Sim Racing is a great way to get a lot of experience in that direction without the same level of cost, games like Assetto Corsa (iRacing if it tickles your interest for the competitive side against players more than just casually) and a couple of hundred in wheel and pedals will get you started.
You can also race karts fairly cheaply (compared to cars and especially racing cars).
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.
2. soil -- small locally owned plant store. ask them lots of questions
3. light -- same plant store, or the sun.
that's basically it to get started. It's a really easy plant to grow and pretty hard to fuck up. Check on them daily, talk to them, make sure the soil is moist but not muddy. You don't really need nutrients your first go, too many variables to fuss with. Just water, light, and time.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I second this. Just about any subject matter is interesting if presented by someone who cares deeply about it.
That being said, I believe it is fair to say that I had a better experience than wife+kids at two of my favourite niche museums - the Grimeton spark gap transmitter in South Sweden and, all-time favourite - the museum of submarine cable in Porthcurno, Cornwall, UK.
Everybody loved the Ramones museum in Berlin-Kreuzberg, though.
That it is. Most impressive site, and if you have the faintest interest in communications and technology, you can easily spend hours there. If you're adventurous and there at the right time, you may even get to climb the masts.
That museum in Porthcurno is SO INTERESTING. History and hands-on demos and then bam! here's how the big boys did it during the war. Industrially. In a cave. Very neat.
Whoa. What a cool idea. For some reason i just think i need to maximize what i see and shoot for the biggest museum i can find. There are at least 25 smaller museums within 30 minutes of where i am. I’m stoked!
Here is a new Museum for you, if you ever happen to visit a tiny corner in India. My friend built it with the help of the Japanese Government and funding. I was lucky to have visited it just before it was inaugurated, took some interesting pictures.
Have you considered adding a map of all the museums to your site? I don't want to share my location and I don't necessarily want to look for museums in my present location, but I would love to see what is cataloged and look for museums near future travel destinations.
1. The American Sign Museum - https://www.americansignmuseum.org/ - Cincinnati, OH. Dedicated to preserving neon signs from across America
2. The International Museum of Surgical Science - https://imss.org/ - Chicago, IL.
* Museum of Questionable medical devices in St Paul (http://www.museumofquackery.com/). Exactly what the name implies. Really interesting for skeptics.
* Wagner Free Institute (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/). Shoes are actually interesting in historical context!
* 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
98 comments
[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 165 ms ] threadhttps://www.tracknightinamerica.com/
You can also race karts fairly cheaply (compared to cars and especially racing cars).
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumble_finishing
[1] https://old.reddit.com/r/microgrowery/
1. seed (online)
2. soil -- small locally owned plant store. ask them lots of questions
3. light -- same plant store, or the sun.
that's basically it to get started. It's a really easy plant to grow and pretty hard to fuck up. Check on them daily, talk to them, make sure the soil is moist but not muddy. You don't really need nutrients your first go, too many variables to fuss with. Just water, light, and time.
[0] https://fantasticfungi.com/
This guy was on a podcast i listen to.Really worth checking out hia site.
Right rudder, right rudder.
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.
Apparently not only do I have free time, but also free money and free garage space.
Tonka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyWxgkQ_3OM
matchbox: https://www.youtube.com/user/pso316a
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/
That being said, I believe it is fair to say that I had a better experience than wife+kids at two of my favourite niche museums - the Grimeton spark gap transmitter in South Sweden and, all-time favourite - the museum of submarine cable in Porthcurno, Cornwall, UK.
Everybody loved the Ramones museum in Berlin-Kreuzberg, though.
Imphal Peace Museum - https://goo.gl/maps/bXs5PU7tvJE3JukA6
Photos - https://photos.app.goo.gl/8SRV9EY6xCRvumzs5
For the moment there's an undocumented map you can view here (using my datasette-cluster-map plugin) https://www.niche-museums.com/browse/museums
1. The American Sign Museum - https://www.americansignmuseum.org/ - Cincinnati, OH. Dedicated to preserving neon signs from across America 2. The International Museum of Surgical Science - https://imss.org/ - Chicago, IL.
https://www.sparkmuseum.org/
https://www.aftelier.com/Articles.asp?ID=256
Here's what comes to mind...
* Mutter Museum in Philly (http://muttermuseum.org/) Awesome victorian medical curiosities
* Museum of Questionable medical devices in St Paul (http://www.museumofquackery.com/). Exactly what the name implies. Really interesting for skeptics.
* Wagner Free Institute (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/). Shoes are actually interesting in historical context!
* 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/) This is a short distance from the BWI airport.
The Cryptography Museum nearby is also great.
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.
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.
[0] https://www.biblehub.com/james/1-27.htm
[1] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/between-cultures/201... << there are a lot of articles like this...
Because hobbies are a really personal thing and at least I must really identify with what I'm doing.
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.
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.
>Why don't you try this hobby instead: Medieval reenactment
Ha! I already do, I'm a member of the SCA.