Hobbies - Page 3

DaBears · 01-20-2020, 08:01 PM

OOTP has changed me personally in many ways, not the least of which is teaching me a much greater level of patience with results outside of my control, the fact people do not always do things as you might like, and greatly improving my strategic thinking skills over time.

It has also changed my interest in baseball - and thus reading. I am now fascinated by baseball history, whereas a decade ago I rarely read anything more than 5-10 years old about the game. Second, I am drawn in incredible ways to how Branch Rickey or Sandy Alderson ran a team, how LaRussa and Stengel and Bochy managed, and how teams wound their ways through seasons. Finally, I stopped reading hardly anything about other sports. I used to read about the NFL, NBA, golf, tennis - now, my bookshelf is full of probably 250-300 baseball books and I have donated the rest of my sports books to good causes - mainly tax deductions to fund the purchase of more baseball books!

stevem810 · 01-21-2020, 04:52 PM

I'm acquiring new passions all the time. My favorite exercise, and I engage about 3-4 times a week, is tennis. Started about 5 years ago and absolutely love everything about it. Great for forming social friendships, too.

I'm working on a novel, play some piano (novice level), love to bake (was a career chef-now retired), and practice some rudimentary yoga stretches (it helps with the tennis).

btw...great question to put out there.

Cobby · 01-21-2020, 07:38 PM

Music: I'm an acoustic guitar player. I probably have more fun getting together with friends, jamming, strumming and singing old songs than just about anything else I do.

Scrabble: I'm a rated tournament Scrabble player. I play in the local clubs and attend several Scrabble tournaments each year.

Backpacking and Hiking: I love the sandstone canyon country of the Colorado Plateau and do just about all of my backpacking there (mainly southeast Utah). I especially love to go on long multi-week (nearly 2-month long) journeys through that magnificent country. I've done two of those so far and I think I have at least one more long hike left in me. I've also backpacked in the Grand Canyon over 50 times, but not so frequently these days as I'm more drawn to those sandstone canyons in Utah.

Native Plants: This ties in somewhat with my backpacking - I have a rule for my back yard that only plants that I've encountered and made friends with on hikes or backpacking trips are eligible for planting in the back yard. I've been creating a native plant landscape in the back yard and have slowly been surrounding myself with all of my plant friends.

Plate Tectonics: OK, that's a little strange to have as a hobby - but it mainly stems from a project I've been picking at bit by bit for awhile. I want to create realistic alternate earth-like planets. This is really more of an art project than a science project. I just think looking at a globe that the way the continents and land is arranged is intriguingly beautiful. And I love knowing the reason or function behind the configuration of land-masses, hence the study of plate tectonics. Then I want to create my own simulation of it to produce possible alternate Earths.

OOTP: this is strikingly similar to the way I approach OOTP. I like to simulate the grand sweep of baseball history but with a same-only-different approach and with completely fictional players. So instead of the alternate but plausible earths, I'm creating alternate but plausible baseball universes.

I'm also interested in OOTP as a simulation. For a long time I wanted to write my own baseball simulation and did quite a bit of research to lay the groundwork for this. I was thrilled to discover OOTP - which meant I didn't have to spend all of those hours trying to write my own simulation. But I do instinctively like to think about what's under the hood of OOTP.

One thing I hope I get around to some day is to try to write my own trading logic. I'm quite appreciative of how well OOTP does at this, despite the complaints, since it is a very difficult problem. But I do have a little bit of a background in AI (pretty rusty) and I always wanted to try my hand at tackling this. One requirement I would have is that the computer GMs would be able to easily explain the reason for each trade in terms that make sense strategically for their team.

And finally yes. I'll third or fourth or whatever we're up to the endorsement of Carl Hiaasen, and of mystery fiction and political thrillers also. I spend about four hours a week in the car for work and am always playing an audiobook along those lines... But Carl Hiaasen is my favorite.

oriole^ · 01-26-2020, 02:11 PM

Ah, hobbies, I remember those! At this point, I'm pretty busy: I have my own company, during computer service and repair, concentrating especially on the elder market, whom I feel are seriously underserved. For my side gig, I do weekly pub trivia, and I'm looking to expand that to other establishments here in Maryland.

I do read, mostly non-fiction/history and science fiction; I'm a gamer - yes, tabletop! - though I haven't run anything in eons at this point. I'm looking to getting back into podcasting, I sing karaoke one or two nights a week, and I'm in the process of writing a play.

oriole^ · 01-26-2020, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slic1149

I like to play role playing games and Civilization. Right now I am playing Disco Elysium, which is the best rpg I have played in years. Since I have retired most of my life revolves around my computer. I also read quite a few mysteries and watch a lot of movies, especially action-adventure and fantasy.

I'm waiting for the new edition of Prowlers & Paragons to come out. I know the guys associated with it, and they are bangers when it comes to producing great, playable material.

Eugene Church · 01-26-2020, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oriole^

Ah, hobbies, I remember those! At this point, I'm pretty busy: I have my own company, during computer service and repair, concentrating especially on the elder market, whom I feel are seriously underserved. For my side gig, I do weekly pub trivia, and I'm looking to expand that to other establishments here in Maryland.

I do read, mostly non-fiction/history and science fiction; I'm a gamer - yes, tabletop! - though I haven't run anything in eons at this point. I'm looking to getting back into podcasting, I sing karaoke one or two nights a week, and I'm in the process of writing a play.

The next time I need a computer, could I buy it from you long distance?
My current computer guy is not doing personal work anymore... he has created my last two computers using nothing but the best parts and equipment... PC's... don't like laptops.

oriole^ · 01-26-2020, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

The next time I need a computer, could I buy it from you long distance?
My current computer guy is not doing personal work anymore... he has created my last two computers using nothing but the best parts and equipment... PC's... don't like laptops.

Absolutely you can! I can also talk you through the installation of a remote access utility, so I'll be able to take over control as needed and manage any needed updates or software installations.

Eugene Church · 01-26-2020, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oriole^

Absolutely you can! I can also talk you through the installation of a remote access utility, so I'll be able to take over control as needed and manage any needed updates or software installations.

Great!

My current computer is three years old... hopefully it will last a few more years... I will keep your phone number and company name on file and contact you then.

Thanks for the info.

01-21-2020, 04:52 PM	#42
stevem810 All Star Starter Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Sarasota Posts: 1,925	I'm acquiring new passions all the time. My favorite exercise, and I engage about 3-4 times a week, is tennis. Started about 5 years ago and absolutely love everything about it. Great for forming social friendships, too. I'm working on a novel, play some piano (novice level), love to bake (was a career chef-now retired), and practice some rudimentary yoga stretches (it helps with the tennis). btw...great question to put out there. __________________ Julien Henri Version 21 https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...22#post4626122 Michigan Town Ball https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...28#post4630528

01-26-2020, 02:11 PM	#44
oriole^ Minors (Double A) Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 123	Ah, hobbies, I remember those! At this point, I'm pretty busy: I have my own company, during computer service and repair, concentrating especially on the elder market, whom I feel are seriously underserved. For my side gig, I do weekly pub trivia, and I'm looking to expand that to other establishments here in Maryland. I do read, mostly non-fiction/history and science fiction; I'm a gamer - yes, tabletop! - though I haven't run anything in eons at this point. I'm looking to getting back into podcasting, I sing karaoke one or two nights a week, and I'm in the process of writing a play. __________________ "Don't worry about it, fellas. I'm an old Oriole. I'm too tough to die." - Wilbert Robinson, Hall of Fame Visit The Boardwalk for Sports, Gaming, and other talk!

01-20-2020, 08:01 PM	#41
DaBears Major Leagues Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 468	OOTP has changed me personally in many ways, not the least of which is teaching me a much greater level of patience with results outside of my control, the fact people do not always do things as you might like, and greatly improving my strategic thinking skills over time. It has also changed my interest in baseball - and thus reading. I am now fascinated by baseball history, whereas a decade ago I rarely read anything more than 5-10 years old about the game. Second, I am drawn in incredible ways to how Branch Rickey or Sandy Alderson ran a team, how LaRussa and Stengel and Bochy managed, and how teams wound their ways through seasons. Finally, I stopped reading hardly anything about other sports. I used to read about the NFL, NBA, golf, tennis - now, my bookshelf is full of probably 250-300 baseball books and I have donated the rest of my sports books to good causes - mainly tax deductions to fund the purchase of more baseball books!

01-21-2020, 07:38 PM	#43
Cobby Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 252	Music: I'm an acoustic guitar player. I probably have more fun getting together with friends, jamming, strumming and singing old songs than just about anything else I do. Scrabble: I'm a rated tournament Scrabble player. I play in the local clubs and attend several Scrabble tournaments each year. Backpacking and Hiking: I love the sandstone canyon country of the Colorado Plateau and do just about all of my backpacking there (mainly southeast Utah). I especially love to go on long multi-week (nearly 2-month long) journeys through that magnificent country. I've done two of those so far and I think I have at least one more long hike left in me. I've also backpacked in the Grand Canyon over 50 times, but not so frequently these days as I'm more drawn to those sandstone canyons in Utah. Native Plants: This ties in somewhat with my backpacking - I have a rule for my back yard that only plants that I've encountered and made friends with on hikes or backpacking trips are eligible for planting in the back yard. I've been creating a native plant landscape in the back yard and have slowly been surrounding myself with all of my plant friends. Plate Tectonics: OK, that's a little strange to have as a hobby - but it mainly stems from a project I've been picking at bit by bit for awhile. I want to create realistic alternate earth-like planets. This is really more of an art project than a science project. I just think looking at a globe that the way the continents and land is arranged is intriguingly beautiful. And I love knowing the reason or function behind the configuration of land-masses, hence the study of plate tectonics. Then I want to create my own simulation of it to produce possible alternate Earths. OOTP: this is strikingly similar to the way I approach OOTP. I like to simulate the grand sweep of baseball history but with a same-only-different approach and with completely fictional players. So instead of the alternate but plausible earths, I'm creating alternate but plausible baseball universes. I'm also interested in OOTP as a simulation. For a long time I wanted to write my own baseball simulation and did quite a bit of research to lay the groundwork for this. I was thrilled to discover OOTP - which meant I didn't have to spend all of those hours trying to write my own simulation. But I do instinctively like to think about what's under the hood of OOTP. One thing I hope I get around to some day is to try to write my own trading logic. I'm quite appreciative of how well OOTP does at this, despite the complaints, since it is a very difficult problem. But I do have a little bit of a background in AI (pretty rusty) and I always wanted to try my hand at tackling this. One requirement I would have is that the computer GMs would be able to easily explain the reason for each trade in terms that make sense strategically for their team. And finally yes. I'll third or fourth or whatever we're up to the endorsement of Carl Hiaasen, and of mystery fiction and political thrillers also. I spend about four hours a week in the car for work and am always playing an audiobook along those lines... But Carl Hiaasen is my favorite.