What are you doing with your free time? (hobby suggestions welcome).

[sirhenry]

The buildings on the Turkish page reminded me of Hundertwasser.

Well spotted. Not all the buildings were SF settings. There was also St. James' hospital, my favourite place in Leeds.

And the demon, of course.  I may do a needlepoint to celebrate that if I have enough silk about the place.

Ooh, I'd love to see that!

And cheers, NoSleep. Good to see you still have exquisite taste.

[Jockice]

Thank you all so much for the praise. Folks round here are so used to what I do that it was totally unexpected. But if you'd like to see more, a bit of background is needed - I'm planning on moving to Sheffield once this hoohah is over and this project is a sort of 'thank you' to the folks of Leeds Hackspace who have taught me so much since I joined 5 years ago. From furniture-making to soldering, designing roof gardens with automatic watering systems to designing and building escape rooms, building a new hackspace to public speaking, it's been a hell of a few years. And this is a collection of pictures based on various things made in that time.

Rather than fill the page with images (not sure on the current position on that here), I'll just put in links to the pics instead.

Mostly. Here are the front and back pages, then I'll hide the rest:

Ironically the stars in the one on the right that aren't lit up already have LEDs behind them.

And here are the front and back of the box that the book will live in (the back is a riddle that gives the 3 digit code for the padlock you need to open to get to it). The designs are from a celtic art clip art collection I made half a lifetime ago that took months to draw and made no money at all. But suddenly, with access to a laser cutter it had a purpose. And the feeling you get when something you drew 30 years ago becomes real and tangible, using a technology that barely existed when you drew them, is amazing.

The first thing I did when I joined was make a model of the perpetual motion machine painting that the university here has (building it proved that the original maker never thought it could work but used it to scam money from people).

Building escape rooms and all the props was fun to start with but when the deadline changed from 3 months to 3 weeks it became a nightmare. I discovered some interesting locking mechanisms and got to use some of the islamic geometric clip art I created years ago (solution here)

The D&D table was a huge power drain, with usb ports for each player, a map projector under the centre and LED strips along each player's space to add animation to their fireballs, poison gasses and drowning.

The buildings across the tops of various pages are from a frieze we made of various (mostly science fiction) buildings as an exercise to learn how to program LEDs (still not quite finished that one...).

Blue Jam, you do have access to a laser cutter, the biggest I've used (at over 1m square) at Edinburgh Hacklab (I think that's where you're based). I used it to cut a series of designs on wood panelling that look gorgeous. I'm hoping to use them to convince the visitor centre on Lindisfarne to pay me to decorate the place with panels using designs from the Book of Lindisfarne. Another dream job that will turn into a nightmare, probably.
But then, as this Cerebus cover puts it :

eta: I hope that filled up a bit of your empty time enjoyably; it did mine. Thanks again.

I'm in Sheffield so we should join up when you get here. What with my CSE grade four in art we're birds of a feather.

[sirhenry]

I'm in Sheffield so we should join up when you get here. What with my CSE grade four in art we're birds of a feather.

Sounds like a good idea. I didn't even get a CSE in Art despite campaigning for 4 years to get Art added to the curriculum. When I got to the sixth form the Bastard Headmaster cheerfully informed me that it was being brought in "for the O-levels, but not for your lot. It won't be taught for A-level till you've gone." So what good did all that campaigning do? It gave the school an art teacher who convinced the young members of Radiohead not to give up with their music. So their existence is all my fault. Sorry.

[Jockice]

Sounds like a good idea. I didn't even get a CSE in Art despite campaigning for 4 years to get Art added to the curriculum. When I got to the sixth form the Bastard Headmaster cheerfully informed me that it was being brought in "for the O-levels, but not for your lot. It won't be taught for A-level till you've gone." So what good did all that campaigning do? It gave the school an art teacher who convinced the young members of Radiohead not to give up with their music. So their existence is all my fault. Sorry.

you think you've done a bad thing? I only really did art because it was that or technical drawing on the curriculum, which I suspected I'd be even worse at. Anyway, three of my best mates were in the same group. Now two were like me, uninterested, untalented and just in it to mess around. The other was a very good artist (I'd go so far as to say there was only one better than him in the whole year - and he was one of those kids who couldn't do anything else. Like that Stephen Wiltshire bloke).

Unfortunately due to his proximity to us, my mate was seen as being like us by the art teacher and marked down so whereas three of us all got CSE grade fours (and take it from me in my case I was lucky to get that) he only got a CSE 2. An absolute travesty of justice. And because he hadn't got the O-level the school wouldn't let him take the A-level and he drifted around in the lower sixth for a couple of terms before leaving to take some crap clerical job at the council where he stayed for over two decades. He now has a different (and better) job and does arty stuff in his spare time, but I really think he could have made a career out of it if he hadn't been left so disillusioned by his school experience.

It's not often you can say you've actually changed the entire course of someone's life, but I think I did it - although I'm only accepting a third share of the blame .Remarkably we're still friends although he does occasionally mention it. And the fact I never bought him a wedding present. But that's another story.

[peanutbutter]

I've hardly had any free time since this thing started, but I've a big jar of mushrooms I'll be going through whether I want to or not. Gonna do some twitch streaming too (presumably to an audience of zero? I don't get how it works, I just want to play around with it)

[Drop Dead Fred]

I'm furloughed for 3 weeks+ so I'm using most of it to get better aquainted with my smallpipes-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XltTacFBpws&t=95s

And my Autoharp-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0oGfA-01LM

I also have a big sketchpad and a shitload of charcoal pencils so I'll be doing some drawing as well.

[Ray Travez]

And my Autoharp-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0oGfA-01LM

Lovely that.

The wood carvings too.

[bgmnts]

Can everyone stop showcasing their talent please? Never thought there would come the day when I would feel inadequate on CaB!

I still have a full head of hair an a retractable foreskin though, get in!

[sirhenry]

Can everyone stop showcasing their talent please? Never thought there would come the day when I would feel inadequate on CaB!

Sorry. Won't happen again. (cough)

[Thomas]

Beautiful designs, sirh!

(cough)

Might want to get that looked at, though.

[Barry Admin]

Great work sirh, and it's a treat to see you knocking about here again.

[alan nagsworth]

I've had a vague idea in my head for a while to take mundane words or phrases and turn them into extreme metal band logos. Turns out this is really fun to do. I cheated with "INDOORS" because it's topical but the other two, "ABIDING CLOTH" and "PASTEL PATENT" were plucked from a random two-word phrase generator.







I'm taking requests, but please bear in mind I'm aiming as far away from wacky as possible, and nothing deliberately twee or cute like "UNICORN FARTS" or "GIRLS ALOUD" like you see on those fucking hideous suggested adverts on social media.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Pulled my wii out the cupboard, downloaded Okami and posted a post on reddit asking them how the fuck I update a wii that was softmodded in 2009.

[Johnboy]

In the evenings I'm deliberately reading books, trying not to sit in front of a screen.

Going to have a few cans tonight though

[Sebastian Cobb]

Some geezer's appeared to have gotten bored enough to try golfing in the lumpy wasteland outside my gaff.





That's a calor gas bottle btw.

[Norton Canes]

[timebug]

I am an avid reader at the best of times, so loads of reading; plus streaming shite on TV box, plus tinkering with my collection of stringed instruments. Have to do the usual crap like cleaning etc of course, but being retired before all this kicked off, I have worked out a routine that suits me. Still feel confined,although of course i can go out for a walk, they have not stopped that (yet!)

[Blue Jam]

Just made brownies for the first time. Made them with matcha and white chocolate though so they're more like greenies:





Not the most appetising colour I know but I do love a bit of matcha and they taste nicer than they look, honest. They're nice and light and not too sweet or heavy, but still with the proper crunchy brownie-type crust. Would make again.

[Abnormal Palm]

Can I have some of them please

That's a great idea. Mrs Palm (wait, not that one) makes a mean brownie and I've always got a shitload of matcha on the go. Just need some white chocolate, another essential. Cheers for the idea.

[Dewt]

Learning Japanese. I consume a lot of Japanese content, and just the character sets and sentence grammar are interesting as fuck. Having an entire set of characters primarily for loan words is really cool to me. Plus it's a language that you can actually get an official test for fluency in, so you can get the end credits.

[Blue Jam]

Can I have some of them please

That's a great idea. Mrs Palm (wait, not that one) makes a mean brownie and I've always got a shitload of matcha on the go. Just need some white chocolate, another essential. Cheers for the idea.

Thanks, but I can't take credit for the recipe. It's this one here:

http://coupleeatsfood.com/white-chocolate-matcha-green-tea-brownies-recipe/

Measurements converted from old money here:

https://www.allrecipes.com/article/cup-to-gram-conversions/

...and I just used a packet of Milky Bar buttons instead of white chocolate chips (one of those grab bag things, about 90g I think). Had a small packet of matcha with about 1.5 tablespoons left in it and this seemed a good way to use it up.

Where do you get your matcha btw? I'd buy it more often but it's pricey. I think I got the matcha in the pic from a southeast Asian grocers in Embra. TK Maxx sometimes have big cheap bags of it but I always wonder if it's really the good stuff.

[Kryton]

This is something I did due to a lack of sleep last night. Using Blender software.

[Ferris]

I'd love to be able to do one of these fuckers but have never had the patience. Is it a learned skill then?

[Uncle TechTip]

I'd love to be able to do one of these fuckers but have never had the patience. Is it a learned skill then?

There's three (four?) stages and maybe 6 or 7 distinct sequences of moves you have to learn, 2 or 3 moves each stage. It's a bit of effort to learn, but it would only take a day or two solid practice, looking at one of the many web guides alongside. I did this, solved a few times and then promptly forgot. But you'll be able to solve the cube from any starting point. Google a guide.

[Captain Z]

Learning Japanese

You think you're learning Japanese
You really think so?

[Dewt]

Oui!

[Ferris]

There's three (four?) stages and maybe 6 or 7 distinct sequences of moves you have to learn, 2 or 3 moves each stage. It's a bit of effort to learn, but it would only take a day or two solid practice, looking at one of the many web guides alongside. I did this, solved a few times and then promptly forgot. But you'll be able to solve the cube from any starting point. Google a guide.

Well I'm a lazy idiot, but I appreciate the confidence.

[Abnormal Palm]

Where do you get your matcha btw? I'd buy it more often but it's pricey. I think I got the matcha in the pic from a southeast Asian grocers in Embra. TK Maxx sometimes have big cheap bags of it but I always wonder if it's really the good stuff.

https://what-cha.com/collections

These guys are great. Never had anything duff from them (in all varieties of tea) and almost always pleasantly surprised when I've gambled on something. They often throw in a couple of different samples for free which is always quite exciting (if you get excited about a cup of tea).

I'd also recommend:

https://meileaf.com/teas/

Also great and they have a teashop in London if you're ever that way.

Obviously not just for matcha. It's very possible that what you've bought from the Asian supermarket is good stuff, too, and it'll be as good as anything for the matcha flavour in cooking/baking.

If you want a general recommendation on tea, the Tie Guan Yin (Iron Buddha) Oolong from both of the above will be absolutely great. Almost buttery aroma, sweet green vegetable taste but with mineral and floral notes. My description is awful but this is one of my favourite things. The smell is like little else, it's not spectacular or wild, it's like a mountain view just feels good, takes you outside yourself.

Darjeeling from the above is also the proper shit. DJ is a variety that is so good, they can use every bit of leaf dust available and bag it up but every time I decide to spend a couple of quid more for the leaves, I always think I shouldn't ever waste my money on the bags. That's not snobbery or anything, I'll drink the bags happily, but the proper stuff is special. It's got this muscatel winey/grapey/tannin aroma that follows through in the flavour and an amazing crisp finish. It's like every sip has a distinct start, middle and an end, and you want more of every bit so going through that loop is great.

I actually haven't got much tea in, certainly neither of the above, so I'm off to get some tea. Cheers!

[Norton Canes]

There's three (four?) stages and maybe 6 or 7 distinct sequences of moves you have to learn, 2 or 3 moves each stage. It's a bit of effort to learn, but it would only take a day or two solid practice, looking at one of the many web guides alongside. I did this, solved a few times and then promptly forgot. But you'll be able to solve the cube from any starting point. Google a guide

Since I'm stubborn I decided to solve it without recourse to instruction. Initial progress was good - took 4-5 hours (over a few days) to reach the stage where I could always get one face and the middle slice. Took a bit longer until I got the corners of the last slice - I thought there had to be a new routine to do it but instead realised the moves I was using worked as long as I paid attention to where the other cubelets (?) were going. So now I've got two slices and all corners, just need to work out how to swap middle-edge bits. I don't want to scramble my progress though, so I've fallen back on using a virtual cube for that.

[ZoyzaSorris]

Much to my family's chagrin, quarantine has had me mentally regressing 15 years to the days where I'd lock myself in my studio (bedroom) with a bottle of wine and babbling (hot bars/verbal effluent) vaguely rhythmically into the mic over beats. And been enjoying it immensely I must admit. Here's my first stoopid effort which could also easily be posted in 'The worst responses to Coronavirus' thread depending on taste but I had fun and that's what matters right?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=82RkRLiY7-A