hobbies are good

[cteno4]

im always running into this that folks these days seem to have so few hobbies if any. im always surprised at how surprised many friends are that i have hobbies... ran into this article in a 1923 pop sci mag i have (check out the cover its why i have it). funny how we forget what is good for us.

 

jeff

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=WioDAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA1&pg=PA37#v=onepage&q&f=false

[JR 500系]

Oh yes Hobbies are good!

 

I like this sentence:

 

"Almost every successful man has a hobby of some kind'

 

It seems like almost a passport to guilt-free hobbying when relayed to the Mrs.

[bikkuri bahn]

Most of my friendships through childhood and adolescence were formed due to shared hobbies. I owe my dabbling in stamp collecting, bird watching, and most importantly, train watching/photography to the influence of my grandfather, who may have actually read that issue as a boy.   People without hobbies seemed boring to me (still do, actually). Old magazines are so fascinating, especially the ads- note the one for training to be a railway post office clerk.

[The_Ghan]

I'm surprised you guys missed the front cover ... Ivey's Toys on p99 ... and Lionel Trains on p104 (apparently the fun stops when you turn 40) ... don't forget the Erector on p95 ... how do I explain that one to my wife??? ... Meanwhile, some idiot wants to put "wings" on luxurious railway coaches on p49 ... that idea will never take off ... while on p58 they've resurrected that silly idea of connecting England and France with a tunnel!

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

[cteno4]

pop sci covers are just way too cool and leafing through them is wonderful! nice that many are up on google for parousing!

 

unfortunately the cover story is missing in the google scan (contacted them to see if they want me to scan mine). the guy fletcher felts wanted to do this for fast urban transportation that could go over streets. its funny when i was a kid and BART was going in in the sf bay area while i was growing up i often thought how they could do hanging cars running over the highways as this was usually pretty clear strips of land. overpasses were an issue though!

 

his idea for oakland to sf! much better view than BART! could even hang it off the bottom of the bay bridge.

 

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/paleofuture/2011/11/zipping-from-san-francisco-to-oakland-in-5-minutes/

 

then there is the one with a prop in scotland

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2154361/The-REAL-flying-Scotsman-120mph-propeller-driven-Railplane-left-inventor-dreamed-revolutionising-commuting-1930s-Britain-penniless.html

 

and of course the original

 

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/germany-incredible-hanging-railway/20672

 

cheers

[KenS]

... don't forget the Erector on p95 ... how do I explain that one to my wife???

 

Well, I'll let you worry about the latter part.  But I actually had an Erector set very close to that one when I was a kid.  It was one of my Dad's toys handed down, dating from the 1930s or pre-war 40's.  Really cool. Lots of tiny machine bolts and nuts.  You could build some pretty neat things with it.  Sort-of like LEGO with metal parts and bolts. 

 

And it came with an AC motor (with attached reduction gearbox) with exposed (but insulated) coil wiring on the motor!  It wouldn't have been hard to scratch it with a metal part and get one heck of a shock (although I never did).  And I think the "neutral" line was attached to the exposed metal. People really were much more casual about safety back then.

 

Getting back to the original topic, I think a lot of people have hobbies still.  They aren't necessarily model-building or technical ones like ham radio, but lots of folks garden, knit or do other things that I'd count as hobbies. And a fair number do more technical things like photography, or building computers for gaming (if you build a computer more than once every two years, it's a hobby in its own right!).

 

Granted, many people seem to be stuck in passive activities (television, most computer games), but most of the people I know have some kind of active hobby. One of them builds and sails outrigger canoes, and one of my co-workers races cars on weekends.

[ToniBabelony]

Oh dayum. That monorail... It's so 'Metropolis'.

 

Anyway, model trains keep me away from killing people and stealing children's' candy. Getting lost in my own little world that I can share in a positive manner with people is better than getting lost in the real world which you cannot share with other people (if you get my drift).

[cteno4]

so resurecting this thread because a friend emailed me this video of slomo, a wealthy doctor who took a left turn in life. while most cant do what he is doing, it brought up the point that finding a bit of time in life to do what you love is a really really good thing and missing a lot in today's culture...

 

http://elevate.us/this-millionaire-doctor-has-lived-a-very-successful-life-by-most-standards-except-his-own-so-he-decided-to-drop-it-all-and-chase-a-dream/?utm_source=All&utm_campaign=March+14+2014&utm_medium=email

 

and my response to him which i thought i would share as its been in my head a lot with recent train shows:

 

Nicely done.

 

Funny its something i talk about to the public all the time with our Japanese model train club display layout -- Loss of hobbies in our culture. Its that little bit of life we do just because we like to do it and it gives us that big of gratification that we did it. little bit of focus, try and try again, bit of zen, bit of meditation on something. very personal. It strips away the cultural world, religion, etc and leaves it with just you.

 

Unfortunately most folks dont have the money or situation to skate at the beach all day like this chap, but we all can take a little time to just find something we enjoy and carve off that little bit of time to just do it even in the midst of the chaotic culture we live in. The more you do the more you can detach from the chaos and simplify your own life to increase your own little pool of happiness. I think that can also be infective to others around you.

 

With the trains its great as when we take them out in public and you watch the public first look at them they get great big smiles on their faces. it takes them back to playing with trains and in a little puddle of happiness. Everyone says they would love to do something like this but they could never spend the time. I encourage them that it does not take huge amounts, just a little here and there. i remind them of the joy they just felt looking at the layout and how different that is form the joys that modern culture usually brings and its worth trying to go and capture a little bit of that for themselves.

 

In addition to the joy there is that whole host of other things that hobbies bring like just being creative for creative's sake, learning to learn, failing and recovering, a real sense of achievement that comes from you not the external world, critical thinking, treating the problem not the symptom, making friends in interesting ways, learning someone you may have never thought of ever talking to might end up sharing a lot of things in common thru a hobby, just taking a break, etc. all things we find missing in kids environment these days especially. younger generations really dont have hobbies as part of their world as most adults these days dont have them so how do we expect kids to learn how to find a hobby? I aim this at parents as a way to give them an excuse to find time for a hobby, its a good example to set for their kids! Even a chance to share with their kids if they get into the same hobby.

 

Modern culture pretty much labels hobbies evil. its very funny when i tell people one of my big hobbies (yes you know i have several!) is japanese model trains. I usually get either a gafah to a snicker to a sneer to a polite thats nice, but boy this guy is weird look. Grown man playing with trains, the big joke in our society! But when folks walk up to the layout on display you get a totally different reaction from them of respect and gratitude that you did something with your own hands and then shared it with them. You reach right into the deep subjective, human side of them and you get that wonderful human warmth back and the absurdity of culture is stripped away.

 

Last month we were invited up to new york city to bring a layout up to their japan week celebration in grand central station (hey who could pass up playing with trains in grand central station of all places!). was a huge effort to make the layout for the event (had to make a smaller one to fit in the space they had) and travel to nyc for 5 days (very nicely Japan Rail East company picked up all the expenses) but the reaction we got from the public was astounding! It was the most out pouring of joy, gratitude and smiles we have ever had. they were not expecting a train layout at the event, but everyone was so tickled by it. i was worried the other vendors around us (was tech, tourism and culture trade show exhibits basically)  would be upset as we drew in huge crowds around us all three days, but it got exactly the opposite response from them. They were glad we were there to hold the public in the area and also just put them in a happy mood. all this from a stupid little hobby...

 

cheers,

 

jeff

[john_ibw]

Thank you Jeff for sharing...yes, nicely done...

I agree with the points you make. I live in India. Apart from photography that has been quite popular for a long time, creative forms like painting and sculpting are mainly the hobbies people used to pursue. However, of late, I see a lot take to hobbies like electronics, woodworking, 3D printing (not sure if you can call it a hobby) , model trains, paper models and so on...

For years, I have been a closet hobbyist. I have seen people react very differently most times I mentioned my hobbies. In 2011, since my return from Sydney, a lot has happened and I have participated in several public events. As a result, the press has also picked up on it. Mainly because, in India it is unusual for a guy to get so involved in hobbies. This is an article that was released yesterday....http://yourstory.com/2014/05/lego-techie/

My love for LEGO tends to overshadow my other interests mainly because I have tons of them lying around and several sets built and displayed. Also, I complete several large builds in LEGO (excess of 100K bricks per model) and public places...

Coming back to the original topic...here in India, I am seeing a lot more people take up hobbies these days. There are those who still think it is a waste of time, effort and money. So, personally, I am very excited to see more and more forums, clubs and events in the cities, at least. Many people have the urge to do something apart from the routine jobs. The economies  in this region booming in the last couple of decades and the social media have helped the situation. I am personally involved with several groups now working on small events. Moreover, those engaged in it seem to all agree hobbies are good!

 

 

 

 

[Martijn Meerts]

John, that's a nice collection of Lego ;)

 

I still love Lego as well, even though I don't have any of it (apart from a small helicopter which I once got for free with a pizza ;)). I've been thinking about buying some, but what I don't like is that much of the newer stuff has all these large specialised bricks. I like the old kits with the hundreds and hundreds of standard parts in a box, but these days much of the Lego seems to be made to be put together quickly. The Lego Technic is still cool though, and the Mindstorms stuff is pretty cool too, especially the EV3 release.

 

I still regret selling off all my Lego a long time ago, but on the other hand, with the money I made I bought lots of trains.

[cteno4]

John,

 

wonderful article! You can be a great roll model to folks to find a passion.

 

You have some collection of legos and some stunning projects you have done! I have loved legos since i was probably about 3. still have some star wars kits that are fun to remake now and then. i finally gave my original big box of old childhood bricks to a neighbor's kid who was super into them. figured it was better than sitting in boxes in shelves here. hated to let them go, but wanted them off being used! One of the jrm club members is a big member in the local lego club and has done lots of shows with them and really enjoys it as his other hobby!

 

I tend to be up front about my hobbies with folks but you do usually get some funny looks from folks when you tell them the model trains especially! woodworking is acceptable and even the electronics, but the model trains when you are just talking you can usually seen the funny look on their faces. But that does change when they see the layout in person. NYC was a big example of that, i've never felt so much amazement, wonder, and gratitude for having the hobby than at that show. It was actually really good for me as it renewed my spirit for doing all the work to do the public shows over doing my own layout most of the time. 

 

While its the kids that need the hobbies the most probably, its the adults who have to at least encourage but really do it themselves to be the roll models to kids. Its also just super good for your own life as an adult to take a break, let your mind wander into those places job and culture dont let it venture much anymore.

 

cheers

 

jeff

Edited May 10, 2014 by cteno4

[kvp]

Speaking of lego, it's my other scale for railway modelling. I mostly build hungarian trains (with a few japanese) in 1:42, since the gauge of lego tracks are actually O and the height of the minifigures give 1:42 which is also roughly O scale. Every train is custom designed and built, since normal lego train sets are way out of scale (actually they are shorties), so for scale models every builder has to invent their own designs and make them run on the standard R320 lego curves (it's the equivalent of R90 in Nj).

 

A few pictures (in a completely unorganized heap): http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?m=kvp

[john_ibw]

Thank you Jeff and Martijn...you are right Jeff, wood working and electronics seems acceptable but not the same for model trains...I don't know if you have had people ask you about the prices (trains). I am being asked that every time people see my trains. And it can get a little annoying at times :) These days, I don't encourage any discussions around how much the hobby costs me.

 

i now need to start working on my layout...while, at Sydney, I started work on a temporary layout and did not go far. I only have Unitram stuff to show some sort of a Japanese layout at this stage...in the coming months, I am confident I will be able to clear out the spare room, paint it and start work on benchwork...

 

good thing is, work won't take me away from home for a while. i will finally have a chance to stay here for a few years to be able to start work on the layout...(at least that is what i hope for, given that I am in IT, one can never say)