Post: #1

Mine would be magic tricks. I have spent my whole life studying the field.

And if you are looking for a new interest. I always thought local history would be interesting. I was speaking to a cab driver once who studied it - and it seems really fun being an expert on the 30 square miles where you live.

In my case he told me a really interesting story about the person who my street was named after.

One of the challenges with local history is finding out the information in the first place. Since unlike with other subjects it is a lot harder to just go buy a book which will tell you everything worth knowing.

Post: #2

UFOs, aliens, abductions, Drake Equation, extrasolar planets and shit like that.

Post: #3

Table tennis. Underrated game, IMO.

Post: #4

I guess it's known that I'm a classical music nerd, but within that interest I'm pretty obsessed with Baroque music in particular.

It seems that most people aren't familiar with nor interested in listening to the Goldberg Variations by Bach, but to me it's about the greatest thing to listen to. I was playing this shit on my computer the other day and my filipino dishwasher started talking shit, "What you listening to chef? Ballet music? Haha!"





And performed by the late, great maniac Glenn Gould:

Post: #5

The ancient Irish warrior sport of hurling, 3,000 odd years old. All Ireland season starts in a few weeks, can't wait.

And for the first time ever, Sky is covering it, so folks in Britain can catch it's beauty.

Post: #6

Shooting. I just purchased a $500.00 air rifle, and a scope to covertly kill rodents in a major urban area.

Post: #7

(05-17-2014 08:31 PM)vinman Wrote:  Shooting. I just purchased a $500.00 air rifle, and a scope to covertly kill rodents in a major urban area.

That is a truly excellent phrase and activity!

Post: #8

Always thought falconry would make a cool interest if you were retired and living in the country.

Post: #9

I love flatpicking bluegrass guitar and bluegrass music in general. It's a truly American art form and and IMO the most honest music there is. You can't bullshit the bluegrass.

Post: #10

Russia. Anything and everything about it.

Also, the Mongols. I love learning about the Mongols.

Post: #11

UFOs and aliens. MK-Ultra or any conspiracy theory topics. Also anything supernatural - ghosts, astral projection, reincarnation, lucid dreaming, psychic abilities, and so on.

I haven't explored these subjects near as much as I'd like to though. Possibly I'm a bit scared to go too far down the many rabbit holes that exist.

I'm Here.

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #12

- Family history.
I've tracked down my ancestors back to year 1501. We have been living on the same hill for more than 500 years. I'm in the 22:nd generation in a straight bloodline from father to son who is living and owning this place and land.

- I've tried to find my grandfathers father also.
He emigrated to America in the early 1920's to pay of the debt he had at home. He left three children below an age of 5. He sent letters for a few years but then he went silent.
No loose ends.

My guess is that he went over the border from Canada to USA with a fake name because it's impossible to track him.

Later his brother who spent 40 years in Chicago came back to Finland in the 1960's.
He claimed he had met him in on the West coast in the 1940's with a new family.

If that's true it means I have a bunch of unknown relatives in the USA.
Maybe someone on the forum is my cousin

Post: #13

Human genetics

The hunt for extraterrestrial life and why it is more/less common than we imagine

Post: #14

A couple other strange interests I have.

Alternative housing. I plan to one day build a nice underground home, a huge treehouse, a "tiny" home, and a camper van conversion. In fact, I've thought about creating a business to design and build underground homes, treehouses, or tiny homes for other people. I also find houseboats and straw bale housing extremely interesting, among others.

And I have an interest in cultivating "invisibility" or being able to disappear at a moment's notice and start all over again. In fact, I think I've manifested this in my life from thinking about it too much because I ended up having to do it multiple times. Or maybe I have just been more willing to act on that option so because I knew the ins and outs already?

I think I would have made great secret agent material if I was more obedient and my past was less questionable.

If I was wealthy, I'd have strange, off-the-grid secret homes located around the world that I could disappear to whenever I wanted and then emerge again when I wanted to be on the map.

I'm Here.

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #15

@Beyond Borders.

John Mullholland was an important figure in the world of magic during the twentieth century.

In the April 2001 - an article in GENII magazine (my favourite magic magazine) was published describing how he quit being the editor of an important magic magazine "for health reasons" in the 1950s to go consult for the newly formed MK-ULTRA project for the CIA.

He prepared a manual for CIA operatives which would help them use the techniques of magic for spying purposes. This manuscript was long thought lost - but was later found and republished in the August 2003 issue of GENII magazine.

In 2007 - intelligence historians found a copy of the manuscript in the CIA archives. They were unaware that they had been scooped by a magic magazine 4 years earlier. And went on to turn their copy of the manuscript into a book in 2010.

I imagine you will find it of interest:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Official-Manua...2C+H+Keith

Having seen this material in GENII magazine I should mention that the material is a little disappointing. John Mullholland was a writer and historian of magic. But not an inventor of magic. If the CIA wanted ingenious ideas from the world of magic they should have approached a creator and not a writer.

Today - the most creative person in magic is Paul Harris. And a few years ago he was approached to come up with ingenious tricks and ideas for one of the 'Mission Impossible' sequels. If somebody like Paul Harris had written a guide for the CIA it would have being genuinely brilliant.

I may write such a book myself one day. Since I have learned a lot of fascinating principles and ideas in the world of magic - and it would be interesting trying to explain the thinking behind them to a wider audience. It is a wellspring of creativity and ingenuity which is unknown outside of the elite circles of magic.

Post: #16

^ Most definitely. I used to have a strong interest in magic when I was a kid too, so this book would appeal on a lot of different levels.

My great grandfather was a professional magician, and I wanted to follow in his footsteps at one time. That was the go-to gift everybody bought me for birthdays and Xmas - another book on magic or some prefabricated trick set.

Could be fun to rekindle the interest and at least relearn some old card tricks and whatnot.

EDIT: Wow - looks like a lot of interesting stuff in the "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" section.

I'm Here.

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #17

I hijacked a thread on NLP to discuss some of the ideas and thinking from the world of magic.

/thread-33889.html

A trawl through that thread should be of interest.

Post: #18

Black holes.

Post: #19

BB you might vibe with Epikurus who said "Live hidden".

Curdguy, gaming is magic too. The founder of PUA used magic trikss. So maybe you can find the best trick. Shure at the moment it´s money who does the trick to them whores. But maybe some magic happens.

I like Karaoke, Dancing. I hope it will get me some chics again though I don´t have a singing talent.

Post: #20

As for unusual homes - some magicians use special mirrors in their home to hide rooms in their house.

Penn Jillette had one installed in his house. What looked like an empty corridor - was in fact was hiding an entire section of the house. And when you press a button - apparently hovering in mid air, the rest of the house would appear.

It is an unusual hobby amongst some of the richer magicians. I will definitely be doing this myself if I ever get some money together. Indeed one of the most unusual magic tricks in magic involves a house to be designed a certain way in order to make a spectator become invisible. A very interesting effect.

Along similar lines - Richard Garriott is a billionaire with a strong interest in magic. He was one of the early pioneers in online role playing computer games.

He spent a lot of money and effort on adding all sorts of cool ideas and sneaky tricks to the design of his house:





Here is his latest house - which focuses more on his interest in space exploration (Garriott plans to be one of the first billionaire space tourists).

Post: #21

(05-18-2014 08:33 AM)Bill Wrote:  BB you might vibe with Epikurus who said "Live hidden".

Any recommended reading on his philosophy concerning this?

I'm Here.

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #22

(05-18-2014 08:57 AM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  

(05-18-2014 08:33 AM)Bill Wrote:  BB you might vibe with Epikurus who said "Live hidden".

Any recommended reading on his philosophy concerning this?

No I don´t but I think generally his "philosophy" was actually a guide for practical living. So I don´t think it needs to much learning to understand it. Here is a nice text about the topic:

Quote:Live Unnoticed

Epicurus was not a political animal. His definition of happiness dramatically differed from Aristotle's ethical and social activism. Epicurus saw the political life as adding to the agita that would detract from his serene pursuit of modest pleasures. He was a stay-at-home kind of guy.

“Live unnoticed” was a main precept of Epicureanism. He and his followers were laid-back and low profile.

Epicurus lived and died quietly in a home with a garden outside of Athens, where he received guests and taught students. The Garden and its teachings and traditions lasted for almost 500 years.

Epicurean communes were quite egalitarian. Men and women were treated as equals, and socioeconomic distinctions were ignored. Even the slaves were treated with equanimity. This was unheard of in the Greco-Roman world, and some might argue that it isn't even completely practiced today. Needless to say, they were regarded as outcasts and oddballs, but they probably did not worry too much about that because they had little use for mainstream society.

Meanwhile, over in Rome, Epicureanism was taking on a decidedly different bent — the one it continues to be known for to this day. However, whether it be an orgy in Caligula's palace or a toga-party in a contemporary frat house, those who would call themselves Epicureans bear no resemblance to the man or his philosophy.

http://www.netplaces.com/philosophy-book...nciple.htm

"Stay at home kind of guy" reminds me of Curdguy.

Here is some stuff about his philosophy in general:
http://www.epicurus.info/etexts/Lives.html

Post: #23

(05-18-2014 08:29 AM)Renberg Wrote:  Black holes.

Our universe is the event horizon of a 4-D black hole.

Probably...

/thread-31465-...#pid638337

Post: #24

Cigars. Pretty unusual these days.
Kung fu also. Not just practicing it but the whole history and lifestyle behind it.

Post: #25

Philosophy: I plan to write books and I read quite a bit of it frequently. Redpoll thinking and the forum threads/members have contributed quite a bit to what I've put together in my head so far in terms of thinking.

History: military and ancient history are my preferences. Ancient societies are extremely fascinating especially the more obscure Empires such as Carthage, Assyrian, or the Hunnic Empire.

Music: I make experimental electronic music and am a fan of every genre with the exception of country. My I-Pod is loaded with everything from classical to rap.

Political Theory: self-explanatory. From The Prince to Mein Kampf to The Production of Security(by Gustave de Molinari) and the Conquest of Bread(by Piotr Kropotkin).

Glass Bottle Collection: odd hobby but I started this about a year back. I collect all the glass bottles I have ever used for whatever reason.

Planning to add cigar collection and martial arts to this.