what are your hobbies

[mrt (imported)]

Lets see, hobbies. Well, I have this little website I try to keep in order. I also enjoy herding cats, squaring the circle, the search for a universal solvent and the philosopher's stone, dividing by zero, or even trying to figure out what the square root of -1 really is.

Alright we know that a number like 9 divided by zero is impossible to answer. Or is the answer Infinity? *Thought I was going to say Satan huh???

Ok, but ponder this. There is one resolvable answer for divide by zero. Zero divided by zero is one! Is THIS how the universe sprung into being from nothing???

Deep huh????

And I'm really mad you said this was your hobby becase I was up all night thinking about it.....

[kennath7 (imported)]

skiing,tennis,mt . climing, hiking scince

[kristoff]

Alright we know that a number like 9 divided by zero is impossible to answer. Or is the answer Infinity? *Thought I was going to say Satan huh???

Ok, but ponder this. There is one resolvable answer for divide by zero. Zero divided by zero is one! Is THIS how the universe sprung into being from nothing???

Deep huh????

And I'm really mad you said this was your hobby becase I was up all night thinking about it.....

Actually the answer is not 1, but 0.

[Bagoas (imported)]

I can't BELIEVE that I never noticed this thread, considering how long it has been running.

I have had a number of hobbies which I no longer practise, such as ham radio. I used to be WA1CUL and was active on 6 metres in the 1960's. I learned electronics [and once actually taught it in the Naval Reserve] in the vacuum tube era and have never adapted to solid-state technology.

From 1972 to about 1982 I was very active in black-and-white large format (8X10 and 11X14 inches) landscape photography, using the techniques of Ansel Adams. Many of the materials I used then are no longer available, which deters me from resuming it. After I took up painting in the 1980's, I did less photography.

I have done landscape and flower painting in acrylics and casein from 1981 to the present. I paint for my own satisfaction and rarely sell a painting unless someone begs me to. My style is photo-realistic. However, anyone who thinks I could just as well take a colour photo should go to the site and see that I have not slavishly copied nature, but, despite the illusion of photographic precision, have interpreted the landscape , playing God and often "improving" on nature.

I have been collecting early operatic recordings since the late 1950's and now have several thousand of them. I have been collecting other recordings of mostly classical instrumental music ranging from Edison cylinders to CD's and dating from about 1897 to 2007. These also number in the thousands. I am also interested in [Asian] Indian music, mostly Hindustani intrumental music, and have hundreds of LP's and CD's of it.

In 1977, I built a clavichord from a Zuckermann kit and took lessons from Howard Parsons for about 10 years. Following my mother's death in 1999, I bought a two-manual French Double harpsichord, built by by Richard Staton in Atlanta in 1980 which I had rebuilt by Zuckermann last year. I took harpsichord lessons for a few years and occasionally play it.

I might add that I didn't learn to read music until I was 40 years old, when I taught myself with the aid of an old Auto-harp which I bought at an antique shop in Vermont. I taught myself harmony and counterpoint and composed some [bad] chamber music.

I collect things, mainly antique firearms and antique cameras. I used to collect ancient Greek and Roman coins, but prices have got out of my reach in recent years. I sometimes shoot muzzle-loading firearms and am still a fairly good shot, despite my age.

I used to do a great deal of hiking in the mountains, but I can no longer acclimate to high altitude as I once did. Scar tissue from open-heart surgery has made my chest so stiff that it is difficult for me to breathe deeply.

Writing stories for the Eunuch Archive under the pseudonym of Bagoas is my most recent hobby and I have about 90 stories to my credit [or discredit, depending on one's opinion of their merit].

[A-1 (imported)]

My hobby is the E.A.

[Beau Geste (imported)]

From 1972 to about 1982 I was very active in black-and-white large format (8X10 and 11X14 inches) landscape photography, using the techniques of Ansel Adams. Many of the materials I used then are no longer available, which deters me from resuming it. After I took up painting in the 1980's, I did less photography.

I have done landscape and flower painting in acrylics and casein from 1981 to the present. I paint for my own satisfaction and rarely sell a painting unless someone begs me to. My style is photo-realistic. However, anyone who thinks I could just as well take a colour photo should go to the site and see that I have not slavishly copied nature, but, despite the illusion of photographic precision, have interpreted the landscape , playing God and often "improving" on nature.

.

Bagoas--

Since you've done both photography and respresentational painting, I'd presume that you have some interest in the application of optical instruments to the production of various types of art. So my question is, have you read Hockney's Secret Knowledge? I think he also wrote another book on the subject. If you read either of them, what do you think of his thesis? Myself, I think he pretty well proved his case, simply because we know the instruments were available (I include convex mirrors as "instruments"), we know the artists were aware of them, and the paintings unquestionably look like they were designed using optical aids. Most art critics don't accept his ideas, but they can't be expected to, since, to the general public, using optical devices when an artist paints, seems like cheating. But a lot of Andy Warhol's stuff is just silkscreened photographs. The idea is to make a painting look good, and as far as I'm concerned, I don't think it makes much difference how somebody did it.

As to hobbies, the one I wish I had more time to do, is woodworking. After he retired, my grandfather spent practically eight hours every day making things in his shop, and he loved it. Gives you a sense of accomplishment you can't get fiddling with paper or a computer screen all day.

[Blaise (imported)]

Changes in photography amaze me. When I go to Southern Camera here in Baton Rouge, I notice almost everything has changed. They no longer even carry many traditional photographic supplies--papers, chemicals, and film. Even a decade or more ago, many supplies had disappeared.

I very much miss street photography. I do not have the physical ability to do it now. Actually, it has gotten dangerous in this age.

[Blaise (imported)]

Ted.

Digitial photography is the way to go. It is as creative as the old dark room and much cleaner.

I still have my old containers and the memories but that is all gone.

The thousands of slides I took in this country will be digitized when I will find the time.Probably after quiting EA. Mr.Rogers is not welcome here.:-\

Street Photography is something I did for the Sheriff Dep. some years back.I am not sure if you meant the same thing.

I took pictures and had to be very carefull not to get injured.It was during fights and riots and it changed your perspective of being a photographer. Thank God my pictures today are of much more peacefull subjects.

If you want a good digital camera I can send you one of my 4mp canons I don't use anymore.

It may bring a new "spark "to your old hobby.H.:)I appreciate your advice. I believe you are right. I am scanning my slides these days. Long ago, I edited out thoudands of slides. Sometimes, I wonder what I threw away.

For many years, I shot street images in New Orleans and it other places. People were usually on holiday. They did not notice anything unusual about being photographed. I notice that today people are more sensitive to being photographed.

I am going to go digital wth my next camera.

And, yes, we like having you here!

[sag111 (imported)]

Just an update on my Bear river gold trip last weekend.The first day I set up camp and as soon as I could I walked down stream about a half mile and found a place that looked good and set about panning.The first pan didnt have any gold so I moved down stream and found a good rock out cropping with lots of old moss just loaded with black sand.In four pans I had some fine gold and some small flakes but as it was getting dark I had to get back to camp.That night it started to rain and rain it did so stayed in camp all day what a boring day.The next day I took my micro sluce down river where I found the gold a few days earlier and set about feeding sand and moss in my washer.I made about 40 to 50 dollars that day and didnt get rich but had fun.I love to see the gold in the pan even if its only a few small flakes and every once in a while I get a 5.00 pan and I realey love thoes.If you are ever in glod country and are not sure where to pan look on the inside of the river and pan the moss if gold is their it will be in the moss.BY the way gold is selling for about 740.00 an ounce thies days so even thoes small flakes add up.

[Blaise (imported)]

Just an update on my Bear river gold trip last weekend.The first day I set up camp and as soon as I could I walked down stream about a half mile and found a place that looked good and set about panning.The first pan didnt have any gold so I moved down stream and found a good rock out cropping with lots of old moss just loaded with black sand.In four pans I had some fine gold and some small flakes but as it was getting dark I had to get back to camp.That night it started to rain and rain it did so stayed in camp all day what a boring day.The next day I took my micro sluce down river where I found the gold a few days earlier and set about feeding sand and moss in my washer.I made about 40 to 50 dollars that day and didnt get rich but had fun.I love to see the gold in the pan even if its only a few small flakes and every once in a while I get a 5.00 pan and I realey love thoes.If you are ever in glod country and are not sure where to pan look on the inside of the river and pan the moss if gold is their it will be in the moss.BY the way gold is selling for about 740.00 an ounce thies days so even thoes small flakes add up.

You know, that does sound like fun.

I enjoyed reading your account. :

)