Hobbies

[tt3]

What do you folks do for fun?

I've got a couple of hobbies that give back. Homebrewing and home wine making (http://www.winemakersworld.com). (I know, :oops: a shameless plug for the wine forum, sorry ;) )

tony

[Remington]

That is amazing! I was just thinking that making wine at home would be cool! I collect bottles of wine. I drink it more on ocassion but I love the bottles. I want a big ol' wine cellar.

Anyway, I will have to check out the site when I get more time.

[tt3]

I can answer any questions you have... ya might not even be able to tell if I'm making it up or not! Seriously though, there is nothing like having a special dinner and opening a bottle of your own wine. And you can make them to be kept for a few years. One five gallon batch makes upwards of 24 bottles, depending on size of course. They make great gifts too for your wine drinking friends and family...
So having said that, got a hobby?

[Remington]

I like to go fishing. My kids get a kick out of a fish flopping around. But, other than that I mow the lawn and do lawn work. :roll:

It is raining today so we are all inside... :?

[tt3]

What part of Maine are you from? We spent a week in Bangor with some friends then drove to Maryland last year... beautiful country out there, almost as nice as Duluth, MN :lol:
t

[Remington]

I grew up in Bethel, ME where Sunday River Ski Resort is. I grew up on that mountain.

But, I reside now in Bangor. :D

Next time you are in the neighborhood, you should stop by.

I spent the night in Duluth, MN once about 10 years ago. I was driving to California from Maine. Quite a trip! And yes... it is nice there. Almost as nice as it is here in Bangah!

[Dad4Life]

I'm an avid golfer. I've been athletic all of my life, played in basketball/softball leagues, etc... and never had the urge to play such a silly sport as golf until about 12 years ago when my brother-in-law introduced me to the game. I was hooked after the first day.

Since then, I've improved to the point to where I considered being a PGA professional (not touring pro -- but more like a teaching pro) and realized that golf professionals spend so much time at work that they play little (if any) golf at all, not to mention being away from the family for 9 months out of the year during the season.

I now play in a Tuesday night league, and outside of occasional tournaments, I play when I get a chance. When the kids are in school, I spend my days on the course. Thankfully it's a great course and only a mile from my house. Of course, I got a membership. :D

That's my only real hobby now, outside of being the Basketball Director for the Youth League here in our area. But that's more like work, LOL....

[SAHF]

I play a VERY addictive game called Gang-Wars. It is a text based game where you can either be a thug, pimp, or a dealer and have to do everything that they would have to do.

VERY addictive....only play if you can stand late nights... :shock:

In between cleaning, mowing, washing the vechicles, taking care of the kids...I am on that damn game ( :wink: )

[Remington]

So if you are a Pimp then you need to do what they do? :shock:

Sounds illegal to me.... :lol: :lol:

[SAHF]

So if you are a Pimp then you need to do what they do? :shock:

Sounds illegal to me.... :lol: :lol:

:P

Yes, but...you could also be a hybrid....a Thimp or a Thealer. I guess you could call them cross-dressers? ! :wink:

[tt3]

I used to run around in MUDs when the internet was barely awakening... all text unix based stuff. Lots of fun. Haven't really found myself a game to take the time with... looking forward to Dungeon Siege 2 though..

[mjknapp]

I fish too, and alot of lawn work, but my biggest hobbie is my fish tank. I have a 150 gallon tank full of african cichlids that i work on all the time. When the kids are really acting up, and I feel tensed up, there is nothing like turning off all the lights and just watching the fish!!!!

[tt3]

Very cool! I got my wife a 150 for a wedding present. Funny though, I'm the one that takes care of it :lol: We've got two blood parrots, a pleco, two oscars and some giant danios. I'd love to stock it with some Lake Victoria or Milawi cichlids at some point, but probably years down the road.
Its fun at meal times sitting and watching them do the "feedme" dance.

[Remington]

We used to keep our tank full and the kids enjoyed it but since we moved back from Ohio we haven't kept any fish in it. THis topic might make me go get our tank going again... :wink:

[mjknapp]

I belong to another forum, if any of ya have any questions on setting up a tank, this place is great, they are very freindly, and answer all your questions. http://www.african.uklinux.net/phpBB/index.php

[mjknapp]

Here is a picture of my tank...
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4db00b3127ccebe8fab8b40200000003610

My three yr old loves to help clean it, and she has all the fish named. But the names seem to change every day. :lol:

[tt3]

Very nice!
I visit the Blood Parrot Forum (http://www.bloodparrot.aquariahobbyist.com/forum/index.php). We've had the bigger PB for five years without knowing anything about it. After we got another littler one, I figured I ought to learn more about them. That was the place to do it! These internet forums are the greatest for finding people with the same interests!


And here's a pic of my tank
http://www.treml.org/tandv/pics/05-04TankLighta.jpg

[Remington]

Very nice guys! I would post a picture of mine but you all know what an empty tank looks like! :wink:

[underfoot]

All year round, I play drums and brew beer. I've been drumming for about 15 years now. Last summer I finally was able to get an electronic kit from Pintech with a Roland TD-6 brain. Its the coolest kit I've ever played. I just need to expand it to make it more like my typical acoustic setup.

I've been a brewer for around a year. My wife bought me my brewing kit for our 5th aniversary. Unfortunately for my liver, she and most of our friends are now low-carb people who stay away from beer. I'm still learning the finer points of brewing and have a million questions as anyone on the Northern Brewer forum will tell you!

With the exception of summer, I also do some woodworking. My shop is upstairs in an unfinished garage so that's why I take the summers off. I'm best at making sawdust. Everything else seems to take about 10 times as long as it should. Those guys on TV make it look so easy!

[tt3]

I wondered if you were the same underfoot as on NB, guess that answers that. :lol:
I dabble with wood working too, usually related to house projects though :roll: My method for estimating how long it'll take me is to think, oh it should take this long, then double that, and double it again... so a project that should take an hour or two estimates out to a full afternoon! :lol:
uhoh, am I repeating myself already? hmmm
Norm always ticked me off with his workshop, cuz he'd go over and "we're going to be using this *insert name of high end gadget* to do the dado cut for the biscuit deep set screw joint"
But as my tool collection grew (its not much now either) I realize he's just trying to show folks how to do stuff with what they have...
still... "just put some brads here *pft pft pft pft pft* and you're done." was frustrating when you didn't have an air nailer!

[Anonymous]

My favorite woodworking TV show right now is called WoodWorks. This guy makes stuff from exotic woods you cant get, uses tools you cant possibly afford, and skips steps necessary to complete the project even if you could get the wood and had the tools. Its hilarious especially because its on the DoItYourself network! :)

If I was good enough to own such tools and fill in the missing steps, I wouldnt watch the DIY network!

[tt3]

My favorite is the woodwrights shop with Roy Underhill... man thats the way to do stuff. I love his workbench, there's crap piled elbow deep, and when he needs something he shoves stacks away. Closeup of his hands show scars and bandaids, like they did in the old days :lol:
No power tools for that guy.
PBS ROCKS

[underfoot]

My favorite is the woodwrights shop with Roy Underhill... man thats the way to do stuff. I love his workbench, there's crap piled elbow deep, and when he needs something he shoves stacks away. Closeup of his hands show scars and bandaids, like they did in the old days :lol:
No power tools for that guy.
PBS ROCKS
Thats the guy that makes all of his stuff using tools from days before electricity, right? What a cool show. Makes Norm look like a weenie.

[tt3]

Thats the guy, the title shots are him carrying his tool box and splitting axe through the city, gotta dig it!

[mjknapp]

I used to watch him all the time, but now it seems like everytime I see that show on the guide, there is like 5 minutes left. I will have to look for that show, I really liked watching it.

[mjknapp]

Do any of you remember that guy that had that painting show on t.v. He had that curly afro for hair. Old white guy. I think his name was Bob....Maybe. I used to watch that show alot. But I imagine he is dead by now.

[tt3]

Yeah, Bob Ross, good stuff. He's on here Sunday afternoons on pbs, usually when both my daughter and my wife are napping.
He died maybe two or three years ago, if I remember right... although thats not saying much.

[mjknapp]

Bob Ross, yeah that is it. He is still on huh? I have got to look for him. I used to love watching him paint those "cute little bushes" :lol:

[tt3]

and "happy little trees"

WoodWrights Shop (http://www.pbs.org/wws/)
and Best of Joy of Painting is the name of Bob's show
cheers

[underfoot]

I used to watch Bob Ross all the time. I always thought he must have been a golf announcer before he got his painting show.

Dont forget about Bob's squirrel that he kept in his pocket!

[Remington]

"happy little trees" :lol: :lol: :lol:

Remember "There are no mistakes, they are 'happy accidents!'" :wink:

[Remington]

Here is another hobby I do. Not only do I have my Maine Hunting Today site, I also do web hosting. Here is my new makeover for the site. If you have any suggestions let me know.

www.outdoorwebhosting.com

Thankee much pilgrim! :D

[mjknapp]

You keep yourself pretty busy, huh rem?

[Remington]

Yep! I like to set an example for my kids that just because daddy stays home does not mean it is ok to be lazy... :wink:

At the same time I need to make sure that I do not neglect them and thier needs.

Where I have 3 they can really play together and entertain and stimulate each other. I supervise and offer education whenever I can.

Like we sing the ABC's... :lol:

[underfoot]

Yep! I like to set an example for my kids that just because daddy stays home does not mean it is ok to be lazy... :wink:


Quiet!!! You're ruining it for the rest of us! :D

[Remington]

Actually I take back what I said. Because it implies that just watching the kids is being lazy and I don't think that. I think it is a huge job and one of utmost importance.

So I take it back. I just like to do many things that's all.

[mjknapp]

I hear ya, I do so much throughout the day that it would be hard to list all of them, but I havent written a book, hosted a website, or any of the other stuff you have done. I actually have nothing to write about to be able to write a book. Just look at my posts, just a bunch of gibberish!! :toimonster:

[Remington]

Nice toilet! :lol: :lol:

[stizz]

some days I'm just happy that the kids fed, sleeping with a clean diaper and that I finally bought that wireless router. Not having to get off the couch to surf the web actually kinda rules. Other days I'm superdad, house is clean, dishes are done, website updated and numerous other activities get accomplised at breakneck speeds. I'm ususally only superdad 2 days a week, the rest of the time? Couch with powerbook, and baby in bouncer right next. Did I mention that I love my wireless network?

[mjknapp]

I just ordered a wireless router last week, I am hoping that it will be here early next week. But my main use for it is the playstation 2. :lol:

[tt3]

I'd love a wireless network in the house once my office is moved into the basement... but I think with three computers already, adding a lap top or pocket pc might not fly so well :roll:

[mjknapp]

The wireless router would get rid of all the wires on your three pc's. Make it look a little neater.

[tt3]

Yeah... but I've got a corner desk, and they're all tucked under or along side.
How do they work on the pc side? Do you need new NIC's too?

[mjknapp]

I have no idea how they work, besides the obvious, I will let you know how everything works when I get mine hooked up. Maybe stizz will get back on and educate us.

[Don-Dad]

I have a hard wired network. 2 pcs and my laptop. I even run a powerline network gizmo for the laptop upstairs and it works pretty good.

The wireless router should be pretty easy to get up and running.

[underfoot]

Yeah... but I've got a corner desk, and they're all tucked under or along side.
How do they work on the pc side? Do you need new NIC's too?

Yep, you need new NICs. You can get the boring ones that sit in a PCI slot or you can get those really cool USB ones. They are all about the same price, give or take a few bucks.

[mjknapp]

Mine still hasnt came yet, I am hoping tomorrow will be the day I get it.

[tt3]

I talked with my brother about it too (family tech guru, everyone has one, don't they?) and he showed me those usb2 connectors, they look friggin' awesome cool too... hmmmmmmmm
(sorry, into my cups tonight, been racking and keggin' and all that jazz, and ya can't work with beer without consuming, right?)

[underfoot]

The USB NICs are really cool. I like the USB memory sticks, too. They can act like a small hard drive. Plug them in, transfer data, put them back in your pocket when you're done.

[tt3]

I've been using my camera's memery card for transport of data too. Its really handy with a card reader and Val's folks have the same camera as we do so its easy to swap out files.
The first time I saw those USB storage things was in that movie ... um.. with al pacino and ... that irish guy... dated spears for a bit... um...
anyway...
OH the recruit?
I should just go to bed. :roll:

[Don-Dad]

Chances are the PCI ethernet cards will be faster for you unless you use the usb2 cards and ethernet adapters.

[Anonymous]

802.11bb is not going to allow you the 100MB/sec transfer. It only goes up to 11MB/sec. 802.11g gets you to 54MB/sec. 'G' is becoming pretty popular.

So, if you need the fastest possible connection between computers, choose a hardwired LAN connection to get your theoretical 100MB/sec transfer. Or if you are like me and dont care about machine-machine transfers, go the wireless rout with the 802.11g. 'B' is still much faster than your incoming cable or DSL but it will start to bog down when you enable the wireless encryption protocol (WEP). with the extra speed of 802.11g, you can alleviate the bottleneck with the WEP enabled.

If you plan on plugging your cable or DSL signal directly into the router, be sure that your router has a NAT firewall. NAT allows you to sit behind a set of addresses that cannot be reached by the outside world. A pain in the butt for those trying to host their own website but a very good deterrant to hackers.

Here's a good link to 802.11b protocol and its plusses and minuses (http://www.homenethelp.com/802.11b/index.asp). No technical BS here, just good information that's easy on the brain.

Here's a good link to the 802.11g and 802.11a protocols. (http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/tutorials/article.php/1009431) Its written in real english, not techno-jargon.

[underfoot]

802.11bb is not going to allow you the 100MB/sec transfer. It only goes up to 11MB/sec. 802.11g gets you to 54MB/sec. 'G' is becoming pretty popular.

So, if you need the fastest possible connection between computers, choose a hardwired LAN connection to get your theoretical 100MB/sec transfer. Or if you are like me and dont care about machine-machine transfers, go the wireless rout with the 802.11g. 'B' is still much faster than your incoming cable or DSL but it will start to bog down when you enable the wireless encryption protocol (WEP). with the extra speed of 802.11g, you can alleviate the bottleneck with the WEP enabled.

If you plan on plugging your cable or DSL signal directly into the router, be sure that your router has a NAT firewall. NAT allows you to sit behind a set of addresses that cannot be reached by the outside world. A pain in the butt for those trying to host their own website but a very good deterrant to hackers.

Here's a good link to 802.11b protocol and its plusses and minuses (http://www.homenethelp.com/802.11b/index.asp). No technical BS here, just good information that's easy on the brain.

Here's a good link to the 802.11g and 802.11a protocols. (http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/tutorials/article.php/1009431) Its written in real english, not techno-jargon.
The above was written by me. No idea how I go logged out.

[Don-Dad]

Yeah sure, you copied and pasted that from a website :yawinkle:

[mjknapp]

Wow, this thread is getting way to technical for me, I guess I know where to look when I get my wireless router now huh?

[Remington]

:shock: I was thinking the same thing...

[underfoot]

Yeah sure, you copied and pasted that from a website :yawinkle:

Most of it. What's it to, ya? :)

My only experience has been with the 802.11b and it worked very well. Easy to add machines to the network, easy to install and maintain. 'G' seems to be the same as 'B' only faster. Since they are similarly priced, I would go with 'G'. And the cool USB NICs.

I also play drums as a hobby. Wanna hear about that?

[Don-Dad]

Bang, bang, heard enough! :P

All that talk about "G" makes me want to find a magical spot :heart: , might be time to wake up the wife.

[stizz]

I have no idea how they work, besides the obvious, I will let you know how everything works when I get mine hooked up. Maybe stizz will get back on and educate us.

You will need to get a new nic card for your PC if you want it to be wireless. However they are not to expensive and sometimes you can find a bundled package that inclues the pci card.

As for cross platform,..I personally use a Powerbook and it comes with a proprietary wireless nic built in. But it is standard compliant, which means it will work with any 3rd party 11b or 11g compliant access point (g being the newer and faster standard). So I went out and bought a D-Link Dl-624 on sale for 100$ at costco, and as a bonus it came with a pmcia nic (the kind that fits into the slot on the side of most notebooks), so now my older laptop is wirelss too. We plugged my wifes PC right into the router with wires because it sits right next to her desk, no point in getting a new pci nic for her.

All the computers (both macs and pcs) can see each other and share drives and folders and after configuring my wifes XP box properly. I can now even wirelessly print to the printer plugged into her machine.

Anyway,.pushing the limits of this network has been my hobby as of late

[tt3]

Bang, bang, heard enough! :P

All that talk about "G" makes me want to find a magical spot :heart: , might be time to wake up the wife.

Don, man, I was trying soooo hard to leave the 'g' reference alone from Kevins post... twitching with restraint! Glad you stepped up!
:lol:

[Remington]

Wow! I am impressed with how well we are all getting to know each other. WE have moved up from "boobies" to "G"... :lol: :lol:

[stizz]

did someone say boobies?

http://www.stizzco.com/new/SMURF.gif

[tt3]

I didn't know smurfs had tails!

[underfoot]

Which smurf is that? Horny Smurf?

[tt3]

Thirsty smurf?!? :lol:

[mjknapp]

ha, a boobie reference that I didnt start. It is catching on. ha ha :lol:

[Remington]

I thought smurfs were 3 apples tall? 8)

[underfoot]

I thought smurfs were 3 apples tall? 8)
No, you misunderstood. They're 3 nipples tall.

[Don-Dad]

Now I like boobies as much as the next guy but we may want to refrain from the "controversial" pics. Its a nice boob but new visitors might think the site is porn related.

Sorry, we might be able to create a private section for the "controversial" stuff, I'll have to see if I can do it my invite or something

[underfoot]

You're right, Don. It is a nice one.

And you're right about the other stuff, too. Dont want to give people the wrong impression about the site.

[dad of 2]

Basketball, politics, games (any kind video or otherwise), writing and my family of course.

[Muz]

Homebrewing, video games, need to get my blog going. I agree with dad of 2, I used to get restless sitting home on a Saturday night, now there's nothing better, if it means quality time with my family. TV time <> quality time.

Chad