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Friday Fun Thread for April 28, 2023

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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I'm interested in taking up a hobby which involves creation or building things. I like to write, and learning how to code seems cool, but I'd like to build. I thought about taking up chemistry, but I live in military dorms and I'm pretty sure that'd be a huge headache. There's no place to really store a bunch of crazy chemicals.

Building machines or robots seems cool. But I just don't know where a newbie with basically zero mechanical inclination is to begin. What hobbies have filled that craftsman's itch for Mottizens? I'd love to hear about your cool pursuits.

The advantage of building via software is that, essentially, you're working with infinite building blocks. Nothing you build as a hobbyist should cost more to run than you would spend on something like wood or metalworking.

I've found value in:

  • Software

  • Software adjacent games (Factorio)

  • Working on my own vehicle (car, bicycle) - the former will be tough in barracks

Being in a barracks, you won't be able to start:

  • Woodworking

  • Metalworking

  • Maintaining your own house (plumbing, electrical, landscaping)

That's the damned trouble! It's nice to have free housing and all, but the quarters are small and the rules can be restrictive. Probably I'll just start with software like you said. I have a computer and everything. If I want to do something more physical, I might just take up drawing.