

Ask HN:  Hacking in real life - what do you create? - guynamedloren

Okay, I know computers are real life too... but you know what I mean.  As enjoyable as coding is, I don't know if there's anything like stepping away from the computer and making physical things with your bare hands.  Things you can feel, smell, and interact with.  I think the Y-Combinator application actually has a field for this.<p>So, Hacker News, what do you make/hack when you aren't sitting at your computer?
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guynamedloren
I guess I'll get this started.

\- Vinyl decals for windows, walls, etc. On a whim, I bought a vinyl cutting
machine a couple years ago and have been at it ever since. Sometimes I sell
them to others, but I usually just do it for the pure enjoyment of seeing my
ideas come to life. My walls are covered in vinyls now.

\- Vehicles, a never-ending project. I currently have a 2003 Suburban that
I've been slowly modifying for the past year. Before that, I knew nothing
about cars. Now I'm pretty sure I could take it 80% apart and put it all back
together. It's got a ~5" lift, steel offroading wheels, modified exhaust,
aftermarket head unit, and beefy mud tires. I've given it hell offroading and
had to replace too many parts to count - but that's when the most learning
happens, so it's all worth it.

\- Light-box? I don't even know what this is called, but I envisioned it one
day and brought it to life. It's a wooden box that's 5in deep with a sheet of
plexiglass on the front and a lightbulb inside. The plexiglass has a design
that allows light to shine through and make really cool effects. I made one
for Christmas that had a silhouette of trees and houses at the bottom with
Santa and his reindeer flying above. It turned out even better than I
envisioned and was one of the coolest things I've ever made.

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dandrews
Theater tech - light design. You knock yourself out for a couple of weeks,
doing the day job in prime shift and then setting lights after hours, and you
get a little burned out. But on opening night, when I'm sitting in the
darkened control booth, you should see the smile on my face when the audience
spontaneously applauds a creative light change at the beginning of a dance
break.

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yuvadam
I do urban exploration (<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_exploration>).

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veb
Tell us more! I'm always interested in the stories gathered by Urban
Explorers...

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allwein
I'm huge into woodworking. I've been slowly replacing all my random Ikea bits
with stuff that I've made myself. My favorite thing I've done so far is the
full-wall built-in bookshelves that I've built in my office. Absolutely
gorgeous.

~~~
guynamedloren
Very, very cool. I actually had to check your profile to make sure that you
weren't my professor, because he's doing the exact same thing right now,
bookshelf wall n everything. Have any pics? I'd love to see your work.

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pdenya
113" Projection screen out of spare 2x8s and photographers white drop cloth
has been my favorite build so far.

Way more useful day to day though, I have a wrist rest that is far more
comfortable than others I've used but unfortunately, beads are constantly
leaking out of it. I put it inside a huge tube sock to stop the leaking issues
and i've had no complaints ever since.

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katieben
I choreograph Zumba dances and concoct weird foods. (:

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rick_2047
Ok people I have to face the music. I just cannot sit on the computer forever!
I need suggestions for a off line hobby. I am 19 and I don't have anything
apart from my computer life under my belt. I did some theatre and drama, at my
last year of high school I wrote, directed, produced and acted the annual day
play which was heavily applauded. But after that, nothing. I cannot continue
theatre as there is no easy way to go about it, no clubs or culture in my
city.

So what would be some hobby offline, something which takes me far away from my
computer and the Internet. I think I can pick something up from this thread.

~~~
bartonfink
Running. Long distance running is my escape from everything. It's healthy, you
can do it just about anywhere and it offers plenty of opportunities for mental
games (breathing rhythms, altering your gait, some basic 'orienteering' if you
don't plan out your course ahead of time).

~~~
rick_2047
That is something I have tried, but no I don't have time for that. I catch a
college bus with 1 and half hour ride (one way) at 8am and usually hack till
2am so I cannot just wake up at 6:30 to do some running even for half an hour.
I come back at 6pm so that does not leave much room either.

Actually that is the whole problem, I don't have time for doing something
offline.

