
Ask HN: If I like programming, what other hobbies would I likely enjoy? - horyd
Especially ones that are maybe a bit left of field and that the regular person might not necessarily know about.
======
jlengrand
Try bouldering! The perfect combination between problem solving, fitness, and
strength.

I have been bouldering for years, and I love that you can go with people from
all levels, and everybody is having the same fun trying to succeed at
problems. And a beginner that doesn't have the strength to do something can
have th brains to show you how to do it.

I have brought many people with me over the years, most engineers / software
people get totally hooked for some reason. I think it probably comes from the
puzzle aspect of it.

~~~
pieterjands
I second this as well. Healthy mind in a healthy body and all.

------
otras
Lock picking is a technical, logical, and interesting hobby you may enjoy.
It's a classic hacker (as in Hacker News) skill. Here's a great line from the
absolute classic _MIT Guide to Lock Picking_ [0]:

" _The big secret of lock picking is that it 's easy. Anyone can learn how to
pick locks.

The theory of lock picking is the theory of exploiting mechanical defects._"

[0]: [http://www.lysator.liu.se/mit-
guide/MITLockGuide.pdf](http://www.lysator.liu.se/mit-guide/MITLockGuide.pdf)

------
avocadoLife
Speedsolving - solving rubik's cubes and similar puzzles and doing it FAST,
blindfolded, one-handed etc

Sports/workouts/exercise - not original but great way to balance the sedentary
lifestyle if you're not already doing so

Juggling - pretty fun to learn and relaxing activity. It has been shown to
give great mental benefits when done regularly

Card tricks/magic tricks - impress your friends during parties

Learning foreign languages - this one has so much in common with learning
programming I'm surprised that it's not that popular among developers. It is
quite mentally draining tho so combining it with programming career is hard

~~~
komon
I'll second speedsolving. I'm also big fan of fewest-move competitions. You
get a scramble, an hour, and a sheet of paper. The current record in-
tournament is 19 moves.

One thing parallel to speedsolving that is fascinating is the amount of
optimization that goes into the cube itself, especially from small brands in
China. Rubik's Cube engineering just happens to be in that sweet spot of
providing incremental improvements, a large design space to eke out new and
interesting optimizations, and cheap plastic manufacturing. The latest and
greatest model that everybody is hyped about is just $15 + shipping from Hong
Kong, so it doesn't break the bank.

YMMV, the only thing you might say negatively about it is that as a community,
older players weed out very quickly. The demographic really leans in the 10-15
range, so you might struggle to find adults to talk to other than online.

It's also a practical application of all that group theory the internet's been
telling you to learn.

------
philipkiely
Many programmers also knit, there is a surprising amount of overlap (talking
about patterns as algorithms, fixing errors as debugging). Knitters even have
their own stackoverflow/github: ravelry.

------
code_beers
Singing - it may not seem like there's much overlap, but the amount of pattern
recognition and other compatible skills required is surprising. Flow state is
a common element in both, and I find it a great stress reliever. It also helps
to balance a left-brain career with right-brain hobbies.

Meditation - not really a hobby per se, but the amount of clarity it can bring
to programming later that day is incredible.

Nutrition / health optimization - understanding how the body works and how to
support it through your lifestyle and nutrition can be a hobby in and of
itself, and as a bonus, it helps maintain a healthy brain to program with.

Cooking - this will save you money, gain you friends, and can be looked at as
'food engineering'. It's just chemistry you can eat, in the end.

Homebrewing - much like cooking, this is biology and chemistry you can eat. Or
in this case, drink.

Geocaching - I've been meaning to try this. I gather it's essentially world-
wide interactive scavenger hunts that use GPS.

------
oldmancoyote
Consider something so completely different that it would allow your mind to
refresh itself.

------
dawidw
Some sport so your brain can rest (focus on your muscle coordination) and
process your thoughts and knowledge in the background.

------
alan_wade
Computer graphics. Check out SideFX Houdini and try building a few simple
things wih it, it's the most fun and addictive thing ever. Also check out Silo
for more conventional 3D modeling. If you're looking for the easiest no-
learning-curve way to start, try MagicaVoxel, it's amazing, free, and you'll
be buildinthings out of voxels in 20 minutes.

Other fun and valuable hobbies: public speaking, improv, standup comedy, pick
up, drawing, writing, and go.

------
thedevindevops
Rock climbing, kayaking & snowboarding/skiing

------
patricklouys
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Problem solving under stress (and will get you fit at the
same time).

A disproportionate amount of our members [0] are programmers or software
engineers.

[0] [http://bjjlab.ch/](http://bjjlab.ch/)

------
tyger11
Photography is generally really popular with programmers. So is homebrewing.
Gun collecting, also.

------
piinbinary
I know a lot of programmers who enjoy photography and playing some instrument.
Those hobbies involve a similar kind of focus to programming but in a
different area.

------
pplonski86
Motorbike riding - you need to think very fast. Playing music - you need to
synchronize your brain hemispheres. Cooking - you are building but from food
:)

------
kleer001
Weight Lifting and/or Martial Arts, program your body brute force vs. clever
solutions. Also they'll extend your general wellness.

~~~
simonpantzare
Second weightlifting. Not really similar or left of field, but a good
complement. I found it more interesting after I started following a routine
and tracking progress on each exercise, trying to optimize nutrients
before/after workout, daily macros etc. Optimizing these things is kind of
satisfying.

For example, the other day I had to work out after work instead of in the
morning, and I had also been encouraged to do some spinning because of a knee
issue. I found that I didn't perform well but I don't what caused it exactly:
the cardio before lifting, it being late, tiredness from work, eating
schedule, the knee, etc. Kind of similar to debugging.

------
SamReidHughes
Golf, making math/dead baby jokes, buying textbooks and never reading them,
playing a musical instrument, writing fiction.

~~~
SamReidHughes
Playing the piano, in particular, will protect against wrist problems you
might get from a computer keyboard.

------
bigato
Road biking, long distances on the road. It's like active meditation, part of
my mind hygiene.

------
jdkee
Modular synthesizers. See www.muffwiggler.com

------
motiw
Bridge card game

------
SirLJ
fishing - the best hobby ever for me :-)

------
nvusuvu
Boardgaming.

------
karmakaze
Go

