May 28, 2021

Where to Learn New Things

Love to Learn Sign
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

When it comes to learning the Internet has been a miracle.  It is like all the world’s learning institutions are available through your computer screen.  You have access to more knowledge than any world leader or wealthy individual did just a few decades ago.

There is so much out there you need a plan.  What are you trying to accomplish?  Are you looking to just learn a skill?  Do you want a new career? Do you want to begin a new hobby?  Or do you just enjoy learning new things?

One approach might be to make your plan based on your goals.  Then browse through the course offerings at the various sites and make a list of possibilities.  Finally drill down and research each course.  Is the course relevant? How old is it and when was it last updated?  Can you ask questions of the instructor?  Are there reviews from fellow students?

Many of the available courses are free.  Others can be more expensive.  My advice would be to see what the free and low-cost courses offer first.  Then when you know exactly what you want the more expensive options might make sense.

Here is just a partial list to get you started.  Good Luck!

Alison https://alison.com/

Carnegie Mellon Open Learning Initiative https://oli.cmu.edu/

Code https://code.org/

Codecademy https://www.codecademy.com/

Coursera https://www.coursera.org/

Dash General Assembly – Learn to Code https://dash.generalassemb.ly/

edX https://www.edx.org/

Fast Company 30 Second MBA https://www.fastcompany.com/user/30-second-mba

FutureLearn https://www.futurelearn.com

GCF Global https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/

Harvard Extension https://www.extension.harvard.edu/

iTunes U http://www.open.edu/itunes/

Kadenze https://www.kadenze.com/

Khan Academy https://www.khanacademy.org/

MemRise https://www.memrise.com/

MIT Open Courseware https://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm

OpenLearn https://www.open.edu/openlearn/

Open Learning Initiative https://oli.cmu.edu/

Open Yale Courses https://oyc.yale.edu/

Stanford Online https://online.stanford.edu/

Udacity https://www.udacity.com/

Udemy https://www.udemy.com/

U of Berkley Class Central https://www.classcentral.com/university/berkeley

University of the People https://www.uopeople.edu/

Filed Under: Learning, Personal Development, Things To Do Leave a Comment
April 9, 2021

Unusual Hobbies

Butterfly In Hand
Photo by Maggie Jaszowska on Unsplash

There are countless hobbies out there for you to try.  Hobbies are great for relaxation and to keep your brain sharp while you learn new things.  With the Internet you can almost always find others that share your interest either locally or online.

Below are some ideas to get you started.

Tree Shaping

You know how you sometimes come across shrubs and trees with geometric and animal shapes?  That is tree shaping.  I guess the first step is to grow a bunch of your own bushes.  I don’t think the neighbors would appropriate you experimenting on their trees and bushes without asking!

Geocaching

This is a way to put all those GPS enabled devices to work.  The idea here is hobbyists navigate to a set of coordinates and find little treasures there in the geocache container.  This hobby is growing and there is lots of information on how to get started online.

Collecting Insects

OK, so collecting insects is not for everyone.  But if want to give it a try there is no shortage of different kinds to collect.

Soap Carving

Not sure how this one got starting but at least you can still use the shavings to clean up.  And when you get tired of looking at your creation you still have the soap!

Making Snow Globes

Never thought of this one but it is pretty cool.  Snow Globes make great gifts, and you can get as artistic as you want.

Ghost Hunting

I confess my wife and I used to love the “Ghost Hunters” show.  Well people really do this and I’m sure you can meet some interesting people, even live ones!  Do a search and find a group in your area.  Some communities even offer haunted house tours.  Keeping a journal of your experiences could be fun.

Origami

I’ve always been fascinated by those paper creations.  There are books and kits available to give it a try.  I assume the materials are basic and inexpensive.

Whittling

This one has been around for centuries. The shavings aren’t quite as useful as soap carving shavings, but you can always use wood shavings for kindling.

Stone Skipping

Never heard of this one but apparently the record for skipping stones is over 50 skips.  It may take a bit of practice to reach that level.  On the other hand, skipping stones across a pond on a nice day is probably very relaxing.

Brewing Beer

This one has also been around for a long time.  There are kits and lots of information available.  If you like beer it must be awful gratifying to offer guests your own brew!

Metal Detecting

I have tried this one and it really is a thrill to find old stuff buried long ago.  We never found anything valuable but that didn’t matter, it was great fun.  Just make sure you have permission to dig and make sure you put things back as you found them.

Building Rockets

I enjoyed building model rockets as a kid, and later with my son.  Model rocketry isn’t just for kids.  There are groups all around the country and some build some really big creations.

Flying Drones

Learning to fly a drone and then taking pictures and videos is a relatively new hobby.  It probably pays to learn on small and inexpensive drones before committing to an expensive model.  It can get expensive to crash and lose your drones.

Chainsaw Carving

This is the third “carving” hobby in this article.  This one isn’t for the faint of heart!  But I am amazed at the creations of experienced artists.

Rock Collecting

This one can be as simple as collecting specimens off the ground that just look nice.  Or you can order all kinds of samples online or at “Rock shops.”  In my trips to the southwest US rock shops were common and always fascinating to visit.

Wargaming

I did this one with friends as a young adult.  It still could be fun now and I bet it wouldn’t be hard to find a group of friends to play a couple times a month.  Start with “Risk” or “Axis and Allies” and go from there.  Good times!

Legos

Legos aren’t’ just for kids and you are only limited by your imagination.  There are shows and contests all over the world.

Making Fireworks

I came across this one in my research and didn’t even know it was legal!  Obviously you better make sure it is legal in your area and know what you are doing.  I would think that if you try to order too much of the required chemicals and supplies you might get a visit from law enforcement!

As you can see there are an endless number of hobby possibilities.  The fun part is experimenting to find one or more that work for you!

Filed Under: Hobbies, Things To Do Leave a Comment
March 19, 2021

Find Nearby Trips

Car on road from above
Photo by Liam Pozz on Unsplash

I’ve always been a bit of a wonderer.  I can just get into the car and drive, with the journey being as important as the destination.  But I think a bit of a “system” for finding nearby trips is needed to help with the wondering.  As I write this during the COVID pandemic, nearby trips have become almost a necessity.  They help with that “cooped up” feeling and long trips, especially involving flying have become difficult.

Start with some maps, one showing everything within about a 150 mile radius and one showing everything out about 500 miles.  The ideal would be to set up the maps on a corkboard or something similar.  Then you could put a pushpin into your home location and use a string and the miles per inch scale from the map legend to draw circles.

Draw a 5 – 10 Mile Circle

These would be places you could drive or bike to in a spur of the moment decision.  Think “I’m bored” and just go.

Draw a 25 Mile Circle

Destinations within this circle require a little thought in that you probably must allow a couple hours.  But you might be surprised with all the possibilities.

Draw a 150 Mile Circle

Here we are probably talking a full day.  An experienced wanderer could probably find hundreds of interesting locations to visit within this area.

What About a 500 Mile Circle?

Ok, we are really pushing boundaries here, but not too much.  You probably need to devote 3 or 4 days to these trips.  It also means 2 or 3 overnights, be they camping, motel stays, AirBNB or whatever.  But this circle opens up the possibility of some serious adventures.  Some might not consider 500 miles to be a “nearby” trip, but to someone who has traveled by car cross country a few times 500 miles does not sound too bad!  Of course these trips will be easier after the Covid pandemic is under control.

Now What to do With the Circles?

Start by making a list of towns within the circle.  Then it’s time to hit the Internet.  Just do a search for each town.  Even smaller towns often have Visitor sites or Chamber of Commerce sites listing reasons to visit their town.

Here are some of the things you may find:

Parks – towns are proud of their parks and will often highlight them.

Hiking – Almost everywhere outside of the center of major cities have hiking trails.

Bike Rides – Many sites have suggested bike rides

Scenic Overlooks – Often little signs will point the way to beautiful overlooks that you would never know were there except for their mention online.

Historical Sites – Most towns are proud of their history and have at least one historical site.

Book Stores – Many towns have little private bookstores that have all kinds of treasures.  I never pass up a new or used bookstore.

Unusual stores – You will often find offbeat stores, galleries and similar listed on visitor sites.

Themed Tours – Many times sites will have suggested walking or driving tours.  My wife and I once spent a day on a Covered Bridge driving tour in Lancaster County, PA.  She took dozens of photos that she still occasionally uses in her artwork.

What else can I do?

Photo opportunities are everywhere.  Even if all you have is your cell phone camera take lots of photos.  You’ll be glad you did as they will provide great memories even years later.

Write about your adventures.  These trips make great writing material, whether for a blog, as a freelance writer, or just in a journal for yourself.

Maybe you should build a website.  It could highlight fun things to do near “My Town” or “Anytown”

Get creative.  Just the act of getting away from the daily routine will get the juices going and hopefully help your mood.  Even little disasters like getting lost become funny stories with time.  Just use your imagination!

Filed Under: Hobbies, Things To Do, Transportation, Travel Leave a Comment