No I got into it to learn the theory of it more than anything. I've been faffing about with a VHF setup to see if I could establish a little station that could be heard anywhere in the town I'm in. That's inexpensive to do and you can probably knock together a basic station with decent range for £100 and the time and effort needed up a ladder.
The next step is to look further afield and build a station that operates in the 20m band, but I'm yet to be able to convince Chief Girlfriend that an end fed antenna dangling across the back garden, or a fiver metre whip mounted to the roof is a good idea. HF transceivers are exponentially more expensive, and require some support devices too.
Otherwise, I go "hilltopping" and head up elevated positions with a quarter-wave antenna and a cheap handheld radio to listen out on what's happening. It's good for the geek in me; it's good for the mind being at such pretty viewpoints; and it's good for the body walking or running up hillsides.
Alternatively, I'll sit in the garden while the kids play around with FlightRadar24 open on a device and a handheld radio tuned to the local airport approach frequency, and talk about what an aircraft is or may be doing while listening to the chatter.
So yeah, I don't do a lot really. I live quite close to the coast so getting into marine frequencies is something on my list to do; and speaking to folk worldwide would be a laugh!
Honestly, I didn't have a scooby about amateur radio until I watched a few videos by Ringway Manchester - he's a really knowledgeable amateur. He's a bit of a wanker to people in his comments who dare to offer dissenting opinions, but his videos are generally presented with a classic no-bullshit British vibe.
The point of this is that he pushed me in the direction of the Baofeng UV-5RH, which is a handheld that operates on the VHF bands but is very versatile. The company gets grief for producing hamstrung cheap shit, but honestly being a so-called Baofeng Warrior has provided me with the inexpensive entry point into the world of Ham Radio - and it even has a function for listening to FM radio for the... lesser-legitimate audio broadcaster needs 😊
My advice would be to get a UV-5RH (around £25), get a quarter-wave magmount antenna for the car (around (£15 for a cheap one), and check out Essex Ham's videos on Foundation-level radio guidance (free with a recommended donation).
If you like it, brilliant - get your chequebook out and go wild. If you don't, then you've invested forty-odd quid and you can get half of that back on various internet auction sites.
Have fun!
edit: but yeah if you want beyond line-of-sight communication then £300 would be well under a lowball estimate 😢
I don't have a clue about amateur radio, so thank you for the tips!! Might have to see if Santa brings me a UV-5RH this year... See you on the airwaves soon 👀😂
I've thought about that! seems fun! On the other hand I have choosen the worst, most stressful, expensive and frustrating 40s hobby because I'm like that. 3d printing. Should have gone for the radio. (still spend all my free time doing that )
3d printing is pretty challenging I take it? I've seen pictures of some setups, with all those spools of material. Pretty neat, but probably more difficult than I imagine.
I think it's very frustrating. I tried selling my printer twice before, out of anger lol. But once you get to understand the problems things get better. But of course I have an ender3, not a "super perfect" bambu lab. people say bambu have no problems so that would be nice
similar, i went from not having transportation besides my feet to having an ebike. we joke that it's my midlife crisis, but really it's just my transportation.
my midlife crisis will involve so many saxophones. when i can afford a midlife crisis.
I have a very mild case of that in that I bought a weird traditional flute from Japan a couple of months ago. It looked cool and a game character I like has one. A bit hard to play, but I'm getting there.
It'll certainly be a lot more expensive, but I wish you a future crisis full of epic sax all the same.
Thank you. i'm probably going to get the electric sax before i get the bass (if i'm spending 30 grand on an instrument i have a few others ahead of the bass sax), but we can dream.
Yeah, my midlife crisis was basically, I just got extra bored at work and spent more time doing all the usual non-work activities. Finally resolved when I decided I didn't need to work any more, which gave me a lot more time for all of teenage-me's favorite things. Wasn't even tempted to buy a Corvette.
I have really enjoyed my midlife crisis (which looks a little different as a woman): lost 30 lbs, began dressing like a scary executive, got rid of the imposter syndrome, and give very few fucks. It has been delightful.
Yeah is this well fitted suit scary, or turtleneck scary.
I personally leaned the other way and wear literal rose tinted Lenon glasses now. Fuck it, I tried everything else to see this world as anything other than a shithole filled with idiots, may as well take a metaphor out for a spin
That is because the world is a shit hole run by idiots. This is the perfect perspective for the scary executive look. Your disgust and impatience is justified - go with it. 😉
You know, I'll soon have the space to do some car restoration if she's interested in trading me her MG so she can find a white Chrysler LeBaron generic luxury SUV.
Basically a road bike, but kitted out for touring instead of road racing. It's really used to be just bigger wheels and tires but these days road cyclists are running thicker tires as well.
Mine was in the hybrid category but does have front suspension. Helps with the craters in the roads because for some reason UK roads resemble the Donbas. Think it's also listed as a trekking bike.
Roads, gravel paths, grass and dirt paths are generally what I go across.
I know these, although they are not as common here as gravelbikes.
Kinda like watered-down Fixies optimized for urban commute.
Will not work well in more off-road (so: "gravel") scenarios and for touring.
Different thing, I would say.
Different kind of drop bars than on a road bike, though:
Wider and more upright sitting position.
Worth trying out at least once when looking for a new bike.
I mean, the reason many people fit this in their forties, is because they finally have the time and money to do so.
I was too poor in my twenties to have a nice espresso setup. I make decent money now, but I have young kids now, so no time. In ten years time when I'm in my forties, I'll finally have the time and money simultaneously.
When I was a young man in the '80s and '90s, I used to dream of owning fancy bicycles. Now I'm old enough and rich enough to afford ... fancy bicycles from the '80s and '90s.
@[email protected] Myebe we can be perfectly content without a lot of money. I'm 24, just over a year into my first job.
Sure, money's tight, but it feels good to finally have my own income. I bought the camera(nikon zfc) I’d wanted since high school, and fixed up the old mountain bike my dad gave me years ago.Then I realized—whether it’s camera lenses or bike parts—there’s a whole rabbit hole of upgrades. Even with ten times my current income, I still couldn’t afford the top-tier stuff.
Later, I came across some writings by Herbert Marcuse and it hit me: so many of the things I thought I wanted—whether the latest gadgets or other trendy stuff—were actually desires imposed on me. By ads, by what others flaunt. I’ve come to understand that I don’t really need any of that to feel happy. Life can be still full and meaningful without them.
Myebe we can be perfectly content without a lot of money
Of course we can, I'm not happier now in my thirties than I was in my twenties because of the money I make. My happiness come from different things entirely...but the reduced concerns by being in a decent financially secure position sure as hell doesn't detract from it either, I would say it makes it easier to enjoy the best parts actually.
Brewing decent coffee however is fine (or tea, or caffeine pill it & hydrate) but dang nothing like having a bike that can get into some hills! Until the ski mountains open for winter but can be too far, too expensive
What's that?
Some kind of LARPing or more the tabletop thing with historical setting? Is the latter even still a thing? Only know it from old movies...
For these often the journey is the destination, I think.
But also, I only know about the Dnd and Warhammer fantasy stuff like my son is involved with...
Comment was about something different, if I understood correctly.
I have seen historical minis in online painting communites and even considered getting a few when I played 40k to use as cultists or conscripts. They seem to be far less popular than fantasy and science fi minis.
Yeah, painting itself is probably the main hobby at that point.
Over at [email protected] there seems to be a fair amount of historical minis posted, though it is likely less popular than fantasy settings
Warhammer with a WWII Historical setting. It's all still a thing. They're arguably at their highest popularity too. The pandemic was a gateway for a lot of people into both hobbies.
Yeah, it’s basically a roadbike with thicker tires, or an older mountain bike with road bike handlebars ment for going over gravel or anything that isn’t asphalt.
I heard people converting mountain bikes from
the early nineties to gravelbikes, because the frame is perfect for that!
Mountain bikes have been getting increasingly descent oriented, i.e. they're good for going down rough tracks really fast. But that also means they're less suitable for longer distances in less rough terrain, which is a niche that's been filled by gravel bikes. Also road bikes are only really suitable for well maintained tarmac. Where I live all roads like that have heavy car traffic, so I prefer riding on back roads or forest tracks, which a gravel bike is much better for.
There's a blurry line between a cross country mountain bike and a gravel bike at the best of times. It's also been done to take a brand new XC hardtail such as the Scott Spark, and make either a gravel bike or a drop bar MTB, depending who you ask.
Everyone should learn new things as often as they can. Pick up a new hobby or skill, become very proficient at it, incorporate it into your life, repeat. This active mental engagement is the best way to prevent dementia and keep your mind sharp.
Relevant to many of us on here, this approach also lets you lean in to your ADHD powers to better your life instead of resisting them and stressing out.
My midlife crisis is degoogling, switching to Linux, eating less meat, reducing the footprint I leave on this world, spending more time with my wife and daughter, treating my recently diagnosed ADHD and not giving as many fucks regarding work. Oh, and I took up archery. Pretty ok I guess. I'm 42.
90s mountain bikes make great gravel bikes and you can usually get one for dirt cheap. Hell find a steel frame road bike and put some grippy tires on it.
I turned 40 this year and turned my office in a darts room. Does that count? I still have my office there though (far enough to not get damaged by the bounce off darts).
I'd love a bike but I can't afford it, have a place to store it out of the elements, or have a safe place to bike because horrible infrastructure. I'll dream though.
Yes. I got an electric bike at 55 not 40 (late bloomer I guess) but only possible because work lets me park it inside, and there is room for it inside my house. I do park & lock it at the grocery or yoga or whatever but 95% of the time either I am on it or it's indoors.
With you on the lack of safe paths though. The best they do here is some paint on the road on some roads. The city is trying, it's fought by the county gov though.
Bikes don't cost that much money, like 3 days worth of rent will get you a pretty basic cheap bike. 15 days of rent should be a really nice bike that will last years. You don't need carbon fiber.
If you're renting a mansion maybe. I am currently building myself a drop bar steel tourer and have already crossed the "three months apartment rent" line, even without especially fancy components. Bicycles have become expensive over the past 10 years, with e-assisted ones establishing price levels that were previously considered obscene for the mainstream. Then non-electric bikes used their slipstream, so to speak.
You can get decent bikes for a few hundred easily here. I got a fairly nice one which cost £600 but that was probably spending a bit more than necessary. They also threw in a few freebies with it.
To be clear, we're talking brand new here, right? Because I don't think you can get a "decent" bike for less than 1.000 € anymore where I live. For me, decent parts would be in the Shimano Deore or equivalent price (and quality) bracket.
Yeah brand new, if you are going over £1k its getting to the sport/racing sort of bikes, not something you would really use for commuting or casual bike rides
Nothing is wrong with you, the job market is a hellscape. It's a job posting written by AI being applied to by AI. Most entry level jobs get thousands of applications when a few years ago it was only a few dozen. You literally can't compete in that. My suggestion is network. Goto job faires and meet people who are looking for or match people to jobs.
Hmm I've been a coffee geek and bicycle nerd (hobby mechanic) since my teenage years, and ran a half-marathon in my mid 20ies ... guess I've been 40 for a long time now ...
Also bialetti coffee makers are really simple little cook top devices that give you some amazing espresso for the change you've got in your couch. Fantastic little appliance.
40s here. I only drink pour-over and French press (I make it myself at home). No triathalons, but I did about 40 minutes of Dance Dance Revolution today. No gravel bike either, but I have a BoS Blitz airbike and bought some adjustable kettlebells this year. And my Steam library and book collection are growing in size.
I had a cheap espresso machine for a few years and it was fun for a while and then it just became a pain to clean it regularly and even to do the whole process. Pour over or even fancy instant coffee is my go to for home these days
Currently just using a cheap Ostent soft mat with some silicone grip pads on the bottom. It’s not perfect, but works well enough for my exercise and I can do up to 8+ difficulty songs (honestly can’t handle most 8 currently anyway). It’s convenient to be able to fold the mat up to put away when not in use.
Years back I hard-modded a similar mat, stapling and taping it down to a sheet of 1/4” plyboard and that was fantastic.
If you’re looking for hard pads today, check out L-Tek, they’re about the only one still in business making them.
———
Edit - oh, I forgot to mention software. There’s two good options today, Project Outfox (available on Steam) and ITGMania. Both are forks of Stepmania 5.1. Song packs are available online, including both new user stuff and DDR original. I use ITGMania with Project XX Starlight theme for DDR and get most of my songs from https://zenius-i-vanisher.com/v5.2/simfiles.php?category=simfiles
No idea... I bought a coffee machine right as the pandemic started, as it forced me to work from home. It's nothing trendy but damn being able to pour 1 bag of coffee beans in, press the button and move on is so damn convenient and (I hope) quite more ecological than those damn pods.
Sadly the two aren't exclusive, pods come in addition to the coffee beans. I'm not a lifecycle or logistic experts but my intuition is that the smaller and most durable the package, the harder it is to both produce and recycle.
To clarify, I'm not saying importing anything from around the World is fine, only that if you do so (as I do) better not to do so in the most bulk way possible.
If you do have a link that shows that either/or show
pods or bulk it's comparatively irrelevant compared to the energy to treat and ship then anyway,
coffee pods are actually better than grains then please do share.
I'd be shocked but maybe there is some supply chain or scale piece I didn't take into account.
The pods are recycled. If you toss everything else into your recycling bin and have faith in that, you should have the same faith for the pods, they're aluminum.
Also, I don't know if you've been to an office but my experience with such machines have been terrible, namely the machine itself breaks (OK, not ideal but maintenance should fix it) but more importantly very often the pods do NOT get put in the right bins.
So it's a huge difference between recyclability, or the potential of being recycled, and ACTUALLY being recycled. I'm not necessary blaming the industry there, maybe not even the people who do genuinely put it in the right garbage bin, I'm only highlighting that from the numbers I've found, it's not happening.
Anyway, even if those links were a lie or incorrect and even if my own experience was more than anecdotal, namely an outlier (I've been to few offices but still, maybe not random, just unlucky) then the basic reasoning is still pretty obvious :
recycling pods take more resources, energy, water, labor, etc; AND producing them AND shipping them than
... not having pods, just the grains straight in the machine.
Again if you take 1kg of grain and you fold it in the trash vs side by side you take 1kg equivalent of pods the volume is striking.
Still, as I mentioned earlier, maybe I don't get whole picture so if you have an actual study I'd like to learn. While searching I did read the argument that pods do extract more coffee per volume of coffee so that was interesting, but it's only a part of the equation, hence why LCAs (life cycle assessment, with actual recycling data, not recyclability) are so important, not our own individual perspectives.
Yes and that's true for all recycling. In Montreal the pods are put in special green bags and then put in recycling so my consuming of a crop from the other side of the world is greenwashed and therefore OK.
So I can observe the mental gymnastics to justify consuming a product from the other side of the world is quite entertaining. "But Keurig is plastic!"
I liked lattes so I bought a Nespresso, I'd never been into coffee or caffeinated beverages period. I used it religiously for 6 months, got tired of paying for pods, started refilling my pods, then got tired of that. Now it sits on my counter and I bought a couple packs of Starbucks branded pods from Walmart that are strictly for company.
I am deliberately not buying anything Nestlé, so nespresso is a no-go for me.
I also like lattes so I have a soluble 400g tin from the local supermarket (Carmel latte something, something, super sweet). If visitors want a normal coffee I have a few single serve packets from hotels and such, or they bring their own.
Nothing. You just are unimpressed by comics made by people who are younger than you and think this has to be your personality and even when, who cares?
I'm in that age bracket and I've turned to spunking the little amount of disposable income on amateur radio kit and equipment.
I wish I'd picked up a debilitating cocaine habit instead. It'd be cheaper.
Oh hey that's something I've been vaguely interested in for a while!!! You enjoying it? What do you do?
Very little 😂
No I got into it to learn the theory of it more than anything. I've been faffing about with a VHF setup to see if I could establish a little station that could be heard anywhere in the town I'm in. That's inexpensive to do and you can probably knock together a basic station with decent range for £100 and the time and effort needed up a ladder.
The next step is to look further afield and build a station that operates in the 20m band, but I'm yet to be able to convince Chief Girlfriend that an end fed antenna dangling across the back garden, or a fiver metre whip mounted to the roof is a good idea. HF transceivers are exponentially more expensive, and require some support devices too.
Otherwise, I go "hilltopping" and head up elevated positions with a quarter-wave antenna and a cheap handheld radio to listen out on what's happening. It's good for the geek in me; it's good for the mind being at such pretty viewpoints; and it's good for the body walking or running up hillsides.
Alternatively, I'll sit in the garden while the kids play around with FlightRadar24 open on a device and a handheld radio tuned to the local airport approach frequency, and talk about what an aircraft is or may be doing while listening to the chatter.
So yeah, I don't do a lot really. I live quite close to the coast so getting into marine frequencies is something on my list to do; and speaking to folk worldwide would be a laugh!
That's fascinating. I was worried it was going to be closer to £300! Thank you for sharing!!
The FlightRadar and hilltopping sound great, and I'd love to see if I could catch some pirate radio around 👀
Honestly, I didn't have a scooby about amateur radio until I watched a few videos by Ringway Manchester - he's a really knowledgeable amateur. He's a bit of a wanker to people in his comments who dare to offer dissenting opinions, but his videos are generally presented with a classic no-bullshit British vibe.
The point of this is that he pushed me in the direction of the Baofeng UV-5RH, which is a handheld that operates on the VHF bands but is very versatile. The company gets grief for producing hamstrung cheap shit, but honestly being a so-called Baofeng Warrior has provided me with the inexpensive entry point into the world of Ham Radio - and it even has a function for listening to FM radio for the... lesser-legitimate audio broadcaster needs 😊
My advice would be to get a UV-5RH (around £25), get a quarter-wave magmount antenna for the car (around (£15 for a cheap one), and check out Essex Ham's videos on Foundation-level radio guidance (free with a recommended donation).
If you like it, brilliant - get your chequebook out and go wild. If you don't, then you've invested forty-odd quid and you can get half of that back on various internet auction sites.
Have fun!
edit: but yeah if you want beyond line-of-sight communication then £300 would be well under a lowball estimate 😢
I don't have a clue about amateur radio, so thank you for the tips!! Might have to see if Santa brings me a UV-5RH this year... See you on the airwaves soon 👀😂
A debilitating coke habit?
Unfortunately, I've done my time with that hobby already 🫡
I've thought about that! seems fun! On the other hand I have choosen the worst, most stressful, expensive and frustrating 40s hobby because I'm like that. 3d printing. Should have gone for the radio. (still spend all my free time doing that )
3d printing is pretty challenging I take it? I've seen pictures of some setups, with all those spools of material. Pretty neat, but probably more difficult than I imagine.
I think it's very frustrating. I tried selling my printer twice before, out of anger lol. But once you get to understand the problems things get better. But of course I have an ender3, not a "super perfect" bambu lab. people say bambu have no problems so that would be nice
I'm not sure how a midlife crisis would look for me because I've basically kept the same weird interests I had as a teen.
So basically a life-long midlife crisis?
😏
Entire-life crisis
Ooooo!! 🙋♂️, I can relate to that!
Nice live you have...
I guess so. Is that really a crisis if it's basically what you do though?
My friends and family seem to think so
similar, i went from not having transportation besides my feet to having an ebike. we joke that it's my midlife crisis, but really it's just my transportation.
my midlife crisis will involve so many saxophones. when i can afford a midlife crisis.
I have a very mild case of that in that I bought a weird traditional flute from Japan a couple of months ago. It looked cool and a game character I like has one. A bit hard to play, but I'm getting there.
It'll certainly be a lot more expensive, but I wish you a future crisis full of epic sax all the same.
What flute and game was it?
A shinobue, a transverse flute made of bamboo (well, traditionally, mine is not too bad but it's plastic. One day, maybe).
The game is Xenoblade Chronicles 3. The two protagonists play the shinobue as a ritual to send off people who have passed.
I like Okami too, and I believe Waka's flute in that game is also a shinobue.
I bought an electric flute/recorder but never got around to learning it. Xenoblade Chronicles is on one of my list to eventually play.
Wish you well with learning it.
Thank you. i'm probably going to get the electric sax before i get the bass (if i'm spending 30 grand on an instrument i have a few others ahead of the bass sax), but we can dream.
Yeah, my midlife crisis was basically, I just got extra bored at work and spent more time doing all the usual non-work activities. Finally resolved when I decided I didn't need to work any more, which gave me a lot more time for all of teenage-me's favorite things. Wasn't even tempted to buy a Corvette.
I have really enjoyed my midlife crisis (which looks a little different as a woman): lost 30 lbs, began dressing like a scary executive, got rid of the imposter syndrome, and give very few fucks. It has been delightful.
Please explain the scary executive getup. I am taking notes for my own impending midlife crisis.
Yeah is this well fitted suit scary, or turtleneck scary. I personally leaned the other way and wear literal rose tinted Lenon glasses now. Fuck it, I tried everything else to see this world as anything other than a shithole filled with idiots, may as well take a metaphor out for a spin
That is because the world is a shit hole run by idiots. This is the perfect perspective for the scary executive look. Your disgust and impatience is justified - go with it. 😉
I am reticent to take advice from a sun burn slapper, but I like the message, I will go with it
This has some good stuff: https://www.caspermagazine.com/feature/the-art-of-tailoring-with-an-edge
I see that to dress like a scary exec, I must first earn like a scary exec...
You can also adapt it to your needs. For example, replace the bag with an axe or a limp kitchen towel
Sigh. I really don't love the walking-on-my-pants-cuffs trend, especially for dress pants (pictures in the link are worse than this thumbnail).
As someone about to hit 40, I'm tryyyyyyying to let go of skinny pants, but the above is just so impractical!
🤣 good on you!
Do you have fingernails that shine like justice?
No, doesn't qualify for one of my few fucks to give. 😉
No, but her voice is dark like tinted glass.
She’s changing her name from Kitty to Karen
You know, I'll soon have the space to do some car restoration if she's interested in trading me her MG so she can find a white
Chrysler LeBarongeneric luxury SUV.God forbid people pick up new hobbies as they grow older, we should all make as much money as humanly possible and then die i guess.
Some even try to stay healthy! What a bunch of losers!
fuck yeah i love money
The problem with hobbies is they tend to contribute to clutter and as you get older you want less of that.
I want less clutter so I've got more space for my hobbies
Isn't it all software now?
Sounds like you would enjoy https://vcvrack.com/
Retro anything has jumped in value tremendously; for me its been game hardware.
Damn it. So it seems like I am prototypical 40-something.
Life can be fun, so trying to make the best of it.
What is a gravelbike?
Basically a road bike, but kitted out for touring instead of road racing. It's really used to be just bigger wheels and tires but these days road cyclists are running thicker tires as well.
Hybrid between roadbike and mountainbike.
Someone posted a pic of one in another comment.
I have an older one (ok, actually two...) of those:
https://www.salsacycles.com/collections/fargo
It is more on the mountainbike-y side, others are typically slightly less rugged.
Isn't that what normal hybrids are for? I guess it looks cool though
"Normal" hybrids usually have straight handlebars. Gravel bikes usually have "drop" handlebars like road bikes.
What's a normal hybrid?
Like a commuter bike with flat handle bars, kinda thin tires, and no suspension
Mine was in the hybrid category but does have front suspension. Helps with the craters in the roads because for some reason UK roads resemble the Donbas. Think it's also listed as a trekking bike.
Roads, gravel paths, grass and dirt paths are generally what I go across.
I know these, although they are not as common here as gravelbikes.
Kinda like watered-down Fixies optimized for urban commute.
Will not work well in more off-road (so: "gravel") scenarios and for touring.
Different thing, I would say.
Ah ok, drop bars are so uncomfortable..
So basically the "mountain bike" I had as a kid, before the started adding fancy shock absorbers and disk brakes?
All right, now I want a gravel bike too!
You had a mountainbike with drop bars?
Unusual.
Also: Basically all gravelbikes come with disc brakes, major distinction to roadbikes.
I had a Randonneur-like bike in my youth in the 80s, which had some features common with the recent gravelbikes.
I liked it very much, so was very happy when gravelbikes became a thing 10 years ago or so.
Haha, i didn't know it had drop bars... Nope, that's not for me :)
Different kind of drop bars than on a road bike, though: Wider and more upright sitting position.
Worth trying out at least once when looking for a new bike.
Hillbike!
I would be great at the triathlon if the three sports it combines were running, bicycling and drowning.
I mean, the reason many people fit this in their forties, is because they finally have the time and money to do so.
I was too poor in my twenties to have a nice espresso setup. I make decent money now, but I have young kids now, so no time. In ten years time when I'm in my forties, I'll finally have the time and money simultaneously.
When I was a young man in the '80s and '90s, I used to dream of owning fancy bicycles. Now I'm old enough and rich enough to afford ... fancy bicycles from the '80s and '90s.
@[email protected] Myebe we can be perfectly content without a lot of money. I'm 24, just over a year into my first job.
Sure, money's tight, but it feels good to finally have my own income. I bought the camera(nikon zfc) I’d wanted since high school, and fixed up the old mountain bike my dad gave me years ago.Then I realized—whether it’s camera lenses or bike parts—there’s a whole rabbit hole of upgrades. Even with ten times my current income, I still couldn’t afford the top-tier stuff.
Later, I came across some writings by Herbert Marcuse and it hit me: so many of the things I thought I wanted—whether the latest gadgets or other trendy stuff—were actually desires imposed on me. By ads, by what others flaunt. I’ve come to understand that I don’t really need any of that to feel happy. Life can be still full and meaningful without them.
Of course we can, I'm not happier now in my thirties than I was in my twenties because of the money I make. My happiness come from different things entirely...but the reduced concerns by being in a decent financially secure position sure as hell doesn't detract from it either, I would say it makes it easier to enjoy the best parts actually.
Brewing decent coffee however is fine (or tea, or caffeine pill it & hydrate) but dang nothing like having a bike that can get into some hills! Until the ski mountains open for winter but can be too far, too expensive
Are we still on for historical wargaming at 40? Or has that moved to 50 now?
What's that?
Some kind of LARPing or more the tabletop thing with historical setting? Is the latter even still a thing? Only know it from old movies...
I think it's the tabletop thing where you paint your miniatures for months and then don't have anyone to play with
For these often the journey is the destination, I think.
But also, I only know about the Dnd and Warhammer fantasy stuff like my son is involved with...
Comment was about something different, if I understood correctly.
Sounded like it was tabletop wargaming with Napeleon instead of Yarrick.
That are the ones I have seen in old movies.
Never encountered it in RL up to now, though...
I have seen historical minis in online painting communites and even considered getting a few when I played 40k to use as cultists or conscripts. They seem to be far less popular than fantasy and science fi minis.
Yeah, painting itself is probably the main hobby at that point. Over at [email protected] there seems to be a fair amount of historical minis posted, though it is likely less popular than fantasy settings
Warhammer with a WWII Historical setting. It's all still a thing. They're arguably at their highest popularity too. The pandemic was a gateway for a lot of people into both hobbies.
Can confirm. I did exactly this at 40. Now in my 50's I just traded in the gravel bike for an ebike and bought a milk frother for my espresso machine!
I went straight to emtb with 41 😬 no espresso machine in the house yet. I‘m too lazy to clean it.
Hey, gravel bikes are good fun.
I had no idea what a gravel bike was so here's for the other folks who don't either:
You're certainly not going to carry a lot of gravel with that bike. Maybe if you added a little carriage?
Maybe with a decent backpack?
Yeah, it’s basically a roadbike with thicker tires, or an older mountain bike with road bike handlebars ment for going over gravel or anything that isn’t asphalt.
I heard people converting mountain bikes from the early nineties to gravelbikes, because the frame is perfect for that!
Mountain bikes have been getting increasingly descent oriented, i.e. they're good for going down rough tracks really fast. But that also means they're less suitable for longer distances in less rough terrain, which is a niche that's been filled by gravel bikes. Also road bikes are only really suitable for well maintained tarmac. Where I live all roads like that have heavy car traffic, so I prefer riding on back roads or forest tracks, which a gravel bike is much better for.
Explains why they all had such fat tyres when I saw mountainbikes in a shop recently.
There's a blurry line between a cross country mountain bike and a gravel bike at the best of times. It's also been done to take a brand new XC hardtail such as the Scott Spark, and make either a gravel bike or a drop bar MTB, depending who you ask.
Basically a road bike with big tyres and a beefed up frame, sometimes with suspension.
Have you considered getting a convertible?
Constantly
Everyone should learn new things as often as they can. Pick up a new hobby or skill, become very proficient at it, incorporate it into your life, repeat. This active mental engagement is the best way to prevent dementia and keep your mind sharp.
It's also... you know... fun
Relevant to many of us on here, this approach also lets you lean in to your ADHD powers to better your life instead of resisting them and stressing out.
My midlife crisis is degoogling, switching to Linux, eating less meat, reducing the footprint I leave on this world, spending more time with my wife and daughter, treating my recently diagnosed ADHD and not giving as many fucks regarding work. Oh, and I took up archery. Pretty ok I guess. I'm 42.
This sounds less like a crisis and more like 'getting your shit together'.
You're setting things up to enjoy life more. All power to you!
You're poor.
90s mountain bikes make great gravel bikes and you can usually get one for dirt cheap. Hell find a steel frame road bike and put some grippy tires on it.
44 here and zero of this applies to me lol. My hobbies are still video games and art; the same hobbies I’ve had since I was a kid.
I turned 40 this year and turned my office in a darts room. Does that count? I still have my office there though (far enough to not get damaged by the bounce off darts).
Darts? Pshaw, that's so 20 years ago. Make a crokinole or carrom room.
What the fuck are those?
Games where you flick discs into holes on a wooden board
I'd love a bike but I can't afford it, have a place to store it out of the elements, or have a safe place to bike because horrible infrastructure. I'll dream though.
Yes. I got an electric bike at 55 not 40 (late bloomer I guess) but only possible because work lets me park it inside, and there is room for it inside my house. I do park & lock it at the grocery or yoga or whatever but 95% of the time either I am on it or it's indoors.
With you on the lack of safe paths though. The best they do here is some paint on the road on some roads. The city is trying, it's fought by the county gov though.
Bikes don't cost that much money, like 3 days worth of rent will get you a pretty basic cheap bike. 15 days of rent should be a really nice bike that will last years. You don't need carbon fiber.
If you're renting a mansion maybe. I am currently building myself a drop bar steel tourer and have already crossed the "three months apartment rent" line, even without especially fancy components. Bicycles have become expensive over the past 10 years, with e-assisted ones establishing price levels that were previously considered obscene for the mainstream. Then non-electric bikes used their slipstream, so to speak.
You can get decent bikes for a few hundred easily here. I got a fairly nice one which cost £600 but that was probably spending a bit more than necessary. They also threw in a few freebies with it.
Electric obviously would cost more though.
To be clear, we're talking brand new here, right? Because I don't think you can get a "decent" bike for less than 1.000 € anymore where I live. For me, decent parts would be in the Shimano Deore or equivalent price (and quality) bracket.
Yeah brand new, if you are going over £1k its getting to the sport/racing sort of bikes, not something you would really use for commuting or casual bike rides
A bolt cutter is ~20€ I think
Funny how successful mid life crisis is now fancy bike and coffee machine.
never really thought of second home as one but definately sports car. maybe cosmetic surgery
30 something, regular MTB, Areopress. I’m on the right trajectory.
Me who just went to see a friend this morning on my fixie "Neat... I totally fit the stereotype!"
I guess I need to buy another bike...
Well, as the optimal number of bikes is generally accepted to be n+1 ... 🤷♂️
I can't find a single job to save my life because all the job postings are saturated, what's wrong with me?
The only thing wrong, judging by that statement, is the hellscape you (and I) live in.
Nothing is wrong with you, the job market is a hellscape. It's a job posting written by AI being applied to by AI. Most entry level jobs get thousands of applications when a few years ago it was only a few dozen. You literally can't compete in that. My suggestion is network. Goto job faires and meet people who are looking for or match people to jobs.
Is a gravel bike something specific or just like, a regular bike?
It's something in between a road bike and a mountain bike.
Okay yeah, so exactly what it sounds like. Wasn't sure if it was a brand maybe or something.
Used to call those "touring bikes", no?
No, we used to call them Cyclocross.
Do you mean the ol' dandy horse?
No, a touring bike has a luggage rack. Gravel bikes typically are naked.
I think the person who drew this comic was born into the wrong generation. (They're a boomer at heart.)
If it was boomer coded, he'd have mentioned model trains
Nah, the interests are boomer, just different hobbies.
Hmm I've been a coffee geek and bicycle nerd (hobby mechanic) since my teenage years, and ran a half-marathon in my mid 20ies ... guess I've been 40 for a long time now ...
Dude seems like he could use a hobby
Also bialetti coffee makers are really simple little cook top devices that give you some amazing espresso for the change you've got in your couch. Fantastic little appliance.
no gravel bike at 40? A deeply disturbed individual
Past the 40s and 50s have and exercise bike, don't drink coffee, and have always been too busy to ask why
I might take up the tumbak.
And this is how you get Tang ping movements.
40s here. I only drink pour-over and French press (I make it myself at home). No triathalons, but I did about 40 minutes of Dance Dance Revolution today. No gravel bike either, but I have a BoS Blitz airbike and bought some adjustable kettlebells this year. And my Steam library and book collection are growing in size.
Eh, close enough.
I have come to believe that any coffee machine for the home is not worth it. Pour overs at home, machinated coffee belongs in the cafés
I had a cheap espresso machine for a few years and it was fun for a while and then it just became a pain to clean it regularly and even to do the whole process. Pour over or even fancy instant coffee is my go to for home these days
DDR! My wife and I used to be pro and are looking at getting a home setup. What do you use?
Currently just using a cheap Ostent soft mat with some silicone grip pads on the bottom. It’s not perfect, but works well enough for my exercise and I can do up to 8+ difficulty songs (honestly can’t handle most 8 currently anyway). It’s convenient to be able to fold the mat up to put away when not in use.
Years back I hard-modded a similar mat, stapling and taping it down to a sheet of 1/4” plyboard and that was fantastic.
If you’re looking for hard pads today, check out L-Tek, they’re about the only one still in business making them.
———
Edit - oh, I forgot to mention software. There’s two good options today, Project Outfox (available on Steam) and ITGMania. Both are forks of Stepmania 5.1. Song packs are available online, including both new user stuff and DDR original. I use ITGMania with Project XX Starlight theme for DDR and get most of my songs from https://zenius-i-vanisher.com/v5.2/simfiles.php?category=simfiles
Yeah, what's with the espresso machine trend? Seems like it's the topic of conversation nowadays. As a non-coffee-drinker I feel like a weirdo.
No idea... I bought a coffee machine right as the pandemic started, as it forced me to work from home. It's nothing trendy but damn being able to pour 1 bag of coffee beans in, press the button and move on is so damn convenient and (I hope) quite more ecological than those damn pods.
Yeah I think growing a crop halfway around the world isn't terribly "ecological" to begin with, the pods are the least of the worries.
Sadly the two aren't exclusive, pods come in addition to the coffee beans. I'm not a lifecycle or logistic experts but my intuition is that the smaller and most durable the package, the harder it is to both produce and recycle.
To clarify, I'm not saying importing anything from around the World is fine, only that if you do so (as I do) better not to do so in the most bulk way possible.
If you do have a link that shows that either/or show
I'd be shocked but maybe there is some supply chain or scale piece I didn't take into account.
The pods are recycled. If you toss everything else into your recycling bin and have faith in that, you should have the same faith for the pods, they're aluminum.
First search, first link, "In the US, only about 2% of aluminum capsules are actually recycled, meaning most end up in landfills." https://bruvi.com/blogs/articles/mythbusters-the-truth-about-recyclable-pods so I wouldn't exactly say it works. They are theoretically recyclable, YES, but are they recycled? According to that link no. In fact a lot, the largest marketshare, of pods are NOT aluminum, they are plastic, and this https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/coffee-pods-and-capsules-market say that 5% are actually recycled.
Also, I don't know if you've been to an office but my experience with such machines have been terrible, namely the machine itself breaks (OK, not ideal but maintenance should fix it) but more importantly very often the pods do NOT get put in the right bins.
So it's a huge difference between recyclability, or the potential of being recycled, and ACTUALLY being recycled. I'm not necessary blaming the industry there, maybe not even the people who do genuinely put it in the right garbage bin, I'm only highlighting that from the numbers I've found, it's not happening.
Anyway, even if those links were a lie or incorrect and even if my own experience was more than anecdotal, namely an outlier (I've been to few offices but still, maybe not random, just unlucky) then the basic reasoning is still pretty obvious :
Again if you take 1kg of grain and you fold it in the trash vs side by side you take 1kg equivalent of pods the volume is striking.
Still, as I mentioned earlier, maybe I don't get whole picture so if you have an actual study I'd like to learn. While searching I did read the argument that pods do extract more coffee per volume of coffee so that was interesting, but it's only a part of the equation, hence why LCAs (life cycle assessment, with actual recycling data, not recyclability) are so important, not our own individual perspectives.
Yes and that's true for all recycling. In Montreal the pods are put in special green bags and then put in recycling so my consuming of a crop from the other side of the world is greenwashed and therefore OK.
So I can observe the mental gymnastics to justify consuming a product from the other side of the world is quite entertaining. "But Keurig is plastic!"
So as you do, first search, first link
https://www.carbonclick.com/news-views/the-environmental-impact-of-coffee-growing-and-transportation
OK I don't think we are having a conversation so ending this now, take care.
I liked lattes so I bought a Nespresso, I'd never been into coffee or caffeinated beverages period. I used it religiously for 6 months, got tired of paying for pods, started refilling my pods, then got tired of that. Now it sits on my counter and I bought a couple packs of Starbucks branded pods from Walmart that are strictly for company.
I am deliberately not buying anything Nestlé, so nespresso is a no-go for me.
I also like lattes so I have a soluble 400g tin from the local supermarket (Carmel latte something, something, super sweet). If visitors want a normal coffee I have a few single serve packets from hotels and such, or they bring their own.
Gotcha - thank you for the answer!
40something, gravel bike, training for a half century, use a French press.
Wow, someone real mad about a French press?
Nothing. You just are unimpressed by comics made by people who are younger than you and think this has to be your personality and even when, who cares?