 476. Still, let's just say that I had a bit too much time as a kid.
Swedish politics. Most Swedes are not as interested in Swedish politics as I am. I fangirl over Swedish politics.
Politics in general, Sweden especially. I've decided what party I would vote for in like 3 countries and I'm watch British and American politics to - I love comedy and improv and I often watch politcal comedy from other countries. I basically squee at political debates and know embarrassingly much about it.
Not much since the Netherlands hasn't been on my radar a lot - but I googled a tiny bit and; Very alike Sweden in some sense, especially with the way the state is structured - we're a monarchy to and have several different parties. I would probably vote for D66 or SP because I'm an idealist and VERY left-wing. We also have issues with a far right party in Sweden, so I would be very against the PVV. It's based around one person here too - but he hit the wall/is on sick-leave because of psychological problems which means our PVV are kind of out of control at the moment.
A person from our PVV is speaker of the house and well... very racist. (He recently said that Jews, and Sami people - who are our Native people are not Swedes.) In this clip A person from our left-most party in the "Riksdag" holds a speech.
She starts speaking without addressing him as "Sir speaker". In Sweden we call each other by the informal "you" and without titles. Having to use a title is a very, very big deal in Sweden. When He starts interrupting her and tells her that "We say sir Speaker" she respond "You're not my speaker of the house" but in Sweden it sounds way more awesome and can also be interpreted as "You do not speak for me". I feel like Netherland's politics are very similar to the ones I'm immersed in but a degree more liberal reactionary, there are animal rights parties and such in Sweden too, but not big ones. So this is a rant I did after a bit of googling so if I'm very wrong I apologize.
No I don't but I'm very, very intrigued, please tell me more.
There's a video game company called Paradox Interactive (they make various political strategy games), and on their forums many people create political games where a group of people act as a parliament of a nation. It's very fun, and there is lots of drama. I'm not very active in the game I'm in, though. I should change that.
Haha. I only spent a year in the US, but it was the year the Green Bay packers won the super bowl. I loved seeing everyone be so happy. But I did defend people who slagged off the vikings, 'cause I'm Swedish and Minnesota is full of Swedish descendants. There are still people in Minnesota that speak Swedish. I know - I've spoken to one.
And Sweden has opened up to that. We have a much beloved show were Americans of Swedish descent get to come to Sweden and learn about their heritage in a summer camp environment. And this Christmas there was a Christmas special where they celebrated Christmas in Sweden Fun fact, you might be (kind of) Swedish since until 1905 (I think) Norway was a part of Sweden and the Norwegian harbor Is closer geographically to some provinces in Sweden. So if the only thing recorded is which harbor your ancestors left from... But it doesn't really matter since most farmers and such didn't really have a strong national identity back then. And Finland was a country that Sweden owned for a while and treated horridly. l Almost every Swede has American relatives though most are not in touch. That is one reason why I really loved being in Wisconsin, it was different but at the same time similar. The nature was like Sweden in so many ways and the culture to. It was nice to see.
Yes, from what I understand of my heritage, my ancestors actually moved from Sweden to Finland during this period, although through the ensuing generations, they took on a more Finnish identity (surname Lahti, spoke Fin, etc). So if we go back far enough, I do have Swedish blood, which I love, because my biggest sports hero is a Swede (Niklas Lidstrom).And Finland was a country that Sweden owned for a while and treated horridly.
http://www.svtplay.se/allt-for-sverige i don't know if you can watch it outside Sweden but there it is.
Aww, that is amazing. I love Nordic history, because it is really full of power-structures and wars. Fun fact - countries with most wars against each other? Sweden-Denmark.
Podcasts maybe? My solo music consumption has dropped drastically in the past few months, because I've usually got a podcast going instead.
Driving in the car? Joe Rogan Experience/Kevin Smith Related podcast. Doing busy work of some kind? Dan Carlin's Hardcore History/Stuff You Should Know. Add a few game specific casts, one RPGcast, and NPR's Radiolab, and I'm up to something like ~1200 hours of podcasting listened to over the course of the year.
I've listened to so much podcasts in the last half year! Here's my list: mknod do you listen to the Cracked Podcast? It's also from Earwolf. It's very good, and not much like the site. The episodes with Jason Pargin are always where I learn a ton, like this one.
I enjoy it not because of the trivia, but because of the banter - because these are private, smart, creative people and when they start bantering it is hilarious. They have a compilation episode out with all the "unbroadcastable" bits which is just the best thing. Ehrm... Sorry. My inner fangirl got out.
I think I did listen to a few episodes of the Cracked podcast but ended up taking it off for some reason, yeah I did like it. Oh I see you are also a pocketcast user! I have bene using them for a long time mostly because I had a bug a while ago and the devs were very open to communication about it and were able to fix it.
I like 'The Knights of the Night.' They're just serious enough to make their games super enjoyable, and they take a lot of time to talk about systems and storywriting before their games, as well as a detailed post-mortem upon the conclusion of a chapter. They have a massive backlog of episodes, my favorites being their Dresden Files campaigns. Edit* Just realized you probably meant vidya rather than tabletop. Mostly it's the Trinity Force podcast for League of Legends, though at one time I was really into Painkiller already, even though I've never been deep into Call of Duty.
HI - Where CGPgrey is the old man yelling at a cloud, and Brady Haran is the 5 year old egging him on. lol. I love that podcast, and I learn an astronomical amount every time i listen to it.
Shameless plug, but check out the #tngpodcast's that steve and I put together with the help of the Hubski community.
I actually listen to a lot of podcasts, earwolf tends to have some of the best One of my favorites from last year was
http://www.earwolf.com/show/the-andy-daly-podcast-pilot-project/ I like improv4 humans, again improvised
http://www.earwolf.com/show/improv4humans/ I was there too gives a bit of inside hollywood:
http://iwastheretoo.wolfpop.com/audio/playlists/3962 Topics http://www.earwolf.com/show/topics/ is a show where Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter (The State, Stella, Michael and Michael have issues) parody podcasts like Radiolab
I really like JRE because of the variety of guests. The guy is a comedian, the podcast is really entertaining, after you get past the like 15 minutes of ads he does at the beginning(Which I don't listen to anyway). I'd also recommend Hardcore History, Dan Carlin is a monster. I finished his segment on World War I and I'm moving on to WWII and the intermediate period.
Weightlifting. : / (sorry, guys) Been at it on and off (mostly on) for 7 years now. It's fun being a little stronger than I normally would, but I can still wipe my ass, and I haven't done any 'roids yet, so things are going alright so far. Also, it's OK if you think less of me, it's a pretty selfish and first-world activity, in my opinion.
It's good that you still have humility in a world dominated by testosterone, but I think you'll find that what you said is true of almost every comment in this thread. Hobbies are meant to be self-fulfilling, nothing wrong with that.Also, it's OK if you think less of me, it's a pretty selfish and first-world activity, in my opinion.
i would really love it if you could expand on why you say selfish. I am worried if I phrase this question in any more specific way I might 'lead' your answer into something like my own thoughts inadventently, so I don't want to throw in any more than "Coukd you please talk about that more?" right now. I am also pretty firmly of the mindset that a certain amount of 'selfishness' is necessary and good in life.
I say "selfish" because a part of me does it because I like to feel attractive. The exact percentages of each item in the list titled "am_Unition's Reasons to Stay Fit" are pretty unclear, honestly. Regardless, it's a privilege to even have an hour every day to devote to fitness (even 30 minutes of cardio means extra laundry, packing your bags with a change of clothes, showering to get clean, etc.), and afford membership at a nice gym that's never terribly crowded. Sure, you have to maintain your sanity. I've seen people close to me do things in their lives (professional, romantic, social, etc.) where they give it so much that they end up just about killing themselves. Not like a quick suicide though. A drawn-out lifestyle over the course of years, maybe decades, where you see them burn out, quick, like the brightest stars do. I just can't decide if that's the most selfless thing to do, or maybe I'm just convincing my candy-ass that I'll do the most damage if I get to live a little longer than they did. Heh, well that was bleak as fuck. Stay healthy, kids!I am also pretty firmly of the mindset that a certain amount of 'selfishness' is necessary and good in life.
Always make sure you've got what you need first. It might not be selfless to act in such a manner but if you live a selfless life whose life are you leading anyway? More like "everyone else's" than "yours," I think. Is it selfish to want to be attractive? Think about it this way: by improving your physique you are attracting partners who care about physique, which is also an indicator of health. That means those partners also value health, so hopefully, they're also physically active. Not only do they look good now, but over the long term they're probably more likely to motivate you to continue to be physically active (maybe with them, because it's a shared interest, or just by proxy) as opposed to encourage lazy or unhealthy behaviors. Moreover, looking good serves as a relatively-easy indication to potential mates that you care about yourself, you have confidence, you consider yourself valuable (if you didn't value yourself you wouldn't spend time working out), and you're stable (enough to take care of your bod). In turn I would expect such an image would allow you to attract similar partners. To be honest I completely understand, though, that feeling that it's selfish or wrong to care about one's looks. I had wondered if that was why you'd used the term, although I figured there were other potential reasons too. I used to think it was vain to care about one's appearance/attractiveness. I dated a lot of unattractive people. Feeling attractive is good for your mental health, I think. It is not good to be obsessed with one's looks but it is healthy to want to be able to put forth your best. When you feel attractive you feel confident and that can impact a lot more areas of life than just dating. Plus lifting is just one way of taking care of your body and making sure your needs are met (I do believe we have a need for exercise). Yo'ure on Hubski for your intellectual needs and you lift for some of your physical needs. Not that different :)
I mean, if you're doing it for the sake of fitness, it's one thing. If you're doing it just to be swoll, then you're right. It is a selfish, first world activity. That said: watch this: One day I hope to work out here.
That "gym" is industrial as fuckkkkk. I love it. There's some kind of primal validation in the rawness of it all. Truthfully, I'd probably stick to shirtless, shoeless workouts, and get my tan on at the same time... weather permitting. No speedo though, I guess that's where I draw the (tan)line for me. Slightly above my kneecaps.
I also weight lift. Nothing extreme, I do legs, arms/shoulders, chest/back splits. High volume stuff mostly (4x10), mostly free weights. Trying to up the protein and number of calories in my diet so I can pack on 10-20lbs over the next few months. What's your scheduling like? Current goals?
Whaaaaat?? The most lean muscle I've ever been able to put on was maybe 2 lbs. a month, and those were pretty much "noob gains". Usually, I'd have a chest & shoulders day, a legs day, a back day, a bi's and tri's day, and a core day, not necessarily in that order. I'd usually do 4 sets of an exercise, 10x, 8x, 6x, and 4x for the last set, real heavy, used free weights most of the time. Weekends were for rest, also because my company rec center was closed on weekends. Throwing myself a real curveball though, just got a membership at a gym and working with a personal trainer, who destroys me within 20-30 minutes of beginning a workout. It's like a crossfit style workout, but without stupid shit, like "deadlifts for time". Currently, I'm 160 lbs., 13% body fat, 5'9". 210 lb. bench, 250 lb. squat, and 280 lb. deadlift. I'm trying to get my body fat down just a bit more, and shelling out these fat stacks of cash to a personal trainer to learn workouts that will accomplish in 30 minutes what usually takes me over an hour in the gym.pack on 10-20lbs over the next few months
Ehh, cuz there's better ways than just weightlifting to stay healthy. I've been doing more cardio and HIIT just in the last two weeks, and I'd recommend running when possible. It's just better to be healthy all around than the jacked guy who can't sprint 200m to save his life, or move 10+ miles in a day (zombie apocalypse). Hubski is all about improvement, no doubt, but more towards intellectual, even some spiritual improvement. Sources of those such things are harder for me to come by than a barbell or dumbells, so, here I am. :)
b_b is always touting the benefits of weight training, and for good reason. Nothing selfish about lifting weights, it's good for you. We all do things that take up time that could be allocated elsewhere, at least yours is good for you.
I'm always up for a game of Chess. I'm not particularly great, but it is fun and I enjoy playing. Also, Magic: the Gathering. I know goldbludgeon plays. We had a conversation about it here, but other than that, I know of no one on Hubski who plays.
I'm a chess and MTG guy myself. I suck at both. Although my magic game has stepped up. I need to play more chess.
If you have Chess with Friends (iDevice and Android app) or Chess.com, I'm always up for a game.
I've got a chess.com account. I'll have to get back into it, I constantly forget my log in.
If you ever want to play, just PM me and we can work out the details. It'll be a bit harder for me to find time to do a nonstop game. The people I am playing with right now are all in games with me with many days to play a move.
I prefer playing that way myself, works better with my lack of a schedule.
Chess.com or Chess with friends (iDevice/Android app). Both are free. PM me whichever you chose and I'll reply with my username on whichever you tell me. They are different. Also, they both require emails, so if you're not okay with giving an email, if you can find another way to play, I would be happy to find time to play.
I'll be asleep... Even then, what medium were you thinking? Chess.com and CWF are both turn based but you don't have to both be online to play at the same time. It is set up as to where it is on a timer of some number of days and you make a move within those days and it goes to the next person. It works pretty well in my opinion.
I don't know how hunting is viewed here, I just signed up today, but for a few years now I've been tanning hides and making things out of the leather. I've got some drying right now if people would be interested! It's usually not a hobby people can relate to :)
Meriadoc had a good post about hunting a while back. And that's a pretty cool hobby. What sort of stuff have you made?
I give most of it out as gifts, for some reason. It's nice to give, I guess! You'd be surprised how many people just want a hide to hang on a wall, which I'll happily do for them, but I've done stuff like moccasins, wallets, belts, stuff like that. If I'm being honest, I'm not very good at it, and I mostly do buckskin. If I remember tomorrow, I'll post pictures!
That's a very good question. I think part of it is that living in LA, you have it drummed into you that there is no weather. There is, though. Perhaps because it's often subtle, there's more reward for instrumenting it. Part of it is I have a marvelous southwest view and can watch the weather change. Quantifying it connects me to the universe. Part of it is probably my childhood - I mean, any jackass can put a thermometer on his wall. But you throw up a cup anemometer and suddenly you're no longer fucking around. Those groovy weathervanes were always cool to me. Part of it is likely the altruism - I enjoy knowing that the weather for two or three zip codes in one of the biggest cities in the world comes from me. And part of it is connecting the immutable natural world to the ephemeral digital one and knowing that part of that fabric is being woven by me. Does that make sense?
lol you name it :P Last thing I made was this bracelet: But only because it was easy. I've been trying to make a mold for a while now and keep screwing it up. I don't really want to cave and buy a mold making kit for this one project tho because it's like 40$ so I'm trying with the silicon I have at home. Trying to follow the online tutorials but doesn't seem to work and it's getting frustrating. Also considering buying a jewelry drill bit for the amber I found on the beach to make bracelets and stuff. Cause I tried making a whole with a burning needle and the amber just cracks in two halfway through :( Urgh so many ideas and projects but everything requires some special equipment.
I am going to update this post with several images. Edit: I don't craft anywhere near as much as I used to. I dabbled in many things but sunk most my XP into the fiber arts. I can or used to be able to dye fiber, spin it into yarn, knit and crochet, embroider, cross-stitch, hand-sew, etc. dabbled with calligraphy, sketching, painting, origami, and all manner of random "art and crafts" things - my grandmother was an art teacher and I attended/later volunteered for a lot of art camps in my time. I have tried beading but never got further into jewelry making than that. elizabeth - I updated. You are not alone!
Wow nice! I've done any crochet and my fiber related skills are very very limited. Thanks for sharing :) I find the most fun in the arts and crafts is the learning how to do it art and I never make it to the perfecting the art part. Glad to know I'm not alone. How much crafting do you do? I get the bug a couple times a year, sometime in the winter cause going outside is a bit unappealing.
I do very little these days. Sometimes I like you get "the bug," but it is probably only twice a year and somewhat short-lived. I recently started a color-work scarf (knitting). Got like 20 rows in before I realized I'd messed up the pattern and would have to rip out and re-do the whole thing and haven't had the heart to do it yet.
http://www.thewayoftheninja.org/n.html EDIT: 1/4/15 will always be remembered as the day that I began adding honey to my oatmeal. I can't believe I've never tried this before. With blackberries and cinnamon, oats and milk is practically a goddamn continental breakfast.
I have known people who do this... honestly, though, the crowd is kind of sketchy; more like misfits and druggies.
It's probably because of the scene that it is usually associated with. Raves. This is also where I first saw somebody playing with LED hoops and some gloving. A YouTube video suggestion with poi popped up, which showed a very artistic way of using it. This is how I made my first sock poi :) At raves it's usually a win-win for both sides. The tripping viewer's brain goes crazy and the (usually) stoned poi spinner is having loads of fun :) After meeting many burners I found out that poi is much more than just a rave gimmick
They actually aren't weighted too bad. My friend has a pair of the crystal kind with weights and mine feel decently close compared to my roommates similar pair of led balls that are ridiculously light. i want something with better strings though, things that involve bringing your hands together are much easier with the thin strings because they don't connect as much. I know it'll be a pain when i get something proper. Also they have finger wraps instead of knobs on the end so i can't "juggle" them. or whatever it's called when you flip them in the air then catch them. The weights not too bad though, I've been getting anti spins down pretty nice with them which has been fun. I have an almost clean looking 4 petal flower. They leave so much to be desired though! I definitely need to upgrade to something more comparable to actual fire poi.
This sounds good man! You wouldn't need anything with grips until you got the basics and you want to try throws. Sometimes its good to have a grip that is heavier though, specially when it come to isolations (fuck, those are still hard for me!). But some pom grips from lanternsmith are always good ;)
Roommates monkey fist finally came in and I got to mess with them for an hour or so today! You totally called it though, massive different on weight, my memory deceived me. Might make some sock poi or just use that as my one frivolous purchase with my tax refund.
Fire monkey-fists are so nice to play with. I like their stable round flame when on fire :) Going to upgrade my pod-poi with some grips soon. And also ordering some monkey fist fire poi. My current fire poi are not really nice to spin and are waaaay too light
I practice juggling for like half of a year. Now that I started playing a guitar it doesn't get that much of my spare time as it did before, but I do it every day in work to take a break and loosen up. It's a really good warm up for both the mind and body. Now I'm mostly focusing on learning those 3 tricks:
http://www.libraryofjuggling.com/Tricks/4balltricks/Fountain.html --
http://www.libraryofjuggling.com/Tricks/3balltricks/Half-Box%28441%29.html --
http://www.libraryofjuggling.com/Tricks/3balltricks/Shower.html
I can do Fountain, but often as I do the trick my left hand is moving towards my body up to the point that throwing a ball would mean throwing it in my chin : ). It's because my left hand still isn't as accurate - I'm right handed. Sometimes the whole trick goes pretty well though and I can juggle it for like 30 seconds. I can do Shower in left to right overthrow direction, but a little clumsily. It still needs practise. The realy problem here is the right to left direction, which for some reasons causes my my right hand to be slightly higher than the left hand and so each vertical throw not to be vertical but diagonal. That ruins the fluency of the trick and really irritates me. Honestly I don't know how to get rid of that. I only hope mastering other tricks with vertical throw (e.g. Half-Box) will help. I can also do Half-box, but it looks pretty clumsily and out of rythm. Still I feel improving that it's only a matter of practise.
I find it potentially both "cheating" (because it seems like an easy answer) and probably incorrect if I were to say "writing," we have many talented writers and poets on here. I know an absurd amount about Tarot cards and decks. I'm not saying I'm a master but I guess it's pretty possible I know more than the average Hubski user. It's especially amusing i know so much about them because in general I am very skeptical of all and any "magic energy," "aura," "ghosts," "souls" sorts of stuff. Although I do not believe in these things I absolutely am interested by (some of) then and enjoy others recreationally - huge horror movie/horror literature fan here. I may be completely skeptical of it but at least I know what I'm skeptical of instead of just dismissing it.
you have no idea how interesting and also, it's a great party/bar game, especially around Halloween. I got a switchblade by telling someone's Tarot once. So there are four suits in the Tarot, right, and each suit tells a story. Each story corresponds to one in Grecian/roman legend.
OK, so: In each suit there are number cards 2-10, and face cards Page, Knight, Queen, King (some decks use different names for these face cards) - plus the Ace. The number cards tell the story, and the face cards (except the Ace) correspond to roles or characters in those stories. Ace cards are boring. The suit of Swords tells the story of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, specifically her betrayal and murder of him. The suit of Cups tells the story of Eros and Psyche. The suit of Wands tells the story of Jason, the Argonauts, and the Quest for the Golden Fleece. The suit of Pentacles tells the story of Daedelaus. Each number card represents approximately the same step in the story, i.e., 2s are always beginnings and 10s are always endings/culminations. With this knowledge (as long as you nail down more specifically the "meaning" of each card number) you could fake your way through a reading with any deck pretty well - sometimes I have to rely on this and other supplementary knowledge when reading with a deck I am not familiar with. Other supplementary knowledge, easy example - each suit also corresponds to an element and a gender, and as a result each suit carries those general connotations (which you can kind of see reflected in their corresponding myths): Swords: Air - intellect, cunning, the mind; analysis, emotional detachment - Male Cups: Water - emotion, intuition, love, psychic or unseen forces, relationships - Female Wands: Fire - quick to action, passion, conflict, battle, victory, challenges - Male Pentacles: Earth - fertility, wealth, wine, material riches, also growth, wisdom - Female And MORE fun trivia, because each suit corresponds to an element, you can correlate things like Sun Signs to the suits. Water for instance = Cups = Scorpio, Cancer, Pisces. (I'm not very well read on astrology/sun signs etc though.)
It's pretty hard to find people who are as into the history of musical instruments as I am. I've never gotten that into synthesizer history, but I know the basics. Violin family? Wind family, brass family? dig it.
A friend of mine did her Masters in Musicology on Romanian folk music. A little different, but she might have some book recommendations if you want them.
I'm not super knowledgeable about the cultural significance stuff, but the construction, and the bagpipe's movement around with Celtic cultures is really cool. Like, did you know there's a Celtic culture in Spain? and they have their own kind of Bagpipe?
yeah. there's kind of like, two main places that bagpipes come from, culturally (Idunno if anyone has studied enough or has enough evidence to argue that they come from a single ancestor). There's sort of an Arabic/Turkic tradition that's relatively low on drones (or has no drones), and then the Celtic pipes which are more likely to have more drones. Really though, just about every European culture has pipes somewhere (and a lot of arabic ones too). Their double reed and air bag make for loud sounds, which are popular for outdoor music and dance.
Bowling? Haven't done it much recently but I've set records in my high schools division and have been on a top-10 collegiate team before. Could tell you all about equipment, lane conditions, adjustments, and a little bit about drilling layouts for bowling balls.