What are your other hobbies and interests?

Over the years my interest in programming (and gaming in general) has diminished, whilst my interest in other subjects has increased.

Nowadays I'm far more interested in literature than computing. I'd rather watch a movie than play a game. I spend most of my "computer time" either writing, going online, or downloading stuff; I rarely play games, and I spend time programming even less frequently.

So I'm curious about other "blitzers" - what are your interests and how important are they compared to your interests in gaming and programming?

I'm still playing bass guitar on and off although I've been off the band scene for about two years now.

Also taken up photography a couple of years ago - mostly landscape/architecture but I do weddings every now and again, too.

Trying to learn this damn acoustic guitar (all the songs I want to learn are played via electric, and sound weak on this thing >.>)....

My other main hobby includes drawing, as of now I've been focusing on cartooning and creating animation-friendly character sketches, as to which I'm heading to college next fall to work at majoring.

I guess screwing around with the highschool computers everyday finding things to do counts as a hobby also?
(the tech guys re-imaged all the PCs recently, which bumped up the security dramatically.......ah but if only they remembered to set the BIOS password up)

I used to love mountain biking on Sunday mornings, an excellent way to burn off those saturday night indulgences, moving to somewhere close to new holland resolved that particular enjoyment.

I've a keyboard and guitar I would love to have the time to play more... however, just seeing what other indie developers produce is a nice pastime.

I'm pretty much the same as you, justLuke, except I don't read for pleasure.

Haven't done any coding in ages. Currently looking for a new creative outlet. Haven't found anything, yet. :/

I used to like drawing too, but I'm woefully out of practice. I'm toying with the idea of writing and illustrating a children's story for the final year project of my english degree, but I'm probably too much of a lazy arse to do it.

I've never had the patience to learn to play the guitar, but I once really wanted to learn to play the piano. Unfortunately, I failed to find a tutor on account of both of my little fingers being "beautifully curved" (or "freakishly inbred-looking", depending on your point of view). I just haven't got the necessary span for it.

I guess I'll have to stick to whistling. *whistles badly*

I had a fun hobby when I was a child that I'm thinking of taking up again: I'm immune to the stinging effect of nettles, you see, and I used to convince people that they didn't sting by rubbing handfuls over my arms, legs, neck or face - cue hilarity and itchy blisters when other kids tried to copy me. Yeah, I should really take this up again.

Freaky (beautifully curved) fingers... Strange immunities... Perhaps I should join the X-Men.

Yeah, I liked drawing, however am also woefully out of practice.

Well apart from programming games which is now my job (was once a hobby):

family stuff, Aikido, making electronic music, playing guitar (electric and accoustic), reading, walking (in nice places), watching Kung Fu DVDs, playing console games, cooking. Probably some other crap too.

Don't go out much due to kids, wouldn't want to smoke and drink all night every week anyway, more into nice meals.

Playing video games, going out / hanging out, mixed martial arts, airsoft.

Paintball, Wargames, Role Playing Games, Science Fiction, Anime. (of the last two, most of it I wouldn't watch even though I'm a junky, Dragonball Z is right out for instance)

Flameduck - don't suppose you know if you can get prosecuted for carrying an Airsoft weapon in a public place?

I have this problem with a local drug dealer. I'd love to stick an Uzi in his mouth, for kicks.

Running, basketball, reading, hanging out with friends, and I just started learning to play the drum set a few weeks ago. I'm looking to learn to play the guitar in the near future, it depends on whether I have time.

Is it wise to threaten drug dealers?

No, unless you intend to carry out your intent, but theres a difference between loving to do something and doing it...

The gloves are already off. He's keyed my car and slashed 2 tyres last Tuesday night.

He'll be lucky if getting his van tyres slashed is all that happens.

Collecting OST's (film/tv soundtracks)
Recently I started learning myself to play violin.
(sofar I've been able to mimic the roar of the T-Rex from Jurassic Park :-) )

Astrology

GFK
are you a scorpio?

Mmm, I'm with Gfk, but to bring this thread back on 'hobbies' topic, I'd love to start some time creating stuff with UU3D that I bought recently.

Bothering drug dealers is a hobby. :P

I don't really have hobbies - other than playing computer games. I do like going out late at night with my mini-baseball bat - I walk generally for 2 - 3 hours. I don't really have a normal life - I don't have any friends - I don't speak to anyone in my family. I like going out at night though - prefer it to the day time - however, I do like going out when it is sunny - but instead of walking into town or going somewhere - I walk off into far flung places - just me and my bat. I used to listen to my MP3 player at the same time - now I find it an irritation and now I cannot even listen to it - not sure why. I've stopped going to graveyards at night - I did do that a while back - something weird about walking through a graveyard at 1 or 2 am - especially our big one which is like 100 acres sort of thing.

Longboarding, and everything movies. I work with em and got my own DVD collection of only the best.

puki: what's the mini-bat for? ... Anal stimulation?

I read a lot;computer books,magazines,novels etc etc
favorite author,mmmm,its a toss up between Frederick Forsyth (Author of:Day of the Jackal) and James Herbert (Author of:The Rats)

Golf;i play a lot of golf, though not too much over the winter,the driving range does me fine and i have the odd round on the winter tees maybe once a month.

Music:i listen to a lot of music,i prefer instrumental type music to other types,think John Michel Jarre and your there.

TV:watching comedy classics; Only Fools and Horses, Porridge, Open All Hours etc.i can watch them all day,twice :-]

Off-topic (but now half on topic)


too good for him/her.id duct-tape is mouth round the business end of a challenger tank, and shout 'fire when ready',just for kicks. :-]

No. Perhaps you should try fishing, or gardening? ;)

I'm into far-out science and read a fair bit on that subject. Used to love games, but now feel like I've seen it all before. Like watching films (70s-80s being the preferred decades), doing a bit of yoga, listening to a lot of muzak (wish I could play but have no talent in that direction) and more recently riding my new Chinese import motorbike.

@Puki - never know if you're joking or not.....

@GFK - be careful mate. If he knows where you live, you really don't need those hassles. I would say call the police, but in my experience they are not that useful.

just a fun guess,
so what are you then just out of curiosity

He does. But I know more about him than he realises ;) Got contacts in the local council and police force. I have him by the balls and he doesn't even know it. Yet ;)
I'm an Orion.

I like writing music. Take a listen at:

http://www.myspace.com/loatheandclover

Music, books and films - I like complex and diverse stuff, and dislike most mainstream stuff.

But really games are my only interest. I have no idea why I never bothered to get a real job in the games industry - probably because the pay is crap :)

I try and stay away from puters when I'm not working, or browsing forums.

I used to love paintball but it's not the same going to a public club compared to a private club with illegal weapons.

When its sunny I like walking the dogs, just discovered an easy way to get to the american river parkway from my house, few hundred yards away. Thats 30 miles of cycle lanes and footpaths along the side of the river.

So I started Cycling, trying to make it fun but my wife is a bit chicken offroad. Going to get a Kayak so I can go out on the river with her too.

Other than that I like driving, at the moment I can drive an hour and go skiing or snowboarding, or in the opposite direction I can get to the beach and sunbathe so its pretty cool (I might take up surfing again, havent done that since I left the UK). If you like driving the twisties in a convertible there are a lot of nice country roads to explore with the GPS incase you get lost.

I'm also enjoying working on my old car and learning how to fix things myself and update parts.

Since I have no TV and find films and games mostly boring, when it's dark I like reading and read about one book a week.

Games used to be my only interest, too.

Then I got a job working for Gremlin Interactive (later Infogrames). My 15-year love of games quickly turned into hatred.

I never play games now, with the exception of one or two PS2 games. Can't be bothered.

I think games start to get less interesting the older you get too. They just seem too simple and repetitive for the most part. Only so many times you can play a game evolved from a string of games you played to death over a period of 25 years.

Coding, reading, Wiiing :), piano, airsoft, and building computers are my main hobbies...


Same here.

Board Games, Roleplaying, Bushwalking, don't play PC/console games (except my own and a few other games/demos from this site), playing around with XSI, going to the football (AFL - Hawthorn supporter).

Mixed martial arts, cars, guitar, skateboarding. But I haven't been too active in any of the above for the past 3 years or so. Just stuck with "spectator" status thru video, magazines and websites+forums.

I should be starting judo soon so that will be a nice change.

oops I missed driving my Scooby off my list of hobbies.

GfK: I still play games. I think it's important research for writing successful casual games.

..Im enjoying sailing, on my small crappy yacht (nothing fancy), but so far I'm feeling like captain Kirk on Enterprise :))..I simply enjoy open sea, much as my small yacht can afford it..thats all..rather than that womans is on priority list..:)

Playing the occasional game (lots of Oblivion at the moment, every few years I go back to my old MUD of choice Gemstone 3 (now 4) and play for a bit). I play guitar quite a bit although have a strange aversion to learning others songs. I've written some stuff although haven't recorded much but a few wanking clips.

Between designing/coding my own MUD and guitar, that eats up most of my free time. I go through various "phases" with my hobbies - usually for a month or two one hobby will be dominant and the others will go to the back burner and then it switches. Some of my phases are "techinical reading phase" where I'll spend most of my free time reading computer books, "fiction reading phase", "exercise phase" etc.

One of my newest hobbies is both trying out and collecting a bottle of every known root beer on the planet. There's no better beverage than a good root beer, IMO. :)

I used to write a fair bit of poetry and such but haven't been depressed enough for inspiration in the last couple years. I guess that's more of a good thing, though. :P

I don't know about the law in the UK, but in Denmark you can. In Denmark replica and airsoft guns are treated as proper weapons when involved in a crime - and are to be transported in a secure (locked) bag or case when not in use.

Of course him being a drug dealer, chances are he's not likely to report you - but I wouldn't take the chance anyway.

@Blitzpotter



I feel for you. I had the same when I moved from Wales to Luxembourg (though Holland is much flatter). Spent two years hill biking rather than mountain biking. Thankfully I upped sticks and move to Scotland where the biking is supreme.

Its interesting to see that coders, do have plenty of other interesting hobbies. Biking is about all I have spare time for at the moment. Wish I had more time, but decided to do an open uni degree which take up most of my spare time.

@Gfk


I asked a neighbour(who shoots for a hobby) about airsoft weapons,and according to him,you can carry them in a case/bag in public,but you may run into problems if you brandish/display them in a public place,basically,he thinks that they can only be used on private land,your home,a friends home,or an authorised public event.

he's not entirely sure about the law,as they are'nt classed as air weapons or firearms,but he says they still could land you in court,and recommends you be careful.

this seems comprehensive:

http://www.practicalairsoft.co.uk/uk-law.asp

My advice is to chill. What you press against (i.e. the drug dealer) only get's stronger the more energy you give to it. Find something more constructive to focus on. :-)

Well, I would say that coding is my hobby whereas my other pastime, filmmaking (and therefore watching a lot of films), is my career and vocation even though I'm not yet making money at it. Outside of those two, I get my kicks from photography, larking about on Photoshop, swimming, cycling and, when I can be bothered, cookery.

Trumpet, accordion, juggling.

Bam bam bam.

I used to do a lot of martial arts, Judo, Ju Jitsu, and Taekwondo while I was in UK. Here in the Philippines, I'm more into my programming, and bit of gardening. Hope to get back into my martial arts soon-ish with Arnis ;)

Heh, martial arts and playing guitar seem to be popular. :)

what no stick fighting, comon! Oh Arnis is like Eskrima right?

Big10P: Martial arts guitar both need practice, precision creativity ... like programmming so maybe they appeal to a certain mindset? I took up Aikido 10 years ago to keep me fit as I had a desk job and it seems a better thing to do that just going to the Gym or running or whatever.

"Martial arts guitar", is that a new sport? *sees Grey Alien prancing about chopping people with his guitar - a double handed floating guitar fist*

Anyway, 'spose I should add my cents. I do also play music on the keyboard, I also sometimes like to sing. I would draw but it doesn't happen very often. I go to the gym quite often (it's more socially acceptable in the USA). But I also like bikeriding, walking with my wife, going to the beach or lake (ie out in nature), reading books, you know, the usual. I also am somewhat into astrology but moreso new-age stuff in general and for about the past year very much into "A Course In Miracles" which is very life-changing. The rest of the time I'm dreaming up designs for software or philosophising about how things could be. And I suppose you have to include watching American Idol which is a big thing here.

Oh, and programming in BlitzMax ;-D

@Grey Alien:

Yep, Arnis/Eskrima/Kali is all basically the same thing. Very different to all the other martial arts I've studied. They teach weapons from day one, sticks mostly but also knives and other Filipino weapons. Unarmed training starts when you have learned the weapons.

I did some Aikido when I was learning Ju Jitsu. Also a bit of Tai Chi and Iaido over the years :)

In addition to computer programming, I'm interested in science, and alternative ways of generating electricity. I also build and fly radio controlled model planes as a hobby.

Playing Guitar, I'm making movies. I like to wander in the mountains. Making photos whereever I go, most times Texture raw material. Survival stuff, Shooting sports. Still trying to find a substitute for nuclear and fossile energy :) Latest hobby is being a candidate in govt elections. I hope one day my hobby's gonna be president of this land :-° If you want it to be done right, you've gotta do it by your own.

Martial Arts (I'm a professional instructor)
Fitness training (gym 4 times a week, other stuff in between)
Personal Development
Rock Climbing
Skydiving / Base Jumping
Digital Video
Reading
Music
Games

JA2: Yeah Aikido has roots in Ju Jitsu and sword and spear fighting and Judo etc.

Rik: In order to get more coding done, you may need to invent "extreme coding" like "extreme ironing" so like rock climbing with a laptop and coding a shooter or bungie jumping and making a bat n ball game etc ;-)

Grey : Funnily enough I did actually suggest extreme coding as a the choice of a new generation about 5 years ago over on YakYak.org :)

lol, there you go. As I typed it I thought it had potential. I'd be into it.

Best I ever managed was to send an SMS whilst in free-fall :)

lol. Never done sky diving but it's on my to do list.

Other hobbies?

I collect for example wwII fighter/bomber pilot gear and related stuff... have even many P-51 Mustang airplane parts like gun camera, gastank cap, formation light etc and around ~dozen helmets with O2-masks. Got several flight suits too and stuff to go with them like life jackets, gun holsters, survival maps... much much to list, I could start a museum! :)

I also have 5 or so Airsoft guns although I don't play really, just collect guns. I used to be active Paintball player even on national tournament level but that was years ago. I have also done skydiving from 4 K's up and sure would like to do that again... used to draw a lot too and should do that more.

I also collect wwII technical literature and game art + movie "making of" books as well as DVD-movies (got only 200-300 though)... buying stuff is all I have time now when I have 3 + ½ year old kids! Anything that takes actual time to "hobby" is sadly almost impossible, including Blitz coding (which I still try to do whenever possible).