Programming. Got so much better. There’s always a mountain load of tutorials and lessons online for free. Libraries are easy to get.
I think you misread the post.
It’s not nearly as much fun to collect things. There’s no thrill of the hunt-- if you need a stamp for your collection, just go online and buy it.
Finding old stuff felt more fun as well before eBay. You could have some old forgotten collectible thing in a drawer and think, “oooh, this might be a treasure that’s worth money!” but it’s somehow less fun when you immediately go online and see “oh, I could theoretically make $7 on this if I gave a shit” and just chuck it in the bin.
Programming and Linux is my hobby I guess but new languages, distributions, and frameworks spring up all the time. On one hand the innovation and creativity and variety are inspiring and impressive. On the other hand it makes analytical types like me more likely to spend time researching solutions than actually implementing them. It’s also too easy to find the perfect tool for whatever your problem is or get invested in solution and before you know it the project is abandoned or flipped into a commercial product so you have to start the hunt all over again and convert all of the stuff that depends on it. I think it’s a “good problem” to have but still a bit of a problem.
It would be nice if open source software had a more reliable way to be sponsored so contributors could have some monetary support for their efforts. I say reliable because some very popular projects have little to no sponsorship so we could be one pissed off dev away from Y2K.
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.
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.
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
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?
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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 wonder if bowlers felt like that about electronic scoring?
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
Honestly, technology has made getting high and playing video games and D&D MUCH better.
Solar, batteries and portable music has wrecked most of my favourite camping areas.
Bluetooth speakers are amazing and also the worlds worst technology in public at the same time.
… we’ve had boomboxes since the 70s yo…
But they were at least limited in their portability and loudness and battery life. Now you can have a tiny speaker that gives up any semblance of sound quality for loudness, but will also manage to last 8+ hours.
Some of those bad boys would pack 8 D batteries and you didn’t ever have to charge it, just crack open a new pack of batteries every few outings.
Hell you can GRILL with 8 D batteries.
I just got back from 3 nights out at a rustic cabin I use as a retreat when I need to get away. I took my portable record player and about 20 records. The record player has an internal rechargeable battery that I recharge with the solar generator I brought with me.
Where is the line where these things ruin a spot versus contributing to it?
Where is the line where these things ruin
Decibels.
Does the entire camping areas need to hear your music?
Ahhh, well, it is just me out there so no one else can hear my music, there isn’t another house for a mile in any direction… but this is not an issue with just camping. Jerks blasting their music from their boats as they go by on the lake is a problem but that has been going on since the invention of music. Spock had to Vulcan nerve pinch a dude on the bus across the Golden Gate Bridge in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home back in the 80s because someone was playing music too loud and wouldn’t turn it down.
Yeah, the variety of music got more accessible I suppose but group camp grounds have been filled with music for a long time now, it was something that bothered me back in the 80s when I was a kid. This isn’t really a new issue due to technology, I am sure plenty of bards have been killed throughout history for playing their music too loud in the woods, or in parks, or wherever. Everywhere music can be played it has been played too loud.
Group camp grounds have been full of music for probably as long as music and group camp grounds have existed
All opinion really. Some people like quiet, some people like music, some people hate genres of music. If someone went to relax and listen to the crickets/nature laying under the stars and all they hear is Luke Bryan, I imagine they may be saddened by it. I personally like socializing with others when camping so it wouldn’t bother me.
Wholeheartedly agreed. It was late and I misinterpreted the intent of the post, it is other people’s music that is the problem that OP was referring to, not the accessibility of music in general.
I have AirPods and headphones and love music. I have plenty of ways to stream it from the ether and into my head without others listening but I don’t like to do that in nature. I like records better for that because it has to be intentional and, from a functional perspective, I’d like to be able to hear a rattlesnake rattle before it bites me, or a bear or wild boars rustling in the trees/brush before it becomes an issue and they are right on me, with earbuds in or headphones on in nature can cause a safety issue. I like to be in the moment in nature and there are plenty of times where I do listen to the crickets or the lapping of the water with no music playing. I like feeling vibe of the moment, select the record and then have ~20mins of that music until it stops playing and I either switch records because the vibe has changed or I want to bring a different energy to the moment. It is more situational and tactile with records. Not having an endless stream of random music on a constant cycle is key for me to enjoying those moments in nature.
Like I said, I thought the OP was talking more about accessibility of music in nature in general, not the intrusion of other people’s music onto your life while one is in nature. It is a problem that is not specific to just campgrounds but I can see where it is a bigger problem in a campground than in normal daily life nowadays. With the advancement of technology in regards to streaming, wireless earbuds/headphones and personal technology I think music intrusion on a day to day basis is less intrusive now than it was 10 years ago or more. There are still people blasting music in their cars at midnight driving down city streets but there are less people playing boomboxes while walking down the street or while on the bus, subway or other public places because technology has advanced to a point where we can limit that intrusion on others and most reasonable people take advantage of that more now than they ever have before.
When it comes to crafting, it’s been great. So many free resources and videos. When I was little I pretty much only knew purl and knit and shyed away from more advanced patterns. I taught myself and if I couldn’t figure it out, I just couldn’t do that pattern. Now I can get even the most difficult pattern and have someone walk me through it, either via forums, if not a knit-a-long. Almost every stitch has a video tutorial. So many free patterns. So many stitches. And even the paid patterns are so creative now. Yes, there are classics, but do you want a mermaid blanket? A Cthulhu hat? Wanna make your cat a custom sweater? It’s just a search away. You can even get specific. I joined a discord for goth stitchers. I don’t talk, but seeing the patterns and resources specifically in that niche has been great.
I general, if you want to learn how to do something, there’s a tutorial for it. I’ve fixed my toilet, done minor car maintenance, and a lot of things that I usually think I’m just too dumb to figure out. But there’s almost always someone on the internet willing to walk you through it. I sewed my first (very basic and poorly done) garment this weekend. I have always wanted to learn how to sew, and, with a second hand machine and YouTube, I took the first step. I love how easy it is to access information. I love getting lost in the rabbit hole of this new information or that new hobby. I recently asked someone how they knew the history of Vermont curry on a lemmy post. I love that shit. I loved that someone looked it up because they just wanted to know, I like that know I just know a little something extra.
