Looking for a new, inexpensive hobby.

[Zhou (Mick)]

Originally Posted by MattT

Get a Guitar and teach yourself how to play it. Keeps the brain going and 2nd hand ones are cheap as chips.
Matt

I second that idea, also the inernet has extensive info on how to play, TAB etc... You can even do a free online course from no other than Berklee College of Music https://www.coursera.org/course/guitar

[TrevorW]

Insects are the most diverse group of animals on Earth. There are over a million described species of insect, and an estimated 6-10 million species total. Insects are found in nearly every above-ground environment, even in Antarctica, which has a species of insect called springtails. There is even a species of insect that lives on the surface of the open ocean, walking on the water tension using tiny leg hairs. These are insects of the genus Halobates, otherwise known as sea skaters or water striders. Around Antarctica, where there is greater oxygen in the sea than the Equator, these can grow to 30 cm (1 ft) in width.
So far, there have been observations of 5,000 dragonfly species, 2,000 praying mantis, 20,000 grasshopper, 170,000 butterfly and moth, 120,000 fly, 82,000 true bug, 360,000 beetle, and 110,000 bee, wasp and ant species. Keep in mind that arachnids, such as mites — of which there are over 1 million described species — and crustaceans, like lobsters, are not insects, which only includes members of the class Insecta.




its mostly free and very educational

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

I would go - insects or birds as a hobby,
A. They don't cost anything
B. you can impress people with your knowledge of (c) the skies, and (d) the little critter that just landed on your lap, drawn towards you by the big lamps.
I love the natural world and have oft been denigrated by my Wife because i can recognise a bird or insect. But I know less than <0.05% of what is out there. Start a book- paint it.
Don't leave this forum buddy because we would all miss you-
Graz

[Poita (Peter)]

Originally Posted by graham.hobart

Start a book- paint it.

??

I think it is going to be bugs and a guitar. I can already read music, I play and used to teach piano. Never had a go at guitar though.

It turns out Garageband has a bunch of guitar lessons built in, and uses your computer as a tuner. I borrowed an electric guitar and had a go on it this afternoon, I see what you guys mean about the toughening up of fingers!! An electric seems like the go as you can use headphones and spare everyone else the pain.

jjj, that is great advice for everyone, I always have a vegie patch and work it all year, I love cooking too much not to have my own supply of herbs and vegies. Got a great crop of corn last year. I do wish I had my own place though, I miss having chooks and fresh eggs.

Paul, the buckets of s*** don't bother me, my youngest is 6 but has brain and physical development problems, so I've been doing nappies non-stop for the last 6 years, another set isn't going to worry me.

Thanks everyone for the tips on TABs and other suggestions, I was really looking for something relaxing that doesn't suffer from upgrade-itis, it looks like a good option.

[MattT]

Electric with headphones When you get your own just check the neck isn't twisted or warped, and as you can read already your miles ahead, and there are lots of You Tube stuff out there from the top pros should keep you occupied for a while....and enjoy the new bubs!
Matt

[Nico13 (Ken)]

You could always try target shooting lots of targets next door and you know when you hit it cause it goes out

Sorry to see you selling up Peter and yes do keep the ED80 and thanks for the help you have given me and no doubt countless others with your generosity.

Cheers

[Poita (Peter)]

Heh heh heh... I like your thinking Ken

[Ric]

Hi Peter

Have you thought about microscopes as a hobby? With the addition of a small web cam type of camera you can get some interesting images as well.

It certainly is a fascinating world and not just insects either there's plants, crystals etc.

[allan gould]

Originally Posted by Ric

Hi Peter

Have you thought about microscopes as a hobby? With the addition of a small web cam type of camera you can get some interesting images as well.

It certainly is a fascinating world and not just insects either there's plants, crystals etc.

I was just going tok suggest a microscope. Excellent device, fairly cheap and there is so much to look at.
Allan

[Varangian (John)]

Originally Posted by TrevorW

Entomology

x2 next to underwater life is certainly the next most interesting aspect life's diversity.

[alocky (Andrew lockwood)]

Originally Posted by Nico13

You could always try target shooting lots of targets next door and you know when you hit it cause it goes out

Sorry to see you selling up Peter and yes do keep the ED80 and thanks for the help you have given me and no doubt countless others with your generosity.

Cheers

Hi did say 'cheap' hobby
Whether you go for target rifle, or the new boy 'F class' (scopes and sandbags), you need a rifle that can group around the 0.5 minute of angle mark. These don't come cheap!
If you really want to start throwing money away - get into bench-rest. Many of the top competitors machine their own projectiles...
Barrels wear out, scopes break, And then you're throwing an awful lot of copper and lead away, as well as buring up expensive powder. You also have to travel for competition.

Sorry to see you abandon the hobby - kids and moving closer to the centre of town kindled my interest in H-alpha solar observing, and the moon is still a pretty interesting thing to look at. Deep sky stuff can wait for the new moon weekends, it aint going anywhere.
cheers - you'll be back....
Andrew.

[Kunama]

Originally Posted by alocky

Hi did say 'cheap' hobby
Whether you go for target rifle, or the new boy 'F class' (scopes and sandbags), you need a rifle that can group around the 0.5 minute of angle mark. These don't come cheap!
If you really want to start throwing money away - get into bench-rest. Many of the top competitors machine their own projectiles...
Barrels wear out, scopes break, And then you're throwing an awful lot of copper and lead away, as well as buring up expensive powder. You also have to travel for competition.

Sorry to see you abandon the hobby - kids and moving closer to the centre of town kindled my interest in H-alpha solar observing, and the moon is still a pretty interesting thing to look at. Deep sky stuff can wait for the new moon weekends, it aint going anywhere.
cheers - you'll be back....
Andrew.

there are only so many floodlights so he only needs one packet of bullets... I can loan him a rifle for a night then he can use the ED80 as a hobby.....

[alocky (Andrew lockwood)]

Originally Posted by Kunama

there are only so many floodlights so he only needs one packet of bullets... I can loan him a rifle for a night then he can use the ED80 as a hobby.....

I see! Not a long term hobby then. Honestly officer, the youth of today?! Must be some kids with a .22 around... I didn't hear a thing.

[DavidU (Dave)]

I didn't know there was a cheap man hobby

[h0ughy (David)]

you could take up cloud watching and image the more unusual shapes and styles - then again you would then need to learn to play the guitar so that you could put music to the time lapsing. then again you could join the scouts as a leader - or - do some planetary imaging with what you have left?

or befriend a buddy who has lots of scopes and somewhere to go.... and borrow.....

[Waxing_Gibbous (Peter)]

Originally Posted by multiweb

With a baby on the way you won't need a hobby. No time for that. You'll need lots of nappies.

Unh-huh. Yup.
I woudn't count on having any personal time until around 2025.

[Gem (Grant)]

Even if you sell most of your stuff... you can surely keep one pair of binos and do some nice visual observing with a hot cup of tea ... or get up each meteor shower...

I went a decade (2000-2011) without a scope larger than 80mm or a pair of binos... I still had fun!

[John.Osborn]

When you find one please let me know I am also looking for one