So. An uncommon hobby is not football, icehockey, playing console/computer games (at least the regular sort), or reading fantasy / sci-fi novels. Spefically not games and reading sci-fi / fantasy novels, as those are things that just about everyone here must be doing to some extent, even if novels of the aforementioned type would be uncommon amongst the masses.

It doesn't need to be a lifelong project you do 2 hours a day at least. Just something out of the ordinary like parachuting, kite-flying, ornithology, astronomy, chess, etc. This may even include rather uncommon studies. Please include a small explanation in case you have reason to believe people have no idea what you're talking about.

My hope is to reveal something more about the members of these boards. Call it playing with the idea that if someone needs an advice, then by the information here, you know who to ask it of.

For me the only uncommon hobby I have is a chinese board game called "Go". Started after a friend, played some 5-6 months now, though not *that* actively. In a nutshell, it's a game not unlike chess. The difference however is that while its basic rules are a whole lot more simple than in chess, the game in itself is so much more complicated that man has yet to make a computer offering any challenge to real professional go-players. It's hardcore skill oriented with little room for luck, and honour and respect are a big part of the game which is actively seen in the playing style of the players as well. The game is played on a 19x19 board with grids, white is one side, black the other. Goal is basically to cover more area than your opponent, and kill his stones when possible.

I read tarot cards.

I collect coins. Used to know each one in my collection. I still have it, though I probably haven't touched it for a year or two.

I like making websites. Sort of a hobby. Sometimes I would test a layout without adding content other than what's necessary to check how it would look.

Sometimes I learn languages for fun. Sometimes I learn strange stuff from areas that are clearly not my field, like chemistry, biology or physics. Maths sometimes. For various reasons, often to improve conversational capacity, read: because of women ;)

Used to be an art history geek (father is an artist), but it's no longer the case.

And I'm one big ancient & mediaeval history geek.

Well, and Latin is a hobby now. No longer have to learn it, but it's still fun.

@Foradasthar
I played Go for a while too. It all started when i watched this anime Hikaru No Go. It seemed quite interesting, so i had to try it out. There's this program on the net Panda Egg i belive that lets you play Go with people all over the world. All types of difficulties as well, from 9dan (toughest world class) to 28k (amateur). You can set the initial rank though, so you better take a look at the games won/lost before you challenge somoene. You can also alter the board, from 8x8 (iirc) up to 19x19 (standard).
It's pretty cool, but i rarely play it these days anymore.

Other than that, i like to belive i'm doing some martial arts training. Nothing officil, not a member of any club or training program, just what comes to my mind. I can do a perfect handstand on flat grounds (if its a slope its harder ;) ), but beyond that, i dont think it can be evaluated, heh. I'll soon try somersaulting :)
Oh, and lots of kicking too yes. I can do a pathetic (i'm sure it looks that way) circle kick, but it's in really early stages, lots to improve there.
It's interesting though!
The point is not to kick someone's a$$, the point is to experiment what all you can do yourself. I certainly regard it more as an art than means for beating someone up. :)

I run over stairs everytime, walk silently and train staff(proficient*). All are studies of momentum, which is great, be cause i want to master it. :D

Less, but still uncommon, is my love for puzzles, word games and ambiguity. My rp name is Lynx Puzzlewell ;)

Gothmog: Yes the first one of my friends started because of Hikaru no Go as well. I started it when I watched him play another one of my friend once.

And I've used KGS for onlineplaying since I started. Don't get to go to my old hometown to play in real-life that often afterall. :)

Btw, forgot to mention. Back as a teen, I used to collect bottle caps. I had some near 200 different I believe (200 is a lot in Finland). I even handcrafted a small tablet to put all the bottlecaps in for display. But that was then.

I heard about Go when I read Shibumi by Trevanian (sp.) when I was 14. Great book.

Odd hobby, purchasing old '78s from record exchanges. And then listening to them, as opposed to collecting them. I like music, what can I say.

Well, i have a few hobbies, but none of them fit in the category "uncommon". I guess i'm just a very boring guy. :D

I do warhammer, but I suppose that isn't so uncommon. :hmm:

I also used to do archery and I'm going to start fencing soon, so yay! :roll:

I also like drawing maps of fantasy lands and drawing fantasy creatures and my RP characters. :D

I like making mods for BG2 though none are complete yet :p So I go on computing courses and finding out how games work so I can change them ;)

I'm into astrology, and space, and ghosts and stuff like that. Always been interested in thaumology and psionicism as well. :cool:

Also used to do ventriloquism when I was younger - I was bad :p

I like theoretical physics. Unfortunately, my ability to understand it is limited by my inability to comprehend the underlying math.

I'm such a nerd.

I enjoy learning new languages, even though where I'm living right now isn't really the best place to pick up anything new.

I also read tarot and seem to have this connection with the world around me that many of my friends don't have.

Oh yeah, I'm also a fan of going to science-fiction/fantasy conventions. Unfortunately I can only afford to go to one a year.

I'm interested in occultism and whatnot. That uncommon enough?

And I'm interested in opposing occultism and whatnot. Easiest way is prayer. I even scared occultists just by praying for dinner. No kidding. :)

I collect Garfield stuff. Got all cartoon pockets sofar, with quite enough other gadgets. Not special enough eh?

And I think I'll start an other soon: Ritual Slaughtering of Yu-Gi-Oh fans, creatures and the like.

I collect animal bones. (Very dry old ones that I find in the bush) I also have a jar full of turkey and chicken neck bones because I think they are very pretty. I like to use organic forms for subject matter in my paintings and sculptures.

Hi guys, my first post at SP!

I'm interested in Eastern, Western and Shamanic esoteric traditions, although my total knowledge is hardly something to boast about.

I enjoy playing chess, but only for fun (never played in competitions, tournaments or anything - I wouldn't even know where to start!).

I also love reading ancient myths, mainly Greek and Egyptian, but also Nordic and Celtic - a love of ancient history probably originally sprang from this.

I fence...I guess that's kinda rare.
I too like to read up on various mythologies (Greek, Roman, Celtic and especially Norse). I like studying languages too, but I can't really make a hobby of it.

And that's pretty much it for any remotely interesting hobbies I might have...actually; I think that's it for *all* of my hobbies.

I draw my own comic books whenever I get free time. Occasionally I do freelance drawings (sci-fi/fantasy) for people who decide to pay me. :)

I'm also in a band, but that's nothing too uncommon.

Well, i'm a tarot card reader just like Sarevok. I'm also intrested in mythology and occultism but that doesn't seem to be too uncommon here ;)

[ July 11, 2004, 11:39: Message edited by: Serpent ]

I collect card and board games, and Dice! Got a large jar filled with dice standing in my room.

I also like to play with knives and fire but I don't know if you can call that a hobby...

Another hobby is cardboard jumping. (Jumping in a large pile of cardboard, trying not to hurt yourself).

Also I play Magic the gathering and collect cool music but those two aren't that uncommon here :p

And offcourse my intrest in the occult and my "Band".

History, I read all kinds of history, roman, Greek, Egyptian and so. I love reading about ancient cultures, which leads me to my next hobby, religion, I especially like reading about different cultures religion and myths.

Drawing I like to draw both Manga and buildings (weird combination). I like to draw ancient buildings, like temples and churches, specially Greco-roman and Gothic buildings

Well I study a martial art that very few people (relatively speaking) study. That being Ving Tsun. It was the martial art that Bruce Lee studied and then developed his personal take on it into his own martial art: Jeet Kune Do. So I suppose that's pretty rare.

I also DJ. Electro, New wave electronica, Techno, House, mostly funky and Tech sub genres. You might not consider that rare, but I know very few bedroom DJ's so IMHO I think it qualifies :) So I suppose you could say I collect records too. In fact, yes, yes I do collect records.

I study alot of mythology and lore (such as Roman, Norse, and Greek gods; vampire and werewolf lore). And i've made a hobby out of procrastinating.

Girls (well, I guess that one isn't that uncommon).

Like 8people, I have some Warhammer collectibles, but I probably haven't touched them in almost four years.

Warhammer, a bit. History is also another favorite, mostly that of the US - I'm planning to purchase and read several textbooks before the summer is over with. Also, I decided some time ago to learn as much as possible about Joan of Arc, as she's one of the greatest heroines is history, in my opinion.

I also collect stones. Pretty much any stone that looks out of place in its surroundings.

*while Master of Nuhn isn't looking*

I'm a rabid Yu-Gi-Oh fan, which I guess sin't that uncommon at the moment, but I also collect Zoids model kits, and have shown some very limited skill in healing/energising people by laying-on-hands. For real. I actually freaked out a chick once by giving her a serious energy boost just by holding her hand and focussing. Have also helped friends with the healing of minor bruising.

Also, I have a keen interest in Native American Indian spiritualism.

:yot: I may not post much due to my crapy internet and crapy internet computer :doh: , but here it goes.

I collect and paint Warhammer, though I haven't done it in a while and it doesn't seem to be that rare anyway.

I listen to instrumental folklorish music (kinda uncommon I guess).

I plan to do archery soon, though I need to find a place to do so. I have a small yard and no basement, so those are out of the question if they would've suitable in the first place. :hmm:

And I'm trying to learn to move stealthily. Though its kinda hard to practice different things if you're not alone because you can end up looking quite stupid. Regardless, I'm quite light so that helps, and I've picked up on a few things so far. Simply paying attention to your surroundings can teach you quite a bit actually :grin: .

I'm a member of the Society for Creative Anachronisms (http://www.sca.org) which is a Middle Ages reenactment group. We do study the history, but we concentrate more on the every day aspects of life like clothing, jewelry, the way things were made & manufactured.

I also collect My Little Pony toys, dolls, unicorn stuff, and coins.

[ July 12, 2004, 06:13: Message edited by: Stefanina ]

Does juggling (balls, clubs, that sort of thing) count as uncommon?

@Stefania Is that uncommon? I thought all girls collected unicorns. All girls dig Unicorns, isn;t it?.

Uncommon?. Ok, here goes...

I think insects are interesting. Especially the ones that live in a community, like ants or wasps. I have provided the humblebee with breeding places - much like a beemaster does with his bees. Quite interesting, actually, and quite unheard of. ;)

Seems like I am a veritable treehugger. Perhaps nature will one day recognize it and grant me the power of Call Lightning. Or I can use the humblebees in an Insects Plague spell. :p

[ July 12, 2004, 13:23: Message edited by: Dendri ]

Some of my friend told me (when I started this "thing") that I was crazy...
So, few years ago, when I started to play this games (BG; Fallout; etc.) I started to like everything about armors, swords and everything like that, in some point, I liked to watch movies of the sort just to see and compare with the games the specs of armors, etc., So, after watch Lord of the rings, I started to make a chain mail, so I searched information about how to make it and that's it, I have finished one, very nice I must add because my friends that called me crazy wanted one for them, so here I am, every once in a while, cutting... wire? (alambre en castellano), with an invention I made to make this... springs? (resortes) so I can cut the rings... anyway, that's my hobby.

I fenced for about three years, though I stopped a few years ago when schoolwork drastically increased (and because I would have had to train with the adults to get higher qualifications, and being only 13/4 I wasn't too keen).

I collect Chess boards and sets.

Well, I watch movies. The majority of them are foreign, which, in North America, is pretty uncommon... ;)

I also do a lot of theater. Acting, directing, stage managing, producing... And being a guy in theater is also uncommon, but being a guy in theater who is not gay, well that's just rare! :D

I collect abandonware, i.e. old games which can't be bought in stores any more. It's a sad indicator of the state of PC games today that whenever a fit of nostalgia washes over me, I have way more fun (re)playing the oldies than any of the new games I've played in the recent years. *sigh*

I don't think I have any 'strange' hobbies as such.

My saddest one (that I'm sometimes loathe to admit) is that I quite like the Stargate series. I even have a couple of series box sets. That's probably my most out of the ordinary one :p . Since the main body of my hobbies is take nup by watching and playing sport. Any and every sport.

Actually, SleepleSS, I used to think so too. Most ladies may have one or two unicorn things from childhood, but very few actually collect them. Wolves seems to be a far more common collection theme...

I make flash movies and draw comic books.

@Foradasthar, I always thought that Go was a Japanese game... well I may be wrong.

My uncommon hobby is quite new, just a couple of months old, it's mountaineering.

I do battle with medieval weapon and armour, you know two group of 25+ people facing each other and then we all jump in the melee.

Plus I do some ¨Real¨ role-playing, dressing like fantasy, role playing caracter and of course fighting other jerk err player.

Not that they are so uncommon but they aren't common either.

It's called LARP (Live Action RolePlaying). Good that you brought it up since I have no idea how common that is in SP. I've done that a few times, and I know many people irl (and in SP) who have as well. But how many of all the active SPers really have done that or actually do it actively as a hobby, I wonder.

@ nior:

A friend helped me find this: http://senseis.xmp.net/?Go

There it says: "Go is an ancient game that originated in China, with a definite history of over 3000 years, although there are historians who say that the game was invented more than 4000 years ago. Its name comes from the Japanese name Igo, which means "surrounding boardgame".

I'd guess it's either the confusion with the name, or more likely the anime Hikaru no Go that makes people think Go is originally Japanese.

[ July 13, 2004, 17:39: Message edited by: Foradasthar ]

I started origami when I was a student to help me both concentrate and relax. I also juggle balls and clubs, although I haven't practiced in months. Trying to learn devilstick now. It seems to be better for coordination than the balls.

I don't know if any of my hobbies qualify as unusual. Aside from the reading and CRPG's, I play basketball, tennis and golf. I do logic problems, cross-word puzzles and pretty much any other such kind of word games/puzzles. I like jigsaw puzzles too, but don't do them much anymore.

I like to garden and cook too.

I almost never watch any television (I guess that's the most unusual thing about me).

@Stefanina Wolves? Hmm maybe I should wear my wolves shirt I got in Blanes, then to please the girls ;)

At least the sort of gals that I have as friends... :D

[ July 14, 2004, 06:15: Message edited by: Stefanina ]

Alright Maybe next year i go to Florida :p Wearing my wolves shirt offcourse :p But I'm afraids we are going offtopic here...

This is a bit off-topic.

@Foradasthar,

Thanks for the info. I think i can blame my confusion on some Japanese artists, a number of them have "Go" as a title of their song, Hiroshima, the Jazz band, is one.

My odd hobbies include collecting out of print board and computer games
Nintendo(the old 8-bit)
Fencing
Learning 2-3 words of any language I can
Watching really old cartoons(anybody remeber Pirates of Darkwater?)
Skydiving
Skinny dipping

^ I hope you are a woman *shrudders*

My fairly uncommon hobby is to lie to people (and Im a pretty decent liar).
Ex: We were watching a movie in our english class, but one of the guys werent following, so when the teacher told us to write about the movie he asked me what had happened in the movie. I said the main character had to go away to be a testsubject in a nuclear powerplant, and the guy believed it! (and the teacher was like: WTF?!?)

An uncommon hobby hear in Greece is miniature painting. I don't know how common it is in other countries. When I tell someone that I colect and paint miniatures, the first reaction is "Miniatures? :confused: "

I also like to read about Norse mythology and my interest in Greek mythology begins to grow...

I would like to do archery, but I can't find someone to train me... I would also like to do swordfighting (NOT fencing... just plain medieval swordfighting) but it is evn more difficult to find a trainer... :(

trainer? just grab a sword and start chopping people up :cool: :p

I have a fairly extensive knowledge of various mythologies, primarily egyptian and european.
I practice archery and gun-shooting at times, but I suck big-time.
I enjoy frequently playing board games like Chess and Risk with my friends, and I'd like to buy and learn to wield a sword in RL someday.
I've trained Judo a couple o' years although I've been too lazy to train for the past month or so.
I am also into typically nerdic star trek & star wars things, reading SW novels and actively following ST series (having seen all ST & SW movies available in the local videothek (spelling?)).
I'd like to start playing D&D too but I have no idea how/where to start and how to find other players in town.
I often attend LAN's hosted by friends, and plan to host one myself within a month.
:borg:

EDIT: what is fencing <- I thought it was trading in stolen good IIRC

@Bahir: Once I told a 15 year old boy (I was 16) he had Alzheimer. Went on "proving" it to him and he believed.

I can look straight in your eyes and tell you I don't know anything.

I'm too arrogant to lie unless in jest, anyway.

@Volsung: SCA kind of guys will train you if you sign up. For free or for little fees. More professional mediaeval fencing training costs little less than 1000 euro here. But that's for guys who fight in tournaments as sort of a job.

I practice with whomever I can. It gets easier when you don't insist on it being a real metal sword. Then you can get aikido or kendo guys to practice a bit with you. Broadens your horizons and all. My own fencing is hardly orthodox mediaeval European.

The other guy can use various things if he can't get a sword. Once I had a 100 kg attack me with a metal pipe for parrying & riposte training ;)

I fence... well, fenced, it was through school and school's out right now... And I draw/write my own manga (also called anime), I also knit... which is rare for someone who's 16... And I make movies with my friends. They're usually comedies, since they are no-budget quick-flicks.


I want to start learning a couple different languages too, but I've been saying I will for years, and I still haven't really started.

I like chess. In fact, I once played Chev over Yahoo. After I defeated him he mentioned how he was bleeding. Apparently, Chev takes his chess seriously.

I love all the various sciences. I read books (currently reading "Hydrogen") and journals as well.

I jog...but I suppose that is not too uncommon.

Well I am an amateur conspiracy theorist, i also have theories on god so would that make me a theologian or a theo theorist.

I collect fantasy/medieval weapons (swords, daggers, axes, ect.) From what I hear it's not all that uncommon...but my other "hobby" is. I collect the little safety rings from every plastic 1 gallon milk bottle. I keep them on a 6 foot tall walking stick. So far the 1/8" rings have stacked up to a height of about 4.5 feet. Why I do it? I don't really know. What will I do with them? Again, I don't know...probably toss them in the recycle bin. :rolling:

I can attest to SCA style fighting. I have aquired many glorious bruises over the years. One could even say I collected them for a while...

Does collecting ex-girlfriends count? Even if it is an unintended collection.

I don't have many hobbies, and these ones aren't so uncommon at all (if RPGs, CRPGs and D&D are common hobbies :) )

I go in LARPs about three times during an year. It's fun, but I have been only in high (or low) fantasy games.

And I've collected dice. I don't do it anymore, but I still have my collection. I have about 120 dice, so I've spent too much money on them :p