
Find Yourself a Hobby for 2020 - metmirr
http://findyourselfahobby.com/
======
simonw
Visit tiny museums.

I stumbled across this hobby a few years ago. Whenever I'm in some place new,
I run a search on google maps for "museums" and try to find the smallest, most
niche topic possible.

It's a pretty small time commitment - a small museum can often be explored in
30-60 minutes - and it's incredibly rewarding.

The smaller the museum is, the more likely you'll meet the person who set it
up. And that's guaranteed to be a great conversation no matter what the
subject of the museum is.

A couple of months ago I started a website to share details of the museums
I've explored. So far I've managed to post a new one every day, and I've still
got a backlog of about 50.

[https://www.niche-museums.com/](https://www.niche-museums.com/)

~~~
crispyambulance
You are on to something! I do this too.

Here's what comes to mind...

* Mutter Museum in Philly ([http://muttermuseum.org/](http://muttermuseum.org/)) Awesome victorian medical curiosities

* Museum of Questionable medical devices in St Paul ([http://www.museumofquackery.com/](http://www.museumofquackery.com/)). Exactly what the name implies. Really interesting for skeptics.

* Wagner Free Institute ([http://www.wagnerfreeinstitute.org/](http://www.wagnerfreeinstitute.org/)), in Philly. This is victorian-era science museum focusing on natural history. Interesting selection of specimens and a magnificently preserved victorian lecture hall.

* Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto ([http://batashoemuseum.ca/](http://batashoemuseum.ca/)). Shoes are actually interesting in historical context!

* Johnstown Flood Museum ([https://www.jaha.org/attractions/johnstown-flood-museum/](https://www.jaha.org/attractions/johnstown-flood-museum/)) This is in western PA, about 1.5 hours east of Pittsburgh. Dedicated mostly to the flood of 1889 which shaped the history of this town, as well as the flood of 1977.

* National Electronics Museum ([https://www.nationalelectronicsmuseum.org/](https://www.nationalelectronicsmuseum.org/)) This is a short distance from the BWI airport.

~~~
tentboy
Never heard of the National Electronics Museum but I am from the area, I will
check that out!

The Cryptography Museum nearby is also great.

------
dr_dshiv
My favorite hobby is studying history. There are still so many major
mysteries. A person can make real discoveries, just with a kindle and search
engine.

I've started reading Latin texts, _so many of which are not translated_ , with
alpheus reading tools. For instance, Descartes' first book has never been
translated.

I'm so curious about the concept of harmony through history. Everyone talked
about it, but it was also quite mysterious, wrapped up in esoteric mystery.

Shwep.Net is helps synthesize many sources for studying ancient philosophy.

------
Spakman
When nearing your final resting place and contemplating all the rich
intricacies of your life, do you want to be one of those people who didn't
learn to juggle? No. That would be silly.

So take up juggling!

Aside from obvious things like becoming more coordinated and increasing your
spatial awareness, it will teach you a lot about learning. It's fascinating
when a challenging new pattern moves from deliberate and entirely conscious
effort to straddling the conscious/unconscious divide until it gets bedded in
to your nervous system and you can do it without thinking.

Juggling is almost entirely non-competitive and jugglers are overwhelmingly
supportive and eager to teach and learn new tricks from each other. It doesn't
seem to be possible to get into it without also wanting to teach anyone who
wants to learn. There aren't many egos getting in the way, which I find rather
pure and beautiful.

Contemporary juggling is hugely varied. You can go from technical and accurate
numbers jugging (high number of objects) to flowing improvised moves to
something that is as much dance as circus stuff.

Also siteswap[1], a notation for juggling patterns, is cool!

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siteswap](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siteswap)

~~~
tkjef
a juggling illusion i learned is juggling 4 balls is really just juggling 2 in
each hand.

you can also juggle bouncing off the floor, lighter objects (scarves,
tissues), various patterns (above instead of under, 1 up 2 up) and if really
adventurous try while unicycling!

------
thdrdt
Help the elderly, visit the lonely, feed the hungry.

Maybe it's because I'm in my midlife crisis, but as I think how much time I
put into hobbies I wonder how much good I could have done in the same time.

But creating music, build scale models, growing cactuses, watching movies is a
lot of fun. And people need time to relax and enjoy life.

~~~
pjmorris
And you can combine these things; I've got a musician friend who organizes
musicians to go to the local VA hospital once a month to play for the
patients. It does everybody a world of good.

My family makes a point to look after others in the church we're part of,
generally by inviting them over for dinner and/or by bringing gifts of food.

Music-making and cooking are two hobbies that share really well, but you can
do just about anything together.

------
dimator
Woodworking. What's cool about this is that it can scale with the amount of
space/money you have to dedicate. Start building little boxes, you can do it
with just a Japanese have saw and some glue, maybe some clamps. Stain it to
make the grain really pop.

If you have a garage, start with a work bench build. Design it with 2x4 lumber
and carriage bolts, make it your own. Once you're standing at your new
workbench, then the inspiration really starts going.

Also YouTube has an endless supply of quality woodworking videos.

------
joshuamcginnis
Grow mushrooms. It's incredibly rewarding and intellectually stimulating -
even if you're like me and don't care for the taste. We are on the cusp of a
cultural transformation in how we view, study and use fungi for the benefit of
mankind.[0] It's so much more than psychedelics, although profound in its own
right.

[0] [https://fantasticfungi.com/](https://fantasticfungi.com/)

~~~
brian-armstrong
Watch Joe Rogan.

~~~
TheGallopedHigh
In particular the episodes with Paul Stamis who runs fungi.com

~~~
kranner
Paul Stamets

------
btrettel
I'm rather fond of the _many_ DIY engineering hobbies that some people focus
extremely deeply on. Air cannons were a big interest of mine back in 2009 or
so: [https://www.spudfiles.com/](https://www.spudfiles.com/)

Someone put a (rather primitive) air cannon simulator I wrote on GitHub:
[https://github.com/cli-mongrel/bags](https://github.com/cli-mongrel/bags)

And before then I was in to homemade water guns, e.g.:
[http://www.sscentral.org/homemade/supercannon2.html](http://www.sscentral.org/homemade/supercannon2.html)

I built that when I was a teenager as I recall.

Another example that I never participated in: [http://www.pulse-
jets.com/phpbb3/index.php](http://www.pulse-jets.com/phpbb3/index.php)

I'd love to get better at machining so I could make some small jet engines
like those folks.

I'm similarly impressed by people who modify cars, build wind turbines, etc.,
etc.

If there are any particular hobbies along these lines that you find
interesting, I'd love to hear about them!

~~~
anon_cow1111
Heh, haven't seen SF mentioned in quite a while, definitely recognize your
username from there though. You should still try a pulse jet project if you
have the space for it! The last time I built one it only required an angle
grinder and small mig welder(+a spot welder improvised from a broken
microwave, purely optional though).

Or... I do remember a neat how-to from Colin furze(youtube) for making a
turbojet using only a hand drill and grinder. It wasn't exactly pretty but it
definitely ran.

------
type0
Learn knitting and allow yourself to be meditatively bored instead of always
opening HN for something to read.

~~~
Cougher
Yet opening HN for something to read may be a hobby in itself because it opens
doors to all sorts of interests. Including this thread and all of its useful
ideas.

------
apache99
Grow weed. You can stop smoking it but you will never stop growing it.

~~~
quibono
How do you go about starting growing though? I feel like I could be interested
but it seems like something that's hard to start without the know-how.

~~~
colesdefectum
There's a nice reddit community[1] dedicated to small-scale indoor growing.
The sidebar has a lot of info to get you started and it's relatively
inexpensive. Just be sure to check your local laws regarding cannabis
cultivation and educate yourself on any potential risks.

[1]
[https://old.reddit.com/r/microgrowery/](https://old.reddit.com/r/microgrowery/)

------
lawn
Lockpicking is both relaxing and challenging, and oh so rewarding when you
succeed.

~~~
WrtCdEvrydy
Try getting a set of impressioning tools for tubular locks... they're like $30
and so fun.

------
tchingy
Start a journal. Put your thoughts in order on a daily basis, and when you
look back at the end of 2020 (or beyond..) you'll have something interesting
to read and reflect on.

~~~
fokinsean
I think I'm going to try this one out this year. I attempted at doing a weekly
log but had only had a ~40% completion rate.

Any tips on staying motivated? I mostly would enter it into evernote, and as
lazy as it sounds sometimes my biggest barrier of entry would be opening my
laptop heh.

~~~
PostPost
1\. Make it part of your routine. For instance, make it a weekly habit to have
coffee on Sunday morning and update your journal. If you pair writing with
another routine activity, (especially an activity that you enjoy doing) then
you'll be more likely to complete it.

2\. Hang a wall calendar in a high-visibility location and put a sticker/tally
mark for every week that you successfully log. It's an easy visual reminder of
your progress, and it can bug you if you don't log for a week.

3\. This may not be the advice you want, but not logging for a week isn't the
worst thing - it's okay to have a week now and then where nothing of note
really _happens_.

~~~
fokinsean
1\. Yeah I think I need to shift my time. Originally I aimed for Sunday
evening/night since I considered it the end of the week. At that time I found
myself to tired or caught up in another activity more often than not. Sunday
morning sounds better, especially as a way to get it "out of they way".

2\. That sounds like a good motivator!

3\. True true

------
amelius
When starting a new hobby, I'd look on Reddit, not Wikipedia.

------
karmakaze
My favourite is the first suggestion I received: Rock Thumbing[0]

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumble_finishing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumble_finishing)

~~~
fbnlsr
I didn't know it existed and it looks fun and zen, too bad I live in an
appartment.

------
bad_alloc
Haven't seen metalworking on that list. It's amazing how far you can get with
a vise, saw, files, drill and pliers. And it's also amazing how quickly you
feel then need for actual machines and order a lathe and mill :|

If you are space-constrained you can also make jewelry, which can be a lot
like machining, just a lot smaller. Also it's amazing how your view of metal
als "very solid" changed once you take a graver and move it around by hand.

------
countername
Flying planes, well .. I hope I'll find some good written tutorials on HN

~~~
base698
Fly twice a week, if you can't afford that, fly once a week, if you can't
afford that save money until you can.

Right rudder, right rudder.

~~~
hn_user2
If the goal is getting a license I usually recommend 3 times a week.

But there is something to be said about folks that go up just once a month
with their instructor and enjoy the lessons. As long as the monthly experience
is the goal and not a license anytime soon.

------
skytreader
I already have a lot of hobbies. So much so that at any given time there's
just a "core" set of hobbies I can indulge in and my various hobbies flit in
and out of this set depending on the circumstances.

For this year, I want to go for depth rather than breadth. For instance:

\- I can already play the guitar reasonably well so how about going into music
theory next?

\- I can draw well but I've been mostly drawing portraits and human figures.
So how about still lifes and sceneries? Or draw with color as so far all I've
been doing is elaborate sketching.

\- Maybe finally learn Copperplate.

\- After doing Taekwondo since 2004, I recently just picked up boxing and
kickboxing. Definitely a lot to learn here still, and even more to integrate
from TKD! I wanna get good form on my head movement, get that explosive
technique on my punches, throw all my body weight into my hooks, etc.

On to another decade of curiosity, I guess. :)

------
edem
My hobby is playing Minecraft and the first suggestion was Minecraft. Well
played!

------
blablabla123
It's a really cool idea because hobbies are nice to recharge. But the website
should have more functions to customize.

Because hobbies are a really personal thing and at least I must really
identify with what I'm doing.

------
opportune
Not that anybody cares, but here’s what I’ve been wanting to do for hobbies:

Add some more physical hobbies. Rock climbing/bouldering, swimming/surfing,
hike more often. Maybe even yoga. Right now I lift weights and jog on
treadmills but I want more diversity. And I need more sun.

Start playing a competitive game again. Used to be into chess, Starcraft 2. I
think this helps me decompress better than most other activities.

Read on my morning commute (25m train ride). Right now I mostly just browse
the internet.

Work on a mobile game. Very bootstrappable side gig and I know little about
front end.

~~~
bhelkey
> Not that anybody cares

I think you would be surprised at the number people interested in something
like this.

When I read this, I saw a little of myself in you. I am fairly into
bouldering, hiking and have tried, unsuccessfully, to get into the competitive
video game scene.

Yoga stuck out to me when reading your comment. I have received invitations to
come try yoga but have never gone. I am going to add it to my list of New Year
resolutions.

------
0xcraft
Argentine Tango! I used to need 3 or 4 drinks to get near a dance floor. Never
mind the gut wrenching fear of asking a woman to dance. Now I teach tango.
Nothing like midlife to shake things up.

------
digitalsushi
I live between 44° and 45° N in New England and I want to design a greenhouse
that can keep itself above freezing year round without using electricity from
the house.

So if I can do some cool solar pv hydronic heat tank thing, that's ok, or use
giant coils of air tubes deep within the earth to steal ambient heat, or
whatever tricks look good... I want to give it a shot!

------
ryanmercer
>It looks like you have a lot of time on your hands.

>Why don't you try this hobby instead: Medieval reenactment

Ha! I already do, I'm a member of the SCA.

------
brian-armstrong
Related: 50 Things to Experience Before You Die
[https://youtu.be/O42LGKRtd0M](https://youtu.be/O42LGKRtd0M)

~~~
test6554
Inadvisable

------
r_singh
Origami is awesome too

------
CPLX
I build furniture in my spare time. Assuming you have the room for it, enough
to build a proper shop, it’s the greatest meditative hobby I’ve found.

------
undefinedFoo
Build scale models. It's fun and addicting to do.

------
TurkishPoptart
Do video games count as a hobby? I just realized that nothing else really
holds my interest and I'm now very worried.

~~~
dimator
I would say as long as it's not interfering with the rest of your life, it's
perfectly fine. The breadth of quality games available in this era is really
remarkable. To be able to explore that universe and have real experiences is
perfectly worthwhile.

Where I think it becomes problematic is when the focus is on exactly one game,
especially ones with online gameplay with toxic communities. In those cases
you should ask yourself if you might be part of the toxicity cycle (not always
the case, but worth some introspection).

------
olingern
Lindy Hop. 15 years in and I still enjoy it.

~~~
Tomte
And you can easily branch out into related Swing Dances (and Solo Jazz).
Currently I'm into Balboa.

------
ebg13
My first two suggestions were "Car racing" and "Trying free samples at
Costco". Ok, lol.

~~~
kart23
f1 is pretty cool. I got a lot more into it this year. Try to watch some races
with an open mind.

~~~
ebg13
I'm happy watching races, but I'm not going to _do_ it.

~~~
edraferi
If you change your mind, this is a great way to get out on a race track with
whatever you’re driving:

[https://www.tracknightinamerica.com/](https://www.tracknightinamerica.com/)

------
madengr
Guns and shooting, a right not exercised is a right lost.

Ham radio, use your spectrum before the FCC auctions it off.

~~~
criddell
About 5 years ago I tried to talk my kids into ham radio. We were all going to
get licenses and buy radios but I couldn't sell it.

~~~
bhelkey
By 'couldn't sell it' do you mean that your kids were uninterested?

~~~
criddell
Exactly.

~~~
bhelkey
That's a shame.

------
astrikos
I love running, drawing, and photography!

------
Scoundreller
Football.... that’s so vague!

~~~
test6554
Play professional football in the NFL!!

------
Hamuko
>Car restoration

Apparently not only do I have free time, but also free money and free garage
space.

~~~
TheGallopedHigh
Note that these are suggestions...

~~~
5bolts
also.. could just restore old tonka toys or matchbox cars

Tonka:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyWxgkQ_3OM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyWxgkQ_3OM)

matchbox:
[https://www.youtube.com/user/pso316a](https://www.youtube.com/user/pso316a)

