Hobby Thread - July 12, 2025 [TRex]

Welcome hobbyists! Pull up a chair and sit a spell with the Horde in this little corner of the interweb. This is the mighty, mighty officially sanctioned Ace of Spades Hobby Thread. We gave the Ace of Spades Wheel of Hobbies(TM) a spin and it came up with rocks.

Not like "Let there be Rock" or "Can you smell what the rock is cooking?" Think more like "Welcome to the Rock" or "dumb as a box of rocks."

You might be tempted to say "I'm not really into rocks as a hobby." Tough. Dig around in the content and soak in the comments. You might find that you're really into rocks and didn't know it or you might find reasons to get into rocks. Either way, glad you're here.

Sea stacks qualify as ocean-based rock formations.

Rocks are fun. Where did they come from? How did they form? Why are they so varied and different? What do they look like inside? How heavy are they? What can they be used for? How far can you throw them? Sounds like a lot of good opportunities for hobbying. Rocks are so much fun that even a Pillaging Idiot could get into them.

Do you collect rocks? Are you an amateur geologist that appreciates rock formations on a hike, in a photograph or as a matter of scientific curiosity? Do you use rocks in your hobbying?

We are going to leave mining for another thread. There is a whole separate theme of mining for gems or gold and corresponding art projects. We'll get there, but not today...

How to collect rocks - the comprehensive guide for the amateur geologist

Generally speaking, there are three main types of rocks:

Igneous Rocks: Formed from cooled magma or lava, these rocks are primary evidence of Earth's fiery interior. Examples include granite and basalt.

Sedimentary Rocks: Created from particles of older rocks, as well as plant or animal debris, these rocks are like history books, recording ancient surface conditions. Sandstone and limestone are common types.

Metamorphic Rocks: Born from transformation under pressure and heat, these rocks are the shape-shifters of the geological world. Marble and slate are metamorphic rocks that started as something else but changed under Earth's immense forces.

What does the start of the southern end of the San Andreas fault look like? What rocks are there? History and geology lesson here.

This is near Yellowstone - amazing rock formations:

Utah is a geologist's dream. So much variety and so many places with formations unseen elsewhere. Case in point: we've covered a lot of the state and I've never heard of the White Rocks:

Anyone into hunting for geodes?

Asking the difficult questions (beware: there may be math involved):

ESPN covers rock skipping:

Topic adjacent news from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science: Museum Makes Another Incredible Dinosaur Discovery -This Time Underneath Our Parking Lot!

It all started with an innovative initiative to drill down hundreds of feet to explore the possibility for using the Earth's internal energy to heat and cool the Museum. But when you start drilling deep down into the Earth's crust at a museum full of scientists, the urge to survey and study what's down there becomes irresistible.

Alongside the geothermal drilling project, the Museum conducted a scientific coring initiative to better understand the geology beneath City Park and the larger Denver Basin. The scientific core was drilled nearly 1,000 feet below the surface, passing through layers of gravel and sand deposited by the South Platte River before reaching ancient bedrock from the Late Cretaceous Period. While it wasn't surprising that scientists uncovered fascinating geology all the way down, the scientific core extracted something that surpassed everyone's expectations: a partial dinosaur bone dating back 67.5 million years!

"It's basically like winning the lottery and getting struck by lightning on the same day," said Dr. James Hagadorn, curator of geology at the Museum. "No one could have predicted that this little square foot of land where we started drilling would actually contain a dinosaur bone beneath it!"

Are you wise in the ways of painting rocks? Apparently painting rocks is a thing. Some people just paint rocks for their own enjoyment or for their gardens and others paint rocks and leave them in public for others to find. TRex has a small brain and short arms, so figuring out which rock painting content is Hobby Thread worthy is a challenge. Made a guess but feel free to put other resources in the comments with tinyurls.

Are you a lurker? Do you enjoy reading Ace of Spades content, but have been reluctant to post and participate in the comments? Have you been waiting for a good opportunity to jump in and say hello? This could be your day. Come on in. The water's fine. We don't bite (usually).

Horde Hobbying:

Lurker Paul Nowak sent this drawing:

My main hobby has always been art. Drawing. But more specifically, drawing dopey cartoons that have a lot of detail, no "higher meaning," and just basically make fun of stuff.

I don't have the time, money, or interest to attend Art School, or Figure Drawing classes, but that hasn't stopped me.

One of my recent doodles is this parody of DC. It's non-partisan: it's just a silly look at a city that somehow survives despite the fact that its worst enemies are also the majority of its residents and "leadership." Above all, it is a city that defines "bureaucracy."

Size is usually 11" x 17", done on illustration board and inked/colored by hand. The drawings are usually done for someone (or a group) in particular, so lots of inside jokes; that way they don't look too generic.

Total time for writing the jokes, pencils, ink, then color might have been 30-40 hours.

Process: I do what used to be called "tight drawing." You draw the entire thing in pencil, then ink it in; basically, drawing it twice.

TRex comments:

1) Wow. Very impressive. Thanks for sharing!

2) The detail is amazing. It might be difficult to see on the screen but check out these zoomed in parts.

3) I asked Paul to add the watermarks. The piece was so good that it could easily have been saved and repurposed for others without credit or compensation. I also reduced the resolution quality for posting on the thread to protect the piece. It is that good.

As per usual Hobby Thread etiquette, keep this thread limited to hobbying. Your participation does not need to limited to the theme. All hobbying is welcome. However, politics, current events and religious debates can live in threads elsewhere. Play nice. Do not be a troll and do not feed the trolls. Pants, as always, are optional.

Did you miss the Hobby Thread last week? We talked woodworking with lathes. The comments may be closed, but you can re-live the content.

Notable comments from last week:

Words of wisdom:

"Because despite all our troubles, when things are grim out in that wide round world of ours, that's when it's really important to have a good hobby." Posted by: tankascribe at June 22, 2024 07:41 PM (HWxAD).

What if there really are more ways than one to rock? If you have trouble finding something in the content or comments that resonates with you, hijack the thread for your hobbying as you see fit. We will feature a different theme next time. What are you hobbying? We love showing off Horde hobbying. Send thoughts, suggestions and photos of your hobbying to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Do mighty things.

posted by Open Blogger at 05:30 PM

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