hobbies
Organise
Assess Your Hobbies To Free Up Space
7:00AM Jason Fitzpatrick | Not all the hobbies we take up become life-long passions. Make a cold assessment of your hobbies to free up space, and maybe even make a little extra cash. More »
Learn to Play an Instrument Online
9:00AM Adam Pash | Chances are at one point or another, you’ve either purchased an instrument or considered doing so with the intention of learning to play it; most of us, however, never get around the the learning part. The internet is a glorious fount of freely available information, and it’s slowly filling up with excellent tutorials for getting good at just about anything—including playing a new instrument. Hit the jump for a handful of great resources for getting started with a new instrument online for the low, low price of free. More »Australian leisure time moving online
1:48PM Sarah Stokely | An ABS snapshot of how Australians spent their leisure time in the decade 1997-2006 shows that our internet usage has grown, while traditional pursuits are stagnating or declining.The ‘How Australians Use Their Time’ study found our internet use has grown by six minutes a day, to an average of 19 minute a day.While our time spent reading newspapers has declined from an average 13 minutes a day to 11 minutes a day, our TV/DVD viewing has remained at a whopping 165 minutes a day. Books also remained steady at 8 minutes a day.The ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) study covers a very interesting period of time – widespread use of the internet as a leisure tool wasn’t really around back in 1997. And even if you wanted to watch internet TV, the lack of available bandwidth meant it wasn’t really an option – but these days YouTube represents a vast slab of internet traffic all on its own.One thing the ABS didn’t seem to account for was the ‘bleed’ between mediums which has occurred over that time. Many people read newspapers online these days, and ditto watching news, sport, TV and radio. Games and hobbies were also hived off in a separate category – which is laughable considering how many hours many gamers spend online gaming. More » 
How to be a good geek role model for your kids
12:38PM Sarah Stokely | The GeekDad blog quoted parenting advice from sci-fi author Neal Stephenson today. Talk about cool. :)
Even though I’m not a parent myself, I find myself really enjoying the GeekDad blog for the insights it offers about how to be an encouraging geek parent to your little ones. I know first hand about the stupid social forces which often succeed in dissuading bright girls and boys from pursuing their childhood interest in geeky pursuits like science and maths, so it’s great to read ideas on how to let your kids know that geeky is ok.
It quotes Neal Stephenson’s example of how just doing things in front of your kids can be a way to inspire and teach them ‘in the background’:
“Stephenson said when he was a kid, his dad was constantly tinkering on
some garage project or another, and despite Neal’s complete
indifference for any of his dad’s enthusiasms at the time, he was
influenced by this embedded tinkering. It was part of the family scene,
part of his household, like mealtime style, or the pattern of
interactions between siblings. Later on when Neal did attempt to make
stuff on his own, the pattern was right at hand. It felt comfortable,
easy. Without having to try very hard, he knew how to be a nerd.”
I love this notion. It’s not forcing kids to participate, it’s not ‘do as i say’ – it’s leading by example.
The other thing which rocked about this GeekDad post was that it linked to an audacious Australian experimenter who dabbles in Tesla coils, high voltage and a lot of things that look incredibly cool. His name is Peter Terren and his website is called Tesla Downunder. The image I’ve used is a screenshot from the website. I imagine visiting his house would feel like visiting Doc Brown in Back to the Future. Woo!
Subterranean Tutoring [GeekDad] More » 
Get started as an amateur astronomer
10:08AM Sarah Stokely | If you’re interested in astronomy, but want to find out more before investing in your own telescope, the GeekDad blog has a couple of good suggestions for how to get started. It recommends finding a local astronomy club which holds stargazing nights which are open to the public.
Quasar Publishing, publishers of Astronomy Australia hosts a list of amateur astronomy societies here, or a web search for the name of your city and “astronomy club” should do the trick.
If you have an observatory or planetarium near you, check out what they have on offer too. Sydney’s Observatory charges $15 for a night visit which is hosted by an experienced astronomer. It also runs paid night classes including one on stargazing skills which includes guidance on how to choose and use a small telescope.
The photographer’s note on the image I’ve used here says it’s a telescope image of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) taken from a backyard observatory. 12 hours total exposure time. Neat. :)
Don’t have a telescope? Borrow one! [Geek Dad] More » 
Find Rest with a 10-Minute Dark Room Meditation
2:00AM Kevin Purdy | The Dumb Little Man blog posts a guide to finding a few restful moments of meditation in scheduled activities, including bathing, indulging in hobbies and listening to music. For those who still can’t find time for zen moments, writer K. Stone recommends a “10 Minute Dark Room Meditation.” Find a quiet, darkened place, sit in a comfortable position and work through the following: Start by taking 10 deep breaths. Hold each for a period of time that is comfortable for you and then release very slowly. After this simply breath normally. Be aware of your breath. Be aware of each part of your body from your feet all the way up to the crown of your body. Notice each part in turn. Send an intention of healing to any part that is in need of care. Then focus on a simple mantra, any word you choose. As unwanted thoughts enter your mind use the phrase “empty the mind” to gently usher them out. 10 minutes will go by pretty quickly. Looking to go beyond a few spare restful moments? Check out an easy introduction to meditation. Photo by roland toth. Meditation Techniques for the Busy or Impatient [Dumb Little Man] More »
