Front Page

Content

Authors

Game Index

Forums

Site Tools

Submissions

About

O
oliverkinne
December 19, 2023
9821 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
December 14, 2023
9889 0
Hot

Mycelia Board Game Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
December 12, 2023
4957 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
December 07, 2023
5370 0
Hot

River Wild Board Game Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
December 05, 2023
4653 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
November 30, 2023
5279 0
Hot
J
Jackwraith
November 29, 2023
6161 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
November 28, 2023
4137 0
Hot
S
Spitfireixa
October 24, 2023
6508 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
October 17, 2023
5038 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
October 10, 2023
3807 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
October 09, 2023
4409 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
October 06, 2023
4505 0
Hot

Outback Crossing Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
October 05, 2023
3331 0
Hot
T
thegiantbrain
October 04, 2023
4103 0
Hot
O
oliverkinne
October 03, 2023
3285 0
Hot
×
Bugs: Recent Topics Paging, Uploading Images & Preview (11 Dec 2020)

Recent Topics paging, uploading images and preview bugs require a patch which has not yet been released.

× A place to talk about stuff that doesn't belong anywhere else.

Your Backup Hobby

More
06 Oct 2020 08:30 #314847 by ratpfink
Replied by ratpfink on topic Your Backup Hobby

DarthJoJo wrote: My in-laws spent the last week and a half with us, so I put them to work. With my father-in-law’s help I now have a three-bin compost made of pallets, a garden of six filled 4x8 raised beds, a 60 m long mountain bike trail for the boys and sod on a particularly ugly patch of our yard. I still need to amend the garden soil and it’s much too late too start anything this year, but I am excited for vegetables next year. Succession planting, short plants south of tall plants and pickling recipes are all in mind.


That's awesome. Depending on what zone you're in, it's close to the time to start garlic. If you use garlic a lot, it's a great plant to grow. It's super easy and out of the ground mid summer so you can get something else in the same spot for the fall. And you get scapes!!!

I'm probably going the raised bed route next year. I have an in-ground garden that's fenced in to keep out rabbits. But it's adjacent to a light wooded area so it has much more shade than I would like. Some of the fencing is rotting too, so I think I'd have to rebuild it anyway. And the weeds creep in from the wooded area like crazy. Sadly, the soil there is halfway decent because I've been working on it for 4 years. Otherwise we have heavy, heavy clay everywhere else.
The following user(s) said Thank You: DarthJoJo

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
30 Oct 2020 10:39 #315751 by RobertB
Replied by RobertB on topic Your Backup Hobby
It was Amazon Days, or whatever they were calling it, and I bought a baitcaster rod and reel setup, because all the cool fishing kids are doing it. I had never used a baitcaster before, and even when following instructions I managed to get the mother of all backlashes on the very first cast.

I eventually got to where I could hit the water with my lure without getting a bird's nest in the reel, but still need a lot of practice. In theory it's supposed to be more accurate, and can handle larger lures, than a spinning reel.
The following user(s) said Thank You: JoelCFC25

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
30 Oct 2020 12:22 #315764 by the_jake_1973
Replied by the_jake_1973 on topic Your Backup Hobby

ratpfink wrote:
I'm probably going the raised bed route next year. I have an in-ground garden that's fenced in to keep out rabbits. But it's adjacent to a light wooded area so it has much more shade than I would like. Some of the fencing is rotting too, so I think I'd have to rebuild it anyway. And the weeds creep in from the wooded area like crazy. Sadly, the soil there is halfway decent because I've been working on it for 4 years. Otherwise we have heavy, heavy clay everywhere else.


You may consider using cinder block for a raised bed garden. We did that at our place and it worked wonderfully. And the holes in the cinder blocks make for great flower and herb 'planters'.
The following user(s) said Thank You: ChristopherMD, Cranberries, WadeMonnig

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
30 Oct 2020 18:26 #315783 by Cranberries
Replied by Cranberries on topic Your Backup Hobby

Shellhead wrote:

ubarose wrote: Was talking with my Mom about Facebook on Friday. She has almost 2000 friends, and I asked her how she manages it. She said, "Mute, mute, mute."


I have 171 Facebook friends, and only two are on mute. One is on mute because he loves to re-post conspiracy theory memes. The other is on mute because she likes to re-post news items about animal abuse. We both care about animals, but I can only handle a limited number of sad stories about animals per week.


I used the extension "unfollow everything" to calm down my Facebook feed.

chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/unfoll...egoenkliddajoo?hl=en

I've deleted my account and fired it back up about five times.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
30 Oct 2020 18:58 #315784 by dysjunct
Replied by dysjunct on topic Your Backup Hobby

CranBerries wrote: I used the extension "unfollow everything" to calm down my Facebook feed.

chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/unfoll...egoenkliddajoo?hl=en

I've deleted my account and fired it back up about five times.


I deleted it twice, and so far the last time has stuck. Facebook is awful. If every other company on the Fortune 500 vanished, it would cause immense disruption to the global economy. Except Facebook. It provides no value. If it disappeared tomorrow, people would carry on normally. They'd call their parents and text pictures of their kids to their siblings. Everything it purports to offer is trivially replaced.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Sagrilarus

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
30 Oct 2020 22:06 #315785 by Shellhead
Replied by Shellhead on topic Your Backup Hobby
I firmly disagree that Facebook is awful. You're using it wrong. If your friends and family are posting awful stuff to Facebook, you might want to think long and hard about each of those relationships. I personally wouldn't keep toxic people in my life, or even on Facebook, just because we share a common ancestor. And if people who aren't your friends and family are posting awful stuff to Facebook, you might want to ask yourself why you "friended" them into your Facebook feed. Just un-friend the bad ones, or at least un-follow them.

Without Facebook, I would have lost touch with too many people during the last decade. Most of my old friends and half my family are scattered across the country and even the planet. I have even managed to renew contact with a variety of folks that I had already misplaced. I even made some fairly new friends in the last couple of years, and I want to spend time with them after we get past this pandemic.

Facebook has also been a useful way for me to maintain at least a semi-active social life despite often working six days a week. Just being in Facebook makes it easier for local friends to invite me to things, and easier for me to accept. And it definitely makes it easier for me to organize my own small events, like inviting 20 people over for boardgames so we can get maybe 6 to 8 to show up.

During this pandemic, my social bubble has been reduced to not much more than my immediate co-workers, at least the several of us who still work in the office on a regular basis. That's it. Without Facebook, I would still be calling a few people and emailing a few others, but that's it. Not because I don't care about other people, but because I am busy with work and busy with projects at home and often tired the rest of the time. Facebook gives me a daily dose of social interaction for a minimal investment in time, and it's easy to fit in five or ten minutes at random times throughout each day. As a plus, three of my local Facebook friends are professional DJs, so the canceled live dances have now been replaced with streaming events where I can log in for a few minutes or a few hours, depending on what is convenient for me.
The following user(s) said Thank You: southernman, sornars, Ah_Pook

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
31 Oct 2020 00:19 - 31 Oct 2020 00:20 #315786 by Sagrilarus
Replied by Sagrilarus on topic Your Backup Hobby
I used to miss things, events because they were posted on Facebook and I’m not a member. Friends used to tell me they weren’t posting it twice, so I could join up or miss out. So I missed out occasionally when I didn’t see them in person and I didn’t care very much.

That doesn’t happen anymore. Best I can tell my friends don’t use it to organize things now. I get emails instead, with loads of recipients.
Last edit: 31 Oct 2020 00:20 by Sagrilarus.
The following user(s) said Thank You: ChristopherMD, Gregarius

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
31 Oct 2020 18:45 - 31 Oct 2020 19:52 #315797 by dysjunct
Replied by dysjunct on topic Your Backup Hobby

Shellhead wrote: I firmly disagree that Facebook is awful. You're using it wrong. If your friends and family are posting awful stuff to Facebook, you might want to think long and hard about each of those relationships. I personally wouldn't keep toxic people in my life, or even on Facebook, just because we share a common ancestor. And if people who aren't your friends and family are posting awful stuff to Facebook, you might want to ask yourself why you "friended" them into your Facebook feed. Just un-friend the bad ones, or at least un-follow them.


I would have agreed with that take ten years ago, but now I'd consider that an overly simplistic and optimistic view of what Facebook is designed to do. If it was only a matter of having bad people on my feed, that's easily solved. But Facebook has been engineered to take normal people, and amplify their worst instincts through a combination of triggering outrage and fear, with no consideration other than "does it make people pay attention?" I don't care to support that kind of business model, even if in theory everyone on my feed were angels who never get sucked in.

If it works for you though, that's your business.
Last edit: 31 Oct 2020 19:52 by dysjunct. Reason: Toned it down.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Jackwraith, mtagge

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
01 Nov 2020 01:00 - 01 Nov 2020 11:21 #315804 by ubarose
Replied by ubarose on topic Your Backup Hobby
I have some qualms about supporting their business model, but it is just too convenient a way for me to keep up with my friends and family who are scattered all over the world. I’ve had to unfriend or mute a couple of people, but other than that, my Facebook is mostly mundane everyday life stuff. Today it is lots of kids in their Halloween costumes. Friday, everyone was complaining about the weather. I miss my family and friends. It’s nice to know someone spent the weekend making jam, or got a new rug or whatever.
Last edit: 01 Nov 2020 11:21 by ubarose.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Gary Sax, Msample

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
01 Nov 2020 11:08 - 01 Nov 2020 11:23 #315812 by ubarose
Replied by ubarose on topic Your Backup Hobby
Facebook hint, if you don’t already know it. To have some control over what sponsored posts you see and keep your feed pleasant, don’t add you political views or your religion. Add things you don’t mind getting sponsored posts for as your hobbies. All my ads and sponsored posts are for art, theatre and board games.
Last edit: 01 Nov 2020 11:23 by ubarose.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
01 Nov 2020 13:38 #315818 by ChristopherMD
Replied by ChristopherMD on topic Your Backup Hobby
I gave up all social media over a decade ago. I have no regrets.
The following user(s) said Thank You: dysjunct, BillyBobThwarton

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
01 Nov 2020 15:36 - 01 Nov 2020 15:38 #315830 by JoelCFC25
Replied by JoelCFC25 on topic Your Backup Hobby

RobertB wrote: I eventually got to where I could hit the water with my lure without getting a bird's nest in the reel, but still need a lot of practice. In theory it's supposed to be more accurate, and can handle larger lures, than a spinning reel.

All of that is true. Casting setups are definitely intimidating at first, but you unlock a whole different world of rod combinations (different power rods and variable tip sensitivities). You can use all the features aggressively in the early days when you're getting used to them to prevent most birds nests. Tighten down the spool tensioner so that whatever weight of a lure you have tied on drops at a medium speed instead of just free falling. Then use the brakes (magnetic? depends on what you got) on a pretty high setting at first, too. Both of these will sacrifice casting distance until you get used to things enough that you can loosen up the tensioner a smidge and free up the brakes. Smooth, easy casting motions letting the rod do the work instead of your arms, and keep your thumb super light on the spool, clamping down the moment the lure hits the water. After practice in "beginner" mode for awhile, you'll gain a lot of feel and can ease up on all the "safety" mechanisms. Use cheap mono for awhile so that if you do birds nest so bad that you have to cut off everything and respool, you won't lose a lot of money in the process (like with fluoro or braid). Oh, and don't cast light lures into the wind.

There's a lot of good YouTube content for beginning with baitcasters.
Last edit: 01 Nov 2020 15:38 by JoelCFC25.
The following user(s) said Thank You: RobertB

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
02 Nov 2020 10:39 #315844 by RobertB
Replied by RobertB on topic Your Backup Hobby

JoelCFC25 wrote:

RobertB wrote: I eventually got to where I could hit the water with my lure without getting a bird's nest in the reel, but still need a lot of practice. In theory it's supposed to be more accurate, and can handle larger lures, than a spinning reel.

All of that is true. Casting setups are definitely intimidating at first, but you unlock a whole different world of rod combinations (different power rods and variable tip sensitivities). You can use all the features aggressively in the early days when you're getting used to them to prevent most birds nests. Tighten down the spool tensioner so that whatever weight of a lure you have tied on drops at a medium speed instead of just free falling. Then use the brakes (magnetic? depends on what you got) on a pretty high setting at first, too. Both of these will sacrifice casting distance until you get used to things enough that you can loosen up the tensioner a smidge and free up the brakes. Smooth, easy casting motions letting the rod do the work instead of your arms, and keep your thumb super light on the spool, clamping down the moment the lure hits the water. After practice in "beginner" mode for awhile, you'll gain a lot of feel and can ease up on all the "safety" mechanisms. Use cheap mono for awhile so that if you do birds nest so bad that you have to cut off everything and respool, you won't lose a lot of money in the process (like with fluoro or braid). Oh, and don't cast light lures into the wind.

There's a lot of good YouTube content for beginning with baitcasters.

Mine is a KastKing Spartacus II, now with added manliness! It has magnetic brakes only, no centrifugal brakes. Those brakes definitely work - I cranked them all the way up, and if I throw my arm out of my socket I can cast it about 10 feet.

My practice regimen so far is throw it, shake my head at how badly I missed my target, look at the spool to see if there's a birds nest that needs fixing, fix it if it's there, then reel it back in. Today would be a good day to get some more practice, but it gets dark at 6:00 now.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
27 Nov 2020 13:42 #316638 by Gary Sax
Replied by Gary Sax on topic Your Backup Hobby
I decided to zig instead of zag and asked most of my family for gifts related to trying to take up fly fishing by myself. Intimidating. My greatest personal fear is fucking up and looking like an idiot at stuff, in general, so this will be a good experience from a personal growth perspective. I just have to go out there and fuck up which requires me really being assertive.
The following user(s) said Thank You: ubarose, JoelCFC25

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

More
27 Nov 2020 14:02 #316639 by Shellhead
Replied by Shellhead on topic Your Backup Hobby
In recent months, I have wrestled with the temptation to resume working out at the gym. The governor allowed gyms to re-open last summer, along with restaurants, bars, barber shops, and hair salons. But I felt that the gym was still not a good place to go during a pandemic, for a variety of reasons. And I didn't need the extra exercise because I was doing enough yardwork and other physical projects around the house to stay fit.

But lately, I feel like I have picked up a few pounds, while the governor has closed the gyms again for at least a month. So I finally broke down and bought some very inexpensive home exercise gear: a set of resistance bands and handles. Less than $40, and usable for dozens of different exercises. Easily stored, too, compared to a big single-use device like an exercise bike or stairmaster. Some of the exercises require a post or pillar, and I've got a couple of options. In warmer weather, I can use one of my clothesline posts in the backyard. This winter, I can use one of the metal support posts in my basement.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

Moderators: Gary Sax
Time to create page: 0.629 seconds