I have many hobbies, but they’ve all gotten better due to technology. I’ll be curious to see what other people have to say.
I play darts, we used to write on whiteboards with sharpies. Now nearly every club has a computer with some kind of software. Usually this software is closed source and sends all the data to some kind of server. We as players have no choice if we want to play the tournament, we have no control. Many clubs also use the computer for training. So everyone can see when you are playing, where you are playing and how you are playing. Great to see how good your next opponent is. Also great to track people. But way worse is the fact that everyone just talks about their average. Oh I played so bad my average was under 60, I still won 3-0 but I was so bad. I hate this. I want back the times where I play shit, win the game with a nice finish and can proudly say it wasn’t good but a nice finish and we stop talking, not hear from someone not even in the room how bad I played.
Kinda a niche topic to rant about I know, but no one in this hobby seems to get my concerns.
I don’t play darts but it makes me genuinely sad to hear that.
I used to go out to bars with my friends and play darts in college and it was always fun to just play and even make up your own rules sometimes! That makes me kind of sad that something as simple as throwing pointy sticks at a board had to be computerized… I could see the benefit if you were playing in a pro tournament or something, but just trying to enjoy a game of darts with your buddies definitely doesn’t need all of that
I wonder if bowlers felt like that about electronic scoring?
It hasn’t for me really because most of my hobbies are still done more or less the way they always have been lol I cross stitch and build models and the whole point of those is that they’re handmade. I collect vinyl records which hasn’t really changed much except that they’re more expensive now. I play guitar which technology has mostly helped more than hinder… The only thing I can think of is that a lot of the modern assembly line cheap guitars aren’t really built all that well anymore, especially considering the price you pay for them, but even that has gotten a lot better in the last decade
I don’t like how vinyls suddenly don’t come with complementary digital downloads. Some MBAs provably did a study on how it increases streams by X% on average.
Writing
How so?
I was writing via pen and paper, and that was great. I was using a typewriter, and that was cool. At first, word processing was amazing to help with editing and my handwriting. But then I don’t know, it is much less sexy to sit at a screen. There are too many distractions. Feels much less creative.
Yea, there are a lot of writers who have gone back to dedicated writing machines because of this. Things like the Freewrite. Also means you have to manually transfer research content so its more firm in your mind.
I’m more of a sewer than a knitter or crocheter, but I’ve heard AI patterns for knitting and crochet are really bad online now (and an utter waste of yarn and time).
Electric guitar and the quality of digital amplification. Takes all the pain, inconvenience and expenses of the traditional amp as a PA system away while letting you sound good. Really awesome TBH.
I agree wholeheartedly, but I think you’ve misread the post
Ha. Oops! I got the vibe that the conversation had become more general. But also I’m genuinely tired and tired and not wearing my glasses. Sorry!
gaming, so much better. more people can create games with more types of games.
I like to work on cars. Behold modern cars and all of their overcomplicated bullshit.
How do I read the knock sensor info from OBD port for Subaru
A: It’s not part of the OBD standard, so you need a Cobb access port to read the data
Okay but I don’t have money for that and I’m literally just making a python script to do this.
A: Well you need the custom ID to query the sensor info
Okay what’s the custom ID?
A: You have to pay morbillion dollars to get access to the documentation that has the custom info that you can get from the ECU
Not even close to doing anything with tuning ot modding, but you’re telling me I can’t even read a sensor because neither Subuaru nor Cobb will tell me a single hex ID bruh
I really hope that right to repair at least makes the hex IDs available
90% of problems on modern cars are computers miscommunicating with other computers, out just deciding that some sensor isn’t behaving well enough, so you have to throw the baby out with the bath water. All this in proprietary formats in proprietary subsystems a filthy mortal like you can’t afford the tools to even know what’s wrong.
And then you can get 3rd party tools like Autel, which also aren’t cheap. But this model of tool can only talk to these modules on this model of car. Any car that requires a scan tool to bleed the brakes can go straight to the crusher. Oh and let’s run all of the buses through the radio so you can never change that out without a dongle to try to keep things working.
I just wish I could but a fucking service manual. Seems like like the only way is to get access to a digital copy through a subscription service. I don’t need service manuals for every car made, just mine.
I’ve kind of used it, but I’ve found a lot of service manuals for my cars on enthusiast forums.
I managed to find a PDF for my vehicle. But I would much rather have a physical book.
Oh believe me, I know. I’ve printed out hundreds of pages to put in a binder when I did my transaxle rebuild.
My trick is buying the paper with the 3 holes already punched. But almost any print shop should be able to print and bind it for you as well.
I have started a binder myself. The idea for the paper is real good. Thanks.
Computing and Gaming both being internet reliant in the most part has destroyed the industry completely as it is used as a weapon to monetise everything pay or don’t play or you know that game you could play well don’t pay you now can’t play scenarios rule, and servers deliberately being shutdown to recapitalize on an updated game it’s just monoply and capitalism gone too far. They don’t need to login to play offline either so why the need for server access to verify ownership more than one time then provide a unlock key that’s for offline for life should be the way it is done for comoputers and consoles a occassional reconnection to update the built in database file that stores the keys encrypted resides on all machines would be the way around it you only need update once a game doesn’t exist in the current database and it happens automagically without any input other than one time in the life of the machine with an export to usb option and or cloud option to boom problem solved.
If you don’t like what tech has done to your hobby, just do it without the old way, right?
I assumed OP was asking about hobbies that can’t be done the old way anymore because everything has been converted to a newer way that makes it easier but not as much fun anymore. Like in the example I posted earlier it’s now impossible to buy a fully handmade high quality guitar anymore unless I want learn how to build it myself from scratch or pay thousands of dollars for a high end custom guitar because almost all affordable guitars are built on assembly lines now
Yeah I think this post is fishing for something that doesn’t make sense.
That’s funny, because I think fishing is probably the best example to answer OP’s question.
Ah ok I think I understand now why I and the person who commented above me, misunderstood this. I thought it was asking how has the technology that the hobby has adopted, but I think it meant just tech in general.
Yeah I used to love stargazing with my telescope but more and more ambient light polluting the skies means there are fewer and fewer places within any populated region where one can get a real look at the natural night sky. :-(
I could have worded things better, as I wanted to know how tech hurt your hobby when it was supposed to make it better. My issue, we now have all these ways of connecting to people all over the place, there are more TTRPG groups that play online instead of in person. Used to be I could go into a game/hobby/comic shop and find people who are willing to start a game. I don’t do well with online only games with my ADHD.
I agree too many people have isolated themselves thinking a keyboard and a screen can replace being in person. It sucks and it’s a sickness. Such a foolish and self-destructive way to live and so, what is it, laziness? I don’t know.
At the same time, tech has enhanced a lot. It’s a matter of selecting the situation where tech has made the thing better and discarding the idea of tech when it’s just for the sake of it.
Well I play video games, and woo boy, let me tell you about microtransactions, crap DLC content, season passes, never ending early access, unfinished releases, and anti cheat root-kits! If you’re on console you pay a premium to play online, if you’re on PC you have 18 different game launchers and DRM bullshit. Digital only stuff means you don’t own your games, cant loan them or trade them or sell them. I’m sure there’s more, and admittedly there’s good with the bad. Graphics have come a long way, and some rare innovations are fun to see. I still have fun with it, but wow it is a fucked up landscape full of way more land mines than it used to be.
Not to mention every OG single player game now becoming heavily multiplayer focused.
Halo, Call of Duty, Battlefield, Rainbow Six, Grand Theft Auto…
Can’t just make a new IP. No…we need to ruin the old game you love playing and focus only on players who want an online exclusive experience.
I quit following Halo Infinite updates because it only ever was something new for multiplayer.
Rockstar canceled all DLC plans for GTA V and waited 10 years to unveil its successor. I’m not even interested in GTA VI because it’s inevitably going to be multiplayer focused and forget about the offline single player experience.
Rainbow Six Patriots got canceled so we could get Rainbow Six Siege which has pretty much become a CounterStrike knock off.
All these companies forgot what made their games great and who the original fanbase consisted of in favor of the flavor of the month players.
When I was a kid me and my friends who lived on my street would always trade or borrow our NES and SNES cartridges
You can still do this with physical console games.
Steam also has the family sharing support where you can burrow games from people.
Board games have been nearly ruined by kickstarter.
Instead of buying a well reviewed and recommended game from a store, you have to back a hyped up sales pitch, and then wait 4 months for delivery, if the producers don’t just bail with your money or go “oops, we couldn’t finish what we promised, and we already spent all your money…”.
And if you don’t back it to later read the reviews, the game is out of print and still waiting for the first wave of deliveries, meaning a second print is still at least a year off.
Also, the ratings are heavily skewed by people rating on the hype or early/review copies, meaning the rankings are heavily amazonified.
EtA: Also games are heavily bloated with social media candy: heavy and fragile minis, box stands, blingy crap periferals (branded dice holding toucan) and still needing organisers, player aids and mods from third parties who’ve gotten review copies to make said supplements…
Oh, and the stretch goal extras (get another 150 vanity minis/3D printed scoring tokens) for only $150 and an 18 month wait!
It sounds like you’re describing the consequences of FOMO rather than the ruination of an industry.all of these issues can be circumvented by simply not participating.
What is this thread but people yelling at clouds?
I casually bicycle around town and like to see who I can keep up with to test how fast I am. More and more folks have ebikes now and it’s getting way less fun.
I’ve been on social media for a little over half a year. With the introduction of AI image generators, I have had my art stolen by an AI image prompter, who took my art and made it look like a congealed mess, in addition to being accused of using AI on another site back in June, even though I’ve posted progress pictures, timelapses of me drawing and PaintTool SAI files with many of the layers being intact. The AI image prompter was locally banned by a moderator, while the other person had their account removed by the administrator, who then apologised to me about that person’s rude behaviour.
I love board games, and own a game shop. Many companies are creating board games (and other types of games) that require their app, then after a few years they abandon the app making the game useless and unplayable.
I remember having an old boardgame with a VHS. It has a countdown and would interrupt you every so often with events or punishments.
It was fun, but after the first time you play it you’d know every “surprise” coming on the tape.
This is why I don’t buy toys and other items that require a specific app.
The last one I remember buying was that little robot and the company that made it went under and a new company bought them and resurrected the robot but now required a monthly subscription.
Great example of why this kind of crap needs to stop already. I don’t need a damn app for everything I do and it doesn’t have to be specialized.
The other side of it is those things I have, like an older RC helicopter, that still has the app available on the App Store but not for modern devices because the specifications changed and the app no longer is compatible for modern devices.
Fun stuff…
Similar situation - those board games are honestly pretty rare and almost universally shit, app or no. Plus, they’ve been trying to do that for years. I had a clue board game that would text you clues throughout the game. I played that on my first flip phone. It was absolutely horrendous
