Anything related to computers/networking/IT. I was big into computers when I was young, and was a founding member of my high school’s tech club. After graduation, I immediately went into tech school and lived/breathed tech until I got my degree. I LOVE the academics surrounding how computers and networks work. It is genuinely amazing that I can type some bullshit on my keyboard, and then that is sent as an electrical pulse, as an electromagnetic wave, as LIGHT, and decisions are being made on the fly as that bullshit flies through any number of autonomous systems on its way to your screen. In milliseconds. And that is a GROSS oversimplification. Just amazing.

Then, I went into the working world and had that love systematically ground out of me. Worked for a small regional MSP, and was the admin for a small, now defunct college. These days I teach digital literacy which is rewarding in its own right, but trying to get grandma to understand what a password manager does is… a lot.

Over the years, I’ve watched everything in tech get polluted by right wing freaks and corporate interests trying to squeeze every bit of profit out of their userbase they possibly can. Google went from a beloved institution to silently removing their “don’t be evil” motto from their headquarters. Microsoft was always evil, but at least they pretended to care about their products. The open source space seemed like a bunch of punks trying to democratize computing, but they’re owned by corporate sponsors and rely heavily on contributors on <corporation’s> payroll. The technology we have is truly amazing and a great achievement. But it’s saddening seeing it all being used for mass surveillance, oppression, being enshitified into oblivion, as the concept of owning anything becomes a fringe ideology. I still keep up with everything because I kinda have to, but there’s no joy in it anymore.

Formula 1. Watched it religiously for many years then the regulations got weird so my interest started waning. I check in from time to time but the last race I watched was around 5 years ago.

Magic: The Gathering.

The game, as it is right now, barely resembles the game I learned to love when I started playing it two decades ago. The new card mechanics simply don’t interest me, the power creep has frankly gotten out of control which forces you to play formats like standard or commander to balance it out, and both of those formats are hard on the wallet if you want to be/stay competitive.

Also, part of what drew me into MTG in the first place was the rich lore and history, and now it seems like they are just constantly pulling in 3rd party IPs to make guest sets and it ruins any kind of immersion I might have had. I used to like building decks that were thematic and flavorful, but when I sit across from someone playing Ninja Turtles or Deadpool themed decks, complete with artwork and custom mechanics for each of them, it drags me out of the universe that I became so familiar with and reminds me that I’m no longer the target audience.

The ultra-exclusivity of the newer stuff also is a big turn-off. Secret lair drops and collectors edition boosters, alternate artworks, etc. all feel really scuzzy and I want no part of that. It was bad enough gambling on standard booster packs in the past that I tried to not make it a habit. Now all the new product seems to have FOMO as a main selling point.

I still check up on new stuff from time to time, but I barely play anymore (and when I do, I use old decks that have been outclassed for the most part by newer released stuff). I certainly haven’t spent a dime on any product in probably a few years now. Nothing about the game or the new sets interests me at all, and when I play I’m just going through the motions.

Not holding out hope that WotC or Hasbro will reverse course any time soon, especially with the way people have been voting with their wallets since Secret Lair #1.

being alive

Skateboarding. I’m old now but seeing street/park/ramp skaters (sorry longboarders and electric skateboard-esque enthusiasts) now still gets me stoked.

I was a skater growing up and probably how most who knew me would describe me even though I was also into snowboarding, mountain biking, and punk music.

I lost a lot of my crew when dating became more of their thing in HS, then all of my crew when we went different ways after HS. I tried to stick with it in college but got frustrated with losing a lot of the progress I’d made and always skating alone. I got back into it briefly in my 30s when a couple guys at work expressed interest in hitting up a nearby skatepark over lunches. I could actually do a few things but only at a fraction of my former ability but I went easier on myself and acknowledged that a lot of time had passed since I could do cool stuff consistently. That job and those guys are gone now and I’ve moved. I’ve still got the deck in my garage but it’s been at least 15 years since I’ve skated. I’ll watch an old 411 or see a kid trying to ollie in the neighborhood and that brings me joy (and some sadness)

Age of Empires 2, I played it when I was young so it’s kinda nostalgic. I don’t play it nowadays since I’m really bad at RTS games in general but I still like to keep myself informed of changes brought to the game by watching Spirit Of The Law’s channel on YouTube.

I do little to no woodworking, but I enjoy watching woodworking videos.

Cars. I used to know all the models and their figures, like combustion chamber volumes. Now I still like cars as kinda closed, autonomous systems that are super complicated but an amalgamation of design and functionality. But I also hate them because they are loud, dangerous and because of them our cities and landscapes are plastered with concrete and tar that heat up, are ugly, prevent plants to grow and make cities less walkable.

Star Citizen.

I dont play Rust anymore but I do watch some Rust YouTubers to help remind me why I don’t play rust anymore

Dating and relationships.

Used to be something I put a lot of effort into and it was kinda fun, now not fun anymore so there is no point in putting effort in.

I tend to circle back to stuff but have like a million things open that aren’t what I’m into right this moment

That being said, what a fucking excellent question, 10/10

I don’t play and am not interesting in playing Rocket League anymore; but I still watch an occasional pro match.

Web dev in React and game dev with Unity. I used to spend so much time building projects but AI drained my interest out of it. I still wish I had the same passion but things are not the same. Tried Godot but the way it does things didn’t click for me.

World of Warcraft, I think? I think I outgrew it in a way because currently thinking of playing WoW feels better than actually doing it.