/hob/ - Hobbies

Anyone else interested in cryptography?

I want to try crack the Indus Valley script. Maybe we can together.

The idea of deciphering the Indus Valley script without a bilingual source like the Rosetta Stone is theoretically possible by testing hypothetical readings across multiple inscriptions to see if they produce consistent, coherent results. This method relies on identifying repeatable patterns, applying proposed values or meanings across different texts, and checking if they fit logically.

However, the main challenge with the Indus script is the extreme brevity of its inscriptions, with most being only a few symbols long, leaving little context to test hypotheses effectively. Additionally, the underlying language is unknown, and there’s no consensus on whether the script represents a full language or is simply a set of non-linguistic symbols used for administrative or religious purposes.

Researchers have applied statistical analyses and machine learning models to study symbol patterns, suggesting some linguistic-like structure, but not enough to confirm a full decipherment. While cross-checking across texts as you described has been attempted, the limited length and ambiguity of the symbols prevent conclusive results so far.

What is your favorite youtuber?
I start with Nexpo, i like it because, is spooky and very well articulated videos

What makes a good fantasy or science fiction novel for you. Is it the prose or the writer's ability to bring his ideas to life?

Have you read any novels that you consider beautiful in their own right?

Anyone interested in astronomy? Particularly direct observation with a telescope or binocular.

My interest in astronomy has expanded recently to direct observation instead of just reading books and editing Wikipedia articles. I found an old Nikon 8x42 (basic bird-watching equipment) in a drawer the other day and decided to give it a shot. I know better than to punch above my weight, and you can pretty much forget about deep-sky objects or even other planets when you have a simple binoculars for terrestrial observation, so my best shot is to focus on the closest astronomical object from Earth. I got a couple of lunar atlases online, a couple of lunar calendars, and read the basics about selenography.

It's basically impossible to do any serious astronomical observation by simply holding the binoculars in place, even if you're sitting down. It's just way too shaky, so I strapped the thing to the top rail of a chair, placed that chair over another one and basically made a makeshift tripod. Works perfectly and I have both my hands free to check the lunar atlas or stellarium.

It's amazing how much one can observe with a stable binoculars, some patience and a lunar atlas at hand. The more familiar you get with the lunar surface, the more you'll be able to see, and even though I have only gazed at the moon for about 5 hours total so far, it's fairly easy to get familiar with its basic features. Having the atlas close by to consult just what the heck you're looking at helps immensely. Under certain light conditions, even a shallow, small crater will create an enormously long shadow that you can observe easily.

Picture attached is all the stuff I was able to observe and firmly identify so far. Two days worth of observation. The picture is not accurate to what I was actually seeing, as the moon was waxing when I was looking at it, and this picture shows a full moon, though I'll use this to update everything I manage to identify. For example, the crater Clavius is quite distinct during certain lunar phases, but in the picture it's barely visible. Seas and oceans (basaltic plains) are the most obvious stuff, and you usually begin with those since it's so distinct and easily identifiable. Then you start noticing the bays (recesses of the seas), craters and recently I managed to observe a lunar swirl, though it took me a minute to realize it. Btw if you're located in the northern hemisphere, this picture is inverted for you.

IPost too long. Click here to view the full text.

Post your desktop
I want to see what wizards desktops look like and what they use as a daily driver.

I use Debian GNU/Linux with a full suckless setup

I swear there was a thread for this. Oh well. My first attempt at doing something in Godot. It's mostly code spaghettied together from tutorials and reading the engine's documentation. Let me know if you play it, and definitely let me know if you manage to beat it. The pain level is hard but doable. AD for movement and J or W for jumping, Enter for start. Gamepads also work.

https://anonymousfiles.org/files/0b6518269905/

What's everyone's opinion on keeping a journal? I've been keeping one for 3 months now and it's a nice pass time.
I can write done my worries and look back on all the things I've accomplished

i have been doing a quiz every day

https://www.geoguessr.com/seterra/en/vgp/3636

The only hobby I had for a long time was gaming. Recently I quit cold turkey and I need something else to fill the time. I've been reading instead and that's pretty fun but it isn't as comfy as gaming. I need to find something that makes me want to wake up in the morning but everything I try I get bored of. Sometimes it's a few months, sometimes a few years, sometimes a week, but I get bored. No hobbies really sound interesting to me, and even if they do there's always something shitty about them. Should I just go back to gaming?

Share your favourites.
I only started collecting recently, and I'm having fun getting good deals on old cards, and cleaning them.
This one I ordered for $20 cross-ocean. The guy shipped it unprotected wrapped in an ALDI catalogue.
It arrived warped, and wet, but I fixed it up, and now it's in perfect condition! It's worth a lot of money like this.
I'm really happy to have it in my collection.