Anything related to computers/networking/IT. I was big into computers when I was young, and was a founding member of my high school’s tech club. After graduation, I immediately went into tech school and lived/breathed tech until I got my degree. I LOVE the academics surrounding how computers and networks work. It is genuinely amazing that I can type some bullshit on my keyboard, and then that is sent as an electrical pulse, as an electromagnetic wave, as LIGHT, and decisions are being made on the fly as that bullshit flies through any number of autonomous systems on its way to your screen. In milliseconds. And that is a GROSS oversimplification. Just amazing.

Then, I went into the working world and had that love systematically ground out of me. Worked for a small regional MSP, and was the admin for a small, now defunct college. These days I teach digital literacy which is rewarding in its own right, but trying to get grandma to understand what a password manager does is… a lot.

Over the years, I’ve watched everything in tech get polluted by right wing freaks and corporate interests trying to squeeze every bit of profit out of their userbase they possibly can. Google went from a beloved institution to silently removing their “don’t be evil” motto from their headquarters. Microsoft was always evil, but at least they pretended to care about their products. The open source space seemed like a bunch of punks trying to democratize computing, but they’re owned by corporate sponsors and rely heavily on contributors on <corporation’s> payroll. The technology we have is truly amazing and a great achievement. But it’s saddening seeing it all being used for mass surveillance, oppression, being enshitified into oblivion, as the concept of owning anything becomes a fringe ideology. I still keep up with everything because I kinda have to, but there’s no joy in it anymore.

Star Citizen.

Magic: The Gathering.

The game, as it is right now, barely resembles the game I learned to love when I started playing it two decades ago. The new card mechanics simply don’t interest me, the power creep has frankly gotten out of control which forces you to play formats like standard or commander to balance it out, and both of those formats are hard on the wallet if you want to be/stay competitive.

Also, part of what drew me into MTG in the first place was the rich lore and history, and now it seems like they are just constantly pulling in 3rd party IPs to make guest sets and it ruins any kind of immersion I might have had. I used to like building decks that were thematic and flavorful, but when I sit across from someone playing Ninja Turtles or Deadpool themed decks, complete with artwork and custom mechanics for each of them, it drags me out of the universe that I became so familiar with and reminds me that I’m no longer the target audience.

The ultra-exclusivity of the newer stuff also is a big turn-off. Secret lair drops and collectors edition boosters, alternate artworks, etc. all feel really scuzzy and I want no part of that. It was bad enough gambling on standard booster packs in the past that I tried to not make it a habit. Now all the new product seems to have FOMO as a main selling point.

I still check up on new stuff from time to time, but I barely play anymore (and when I do, I use old decks that have been outclassed for the most part by newer released stuff). I certainly haven’t spent a dime on any product in probably a few years now. Nothing about the game or the new sets interests me at all, and when I play I’m just going through the motions.

Not holding out hope that WotC or Hasbro will reverse course any time soon, especially with the way people have been voting with their wallets since Secret Lair #1.

Age of Empires 2, I played it when I was young so it’s kinda nostalgic. I don’t play it nowadays since I’m really bad at RTS games in general but I still like to keep myself informed of changes brought to the game by watching Spirit Of The Law’s channel on YouTube.

All of them.

For a long time I followed my favorite NFL team. Eventually I just could not stomach how problematic it all was so I stopped. My favorite coach retired soon after. I used to spend hours on both their subreddit and a separate fansite arguing with people, looking up stats, listening to my favorite podcast by a former player.

Before that it was baseball. I spent a few years following our town’s team, keeping an eye on all the minor league teams and how prospects were doing, evaluating the results of trades years after they happened. Eventually I realized that it was purely a pay-to-win league, and my town’s team was never going to pay enough to win.

For a few years it was League of Legends. A friend of mine installed it on my computer when i hosted a Halloween party in 2013 and got drunk. I spent the next 3 years playing with him and other people, and playing fantasy LoL, watching all the professional matches of the biggest leagues in the world.

I spent a few years diving into cheap Chinese gaming handhelds. Then I got my Steam Deck in 2023and stopped. I’ve realized now from seeing new devices in my feed that I’ve been so out of the loop in that community that I have no idea what is going on.

I waa recently diagnosed with autism, suffered sone pretty severe burnout the past couple years. I think part of that was from just… No longer having any sort of special interest. Still trying to figure that out.

being alive

Web dev in React and game dev with Unity. I used to spend so much time building projects but AI drained my interest out of it. I still wish I had the same passion but things are not the same. Tried Godot but the way it does things didn’t click for me.

Skateboarding. I’m old now but seeing street/park/ramp skaters (sorry longboarders and electric skateboard-esque enthusiasts) now still gets me stoked.

I was a skater growing up and probably how most who knew me would describe me even though I was also into snowboarding, mountain biking, and punk music.

I lost a lot of my crew when dating became more of their thing in HS, then all of my crew when we went different ways after HS. I tried to stick with it in college but got frustrated with losing a lot of the progress I’d made and always skating alone. I got back into it briefly in my 30s when a couple guys at work expressed interest in hitting up a nearby skatepark over lunches. I could actually do a few things but only at a fraction of my former ability but I went easier on myself and acknowledged that a lot of time had passed since I could do cool stuff consistently. That job and those guys are gone now and I’ve moved. I’ve still got the deck in my garage but it’s been at least 15 years since I’ve skated. I’ll watch an old 411 or see a kid trying to ollie in the neighborhood and that brings me joy (and some sadness)

Beyond All Reason

I was late to the RTS scene though I do enjoy them. Unfortunately I don’t have the time to play these days. I do still watch the occasional match on YouTube especially if I happen to catch a live tournament.

Learning the Vietnamese language and tie dying clothes.

I do little to no woodworking, but I enjoy watching woodworking videos.

Building PCs. I used to find cheap PC parts and throw together a slowish, but functional computer for the fun of it. I built a few computers for “word of mouth” customers.

I got into other things, and lost touch with the previous clients.

I decided to get back into it a few years ago because my parents needed a new machine. I had to do quite a bit of research, and things were way more expensive than they had any right to be (this was even before the RAMpocalypse), but I got it done. It was still fun, but I realized it’s not something I want to spend a lot of time doing anymore. I still try to follow all of the tech news/tips/reviews, just in case, though.

I don’t play and am not interesting in playing Rocket League anymore; but I still watch an occasional pro match.

video games in general. there was a time when video games were my number one hobby by a huge margin. if i had free time i was playing a game, and the only times i would do something else were when i burned myself out or finished something and didnt have anything else to play yet. im not entirely sure what changed over the past decade or so but i slowly stopped finding games engaging enough to hold my interest. i kept trying new games hoping something would hit the way it used to, and sometimes id find that for a while, but now most games i cant play for more than an hour before i get bored and drop them forever. its kind of sad because i used to get so much joy from video games and now i just dont.

I used to keep up with distance running and ultimate frisbee, but after having kids didn’t have time to stay competitive. I’ll still run solo, or play an occasional pickup game, but not doing it regularly makes me a little depressed that my skill level and physical condition aren’t what they once were. 😓