smallfeet's Journal: New hobby under consideration

Ever notice how things are fine until money enters into the equation? Soon as something gets popular and profitable then the money eaters show up and things become complicated. Money eaters are interested in making money. They do not have a passion for what they do to make the money, just the money. So they may sell software but donâ(TM)t really care about software. It is just a way to make lots of money.

      I have noticed this cycle with a number of hobbies - home computers, the internet, even beer and wine making. It starts out with a small group of enthusiasts that are in it for love. They do the ground breaking work and there is a slow build up of interested people. At some point a profitability threshold is passed and then the money eaters get involved. With the money eaters come nasty things like copyright infringement and intellectual property lawsuits.

      Is this a good thing for the hobby in the long run? Probably. There are a lot more people involved and enjoying the hobby. The number and availability of items supporting the hobby increases exponentially and costs go down. The competition between the vendors even seems to improve the quality of many of the products.

      But I am not sure it is a good thing for the enthusiast. The private club is no longer private and the secret handshake has gotten out. Itâ(TM)s a Zen sort of thing, if everyone is into computers then no one is into computers. Sorry to say we canâ(TM)t all be special in the same way.

      So I am looking for a new hobby to make me feel unique again. It has to be something that is complex enough to stimulate but not beyond my meager means, finance or intellectual. Also it has to appeal to only a small group of people and be consider either very odd or a bit perverted by the masses. Klingon? Robotics? What?