
Ask HN: Hacker Hobbies? - jacquesm
Hello Hn'ers,<p>What hobbies do you have?<p>What do you do to wind down when you're afk?
======
cynicalkane
I'd like to tout an increasingly rare hobby among younger people (non-
retirees): Bridge, the card game. It has a rule structure and that hidden-
information element that appeals to nerds, but it forces you to think
critically and rationally instead of analytically (usually--opportunities for
highly analytical plays pop up), and forces you to be able to relate with
another person both at and away from the table, since it's played by pairs of
2. There's a reason it's Bill Gates' favorite game.

A lot of fascinating older people play the game, as well. I met a small
business owner who was formerly the first computer salesman for a major
mainframe company--IIRC it was Honeywell, but don't quote me on that. At least
one famous international financier occasionally shows up to the bridge clubs
in Chicago (unfortunately I've never ran into him).

The downside is it's hard to find a critical mass of bridge players in your
age and "hang-out-ness" category.

~~~
mrduncan
Based on a CNBC special I saw a year or two ago, I believe Warren Buffett is
also regular bridge player.

~~~
mhartl
Indeed. In fact, Buffet and Gates often play bridge together, both online and
IRL.

~~~
qq66
Tough to go against those guys in a cash game :)

------
antirez
I think the best hobbies for hackers are the ones that will force you to go
_out_. Walking, sports, astronomy, going to the beach, and so forth. We
already use too many hours to stay at home hacking so it is better to
counterbalance in some other way in the free time.

~~~
soitgoes
Totally agree. After a major coding session earlier today, I spent a couple of
very enjoyable hours gardening. The complete contrast really works for me.
Although I do sometimes listen to a tech podcast at the same time :-)

~~~
pgebhard
Which podcast? TWiT? I haven't found a more entertaining (and somewhat
educational) podcast than that, including other non-tech-related ones. I'm
probably very uninformed, though, so I'd like to hear which others might be
worthwhile.

~~~
soitgoes
Here are a few I enjoy:

Techzing

Mixergy

Radiolab

Floss Weekly

Stack Overflow (no recent podcasts from Joel and Jeff however)

------
PieSquared
Capoeira. It's a mix of Brazilian martial arts, music, culture, dance, and
game, and one which requires physical training as well as the ability to think
quickly and creatively on one's feet, and it teaches you how to truly control
your body, something most people never learn to do.

Many people don't know much about it, but it's a beautiful sport. (Martial
art, not dance. Common misconception is that it's non-contact - it's only non-
contact if you move fast enough!) I particularly enjoy it because of the
associated culture and traditions.

(In case anyone's interested, here are some videos:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8xxgFpK-NM>
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51q1VB_dDik> Feel free to email me if you have
questions.)

~~~
Casperin
I used to do Capoeira too until I broke my wrist. My knees weren't too happy
about it either.

Now I do climbing (no, it's not as hard on the wrists). As much as I enjoyed
Capoeira, I have to say, that I enjoy the whole "me vs the wall" aspect -
especially bouldering. I suppose it's because I'm an introvert. :)

~~~
blackguardx
I found that climbing strengthened my wrists and reduced the nagging
tendonitis I would get from using a mouse.

Bouldering is unique because while some people do it alone, others consider it
the most social form of climbing.

------
sjsivak
Cooking is probably my favorite hobby, I love doing something with my hands
and really feeling accomplished when I make a great meal.

This may sound childish, but I also really enjoy building and playing with
LEGOs. I just have a few sets but I constantly rebuild them and I find it is
an interesting thing to do while listening to music.

~~~
nakkal
Coding buys grocery for me, Cooking helps to make something delicious out of
it.

------
truebosko
I love to cook. Something that I find most of us geeks are really bad at.
Amazes me how many of my friends can't do simple things with a piece of meat
and some veggies, but also how uneducated they are about food in general (The
fault of the North American system, probably.)

When it comes to cooking, I do it daily. Love doing Italian and French Cuisine
and just sometimes picking at random from one of my cook books. I find the
entire process very relaxing and a nice removal after sitting on my ass for 8
hours doing code.

Apart from cooking I love gardening, growing herbs, etc. It goes very nicely
with my cooking hobby so it works.

I find the best thing about gardening is how close you get to the rawness that
is mother earth. It's another nice way to step back into reality after staring
at the computer screen.

~~~
ryanwaggoner
_The fault of the North American system, probably._

What the hell is the North American system?

~~~
truebosko
That was kind of a vague swipe at North American food culture and schooling in
general.

I didn't mean to much harm, but in summary .. we are not educated about
food/cooking in elementary or secondary school (There are classes, but fully
optional) .. and well, look at what most people in America eat. Snobby? Sure,
but it's true.

------
arohner
Ultimate Frisbee. It's real good exercise (which hackers need), and there's
something peaceful about throwing a frisbee. Plus "reading" the disc (figuring
out where it's going to land) is interesting because a disc has a few more
degrees of freedom than a ball.

~~~
llimllib
Plus it really takes the edge off my competitive urge which hurts more than
helps when I'm programming. It gives me a reason to stay healthy and work out,
a large social group both in my city and spread across the whole country, and
I found my wife playing ultimate :)

/club ultimate player

------
jasonkester
Rock Climbing, Surfing and Traveling (to do the first two) have always had a
higher priority for me than programming computers, which would rank as my 4th
hobby that also happens to pay my rent.

I think the fact that most people classify those activities as "hobbies" says
a lot about the lives we construct for ourselves: Spend 50 weeks per year
doing something unpleasant so that you free up a couple weeks to do something
you actually enjoy. If you enjoy your hobby as much as you say, why not find a
way to devote at least half your time to it?

~~~
blackguardx
Where do you live that you can do the first two reasonably frequently?

~~~
jasonkester
When I lived in LA, I'd often do both on the same day. Drive up to Stoney
Point, then down the hill to Malibu. You can do the same if you live near
Santa Cruz or Santa Barbara. Portland in theory has both surfing and climbing,
but in practice has neither (cold water + crap rock).

These days I live in England, so there's tons of climbing at my doorstep and
surfing happens in month-long blocks a couple times a year. That's actually
preferable, since you get warm water and smaller crowds in Morocco/Ecuador/Oz.

------
RevRal
I play the didgeridoo. I picked up this hobby after my lung collapsed
spontaneously, and the surgeon recommended that I learn to play a wind
instrument. Since the medical bills came out to over $100,000 dollars (paid
with cash money FTW), I didn't much feel like spending money on a really
expensive instrument that I might not even like.

I also set aside an hour or two a day to read classic literature, or hard-to-
read literature. My favorites are epic poems. Currently on page 53 of
Finnegans Wake and I've been hearing rhythmic gibberish in my sleep. I'm
reading Finnegans Wake so I can feel good about reading everything by Joyce,
and I'm actually finding it really pleasurable.

There's more, but those two things are what I enjoy most.

~~~
jacquesm
There's an idea! In the past I played the saxophone quite fanatically but had
to stop because of lung trouble (weak spot in a lung, too much pressure).

Didgeridoo...

What a bummer to have to pay for your medical bills out of pocked, weren't you
insured ?

~~~
RevRal
If you'd like to look into it, I'd recommend the Didjeribone. Plastic,
lightweight, sounds really awesome even compared to my authentic didj, and you
can change its pitch.

As for the medical bills, well I was pretty young and felt invincible. That
delusion was thoroughly shot down.

~~~
jacquesm
Hey, thanks for the tip, I've bookmarked this comment and will order one. I've
been looking for anything to get back in to music. Tried the harmonica but I
get coughing fits whenever I try the 'inhale' sounds. Flutes are tempting...
(hardly any backpressure, just exhaling). Didjeridoo sounds like fun, I just
never thought of it.

About the young and invincible thing, I think that the sooner you realize that
is not the case the better it actually is, because it will rub in really hard
that you have to take care of your body.

Investment early in life really pays off big time in that respect.

------
aoriste
Gardening. I give my self one computer-free-day each week in which I garden.
Working with one's hands instead of one's head provides a much needed relief
after a week of programming, designing, and hacking at software. During the
winter, cooking and baking fill a similar, but not quite as satisfactory,
experience.

The contrast from coding intrinsic to vegetable gardening is especially
satisfying - one can sit back and watch the fruits of one's labor manifest
themselves. When one codes, one knows that his inactivity results in nothing.
Not so with gardening, aside from some maintenance, the initial work
constitutes a self-fulfilling promise.

------
failquicker
I'm really into metal casting. Got into a few years ago by bastardizing a kiln
I found on craigslist. Have since moved on to building my own propane furnaces
and rigging old microwaves to melt copper. I don't know that I'm actually any
"good" at it, but I do enjoy it a lot. I like working with a material that you
have to respect highly or it will burn a hole straight through you. And I have
been able to cast some rudimentary parts(housings, pulllies) that have been
used on other hackeresque projects.

~~~
mattchew
I went to the local blacksmithing group just this week. I think I'm going to
join. The work looks like fun and I liked the social atmosphere (slightly
grumpy old guys who reminded me of my dad).

> rigging old microwaves to melt copper

Whoa. I guess you're still here to type about it . . .

~~~
failquicker
You should definitely join the blacksmithing group. I'm definitely on the
casting part of the work as opposed to the smithing. but I know a bunch of
great blacksmiths. I think you will be able to find a great group of
interesting personalities that somehow get drawn to metalworking (sort of like
HN)

One great resource for metalcasting is Backyard Metal Casting.
www.backyardmetalcasting.com He will probably answer any question you could
possibly have about casting.

Good luck!

------
freshfey
lifting weights. it's not only a hobby, but a balance and medicine.

"When the Iron doesn’t want to come off the mat, it’s the kindest thing it can
do for you. If it flew up and went through the ceiling, it wouldn’t teach you
anything. That’s the way the Iron talks to you. It tells you that the material
you work with is that which you will come to resemble. That which you work
against w...ill always work against you." - Henry Rollins

~~~
bensima
Agreed. And Henry Rollins has some great quotes about lifting. Here's another:

"The Iron never lies to you ... The Iron will always kick you the real deal.
The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver.
Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my
greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and
go. But two hndred pounds is always two hundred pounds."

~~~
mahipal
The entire essay is great. "The Iron":
<http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/henryrollins_iron.html>

------
ryanwaggoner
Flying (halfway through pilot training), scuba diving, travel, reading, and I
hope to take up sailing later this year. I tend to enjoy things that combine
multiple skills and disciplines into one activity. For example, becoming a
pilot requires proficiency in a variety of technical areas such as navigation,
weather, and aircraft operating procedures, but it also requires learning
airmanship and the art of flying the plane by feel. We spent several hours
this week doing takeoffs and landings with the entire instrument panel covered
with a towel, to get used to flying the plane with only your sensory input to
guide you. Enough rambling though :)

~~~
yan
I really enjoyed flying when I used to fly. After ~35 hours, I ended up
soloing twice and then had to stop. (Initially due to a long stretch of poor
weather, then a re-evaluation of my financial situation :))

~~~
rubyrescue
i loved flying and hope to go back to doing some at some point. i have about
150 hours, flew some fun high performance and complex aircraft. just too
expensive to keep up...

~~~
ryanwaggoner
I initially started in 2007 and took a 2.5 year break for financial reasons.
We'll see how it turns out this time...maybe I'll end up flying ultralights or
something :)

------
jazzychad
1\. Watching cartoons. Seriously. I'll watch an hour or so of old cartoons
before going to sleep to unwind my brain from programming.

2\. Playing music. This is my creative outlet. I play several instruments, and
using music theory to create music is a different sort of way to be analytical
and creative at the same time. I've always thought of music as the most
universal way for people to appreciate math in its purest form, even if they
don't realize it.

3\. Bowling and Golf. Both are "sports" in that they are competitive and
involve physical activity, but they can both be done alone and on my own time.
They are also both very physics-based games which satisfies my need for mental
engagement; consequently this makes me "that guy" in group bowling outings
that takes it a bit too seriously :)

~~~
jayair
I still love my Saturday morning cartoons.

------
mambodog
I produce electronic music. These days production is all computer based, and
tech knowledge gets you a long way. Also if you can learn tech skills you can
probably also come to understand things like dynamics processing and frequency
ranges well enough to get to the top of the game, in terms of production
quality. Its one of the few things that I find to be a good mix of my
creativity and tech aptitude (along with web design and games art).

~~~
barmstrong
What software do you recommend/use...Abelton live?

~~~
mambodog
Logic on Mac, Cubase if you're stuck with Windows, Native Instruments Massive
is a pretty awesome synth (for beginners and pros) and Izotope Ozone for
mastering. Logic has pretty much everything else you need included but if you
go with Cubase or Ableton then you'll need to stock up on 3rd party plugins
including a good EQ and freq analyser, good dynamics compressor and a decent
sampler.

------
roel_v
MMA. In my experience the technical sophistication and methodical nature of
submission setups appeals to people who are abstract thinkers. Many people
need to get over the bar brawler reputation though :) Don't worry, most
practitioners are a lot smarter than the typical Tapout fan :)

~~~
quickpost
I'm am also an avid MMA practitioner... it's a much more interesting and
complex sport than most people think.

In addition to training, I also run a little news aggregator for it (built it
for myself). Here: <http://mmabuzzsaw.com/>

~~~
roel_v
That's a cool site, thanks. As an aside I didn't know Overeem was fighting
this weekend - he /toyed/ with Rogers, I'm thinking he's going to give Fedor a
run for his money. Still rooting for Fedor :)

------
gmjosack
One of my favorite things to do is to go out and travel. Leave the computer at
home for the weekend or a week and go visit somewhere new. Spend some time
with friends and loved ones. As a side hobby, I've really been into taking
pictures because I want a photo journal of all of those experiences and I want
them to be as good as possible.

Some great resources for traveling are Spirit Airlines and Travelzoo.com. With
Spirit you can pay something like 40 dollars a year and they will send you
deals every few days in the mail with flights as low as $9 (plus tax). Travel
Zoo sends amazing deals weekly.

In addition to that I love cycling, wakeboarding, cooking, and lots more but
they mostly all involve getting out of the house and away from a computer.

------
crocowhile
Actually hacking is the hobby here. Job is different.

------
buro9
Cycling. All kinds and lots of. I even run this <http://www.lfgss.com/>
because what hacker wouldn't combine their activities.

~~~
jacquesm
Thanks, your comment caused me to dust off my 10 speed and take it out for the
first time since winter. Man am I out of shape ;)

------
tbeseda
I'm surprised home brewing (beer) isn't more common. I thoroughly enjoy making
my own recipes as it is a sort of cross between the art of cooking and science
of chemistry. My brews get better each time.

My friend and I started <http://brewadvice.com> (based on the Stack Exchange)
platform. The community has been very helpful.

------
philh
I play airsoft. It's not a cheap hobby, but it's good exercise in good
company. I'm involved with the running of the society (I'll be president next
academic year), which has taught me organisational skills; and hanging out
with the other players was half the socialising I did last year, so it's
probably helped to keep me sane.

~~~
barmstrong
Wow...had no idea that was a sport! Just read a bit on wikipedia:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airsoft>

------
yan
I am a rock climber and have met or seen at least half dozen people on HN who
also climb. Can't say enough nice things about it, gorgeous hobby.

edit: I was also curious about this, and created a similar thread a while ago:
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=862139>

~~~
graugrau
Is rock climbing something you can do alone? ( _Indoors_ rock climbing or
something similar, at least? I guess outdoors climbing by yourself would be
pretty dangerous =P.) It's something I've wanted to get into, but I prefer
solo activities.

~~~
blackguardx
Outdoor bouldering is just climbing small rocks. Find a small rock somewhere
and scramble up it. It is as dangerous as you want it to be. If you are
concerned about the danger, bring a pad and let people know where you are.

I first got into climbing by scrambling around boulders on the Sonoma coast,
mainly by myself. I had so much fun. When I found out that it was an actual
sport that other people did, I was hooked.

------
vitobcn
I practice yoga. I find doing a physical activity helps my body to relax and
take my mind off things.

Initially I had the impression it was a 'light' activity which mainly women
practice, but after taking a couple of Ashtanga sessions I was floored :-) I
recommend you give it a try.

------
d3vvnull
Recording and writing music. I just recently upgraded from Garageband to Logic
Pro and recently bought Reason. You can listen to my modest efforts at
<http://www.myspace.com/zendevice>.

------
dthakur
Photography (<http://divya.ca>) and Motorcycling

~~~
hopeless
Photography too... particularly landscape and wildlife photography. It forces
you to get outside, to wait, to be still and patient.

~~~
potatolicious
Photography also :) glad to see some photogs on HN. I do mostly street
photography - I find that it gets me engaged with people and forces me to be
much more social than I'd otherwise be (I do stare at a screen all day for my
day job...)

[edit] Also, working in an industrial kitchen. Nothing like getting your hands
dirty that takes your mind off brainy matters like programming.

In the end IMHO the best hacker hobbies are the ones that are mentally nothing
like hacking at all.

~~~
varjag
Oh cool.. do you have any of your photos online?

I'm also into street photography: running a photoblog where I post a photo
every workday (<http://journal.boblycat.org/cosmozoo>). Still going strong
since 2005 or so, and I concur it's a great compliment to screen-gazing.

~~~
potatolicious
Sure do: <http://www.flickr.com/photos/potatolicious/>

Nice pictures :) I wish I could keep up a shoot rate of one a day... Nothing
kills the creative eye quite like code all day ;)

------
chops
In the summer during the day, I play beach volleyball a few times a week at
Milwaukee's Bradford Beach. Great workout, great fun, and something completely
different to hone and perfect.

At night, and in the winter, I play videogames: Quake Live is a great game to
play for 10-30 minute sessions. League of Legends, and now Bloodline Champions
is fun to play with a few friends.

------
route66
Keeping bees. Playing viol (that baroque instrument) and guitar. But I like to
"follow my nose", so the answer might be different next year (did someone
mention metal casting in this thread? hmmm...)

~~~
araneae
Another beekeeper! Although I haven't had a hive in quite some time.

------
davidw
Cycling. Indeed, I'm having some regrets about beeing at a Startup Weekend and
having missed the live coverage of what has proved to be one of the more epic
stages at the Giro d'Italia in recent years... _sigh_.

I like to ride, too, but have been sick an awful lot this year, due to our
daughter being in nursery school and picking up a nasty array of diseases.

~~~
buro9
Eurosport online access is just about making not seeing the Giro on big-screen
tolerable. It's been epic.

~~~
davidw
Living in Italy, I get the RAI coverage streamed, just that it didn't work
because of whatever network reasons at this place. ARGH.

------
thinkbohemian
I enjoy gardening, i just got a my first square foot garden, i enjoy geeking
out over automating it's watering, and optimizing conditions. I cannot stop
comparing the task to that of building a website...nurture it slowly and it
will grow ^_^

Not only is it a relaxing/rewarding hobby it encourages me to eat better and
helps save me money on my groceries!

------
shalmanese
I love to cook and I'm puzzled why more Hackers don't. To me, cooking is the
anti-thesis of coding. Both are about the deeply satisfying act of creation
but one is abstract, permanent and virtual. The other is visceral, messy and
temporary. This yin-yang balance appeals to me immensely and both are major
parts of my life.

~~~
weaksauce
I love to cook as well. I find is a very relaxing thing to do with a sense of
completion at the end. When you are hacking on a long project you may not get
that sense of completion.

------
kaiuhl
I've gone backpacking eight times this year despite the rather rough weather
back in February when I started.

It's great to have a hobby that involves a lack of analytical thought, just
your immediate surroundings and some physical effort to expend.

Keeps me sane when I live and work downtown, and type at a keyboard in front
of three screens day-in day-out.

------
jcnnghm
Boating in general. In particular, I love wakeboarding, and I have a stand-up
jet ski. The stand-up is my favorite. An 800cc, 80hp engine producing 700lbs
of thrust in a <400lb fueled vehicle is pretty intense. There is nothing like
going 50mph standing an inch off the water.

------
matwood
I try to focus my non-computer hobbies to things outside:

-any board sport (surfing, snowboarding, wakeboarding)

-high altitude hiking/mountaineering

-outdoor photography <http://picasaweb.google.com/michael.atwood/PublicPhotos#>

-weight lifting/power lifting

-basketball

------
edna_piranha
I relieve coding stress by drawing on my tablet at <http://brokensign.org>

I do daily drawings, but sometimes I make two or three depending on the time
available and circumstances. Does that count as afk? :)

------
shib71
Latin. It's satisfying mental exercise, and there's no pressure to learn
quickly, because it has no practical applications (except for general brain
sharpening). And the structure of the language is almost custom made for a
hacker.

------
mattwdelong
Rugby, hiking, beer (it's a hobby, right?) and hanging out with good friends.

Some things I want to take up include; boxing, photography and diving. (Even
though I can't swim, and all animals in the water freak me out.)

------
mrlyc
Photography and weightlifting. Back in the old days when I had a full set of
lenses, I could combine the two. Now that I've bought a digital point-and-
shoot, I have to go to the gym.

------
JshWright
Volunteer Firefighting. It's a great way to get involved with a close knit
group of people, a solid motivation to stay fit, and an extremely fun and
rewarding experience.

------
aharrison
I'm surprised there aren't more parkour practitioners here. I find it is one
of the most physically demanding things a person can do, it is almost entirely
free, and it requires both extreme focus and tons of creativity. Of course,
the downsides are that you have to be in amazing shape (or work your way up to
it) and that it does tend to result in small injuries, but I would say no more
than a martial art.

Definitely a great way to get out, move around, and stay focused.

------
cperciva
Does writing blog posts making fun of people who get crypto wrong count as a
hobby? ;-)

I'm also a classical violinist and play in a local (amateur but quite good)
symphony orchestra.

~~~
jjs
_Does writing blog posts making fun of people who get crypto wrong count as a
hobby? ;-)_

I believe that's more of a public service. :)

------
samatman
I love Go something fierce. There's something mathematically pure about it; a
good game feels like two people trying to solve a single intricate
mathematical puzzle, with the result reflecting who came closer to perfect
understanding.

What's not to love, really? Binary math, simple axiomatic formal system,
seriously deep complexity. It's no coincidence that Conway's early fundamental
work on cellular automata was done on a Go board with Go stones.

------
anatta
Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (no-gi), surfing and classical/figurative
painting. I used to be a street performer and avid skateboarder when I was a
teenager.

------
j_baker
I've begun to learn playing go. It's kind of hard to find people willing to
play though.

~~~
philh
You may know about this, but <http://gokgs.com> is an active online community.
I don't think I've ever had to wait more than a few minutes for a match
against someone similarly-ranked (my own rank's been anywhere between 15 and
25 kyu).

I don't know how easy it is to learn there, though. Playing offline, there's
usually a stronger player around who can notice specific mistakes that I make
and explain them to me after the game. ("You're being too submissive", "this
is bad shape - play here instead".) Without them, I imagine I'd still find out
what works, but I would improve much more slowly.

------
starkfist
I skateboard. The only reason I'm a computer programmer is because I got hurt
really bad when I was 18 and had to find something else to do.

------
davidwparker
My main two: 1) working out. Normally something outside: running around Red
Rocks, jogging and looking at the mountains, playing ultimate frisbee, etc 2)
board games. Puerto Rico, Race for the Galaxy, Dominion, Hansa Teutonica...
not Settlers of Catan, which seems to be just recently getting popular and is
too luck-based for my liking.

------
strlen
Music (unfortunately, listening to it, not playing - at this time).
Photography (common hacker hobby, very relaxing yet has a technical component
to it). Cars/driving/potentially amateur racing (you don't need a fancy car
for this, in fact it's likely _not_ a good idea to use an expensive/luxury
car).

Reading (in the sense of fiction literature). History, philosophy, political
science (really another form of reading). Travel. Exercise.

Often times it helps to hack on things that _seemingly_ aren't related to your
work (even if you like your work). I've spent good chunk of today writing my
own graph library: for learning and scratching a personal itch; if I wanted a
real one I'd use Boost (best imo), JGraphT or JUNG. Chances are, however, that
it may come in handy e.g., I'll need to find the shortest path in an ad-hoc
graph, but the scope I'll have at hand wouldn't justify adding additional
dependencies.

------
jacquesm
It's only fair to list my own I guess: renewable energy and restoring old cars
(yes, terribly inconsistent!), music.

------
andywood
Paragliding. It's pretty tactical, and there's a lot of information to
assimilate about weather, clouds, thermals, etc. Snowboarding, cycling,
hiking, guitar, piano/keyboards. Music composition is the closest thing to
programming that I've found, in terms of intellectual absorption.

------
markbao
Photography, oil painting, pastels, watercolors, guitar, piano, singing, and
lots of others.

Variety is the spice of life.

------
alinajaf
Kendo. Its quite expensive and more of a sport than a martial art but keeps me
fit and gives me an excuse to go to Japan every so often.

Video for the curious: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XRZF7IqakI>

------
ax0n
Not always AFK, but I like Technical writing, including gathering easy-to-
understand data (taking photographs, screen shots, etc).

Photography, bicycling, listening to and playing music, wrenching on anything
mechanical (currently putting a clutch in a 1990 Miata). That includes fixing
electronics, too. Although I commute by bicycle and ride most places that I
need to go to, I dearly enjoy driving for the sake of driving, autocrossing,
etc.

I design fantasy vehicles in my head, and all the elaborate user interface
bits that go along with them. Sometimes, I doodle parts of things down on
paper, but most of my ideas are in my head.

I don't play computer games, but in real life, I like Chess, pool, scrabble,
Monopoly and bowling.

------
Kilimanjaro
Kayaking and mountain biking, nothing extreme, just a way to be closer to
nature and admire it in all its grandeur.

My dream would be kayaking the glaciers at banff national park, alberta
canada. That turquoise lake is just a feast to the eyes, and the soul.

------
MikeCapone
Reading all this makes me realize that I need to find myself a good hobby...

------
ulrich
Jogging is something I do regularly, as well as inline skating. I also picked
up paragliding this year and try to do it as often as possible, but it always
depends on the weather.

------
mbenjaminsmith
I'm too busy these days (I only run to keep myself sane) but I used to design
& build hi-fi gear. It's a lot of computer modeling and a fair amount of
sawing / soldering.

------
ajj
Sports - absolutely cannot live without. Enjoy it as much as my work.

Anything goes: soccer, volleyball, squash, or rarely some water sports. I
follow a lot of sports too.

~~~
yesimahuman
Soccer player here too. Love it, but my knees are a bit messed up now.

------
gradschool
Krav Maga and lambada (on separate nights of the week) so I get a good balance
between acting like I'm tough and feeling all loved up

------
oscarduignan
Just after Christmas I started taking Salsa Dancing lessons, and have since
expanded into Tango, Cha-Cha, and Merengue. Hell of a lot of fun, and I've met
some interesting people as a result.

That and the usual; cooking, reading (fantasy and science fiction,) social
gaming with friends, running, cycling, and (when I get round to learning how)
swimming.

------
DanielBMarkham
Diving, traveling, photography, and flying airplanes

Those are the expensive ones.

Karaoke, reading, diving, exercising, and writing are the cheaper ones

~~~
gmjosack
Diving is both expensive and cheap? I plan on getting certified this summer
and I know it can be a bit expensive to start up but I'd love to know if this
is something that can potentially be a big drain on the wallet.

~~~
gaius
Another diver here (and sailor as well). There is a certain minimum cost, but
it's not as much as most people imagine it will be. I could fly to the Red Sea
and dive for a week (including gear rental, cheap'n'cheerful accommodation and
going out in the evenings) for about GBP 600. If you spend more money you
could stay in a nicer hotel and eat imported food (if you _really_ want sushi
in Egypt it'll cost you!) and buy all your own gear but the diving won't be
any better.

I'm not "rich" by any means, but I run out of vacation time well before I run
out of money to dive...

------
loboman
Writing, drawing. Used to draw comics too.

~~~
jacquesm
Neat! Is any of it online ?

~~~
loboman
Not yet, sorry.

------
GotToStartup
Chess. In many ways, chess is very similar to programming. It is a beautiful
mix of art & science. It requires constant learning, studying and practice to
get better. It allows you to solve puzzles and identify patterns. It has been
around for many centuries and yet people still find new strategies.

~~~
araneae
Go. The same, except it's been around longer than chess and is better. :D

------
charrington
I enjoy home improvement. I head over to Home Depot most Saturdays. My
daughters (8 & 10) go with me and we talk about the various interesting things
we pass in the store. After we get home, they often like to help out with my
home improvement projects, which makes it even more enjoyable.

------
Osmose
The variety here is awesome, and I agree that outdoor or physical activities
are usually better for you...

...but yeah, I just play video games, watch movies, read books, and code side
projects. A former roommate gave me a bunch of his old PS2 games, mostly
JRPGs, and they need to get played one of these days.

------
mullr
Guitar, studying japanese, and recently started lindy hop. #2 and #3 are
complementary, and #1 helps #3.

~~~
Glide
I've done Lindy Hop for about 4 to 5 years now. I love it. It'll be no time
when you'll be able to swing out to Shiny Stockings and Jumpin at the
Woodside.

And if #1 helps #3 I can assume you're a Django Reinhardt fan.

------
jonp
Croquet. When played properly/competitively it's very different to the casual
backyard game. To play well requires a nice mix of physical skill with complex
tactics and decision-making. A disproportionate number of serious players are
scientists/engineers/mathematicians/etc.

------
justinchen
Basketball. Recently purchased a rower and started rowing after I broke my
foot playing basketball.

------
warwick
Rock climbing, hiking, fencing, longboarding. All of these require intense in-
the-moment focus, but they aren't overly stressful.

On the non-sports side: Clarinet, learning sax, going to shows, dancing,
writing music, cooking, sitting in trees and reading.

------
Jdxdiego
fishing, hunting, hiking, biking and making beer.

------
mark_l_watson
Hiking: I have explored over 100 remote Indian ruin sites in the mountains of
Central Arizona.

Cooking: definitely a favorite way to decouple from my work day.

Music: I gave up on the guitar after 40 years but I now enjoy the Didgeridoo
and Native American flute.

------
theprodigy
I read a lot of books on foreign policy, war and politics. I also do a lot of
boxing. I believe in being challenged intellectually and physically. Also, I
love human competition in terms of doing it and the history of it.

------
axs
I do triathlons and marathons to get me outside and to challenge me to
continuously improve my performance & health. You can geek out a good bit with
all of the equipment and data that can be captured while training.

------
webspiderus
Used to do jujitsu, now I mostly play soccer as my physical outlet .. Also
regularly play some chess to keep my skills honed, and sometimes play some
(mostly soccer) video games when I just want to unwind

------
paulgb
Geocaching. Something about finding a hidden container given just the
coordinates seems to appeal to a lot of hackers. Plus, it gets you out in
nature.

------
wglb
Ham radio. I like doing contests, running counties from chicago to the west.

Radio is not always AFK, as everyone uses keyboards these days.

------
vaksel
1\. work on the car 2\. track the car(mostly auto-x since the track is like 5
hours away) 3\. started getting into sambo(russian martial arts)

------
Ixiaus
Salsa dancing, snowboarding, walks, martial arts, backpacking, hikes,
scrambling, rock climbing, see a play or cultural event, read, etc...

------
nfnaaron
Crossfit.

------
mfalcon
Playing tennis/paddle, writing, reading. I've a growing interest for astronomy
so it's the next thing to incorporate in my life.

------
mkanemoto
Landscape photography. Motosphotos.com Home rennovation.

Physical and artistic hobbies just to get away from analytical thinking.

------
rbxbx
Recording in a live-electronics duo, gigging out with said duo, cycling, and
raising my daughter full-time :)

------
dejv
Wine making and also wine tasting.Cooking as well and I also plays various
musical instruments.

------
bryanh
I play jazz guitar and bike (though not as often as I like). That's about it I
suppose.

------
swah
I'd love to do rock climbing, but I'm overweight (100 kg) so it's not for
me...

------
msg
Recording music, reading sf/f and classics, parenting, and Team Fortress 2.

------
snowbird122
Piano

------
phatbyte
I have a rock band and I do mountain bike too. Outside hobbies rule.

------
joubert
Parkour. Just make sure you have decent health insurance.

------
0nly1ife
My hobbies are running for fitness and fishing for calm.

------
tomwans
listening & playing some music (not seriously) painting (usually abstract art)
going to the beach (is that a hobby? I just like the sea too much)

------
jgg
Reading (of course), Go, cycling, recreational math.

------
ajaimk
Take over the world!

Also make infographics for the fun of it.

------
gcv
Skiing. Running. Juggling. Playing piano.

------
brianto2010
Watching anime, sleeping, and reading HN.

------
jeffreyg
mountain biking - flying through the woods on narrow 'singletrack' trail is a
great way to clear the mind

------
palguay
Taekwondo , Table Tennis and Tennis.

------
dill_day
Piano, guitar

------
jmtame
Starcraft ;)

------
noodle
fencing.

~~~
ecuzzillo
Me too. A choice video for the curious:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGmihF97XIA>

~~~
noodle
yep, a good bout. you're also one of greg's kids aren't you?

just to round it out with videos of the other weapons:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXQkdFQ6Upc>

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJGG8gR7mlI>

~~~
ecuzzillo
Yes, I am. Thus the fanboyism. Although, the fanboyism preceded (and caused)
me being his student.

~~~
noodle
nice. well, we're not alone here, at least. there are a good number of
fencers. mcantor, dkellner, dzlobin, dfranke, nuba, warwick, and others.

------
aheilbut
lindy hop

~~~
jacquesm
Doesn't happen often that I have no idea what something is in English :)

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_Hop>

------
trafficlight
Bowling and writing music.

------
bemmu
Organizing guided tours

------
yigit
lock picking, model making, cycling

------
herval
photography, wargaming and BEER!

------
wclax04
sailing and fishing around NYC

~~~
albertsun
Where around NYC do you sail?

------
dnsworks
I spend all of my time chasing women around. Unfortunately, this isn't really
relaxing.

------
one010101
Ham radio

