OTHER HOBBIES OF MEMBERS ??

[Foster]

Alll Lego's
Most of them are Technic, others are City and Creator the Ferris Wheel

They are pain to dust and clean though

[PWRSTROKE]

I could imagine the dusting issue.  I think we all have some intricate things in our game rooms/collections that are a pain in the *** to dust.  Those legos, some of them are worth some good $.  I have had some hard to get and rare kits over the years and they brought good money.  I still have some new in the box I plan on giving my grand children.  I collect model trains, old guns/rifles actually just about anything.  I guess I would be classified as a pack-rat however I have had to "let go" in the last 5 years or so.  I did the pinball and veido game also and still have some-years of doing that.  I am currently obsessed with the slots and have been that way for a while.  They ease my mind and stress.

[Foster]

I love my slots
Having them at home has saved me from wanting to head to the casino about hour away from me.

[PWRSTROKE]

Well,  I plan on going to some on my b-day.  My machines,  playing them gives me the big head (false reality) when I do go.  Have about 33 to pick from in a somewhat close area to me(casinos).  You know we all play them at home and get pumped up to go play the real deal.   

[westec1]

Been their dun that, we all play at home and start to feel pretty lucky, head off to the casino and then reality Hit's about a hundred  or so later, how quickly we forget our machines at home are set to max payback

Wes

[PWRSTROKE]

Yup, You are rite about that.  I do however think for some of us here that have really dissected and anaylized some of these things it does help in the the real deal Unless we see the waitress too much and have too many beverages! . Thanks B, signing out for the evening here-pushing 11:30 pm goota get up and fix busted up pwrstrokes again t'mrow! .

[CaptainHappy]

Foster,

Thanks for sharing. Boy it sure looks like LEGOs have changed since I was a kid and played with them. They look pretty cool. 

CaptainHappy 

[CaptainHappy]

Alll Lego's
Most of them are Technic, others are City and Creator the Ferris Wheel

They are pain to dust and clean though

Just saw the next page! 

COMPRESSED AIR?? 

CH 

[Foster]

Actually 2 them use pneumatics to operate wheel lift on tow truck and boom on crane.

CH that is a great idea.
 

[StatFreak]

Alll Lego's
Most of them are Technic, others are City and Creator the Ferris Wheel

They are pain to dust and clean though

Just saw the next page! 

COMPRESSED AIR?? 

CH 

Hey CH, it's not just Brianzz that's beating me to the punch!   
Compressed air was my first thought when I read Foster's post. I thought I'd get to be the hero all the way down until I got to your post!! 

I guess I'll just go home now since my work here is done... Wait! I am home.  D'OH!!

[CaptainHappy]

Alll Lego's
Most of them are Technic, others are City and Creator the Ferris Wheel

They are pain to dust and clean though

Just saw the next page! 

COMPRESSED AIR?? 

CH 

Hey CH, it's not just Brianzz that's beating me to the punch!   
Compressed air was my first thought when I read Foster's post. I thought I'd get to be the hero all the way down until I got to your post!! 

I guess I'll just go home now since my work here is done... Wait! I am home.  D'OH!!

You could suggest to him that he blow them off outside so that the resulting dust doesn't relocate to his slots!!! 

D'OH!!   Did I just accidentally read your mind and beat you to another post??? 

For some silly reason I am craving donuts???

CaptainHappy 

[Slot Docs]

Ok where do we start, well there are RC trucks both nitro and electric, going to turn the electric into a rock crawler soon, model trains working on making an HO scale Garden Layout of the Virginia & Truckee, The Virginia & Truckee Railroad both the old one and the new reconstruction project, Guns and shooting in general, pyrotechnics (fireworks) I have designed and built a fire control system to set off our New Years and 4th of July displays for over the counter fireworks so I can watch the show as well as set em off from my back porch, woodworking, and anything electronic, not to mention of course muscle cars. I am sure I must have left a couple of things out...........LOL

[Randy0777]

I would have to say anything that is electronic...From cell phones,DSS,games,computers,etc. Cant explain much more  . Oh,and building and riding Harleys 

[GCM]

During my Air Force days of the 80's & 90's I was really into collecting movies, typically old B monster flicks from the 50's drive-in era. I had them all until someone
decided VHS weren't good any more, so I've been changing to DVD and what happens BluRay comes along... Needless to say I won't be changing formats again
as it's getting to expensive and I'm getting to old!!! Got into slots while stationed at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas during the time of the first Video Poker Machines, Fortune
One types If my memory is correct and going to Wrestling Matches every month at the Showboat!!! Ah what fun!!!
Cheer's

GCM

[tacman]

The good thing is that blu-ray players will play and upconvert regular dvd's as well. So at least your existing discs will work in the newest player. Also remember that every time they change formats that the sales of the titles in the last format will determine if that title will be carried in the next format. No guarantee that the titels you have now will even be released in blu-ray. I know, I'm sitting on a DVD library of about 3000.

 Dan (tacman)

[tjkeller]

The good thing is that blu-ray players will play and upconvert regular dvd's as well. So at least your existing discs will work in the newest player.

Be careful with that one as it is not true...not for the time being anyway. Currently NOT all blu-ray players will play regular format DVDs. 
Make sure you read the compatible formats on the box before you buy. I suspect this will come around as more of these come to market and
prices continue to come around but then again this is the electronics industry we're talking about! Look what Sony did...they pioneered
the whole thing with their PS3 and even fronted that the new PS3 system would be reverse compatible when actually only certain models were
made to be reverse compatible. Some even only limited reverse compatibility. So here again, make sure you read the box for compatible formats.

[StatFreak]

Personally, I'm tired of constantly being upsold the latest bill of goods. I have no complaints about the quality of my DVDs and, like others, I have quite a sum invested in my collection. I have no intention of switching to Blu-Ray. 

[bronconut7]

I too was hesitant about Blu-Ray, but I bought a player on sale several months ago and love the quality.  We rent more than we own since the movies are generally still pricey.  If it is favorite movie, then I will buy it eventually and slowly build a Blu-Ray library that way.  My point is, I was skeptical about the whole thing, especially while the format war was ongoing with HD-DVD, but the increased quality on your favorite movie is amazing! 

[stayouttadabunker]

Technology is amazing really how it progresses along as I get older.
I still own a reel to reel deck that plays such titles like "The Sound of Music" (my uncle gave me it lol )
I then went to 8-tracks....hoo boy!
I cannot bring myself to ditch an accumulated library of 2,000+ 80's and 90's music cassettes either...
Loved it when I didnt have to stick folded paper or bookmatches under the 8-tracks to make them play.
I'm kinda surprised I havent yet seen full-length movies on memory sticks...
 

[jay]

I am still buying DVDs (non BlueRay) from the $5.00 bin at Blockbuster.
Once the discs have finished their rental cycle they go on the Previously Viewed Shelf for 14.99, then 9.99, then 6.99.
Somtimes they have a 2 for $20 deal on the $14.99, 3 for $20 on the 9.99 and 4 for $20 on the 6.99

When and what I buy really depends on what I have already spent.
IF the kids or I have seen it in the theater then I wait until it goes down to at least $9.99
IF we have not seen it and were contenpating renting it I would buy it at $14.99
If we have not seen it in the theater and its a new release rental then I will rent it but then wait until it hits the 6.99 bin to buy it.

We are using our PS3 as our BlueRay Player and like renting the Blue Ray disks. The only one that I own is BatMan.

I am seriously wondering if we will see a next generation of DVD media or if we will simply evolve to an on-demand world.
No - one uses a WalkMan with tapes or CDs anymore. They are all now just MP3s.

I had read that Hollywood wants to enact some pretty stringent anti-piracy practices.
   - Already any movies released to theaters have every 200th frame digitally signed. So when someone rips them off using a CamCorder they can slow the pirate copy down and find out from where it was pirated.
   - Suggested is that each DVD be encoded with a unique serial number, and purchases of DVD media would all be registered when it is sold. Privacy advocates are up in arms about that.
   - The next generation of DVD players are set to be PCs and have Hard Drives in which to download movies, send/receive Cookies pertaiing to viewing preferences etc.

   - 

[Billythekid]

Hobbies beyond slots:

Last year I got into gold panning, it's time to do that again, nice thing to do in the summer but very hard work. 99% of gold comes from dust. That's because hauling 5 gallon buckets of rocks and gravel for 2 days gets you a tiny bit... Nothing comes easy and that is the reason gold is a precious metal.

I also like to target practice, got a banger and a boomer...  it amazing what putting a couple rails with a tacticle flash light and a laser dot scope will do for fear factor on a rifle!

I also mix music as a hobbiest DJ, all digital set up with my laptop being controlled by an external USB linked controller... amazing results.

If it's dangerous, outside the box and involves breaking a rule or law somewhere I'm probably ok with it, as long as no one loses an eye!! Losing an eye is where I draw the line.

I genereally bounce between my hobby's througout the year, get bored then cycle back around.. I'm back to slots after a 4 month break.

[tacman]

Just a tip for the rifle/laser combo, try to keep it as far away from the muzzle as possible. Recoil throws MOST of the lasers off zero after only a few shots. If you are talking a red dot sight like an Aimpoint ML2 or an Eotech then it wouldn't matter since they are usually attached close to your regular aiming positions and are self contained within the unit. No dot projected out into the field, just on a HUD.

 Dan (tacman)

[jdkmunch]

Personally, I'm tired of constantly being upsold the latest bill of goods. I have no complaints about the quality of my DVDs and, like others, I have quite a sum invested in my collection. I have no intention of switching to Blu-Ray. 

I too felt the same way.  I wouldn't go near the format.  DVD was perfect until I received a 1080p 4000 lumen projector and Blu-Ray as a hand me down from my dad - (he's crazier than me)  I just started watching the first 6 Star Trek movies in Blu-Ray and all I can say is.....
 I feel like a blind man that can now see. 

Now I don't know if it's just unique to the restored trek movies but
WOW. 

I think I would get one now that they are 150 bucks at Costco.    The only thing that is truly a drawback is the cost of the movies.   So I would suggest Netflix with Blu-Ray.

[StatFreak]

Thanks for the tip jdk. An inexpensive Blu-Ray player and Netflix sounds like the way to go. I won't participate in the marketing ploy of continually re-purchasing the same movies every time the technology advances.

[tacman]

JDK, don't forget the Blueray player also upconverts regular DVD's as well so you can still use your existing collection with a visual improvement.

 Dan (tacman)