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Geek Outdoor Hobbies?
Embedded Geek asks: "My wife and I, in an effort to get more exercise, have recently begun geocaching, which is basically global scavenger hunt using GPS. We have also been active in the Society for Creative Anachronism and my friends are always trying to draft us into paintball. While we're having a blast with all these, I wanted to see if other slashdotters could suggest more geek style, outdoor hobbies that would appeal to a pair of pasty faced nerds like us."
Laser Tag. LaserQuest, to be specific. Good cardio, lotta fun. Ranks up there with paintball on my list of favorites.
- billn
what is this "outdoors"?
If the SCA isn't geeky enough for you, just give up now.
Trees can't go dancing
So do them a big favor
Pretend dancing stinks!
I like mountainbiking a lot to get some time off. I is a really fun sport, but tricky and exhausting in the beginning. You'll get a really good endurance if you practise at least a 2 times a week (for about 2 hours). Besides your flexibility will improve if you ride in more difficult terrain, but it takes a while to get used to handling a mountainbike. Equipment is rather expensive if you want to have good quality bikes, but that shouldn't be the problem if you're plaing around with GPS systems out there ;)
Life sucks.
Walking is extremely good for you and difficult to find excuses against. Bad weather? Just makes it more interesting.
Walking forces you to interact on a human level. Which is either good or bad, depending on you point of view.
It seems pretty obvious, but I think a lot of people don't realize how much fun camping really is. Before I start, let me clarify what I mean: there is camping where you bring a shitload of beer, drive to a campsite (or hike 1/4 mile to it) and proceed to get wasted. This is not camping, its partying in the forest. Try finding a local state forest that has some good hiking routes, grab a backpack, and head out for the weekend. I have gone camping with friends many times, and almost everytime there is a good tory or two to tell as a result. And BTW, do not go to one of these places where it looks like a refugee camp because of all the families camping within 15 feet of one another. Do yourself a favor and leave the laptop, palm, etc at home.
"What can a thoughtful man hope for mankind on Earth, given the experience of the past million years? Nothing." -Bokonon
Extreme Croquet seems like a pretty geeky fun game to me. Polymer mallet heads, machiened wickets, physics, geometery and the outdoors. The Connectuicut eXtreme Croquet Society has an interesing site on the subject.
Free messageboards and more! Your girlfriend's seen myWang
My two favourite (summer) outdoor activities are rollerblading and paintball.
:)
Personally, I put my laptop into a backpack carrying case, strap on some blades and go. At about the half-way point on my normal path, there's a coffee shop with outdoor tables... buy a coffee/Pepsi/fruit juice/whatever, sit at a table and pull out the laptop. Code for a bit (or whatever computing endeavor tickles your fancy that day). When you're done, pack up the laptop again and go home. Total time is usually a few hours by the time you're done, and you can actually get some work done while you're at it, if you're so inclined.
Paintball, naturally, is a blast. This is the time that you get back at people who blasted you in Quake... and it's much more... painful... for them.
- Jester
Not really exercise, but it gets you out in the sun. And if your heart isn't racing by the end of your run, you're not doing it fast enough or hard enough.
Being geek is a state of mind, it's not a seperate entity or anything. I love outdoors, and I do a lot of outdoors-y stuff, like climbing, camping, fording rivers and creeks, hiking, etc etc...
At the same time, when I'm indoors, I'm constantly into gadgets and computers and other electronic stuff. But I would probably be insulted if someone labeled me as a geek.
My point is, don't think of it from a "geek" perspective. I don't consider myself one, and I don't want to be considered as one, but that doesn't prevent me from reading slashdot and tweaking my computer constantly. Don't let being a geek prevent you from playing football or rock climbing or even sunbathing. Be proud to be a geek. But don't be too proud to have fun.
Oh, relaxed is the name of the game also. It is not unusual to see beer drinking and pot smoking on the course and in the parking lots, though this obviously varies a lot course to course
Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
Cycling is a great way to stay fit. There are some pretty beefy hills near why I live in the UK. There's nothing better than spending a day blasting down slopes. Strangely enough, pulling yourself to the top of the hill is just as exilarating.
Much fun can be had trying to push yourself as hard as possible on a downhill. All you really need is a speedo. And you get the added benefit of being able to boast that you hit 37 mph on a rocky downhill :)
I've taught myself to use a map if/when the hillfog comes in, but a GPS is always added insurance. And it has the added benefit of allowing you to plot the route that you took.
I find that cycling is a great way to boost fitness levels, and get some proper sunlight exposure, instead of the crappy monitor tan ;) I also find that I spend ages tuning my bike, which gets me away from my computer.
I joined the Army and I leave for basic training on May 15th, so I have to get in shape. I've been running, doing pushups and pullups, and in the last week I've been swimming every day.
I had to take swimming lessons, because I didn't know what I was doing. It took a few days to get used to the breathing, but now it's not very hard. Now I think it's the absolute best and funnest workout that there is.
Before I started swimming, I could run two miles in about 0:17:22. But after swimming all week, just yesterday I ran two miles in 0:16:16, and it was EASY. Swimming is a miracle workout.
Pig sticking
;-)
I enjoy getting out on the snowmobile in the winter and fourwheeler in the summer. They don't give you the exercise level many other activities will give you, but it at least gets you out doors and seeing nature while having a blast and you would be suprised how much exercise you do actually get.
Both are very cost prohibitive though. You're looking into just under $10,000 (and even above) for a fourwheeler or a snowmobile. And that doesn't even include all the other stuff you need.
Buy a decent pair of roadbikes (or a tandem) and ride as much as you can. Runner's high is an amazing thing after 5 hours in the saddle.
Could get messy!
Bicycling is for people who are motivated, physically coordinated, and whose deepest desire is to have a cardiovascular system tougher than vulcanized rubber. Hardly a geeky pursuit (excuse the pun).
You've played VR games where there weren't any walls, right? Maybe with green things, and small moving life forms, some of which aren't even hostile? Well, "outdoors" is the part of Real Reality that this part of Virtual Reality was modeled on. Boggles the mind, doesn't it?
Get a nice decent quality mtn bike (around 300$) and use it any time you would normally drive within 5 miles of your house. I started doing this in college, and it's a very efficent way to stay in shape.
I wouldn't try to do more than 2 miles a day if your really out of shape, but if you bike regularly you will be able to do 30+ miles really quickly. It's my favorite type of exercise, and it's quit fun. I normally only have to use my car every 2 or three days, or when I am in a rush.
I live in a giant bucket.
Not terribly geeky, but I climb all the time, and its amazing how fast it gets you in shape. Or at least builds up your arms. And its definately got that "I'm going to figure out how to get past this" mentality.
Hey Billn... what team are you on?
I play... Colorado springs... well i used to, i recently moved and havent played lately.
-Tim
Gun games like IPSC or IDPA are full of geeks. There is plenty of cool equipment to tinker with. And while it takes years to master, once you know a few simple safety rules almost anyone can enjoy it.
If you want something a little less politically incorrect, there are always the service rifle competitons put on by the Civilian Marksmanship Program and the NRA.
Call me crazy, but just because I'm a geek, it doesn't mean I have to be some lazy tard that can't do anything but drink coffee and read 'blogs.' Maybe I'm abnormal, but I do things outside of using a computer.
:)
I camp. I walk a lot. I bike a lot. I go take naps in the woods. I garden. I hike. I program on my iBook or my iPAQ (with Squeak) while sitting in the woods, having had to hike a few miles to get to a nice place to sit.
For the biking and walking, I don't go out of my way to do it. It's just part of the way I live. When there's not snow on the ground, it's my main method of getting around. I suppose that's not possible if you're living in some gigantic post-apocalyptic hell hole, though.
And for the other things, I live in a very green town, with lots of nice big parts and a sanctioned green-belt, so taking naps in the woods isn't extraordinary. Just a way of life.
Now, I suppose some people really strive for their activities to be labeled as something a 'geek' would do, trying to live that 'cool' middle school clique feeling that they may have missed out on the first time around. Can't say I identify with that, but to each her own.
So, I suppose you could make the above activities 'geeky' by bringing a PDA and doing something useful with it. If you're not going to do something useful with it, however, do yourself a favor and leave it at home.
For instance, I'll write a bunch of code on my iPAQ. May not be as practical for others, but the programming environment I use on my desktop is the same one I use on my PDA, so code flows back and forth easily, and I can work on the same problems as if I were at my desk. Some people think it's some disgrace to "Nature" to program in the middle of a forest. Frankly, I find it beautiful and peaceful. Especially after a mind-clearing hike. And it sure beats being stuck inside on a beautiful spring day!
Most importantly- have fun!
Working toward a usable PDA environment in the spirit of Newton OS: Dynapad
Check out The Degree Confluence Project
Since most of the easily accessible locations have been photographed already, getting a 'new' point on the map (one that hasn't been visited or attempted) will require a significant period of interface with a non-virtual world.
It'll even exercise your diplomatic interpersonal skills, as some of the 'attempted' sites are on reservations -- since they're a sovereign nation, they can require permits for a visit. Heck, even getting onto private land can be interesting.
- ( i.e.
- "You want to do WHAT? Yeah, right buddy! What are you really here for??? )
Fortunately, there is a form letter that you can print and take with you to convince the skeptical.( Personally, I'd love to do some of the sites in Montana. )
"...America's great minds of today, teaching America's great minds of tomorrow. Poor bastards." -- A Beautiful Min
Also fun is to get yourself lost, then use your gps to get your back, which is good, especially as it is beginning to get dark :-)
Spoon not. Fork, or fork not. There is no spoon.
Reminds me of a great Aislin cartoon. There's a couple on the beach having a picnic. He brought some gear with him.
He: Lovely! Our CD & stereo system, portable television, cell phone and portable fax, personal stock ticker and thou. What more could one want?
She: A power failure.
--------
Bleah! Heh heh heh... BLEAH BLEAH!!! Ha ha ha ha...
As an avid outdoorsman, (I rock climb, mountainbike, kayak (tour and whitewater), backpack, and love to take outdoor photographs) my biggest bitch is people who bring radios, laptops, cell phones and shit outdoors. Most of us who spent lots of time outdoors do it to escape and get away from the damn call phone and people in general. Please, when you are out enjoying the outdoors leave your friggin electronics and shit at home and try roughing it.
If you feel the need to bring a radio or something have the decency to keep it turned down and stay the F*ck away from other people.
I recently went on a 70 mile river flaot trip and the experience was lessened by some damn collge kids with a radio and the audacity to camp like 100 feet from us. We had a hell of a good time sneaking up to their camp site at laughing as they made dinner... what a riot
Please leave your toys at home or figure out how to keep them from being noisy, I go to the wwods to get away not listen to your damn electronics... and I am a serious geek during the week.
Rule of Life Number 2: Remember, it can all go to hell at any minute. --Jimmy Buffet
ATVs and snowmobiles ought to be banned, in general the jackasses who operate them are inconsiderate morons. I love to crosscountry ski, and my dog got run over by some jackass on a snowmobile who was goin 80 miles an hour off the trail.
Thousands of miles of pristine desert country have been irreplbly marred by morons on snowmobiles.... I could go on for hours, but please if you feel the need to engage in this juvenile pursuit, stay on the roads / trails, stay sober and respect that some people like peace and quiet. Your smoke belching, noise polluting machine might be damaging someone's outdoor experience, try to respect that. And for gods sake, use your feet, thats why gad gave them to you, seeing a deer bounding away 1000 feet away is not nearly the experience of seeing a Peregrine Falcon take a duck right out of the air 50 feet away.
If you want to try disc golf, do yourself a favor spend the ten bucks and get a real golf disc. If there is anywind at all you will thank yourself, plus you'll drive better, enjoy the game more and score better with a real golf disc.
Word of advice, leave the pot and beer at home, drink water you'll enjoy the game more and avoid the wrath of other players...
Rule of Life Number 2: Remember, it can all go to hell at any minute. --Jimmy Buffet
Just a thought for yah, those of us who do this sort of a thing (hiking into the woods with all our gear in a backpack) on a regular basis call this the sport of backpacking. In fact, there is a magazine or two devoted to this endeavor.
Many bike geeks will spend as much time putting exotic parts on their bikes as computer geeks spend making an clear plastic case with a blacklight or OCing.
Disclaimer: I am both a bike geek and a computer geek.
Lasers Controlled Games!
I get outdoors and play cricket.
It's not always a lot of excersise but standing in in a field waiting for a ball to come your way is very relaxing and strangly peaceful.
For fitness there is always indoor cricket but that's a different story...
...there is no sig...
My wife and I also took up kite flying together. Before you envision some sedate, lazy, K-Mart delta kite flying (though that can be fun as well), we're flying stunt kites, such as these or these. Some of these are made of fairly exotic materials for extremely light weights, while others pull like trucks. It's even possible to go for a ride with them - three-wheel trikes and hard-pulling kites make for some fast trips across beaches and dry lakebeds.
Hope this piques your interest!
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside a dog it's too dark to read. - Groucho Marx
I've been an Asst. Scoutmaster for my Scout troop for a little over 2 years now, since I turned 18 and couldn't be a Scout any more. It gets me outside, rock climbing, camping, boating, and a lot of other cost prohibitive or hard to get to activities. highly recommended for former Scouts or for someone willing to put forth a bit of elbow grease..
Help us build a better map!
I'm not kidding!
-iie1195
Hiking (or "taking the digital camera and GPS for a stroll" if you prefer) is another favorite. Four-wheeling and boating are other favorites that allow us to get before-during-after geekiness in (generating custom maps, GPS, digital camera). We also enjoy gardening (geek toys: self-installed programmable automatic watering system, digital camera again, and we're working on "bird feeder cams").
Of course, some of what we get out of all this is that there are perfectly interesting non-geeks to meet (I have the digital photos to prove there really are non-geeks in the world!).
The sun will burn your face with its UV radiation. In this season, you might get pollen poisoining too. And worst of all, you might actually meet real people! (you know, the strange kind that just stares at you when you want to discuss the merits of the preemptive linux kernel).
And if these aren't enough to convinve you. Think about all the things you can do with your computer instead of wasting time "outdoors".
True warriors use the Klingon Google
Maybe it's not as passive as disc golf, but lots of geeks still play Ultimate Frisbee. Most people have never played it until they get to college, and, as such, it's a very beginner-oriented sport. If you ever see people playing in a park, they're usually more than happy for you to join in, even if you've never played before.
It does involve some running, but it's non-contact and fun as hell. In fact the most important rule in the game is for it to be well-spirited (and fun). Also, many tournaments involve some wicked partying =)
If you're interested in learning more, try:
What is Ultimate?
The Ultimate Handbook
or find a team near you.
Look here Moses, I happen to be one of the "ATV riding morons", and don't know where you get off making such a generalized statement. And If we weren't respecting the forests, as opposed to "your forest" which should be posted No Trespassing, we'd hack/ carve trails through them. Oh wait that is what you travel on. Most of us "clueless assholes" use ATV's to get to untraveled parts of terrain to enjoy it in one way of another. They weren't designed to do circles in confined spaces. Its ashamed that fido got what was coming to him. My dogs don't chase tires nor do they run off like wildlife. Its called training. Seeing as how you will probably own 2 or 3 cars in your lifetime and I will go through 1 ATV, I think its safe to say that you will do way more damage to the planet than me on my ATV. If this "moronic asshole" gets his tires slashed by a tree hugging radical, Ill do the American thing call the police and sue.
59 comments and nobody states the obvious. You have a wife and you want exercise.
/. population jealous and horny just for mentioning it.
What about sex? It can be done indoors or out in a variety of locations and positions, in private or in public (depends on how bold you are I suppose), and is very good for your health. You'd get your daily heart-rate boost, in addition to improving your married life (your relationship with your wife).
And you'll make virtually the entire
You can accomplish anything you set your mind to. The impossible just takes a little longer.
Around here, a hash run is a 4 mile (give-or-take) hounds-and-hare run, that can go through woods, neighborhoods, office parks, fields, etc., usually w/ just enough time to rest if you're not one of the strong running front-runner types. There are usually a couple of beer breaks (with non-beer too, if that's your thing). It's a pretty geeky, very fun crowd. So go find a local chapter and go for a run.
On-on!!
-Bill
Sailing is plenty geeky. I mean really now, you're powering a craft by wind. There are tons of details you constantly have to consider. Geeks love details, and they love to think.
Should you need exercise, sail on a Hobiecat. On a windy day, it feels like you're going fast, and trust me, when you're leaning out over the water hanging from your trapiese you're getting tons of exercise.
While Hobie's are cool, they're not designed for beginners. A sunfish is great fun learning. Should you want exercise, flip it intentionally. Sunfishes are near trivial to right, and pretty fun boats to sail. (For those who don't know, a sunfish is a tiny sailboat which can reasonably accomodate one or two people for an afternoon.)
Sure it was Aislin? Not nasty enough.
Maybe I'm just bigoted because of all the times I've nearly been run over by bicyclists. Not just in Palo Alto (where they're allowed to ride on the sidewalks!) but in nearby towns as well. Yell "crosswalk!" or "stop sign!" at them and they just give you the finger. Obvious acolytes of Satan the Yuppie!
get your self a raft (with frame and cooler), kyak (hardshell or inflateable). Find a river and go on a 2 day float. Pick a strech of river that you can handle.
Float for a day then find a place to camp. Play with your gps, laptop, palm, digital camera.... (gonna need a dry bag or pellican case.) sleep. Repeat until you are at destintaion...
When I lived in Palo Alto the sidewalks on Univeristy Ave. said, "No Bikes" right on the sidewalk itself. It was spraypainted on each corner. Now, if you are confusing Stanford with Palo Alto, then yes, if you are a pedestrian you had better realize that you are taking your life into your own hands. I back when James Stockdale was Ross Perot's running mate I nearly ran him over near Green Library. If he had simply kept walking it would have been fine, but he spotted me and "tried" to avoid me. Nearly ended in trajedy. :)
Lasers Controlled Games!
R/C gliders are definitely a geek sport. And with the new EPP (Expanded Polypropylene) gliders, you can get started without all the nasty balsa stuff. And, your first "landing" won't send you back to the shop for weeks.
And then there is Dynamic Soaring, where you can reach ungodly speeds (100 mph is routine). And don't forget slope combat, for you Quake playing folks... intentional mid-air collisions: yee haw!
It's more athletic usually that "straight" sex, it has all kinds of equipment and paraphrenalia to geek out over,and usually requires more knowledge and awareness than your average cock-in-hole interaction, two attributes we as geeks possess in spades. Even if you aren't into the whole pain thing, light bondage turns a lot of people on. Plus, there is a lot of historical precedent in the geek community for BDSM sexuality: who do you think came up with the idea of Master and Slave ide devices?
The basic nature of airsoft is quite similar to that of paintball - one team must, using a gun shooting non-lethal ammunition, either eliminate the opposing team or accomplish a pre-defined objective. The main differences of airsoft are the facts that airsoft guns shoot 6mm plastic BBs that do not leave paint marks and that the guns are extremely accurate replicas of actual firearms. Because the plastic BB is not as volatile as a paintball, airsoft guns are capable of fully-automatic fire - some at a rate of over 1200rd/min! Also, because the plastic BB is relatively light (usually 0.2g) and the muzzle velocity is usually at around 100m/sec (~300fps), they are quite safe to use in close quarters combat - paintballs tend to make very ugly welts when shot from close distance.
From a geek's point of view, the above facts introduce some very interesting elements. The realistic appearance of airsoft guns gives incredible opportunities to simulate situations in computer games and movies! Have you ever wanted to pull two H&K MP5Ks underneath a long black jacket and blast away? Or jumpdodge over a sofa, firing with two Berettas and grinning like a maniac? How about some live-action Rainbow Six? The possibilities are endless!
At least here in Turku, Finland, the local players get together every week to play short games with simple objectives, such as defending a building/hill/other location, planting/defusing a bomb or just plain capture the flag. Every summer there are some bigger games with a more complicated scenario and up to 200 players in some cases. Some games even introduce some light role-playing elements to the game for additional realism and atmosphere.
There is plenty of information about airsoft on the net, but here are a few pointers to get you started;
Ilendil's airsoft page
Arnie's Airsoft
AirsoftZone
My generlized statement comes from lots of practical experience. Most of the abuse that I have experienced from ATV's/Snowmobiles are on public land where its illegal to go offtrail. I don't own any private land to speak of, I spend most of my time on BLM/Forest Service/National Parks land. Most of these lands are thank god off-limits to ORV's unfortunately that doesn't seem to stop people from riding there.
Most of you "clueless aassholes" ride too fast, and are inconsiderate of the rest of us that prefer non-motorized activities. Maybe if the participants of your "sport" were less obnoxious and more respectful than those of us that engage in non-motorized activities would be more friendly to your type.
My dog wasn't chasing the snomobile, he was on a groomed cross-country ski trail and popped over the hill and smoked my dog, he was speeding, and intoxicated... I got his license number off his vehicle and sued him and he got fined $50 and didn't even have to pay restitution to pay for my vet bills. Those kind of negative experiences are why some of us who are environmental moderates can get pretty vehemently anti-ORV.
I really doubt I will do more damage to the environment that you will in my lifetime, your argument about me owning 2 or 3 cars is inanane, you'll pbly own as many cars as I will, I don't engage in the use of Off Road Vehicles, I drive a fuel efficient car, not a gas-guzzling SUV like most ATV riders, and I respect the earth.
I've never slashed tires, or done any real damage to anyone's private property, I ust leave nifty little notes on people's windshields.
So please if you feel the need to drive an ATV/ORV stay on the damn trails and respect the laws... whats more American than that.
Rule of Life Number 2: Remember, it can all go to hell at any minute. --Jimmy Buffet
Orienteering involves the use of detailed topo maps and a compass. Get lost and find your way!
Nothing makes a hobby fun like the risk of death.
It's all Hood
Walk around the city (assuming you live in a city). Find free stuff sitting in trash cans or whatever. Take it home. You walk a bunch, and when you find something, you get a little bit of weight training (if it's something sizable).
It's low impact, and you can smoke while you're doing it (so maybe it's not really too good for me after all...)
Just last night I brought home a new coffee table.
For about a hundred dollars you can get started with the basic rod, reel, line, backing and leader.
I find that when I'm working through a really difficult problem, standing in a river not catching anything really clears my head.
(I never catch anything because I suck at it but I live in Maine and it's an excellent reason to go outside).
Outside I rollerblade. Not a large investment and easy to get the hang of. It's very simple and calming. Inside I play a lot of pool. I'm not talking about shooting the shit and drinking with your buddies. I am talking about being serious, thinking about shots too much, and playing to win. Lots of thinking involved for those that always need something on their mind.
One of the more interesting activities out there is what they call Urban Exploration. The problem a lot of people have with exercise is that its soooo boring. When you go exploring its just like walking, running and climbing but there's stuff to look at. The basic idea is exploration of urban ruins, for example: old subways, abandoned factories, and abandoned amusment parks.
:-)
Check out Infiltration Magazine for more ideas
I find, lacking all that, even office parks late at night can be fun, or pool hoping. There's a lot of exercise to be had if you're curious
Also of course check out Google's results for Urban explorations, have fun and be safe tho!
It seems odd but almost all of the friends that I road bike, mountain bike, kayak, ski, and climb with are programmers and engineers. I met all of them through the sports so don't say that we're just a bunch of geeks from work pretending to ski. It may, however, explain why I can't stand the latest round of kids who do all this _extreme_ crap. Some of them are good. I won't take that away from them, but some are not. Some are just lucky and stupid. It makes me sad when people see something like whitewater kayaking as nothing but hurling yourself off 60' waterfalls. What they are missing is the complexity of the sport. It's like chess in a way. You look at a long stretch of nasty water and consider all the possible lines through it. Then you disect each move and its consequense. You add up all the risks, all the possible alternatives if something goes wrong and you decide if it's worth doing. If it is, then you memorize the moves and execute (sometimes after a visit to the woods). That's what this stuff is about. Yea, there's adrenalin and yea there's fear but it's a lot more complex than that.
Poker is about the geekest non-computer game outside of D&D that I can think of. All the math involved with judging the pot odds and expectations and # of outs you have gives any geek an advantage. I especially love playing it with my friends, because I can then try to apply what I know about their personalities to how they're playing their game. That and we're all pretty equally mediocre at it. If you haven't seen it, rent "Rounders." It's a kick ass movie and will get you really pumped to play some hold 'em. Plus it's got Ed Norton and John Malkovitch, two amazing actors. It's also got Matt Damon, but he's actually palatable.
c-hack.com |
Dude,
I doubt that the measly license fees that you pay to license your vehicle are close the to extra taxes I pay on my outdoor gear and fishing/hunting licemses. I don't think that ATV's should be banned just that the people that ride them need to gain some respect. I'm not anywhere close to rich or politically connected, you have as much right to use public land as I do, you also have the responsibility to respect that land. My experience shows most motorized recreators lack this respect.
Rule of Life Number 2: Remember, it can all go to hell at any minute. --Jimmy Buffet
Jet-Skiing :) I had my first run yesterday (muscles are still sore). It is surprisingly hard work... I am not at all unfit, actually quiet the opposite.
:) The best part is it is great fun with a partner - and even better in a group. The water temp was only about 20 degrees (Celsius) - but with a wet-suit on it might as well have been summer.
You don't feel it at the time, but today I do
Winter is coming up for us now, but I still plan to go down then (even when it is only 12 degrees...).
http://www.gpsdrawing.com/
You can't get geekier than that.
I am a Karma Library.
Paintballing is great fun until a bunch of 6'6 skinheads turn up wearing their own combats with swastika patches sewn on. Just feel the exhiliration as five of them surround you and paint you at close range with their semi-automatics.
I'm out of my tree just now but please feel free to leave a banana.
Ultimate Frisbee is a mix between soccer, football, and rugby, but Football, soccer and rugby players don't play it because it's too geeky.
Game came out of the 60's hippy generation, and is still played at major coroporations on their lunch breaks.
All kinds of websites out there for it.
"In the beginning, there was nothing; Then it blew up."
It's a great way to get out, enjoy the sun, relax, get some exercise, and hand out with friends. If you get serious, there is competitive skiing, and if not there are lazy Sundays on the lakes with friends
-- "Never underestimate the power of human stupidity." - R.A.H.
Dude, you've hit it right on the nose. I hate watching little meathead that think boofing a watefall is what whitewater is all about. They totally miss out on the fun of a river run. I too get so sick of the fad riding kids who think that "extreme sports" make you so cool. What a bunch of wankers, they miss 90% of the point of these kinds of activites.
I'm a fan of gaelic football, I just haven't found any organizations where I live (Orlando, FL) that do it or I'd be playing twice a week.
Failing that, get a soccer ball and kick it around for a while.
Or get two cheap recumbant exercise bikes (Edge 425 is a good, cheap one for about $250+shipping), then sit back, cycle and chat for an hour.
Damien
The goal of the project is to visit each of the latitude and longitude integer degree intersections in the world, and to take pictures at each location. The pictures and and the stories behind the pictures are then be posted for all to enjoy.
Interestingly, so far the replies mention largely daytime activities. But there is one completely geeky outdoor activity that is largely a nighttime pursuit. Besides sex, that is. Amateur astronomers are some of the biggest geeks I know. The have their toys -- telescopes, CCD cameras, clock drives, star finders -- and obsessive observing goals -- the Messier Catalog, all the solar system planets, comets, and satellite tracking and indentification. There is a plethora of software for amateur astronomy as well.
So get out there in the middle of nowhere and Keep Watching the Skies
Nobody does this? It's a blast to get some cheap Zagi's (www.zagi.com, cheap = $300) and go flying with a group of friends doing full combat battle in the air! Zagi's are foam, so they don't break all that easily (but you *still* can break them). These can take a full nose-dive into pavement, and be flyable with small repairs. Even if you break something, the extra pieces are cheap and easily replaceable.
If you want more power to do some Aerobatic stuff, hook up with a Cap232 or some other low dihedral plane. Nothing like a Cap 232 with a 5ft Wing span do a flyby 20 fee in front of you. There are many many options in the area of R/C. I'm mainly into Airplanes, but Cars are excellent ways to have fun outdoors (and indoors too, if electric). Alot of people like Boats too. Just pick your choice and have a grand time!
Ham Radio has many great opportunities for outdoors activity, especially VHF Mountaintopping, Field Day,Contest Roving, and APRS. In addition, you can also include Hamfests, Foxhunting (finding hidden transmitters),and of course antenna work!
Go to nude beaches and wear clothes. You will be a geek, plus you can see nude women from a distance. Much faster load times than many porn sites too.
I myself enjoy blacksmithing...
Not the gentlest of sports, but I love playing women's football. Great stress relief, great exercise and there are a few leagues across the country. I play on one in the NY area [nysharksfootball.com]....
I recently discovered skydiving, and boy is it a great way to spend more time outdoors and less time behind the CRT. :-) It's not as expensive as most people would think, and it's a lot less scary than most roller coasters.
Anyways, I don't know what it is about skydiving... it's just the best thing that ever happened to me.
The Official Steve Ballmer Webpage
How about golf. If you walk, rather than use a cart, it is great exercise. You also get to meet many different people, hang out with them for around four hours, and see how they react under stress and frustration.
Plus, once you get good enough to beat (and take money from) some of the sales and marketing types who tend to get a little piqued that they were bested by a nerd/programmer.
Not necessarily an outdoor activity and not ostensibly geeky, cultivating a yoga practice is one of the smartest things you can do.
By practicing yoga you will:I like to practice outdoors but it's sometimes difficult to find a peaceful outdoor space without bugs, sand, etc... Good luck.
"What is the sound of one belly slapping?"
No question. Cerebral. Wayyyyy too much information to deal with completely at any one point. As physical as you want it to be (or not at all). "Always learning" - ya' can do it for 40 years and not master it. And you can get some *really* cool tools, toys, electronics and gadgets. How much more geek-appeal can ya' get?
Notice: "Crewing" not "owning" -- owning is a whole 'nother ball o' wax.
If you find the right boat, and crew not own, it's damn near free - and the right skipper brings the beer / sandwiches. : )
Serious, try to design and build an air cannon (Pumpkin Chuckin and smaller), see who can launch a piano, bowling ball, outhouse, etc, the furthest with a home made contraption. I put together an air cannon that put a 25 cent gumball thru a sheet of 1/2 inch plywood just to see if I could. I built the air valve. For a good challange, see who can launch a raw egg the furthest without it breaking (until it lands) using something home made. Getting the best acceleration without overstressing the shell wins.
The truth shall set you free!
The only way to have outdoor fun! Seriously! When you rock climb, you enter the same 'zone' that you do coding.
Hmm...I'd go so far as to drag a couple laptops outside, call a few friends, and have an outdoor LAN party >_
http://www.actionsquad.org/
Look, I'll get back to you later when we're not, er, busy. (*GRINS SHEEPISHLY*) Thanks for the comment, though.
"Prepare for the worst - hope for the best."
I live in Southern California. Ripped out some of our useless front lawn shortly after we (wife & I) bought the house and planted Zinfandel. Got our first pressing last fall - 5 gals of very drinkable red wine.
Not much macho exercise in this - and outdoors is right outside of our front. The geek side comes from the whole wine making process -- my God, I even get to play with a pH meter, measure specific gravity, and in general act like an amateur chemist. That and using my computer to create the labels.
Even if your climate doesn't permit growing grapes, there are some good kits to be had.