I need a new hobby. Programming doesn't excite me anymore, at least not how it did a couple of years back. I'd like to get into robotics and stuff, but everything's expensive where I live. I'd like to get into cars, also too expensive where I live. I like playing video games, but I suck at them and they bring me no feeling of having accomplished something. Sports? Suck at them too. I'd like to ski, but I live in South America. I just don't know what to do with my free time. Programming feels like a chore nowadays, but it's all I have.

Everyone sucks at everything until zhe starts practicing.

I bike a lot. It's pretty fun, you get out, get exercise and see neat stuff. Also nice because I don't have to take a car to work.

raspberry pi = $30
Sensor set = $20
1 brushless motor and 2 servos plus motor contoller = $15
5000mah lipo battery and charger = $40
bicycle parts from the scrapyard = $2

$107 your entry into robotics
Most parts you get on AliExpress.

@molaram
The downside to biking is, the more you do it, the faster you get.

When my mind gets working replying to things doesn't take many cycles. I use it as a sanity maintenance device when doing work. Or Linux master race.

I also cook dinner and clean the house and spend time with the husband and kids.

I just get shit done 🤷‍♀️

@molaram the advantage of beeing successful and the boss of your company, you got others to do your work so you've got more time to scroll devRant?

@heyheni
Can I get in on that? I've shipped the most code in the last 3 weeks 😆

@neeno ever heard of bikepaking?
You could take a 3 month vacation and (electro) cycle down to Patagonia. Expirience the breathtaking beauty south american nature has to to offer.

What subjects you liked in school ?When i get bored by programming I usually open book of vector algebra and vector calculus and read few interesting topics that i like , there is something therapeutic about it

I also bought some studio microphones and started podcast with my flatmates

My suggestion is try to do something where you don’t have to prove yourself

@heyheni sweet ride !!

@heyheni unfortunately that's 568 BRL, which is quite a lot around here. I have the money and I'd like to give it a shot, but what if I don't like it? It would just be money thrown in the trash. But I think I should give it a shot, right? I mean,there's no such thing as free lunch.

@SortOfTested @heyheni I must admit, that does sound pretty cool. Do you guys do it by yourselves or do you have other people to ride with? I like the idea but it sounds like it would be a bit boring or empty without a friend to do it with. Certainly a good idea though.

@hardfault I actually didn't like absolutely anything, I just wanted to graduate with the least amount of effort. I'm a bit interested in quantum mechanics and quantum computing though, and I got stuck right at the start, maybe because I lack a bit of linear algebra. I think I might give it a try again.

Also, @SortOfTested, how the hell do you have so much energy? After a single day of "getting shit done" I'm totally exhausted/unmotivated.

@neeno For robotics I would start with $10 arduino clone and $5 rc servo motor. Then work from there. Also, you can take apart rc cars and control them. So finding junk rc cars to get parts from is fun. What is a robot? A piece of equipment doing things people dont want to do or not cost effective to do. A fun project would be to build a 3d printer. If you can find a local maker group (not sure if there are any) you can get someone to print parts for 3d printer and buy the mechanical/electrical parts you cannot print. That is definitely a robotics project.

@neeno cycling is the perfect hobby, I've noticed. Personally I do race as well, but I really prefer cycling by myself. Company can be fine, too, long as it's good enough to handle for the duration of your ride. The only cycling scene I'm aware of in South America is in Colombia, but surely one can find cycling enthusiasts to ride with in Brazil, too?

@neeno Taking apart old printers and things is a good way to get motors and sensors too. People have built things from those as well.

Taking up some sports is definitely good, especially if you currently suck at sports. You don't want to look like a dev when you become a dev. ^^

@miksaraj I hope so, but before I do that I need to ride by myself a little and gain some endurance, otherwise I'm just gonna be left in the dust. I have one or two friends I can think of that might like cycling, so I'll start on my own and if I like it I might invite them to go with me.

@Fast-Nop that's a great argument 😂

@Demolishun awesome idea! I loved to do this as a kid and for some reason I just stopped. I'll try to find something to take apart, maybe even buy old, broken stuff on the internet.

@MajorDataclysm sounds cool and expensive 😂 A few months ago I wanted to do a similar project: stick an Arduino to an rc helicopter. The problem was my heli had a broken servo and I couldn't get a new one. However, I'm thinking of just buying a shitty helicopter just to make this project. Thanks!

@Demolishun I also have a 19 year old rc car my dad wants to fix, so I might slap an Arduino on there as a first project. I'd like to build a 3D printer and I just might be able to print some stuff at my University (once this corona thing goes away ofc). Thanks for the suggestions!

@neeno you can go biking together or alone. It's up to you. I love the freedom of beeing on my own. Nobody to take care of. Only you, the road, fresh air and hopefully some nice views.

The best part is any used bicycle in good shape will do. Buy a 90ties aluminum Mountain Bike of ebay or similiar and put some new smooth tires (for example Continental Speed Ride 2x$15) and tubes (2x$5) on it. Check the breakes and gear with a Youtube tutorial. And you're good to go.

Here some affordable bikepaking bags.
Saddle bag 12 liters $25: NEWBOLER

https://a.aliexpress.com/_dV8dM8i

Frame bag 8 Liters $20:
https://a.aliexpress.com/_dZSsTkK

Front bag 20 liters $20:

https://a.aliexpress.com/_dYEGTYa

In order to sleep i would recommend getting a hammock and a moskito net.
https://a.aliexpress.com/_dWSqP4w
and a tent tarp
https://a.aliexpress.com/_dUWzqqw

@heyheni wow, thank you so much for the help! I'll most definitely take a look at those links and hopefully make a trip in the summer (and I'll let you know when I do :D ).

@neeno check out youtube for tipps on what to bring with you on a bike packing tour.

and start out small, get a bike and a backpack you allready have, strap it onto the handle bars and do a 2 day weekend trip to find out if you like it.

If you do a long vacation trip and you become exhausted, you can always gift the cheap used bike to a local kid and take the bus home.

@neeno GCN is a great source of tips for cycling in YouTube. Incl. bikepacking

@miksaraj
I like one with the fake fall and he missed the bean bag 😆

@heyheni @miksaraj thanks! I'm pretty hyped to go cycling tomorrow heheh

@rutee07 that'd be pretty cool, but the beaches around here suck. You can't see shit in the water. All decent beaches are like 600km away at the very least :(

Thanks for the suggestion tho, in the summer I might travel and do it as a "temporary hobby"

or you could get yourself a girlfriend... A reliable way to solve the "what to do with my free time" problem :)

@netikras we don't do that here, that's against the rules.

In all seriousness though, I'd like that very much, but I'm having a hard time finding someone with a personality that "matches" mine. I was supposed to meet a lot of people this year since I just got into college, but corona fucked that up and I made like 3 friends before lockdown. Thankfully they're all girls, so they might have friends to introduce me to in the future...

@neeno there's a a sport for that too 😄 it's called Packrafting. A inflatable mini raft that fits into your backpack.
That way you can cycle to the next river that flows into the ocean to go diving. lol

https://youtu.be/vlVYSHOC2no

@rutee07 loool I wanna find someone interesting, not someone with all the same interests as me. Also, the only thing nerd or geek about me is that I like computers, nothing else :p I doubt there are many Brazilians over there anyway.

@heyheni lool no way I'm doing that 😂😂. I'd most definitely drop the bike in the water. Idk if it would float because of the air in the tires and it would probably be quite secure in the raft, but don't underestimate me, stupidity always finds its way.

It seems like you switched your career to restaurant business.

https://youtu.be/mlE5jloXnhE

Congrats!

@uyouthe LMAO what the fuck