What are your pursuits outside of technology?

I have a full-time job as a software engineer at a major software company that keeps me busy during the day. I work at home 4 days/week and set my own hours so I usually start at 5:00am and knock off by 2:00pm. That leaves afternoons and weekends for me to work on my part-time PC Repair business. However, I reserve at least 1 weekend a month to get out somewhere with our RV. I belong to an RV group that we travel with quite often but we also head out on our own. I hesitate to call what we do camping but we enjoy the outdoors while taking all the comforts of home with us! Of course, being a geek, I bring along my netbook which I tether to my Droid phone to provide a connection to the internet wherever we go. My RV friends know I am tech savvy so they often bring their laptops to me to fix for them. Now that I have started a business I'll have to stop doing that.
 
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I restore vintage Volkswagens. Right now I am almost done with a 69 Type3 Squareback that I have been working on for 5 years. I send the engine case out for machine work as soon as I get off my butt and find a big enough box to fit it. I am building a 2liter stroker for it.

I also have a 61 convertible bug, a 66 karmann ghia, a 71 bug, and my daily driver an 88 VW rabbit cabriolet. I have owned around 30 VW's and I am addicted to the air cooled motor. They are a complete pile of crap but fun as he!! to drive. Its grate when I blow the doors off of a brand new Camaro in my lonesome little bug, LMAO.

I tipicly like to build resto customs. They look original from the outside other then the fact that they are lowered and have custom rims. However, the inside is where the magic happens. When you stuff 200HP behind a car that came from the factory with 36HP. It makes for an impressive ride. Its even better when I still get 20MPG.
 
Building and flying model airplanes... so much more fun that building/using computers.
 
I've got a few things I'm into that isn't to do with computers., one of them is cars. Since I was able to drive, I've been into them and I'm often found at car meets with friends and the missus. I'm looking at a new car later this year or possible next, however I'm in two minds in what to have. Part of my wants to go for an older car but the other half says buy a new one.

I also do some fishing during the summer as my parents have got a caravan next to a river so I'm down there most weekends. To do with fish, I've also got a tropical fish tank next to my desk, which I can spend hours looking at. I would love to have a marine tank one day.
 
At the moment, school/college is my main time-taker. That, and exams (boo!)

So that's Mon-Fri, on a Saturday I have my part time job in a computer sales/repair shop. On Sundays, I tend to do stuff like homework and the like. In the evenings, particularly Saturday's, I tend to go clubbing in Manchester, or to a pub, with friends, depends what everyone is doing really.

I am a keen camera operator, and have a bunch of videos under my belt so far (portfolio at www.lake54.com)

At uni I'm doing a computer networking degree, but I hope to do filming in my spare time there. After uni... who knows? I'm aiming to get a job in either sector, and do the other in my spare time.

Oh, and semi-related to tech, I manage an open source software project (forum software), and also do the website and a small app for a fairly popular game mod.

That's pretty much all my time taken up. When I do get a few minutes to relax, I tend to do some gaming on PC or PS3. Or, check TechNibble for the latest posts :D

James
 
My biggest passion outside technology is cars and music. I actually hate driving and drive a brand new city car (Fiat Panda) which people find odd since I love cars so much. The Panda is a fantastic car to drive though and on roads I know well always puts a smile on my face.

Music is really my big passion though, I am into anything alternative really. Classic rock, punk, ska, indie etc. Usually go to the same club each week in Manchester where I am very well known (a bit too well known).

Also very mildly involved in the Manchester rock scene, I hoping to promote a new co-op style rock club by doing things like flyering. I decided against doing higher up as I need to spend time on my business, I spend far too much time clubbing as it is as I typically won't get in till 5:00am on a Sunday.

Also like going to gigs and punk festivals but I don't have the money to go to all the gigs I used to go. I used go gigging every few weeks.

I also enjoy cycling down canal paths, river sides and cycle paths.

I am really into photography as well and have travelled as far as Cornwall just to take photographs. I have many 10000's of photos of buildings and countryside.

HIFI is the hobby I have spent most on though, my current system is worth around £1000 but I have spent a lot more on it than that tweaking things. People think I am mad and nuts spending over £100 on a pair of headphones for example!

As you can probably tell music and technology is what my passions are.
 
Other than computers, I work with cars!
Love to work on them... do everything myself.

I have a '75 Cadillac which I love.
And Diesel Cummins pickups... those trucks rock!

Other than that, surfing. (waves, not the net).
Surfing is pure Zen.
 
I am a small business consultant, turn around specialist.

I am a pilot and airplane owner; I have owned and sailed sailboats off of Florida and California; Owned motorcycles and an RV.

I love traveling in my own car, motorcycle, boat or airplane. I hate being a passenger.
 
My passion outside tech is woodworking. Love to build all kinds of things, wooden toys, desks, cabinets.. I want to start selling some of these at a market day our local school hosts every year.

Beside that, I have a LAN with my buddies from time to time. Keeps me young.
 
Another Geocacher here.

For those who dont know, Geocaching is kind of modern day "treasure hunting". Basically people hide boxes of items somewhere and you go find it with the help of a GPS or Smartphone application. The software usually gets you close to it, but finding it after then can be really really hard. For example, some of these caches are so small that they look like the head of a bolt, but instead they are magnetic and stuck to a streetlight or something.

In most cases, Geocaches try to take you somewhere interesting. A beautiful area that few people see because noone knows it there, an old building that was amazing in the 1930s (the cache information might have pictures of the place in the 1930s which you are now standing in front of or something to that effect).

Caches usually have low value stuff in it, toys and whatnot but the joy is finding it. Some caches have something called "trackables" that are usually something with a dog tag attached that has a barcode. The barcode has a code that you can enter in on the Geocaching site.
It'll show you where the trackable has been as other Geocachers have moved it around. You can download a Google Earth KMZ of where it has been and in some cases, the ones I picked up have been around the world a few times.

Its good fun and combines geek with the outdoors. You'll be surprises how close some Geocaches are to your house and how many, you probably pass a few every day. Search for the app "Geocaching" in your smartphones app store. Its the best way to do it. Check it out:
http://www.geocaching.com/
 
Bryce W said:
Another Geocacher here.

For those who dont know, Geocaching is kind of modern day "treasure hunting". Basically people hide boxes of items somewhere and you go find it with the help of a GPS or Smartphone application. The software usually gets you close to it, but finding it after then can be really really hard. For example, some of these caches are so small that they look like the head of a bolt, but instead they are magnetic and stuck to a streetlight or something.

In most cases, Geocaches try to take you somewhere interesting. A beautiful area that few people see because noone knows it there, an old building that was amazing in the 1930s (the cache information might have pictures of the place in the 1930s which you are now standing in front of or something to that effect).

Caches usually have low value stuff in it, toys and whatnot but the joy is finding it. Some caches have something called "trackables" that are usually something with a dog tag attached that has a barcode. The barcode has a code that you can enter in on the Geocaching site.
It'll show you where the trackable has been as other Geocachers have moved it around. You can download a Google Earth KMZ of where it has been and in some cases, the ones I picked up have been around the world a few times.

Its good fun and combines geek with the outdoors. You'll be surprises how close some Geocaches are to your house and how many, you probably pass a few every day. Search for the app "Geocaching" in your smartphones app store. Its the best way to do it. Check it out:
http://www.geocaching.com/
Click to expand...

That sounds really cool and I'm half tempted to try it out.
 
I'm a keen cricketer, as a player and a spectator. I've been lucky to play a few seasons in England and Ireland on some spectacularly beautiful grounds, complete with very decent clubhouse bars. Riding home through Dublin traffic was a bit of an adventure if it had been a good day out.
I'm a bowler, not quite as quick as I used to be, but still doing okay due to old age and treachery. Just got back into playing a bit of indoor over the winter, nice way to keep the eye in.
 
Tony_Scarpelli said:
I am a small business consultant, turn around specialist.

I am a pilot and airplane owner; I have owned and sailed sailboats off of Florida and California; Owned motorcycles and an RV.

I love traveling in my own car, motorcycle, boat or airplane. I hate being a passenger.
Click to expand...

Also a pilot, both FAA & ultralight. Sold my Quicksilver last year, debating what to replace it with.

Currently playing with a Subaru SVX, 73 Plymouth Gran Fury, and a Yamaha 650 Thumper.

Rick
 
red12049 said:
Also a pilot, both FAA & ultralight. Sold my Quicksilver last year, debating what to replace it with.

Currently playing with a Subaru SVX, 73 Plymouth Gran Fury, and a Yamaha 650 Thumper.

Rick
Click to expand...

I forgot I just bought a 72 Lemans that I am going to turn into a clone GTO. It already has the 400 engine and turbo transmission and orange peal color. It puts you back in the seat when it lunges forward.
 
Lots of good stuff here. When I'm not working on tech I like to:

  • Continue working on my rental properties (7 houses in my portfolio so far). I don't feel like working on tech forever. :)
  • Taking the dog to the park
  • Flying my RC airplanes
 
I'm not a full time tech, my day job is mainframe and midrange batch scheduling. When I'm not working or working on someone's pc, something to do with football is usually on tap. I've got 3 sons that have played or currently playing high school football. You have to picture this. I'm 6'1" about 260, I'm the smallest in the house except for my wife. The oldest is 6'2" about 270 he's 20. He was a defensive lineman. The middle one 6'41/2" about 285 is 16 he was starting offensive tackle his sophomore year of hs, and the youngest is about the same size as me. He's 14. He's just starting high school. He wants to play center. He played catcher in khorey league for years. So my Friday nights and Saturday mornings will be busy in the fall. Most weekends we watch my great niece, she's 2. We got involved with her when my niece and her husband were having some troubles. (still are) and we got attached. My wife and I also watch children in the preschool dept at our church. I'm Uncle Dave to a generation of children. :) Beside that, I have an aquarium and I like to cook. The middle son and me cook a lot. He wants to go into the culinary arts after high school. He'd love to find a college that has a culinary arts degree and a football team. :)
 
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