Upvote Upvoted 4 Downvote Downvoted
1 2 3
Interests?
posted in Off Topic
1
#1
0 Frags +

Hi,

I'm not sure if any similar questions were asked previously but here goes.

What are your interests? How did you get to said interests?(Both academic and non-academic)

I'm asking this because people in University and Careers Guidance keep asking and I have no idea what my interests are and what I can do to maybe spark some of my possibly unknown interests?

(TF.TV may not be best place to ask, but I just wanna know)

Hi,

I'm not sure if any similar questions were asked previously but here goes.

What are your interests? How did you get to said interests?(Both academic and non-academic)

I'm asking this because people in University and Careers Guidance keep asking and I have no idea what my interests are and what I can do to maybe spark some of my possibly unknown interests?

(TF.TV may not be best place to ask, but I just wanna know)
2
#2
22 Frags +

I like tf2 and tf2 related activities

I like tf2 and tf2 related activities
3
#3
8 Frags +

I've always loved history and literature and by extension foreign languages. I'm always working on some language, and reading some subset of three books (I put them in different places so if I happen to be in an area then I go for it lol). Particularly since sonny boy has gotten older I've found I have quite a lot of time for reading.

Video games and alcohol exploration fill the rest of the free time.

I've always loved history and literature and by extension foreign languages. I'm always working on some language, and reading some subset of three books (I put them in different places so if I happen to be in an area then I go for it lol). Particularly since sonny boy has gotten older I've found I have quite a lot of time for reading.

Video games and alcohol exploration fill the rest of the free time.
4
#4
0 Frags +

you suck

you suck
5
#5
1 Frags +

Video games, jazz, and hip hop.

Video games, jazz, and hip hop.
6
#6
6 Frags +

i just lift weights

i just lift weights
7
#7
0 Frags +

photography mainly, have been interested in videography too for quite a while

photography mainly, have been interested in videography too for quite a while
8
#8
1 Frags +

friend of mine got me into rhythm games like pop n music

now i'm being tempted to drop like 2-300 on one of those dj dao controllers while my comp probably has issues running it

friend of mine got me into rhythm games like pop n music

now i'm being tempted to drop like 2-300 on one of those dj dao controllers while my comp probably has issues running it
9
#9
13 Frags +

As far as history goes it depends on what sort of subject matter tickles your fancy. The majority of stuff I read is relating to the modern era (say roughly 1910-1960ish). Although older history can be really fun sometimes too.

The topics that interest me the most are Middle Eastern/West Asian history and Russia of course (being as that's what I got my degree in lol). But I've also done a lot with Italian, French, and British history. For a good perusal of topics finding used copies of older 100 level into textbooks is VERY easy and cheap. Then if you find any one thing you'd like to learn more about you just pillage that book's bibliography. I like West Asia and Russia in particular because any major movement that occurs in the population centers of Asia (India/China/Japan) and Western Europe will eventually make their way through those areas, along with the indigenous culture, so you can often times see rehashes of older ideas from other places more clearly here (it's like a historical laboratory lol).

As far as actual works of historical significance that I've really liked:

Nikolai Kuznetsov's Memoirs are probably the *best* I've read on the whole Stalin era from a martial perspective: http://admiral.centro.ru/start_e.htm (English translation available)

Molotov Remembers: interviews with VM Molotov by Felix Chuev is really interesting as well, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're very well acquainted with the history of the era, because Molotov purposefully, and knowingly, lies several times, and even admits to it at times.

Any work by Ivan Maisky (Soviet Ambassador to the UK during WW2) is pretty exceptional too and are widely available in English

Behind the Urals by John Scott is another great work on the Soviet period (John Scott was also a double agent - working for both the OSS (CIA) and the OGPU (KGB).

Orientalism by Edward Said is a *really* handy book if you're interested in West Asian history, because it deals with *how* the region is looked at in Western historical texts, and how that particular vocabulary and those expectations, influence what scholars think and write about in relation to West Asia.

As far as literature, I'm a HUGE sucker for Dostoyevsky and Gogol. The Brothers Karamazov (Dost.) and Dead Souls (Gogol) are both wonderful.

As a side note, if you want to see just how weird 15th Century French people were, read Gargantua and Pantagruel: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1200/1200-h/1200-h.htm

I also read a lot of Marx, Engels, Lenin etc. If you want particular suggestions there I can provide, but won't do so in the interest of time.

As far as alcohol goes:

My favorite drinks

Red wines: Chilean Cabernet Sauvignons and Rhone red wines
White wines: It's all about the Reisling although Eisewein is pretty good (too expensive)
Fortified Wines: Port Cherri is the best hands down.
Beers: I tend to favor Stouts over everything else (although some German stouts are kinda fruity and thus not what I want)
Whiskey: Grand Mariner hands down
Vodka: Asbolut is the best budget vodka, it mixes decently, and tastes better than Stolis straight. Stoli Elit was prolly the best Vodka I ever had, but it's like 200$ a bottle so, it sure as fuck had better been ;)
Tequila: fuck Tequila
Gin: Willow is the best I've had, but Tanqueray will do most times.
Brandy: Slivovitz Raki'a is pretty damn good :D
American Beers with food: I'm up for whatever, Bud Light
American Beers for drunk: It's Miller time.

As far as history goes it depends on what sort of subject matter tickles your fancy. The majority of stuff I read is relating to the modern era (say roughly 1910-1960ish). Although older history can be really fun sometimes too.

The topics that interest me the most are Middle Eastern/West Asian history and Russia of course (being as that's what I got my degree in lol). But I've also done a lot with Italian, French, and British history. For a good perusal of topics finding used copies of older 100 level into textbooks is VERY easy and cheap. Then if you find any one thing you'd like to learn more about you just pillage that book's bibliography. I like West Asia and Russia in particular because any major movement that occurs in the population centers of Asia (India/China/Japan) and Western Europe will eventually make their way through those areas, along with the indigenous culture, so you can often times see rehashes of older ideas from other places more clearly here (it's like a historical laboratory lol).

As far as actual works of historical significance that I've really liked:

Nikolai Kuznetsov's Memoirs are probably the *best* I've read on the whole Stalin era from a martial perspective: http://admiral.centro.ru/start_e.htm (English translation available)

Molotov Remembers: interviews with VM Molotov by Felix Chuev is really interesting as well, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're very well acquainted with the history of the era, because Molotov purposefully, and knowingly, lies several times, and even admits to it at times.

Any work by Ivan Maisky (Soviet Ambassador to the UK during WW2) is pretty exceptional too and are widely available in English

Behind the Urals by John Scott is another great work on the Soviet period (John Scott was also a double agent - working for both the OSS (CIA) and the OGPU (KGB).

Orientalism by Edward Said is a *really* handy book if you're interested in West Asian history, because it deals with *how* the region is looked at in Western historical texts, and how that particular vocabulary and those expectations, influence what scholars think and write about in relation to West Asia.

As far as literature, I'm a HUGE sucker for Dostoyevsky and Gogol. The Brothers Karamazov (Dost.) and Dead Souls (Gogol) are both wonderful.

As a side note, if you want to see just how weird 15th Century French people were, read Gargantua and Pantagruel: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1200/1200-h/1200-h.htm

I also read a lot of Marx, Engels, Lenin etc. If you want particular suggestions there I can provide, but won't do so in the interest of time.


As far as alcohol goes:

My favorite drinks

Red wines: Chilean Cabernet Sauvignons and Rhone red wines
White wines: It's all about the Reisling although Eisewein is pretty good (too expensive)
Fortified Wines: Port Cherri is the best hands down.
Beers: I tend to favor Stouts over everything else (although some German stouts are kinda fruity and thus not what I want)
Whiskey: Grand Mariner hands down
Vodka: Asbolut is the best budget vodka, it mixes decently, and tastes better than Stolis straight. Stoli Elit was prolly the best Vodka I ever had, but it's like 200$ a bottle so, it sure as fuck had better been ;)
Tequila: fuck Tequila
Gin: Willow is the best I've had, but Tanqueray will do most times.
Brandy: Slivovitz Raki'a is pretty damn good :D
American Beers with food: I'm up for whatever, Bud Light
American Beers for drunk: It's Miller time.
10
#10
1 Frags +

I think computer science would interest me; I really like math and science (except for biology) and I've always been around computers. I'm currently learning Java and it's pretty fun for me at the moment.

I think computer science would interest me; I really like math and science (except for biology) and I've always been around computers. I'm currently learning Java and it's pretty fun for me at the moment.
11
#11
2 Frags +

I like golf.

I like golf.
12
#12
0 Frags +

same as #10 I'm taking all the CS courses my school has to offer minus the really basic and boring ones. I just like the idea of creativity in some areas of the study

same as #10 I'm taking all the CS courses my school has to offer minus the really basic and boring ones. I just like the idea of creativity in some areas of the study
13
#13
0 Frags +

Maths, especially, Complex Analysis. The branch unifies many topics in Mathematics, like exponentials and trigonometric functions (Euler's formula), it also is a nice tool for people working on some really hard integrals (contour integration is almost like witchcraft: example), number theory, etc. Except that, I find asymptotics and computational complexity to be quite nice.

Maths, especially, Complex Analysis. The branch unifies many topics in Mathematics, like exponentials and trigonometric functions (Euler's formula), it also is a nice tool for people working on some really hard integrals (contour integration is almost like witchcraft: [url=http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/562694/integral-int-11-frac1x-sqrt-frac1x1-x-ln-left-frac2-x22-x1]example[/url]), number theory, etc. Except that, I find asymptotics and computational complexity to be quite nice.
14
#14
2 Frags +

My high school had an "information technology" program, so I joined to make some video games, and instead came out with an interest in web development (HTML, CSS, JS, PHP, etc.) and a certification in Networking and [cyber] Security. It carried over into college so I'm majoring in web dev and the certifications took care of 3 courses. Non-academically, skateboarding and TF2 are life. Edit: Drums too. I like hitting things and music.

My high school had an "information technology" program, so I joined to make some video games, and instead came out with an interest in web development (HTML, CSS, JS, PHP, etc.) and a certification in Networking and [cyber] Security. It carried over into college so I'm majoring in web dev and the certifications took care of 3 courses. Non-academically, skateboarding and TF2 are life. Edit: Drums too. I like hitting things and music.
15
#15
0 Frags +

Thanks guys, it was nice to see what your interests were and it seems computer-related stuff (sorry if I insulted any of you) seems to be quite common, may try that.

Oh and sorry Marxist, history is not really my thing :P

I guess I could go ahead and try the other things that were mentioned, especially some of the sports although some may not be very easy to try where I live :(

Thanks again!

Thanks guys, it was nice to see what your interests were and it seems computer-related stuff (sorry if I insulted any of you) seems to be quite common, may try that.

Oh and sorry Marxist, history is not really my thing :P

I guess I could go ahead and try the other things that were mentioned, especially some of the sports although some may not be very easy to try where I live :(

Thanks again!
16
#16
1 Frags +

I like psychology and listening to people. Also helping people is something I enjoy a lot. Music is also something I'm very passionate about.

I like psychology and listening to people. Also helping people is something I enjoy a lot. Music is also something I'm very passionate about.
17
#17
1 Frags +

Academically: Computer Engineering and Math. Initially, I really liked programming/Computer Science, but most every class in that regard has ended up being very high level in terms of arbitration which I can't interest myself in. Because of the amazing quality of my school, I'm still stuck in a Precalc class, but I've been taking some MOOCs through Coursera through Calc II. If you want to learn something related to computers or math, it's a really good resource; It is on an entirely different level than KhanAcademy or similar.

Outside of academics, I play electric guitar (badly). I've never thought of it as anything other than entertainment so I can barely remember a half dozen chords, but can still follow along with the lead of songs I like. I've also been teaching myself Swedish lately, for no real reason.

Academically: Computer Engineering and Math. Initially, I really liked programming/Computer Science, but most every class in that regard has ended up being very high level in terms of arbitration which I can't interest myself in. Because of the [i]amazing[/i] quality of my school, I'm still stuck in a Precalc class, but I've been taking some MOOCs through Coursera through Calc II. If you want to learn something related to computers or math, it's a really good resource; It is on an entirely different level than KhanAcademy or similar.

Outside of academics, I play electric guitar (badly). I've never thought of it as anything other than entertainment so I can barely remember a half dozen chords, but can still follow along with the lead of songs I like. I've also been teaching myself Swedish lately, for no real reason.
18
#18
1 Frags +

[h][/h]
19
#19
0 Frags +

I play highschool football. If anyones in highschool you should play, even if you don't like the sport itself the experience is great, that's what it's all about

I play highschool football. If anyones in highschool you should play, even if you don't like the sport itself the experience is great, that's what it's all about
20
#20
2 Frags +

I played the tuba for 8 years and absolutely loved it. I was really good at it too. Unfortunately, once you get to college, you learn that music theory is the worst fucking thing in existence. It kicked my ass, so I'm changing majors.

I played the tuba for 8 years and absolutely loved it. I was really good at it too. Unfortunately, once you get to college, you learn that music theory is the worst fucking thing in existence. It kicked my ass, so I'm changing majors.
21
#21
1 Frags +

I've played classical piano for 13 years and am pretty good at it. I was considering double-majoring in piano when I started college, but that plan went out the window after I discovered how much work Computer Engineering was, so I just keep it as a hobby. In a similar vein, I also love metal, so I recently picked up a synth and am learning the synth lines to some power metal songs by ear, which is an interesting challenge in and of itself.

I've played classical piano for 13 years and am pretty good at it. I was considering double-majoring in piano when I started college, but that plan went out the window after I discovered how much work Computer Engineering was, so I just keep it as a hobby. In a similar vein, I also love metal, so I recently picked up a synth and am learning the synth lines to some power metal songs by ear, which is an interesting challenge in and of itself.
22
#22
3 Frags +

Soccer is the best, but picking it up after the age of 10 or 11 is pretty much impossible.

Soccer is the best, but picking it up after the age of 10 or 11 is pretty much impossible.
23
#23
1 Frags +
KBlairI like golf.

What's your scoring average right now? I'm around 88-92 (bogey golf, basically). I've always loved golfing.

[quote=KBlair]I like golf.[/quote]

What's your scoring average right now? I'm around 88-92 (bogey golf, basically). I've always loved golfing.
24
#24
0 Frags +

snip

snip
25
#25
1 Frags +

music and art in general

music and art in general
26
#26
0 Frags +

Playing music and martial arts (currently ju-jitsu, previously Taekwondo)

Playing music and martial arts (currently ju-jitsu, previously Taekwondo)
27
#27
0 Frags +

My interests in academics is geography and geology. Both go hand in hand, with geology being the process that made something and geography being why it's where it is. Currently I've been taking courses in GIS and remote sensing and learning to script in python for GIS. I love both sides of geography, of being out in the field gathering data and then in the lab plotting it.

Outside of academics there's TF2, CSGO, and whatever computer game I'm addicted to (currently Dark Souls 2). I love learning random pieces of trivia and go with friends to places that host team trivia every so often. I've also been building models and am currently working on an AMX to surprise my dad with as he used to own one.

My interests in academics is geography and geology. Both go hand in hand, with geology being the process that made something and geography being why it's where it is. Currently I've been taking courses in GIS and remote sensing and learning to script in python for GIS. I love both sides of geography, of being out in the field gathering data and then in the lab plotting it.

Outside of academics there's TF2, CSGO, and whatever computer game I'm addicted to (currently Dark Souls 2). I love learning random pieces of trivia and go with friends to places that host team trivia every so often. I've also been building models and am currently working on an AMX to surprise my dad with as he used to own one.
28
#28
-6 Frags +

i like to drive and jack off. not at the same time

i like to drive and jack off. not at the same time
29
#29
0 Frags +
radiumKBlairI like golf.
What's your scoring average right now? I'm around 88-92 (bogey golf, basically). I've always loved golfing.

18HCP, I'm lucky to get under 100 most times. I would be a lot better if I could drive straight and far (its one or the other for me) and if I could putt well. My pitching/chipping is the only redeemable thing about my game.

[quote=radium][quote=KBlair]I like golf.[/quote]

What's your scoring average right now? I'm around 88-92 (bogey golf, basically). I've always loved golfing.[/quote]18HCP, I'm lucky to get under 100 most times. I would be a lot better if I could drive straight and far (its one or the other for me) and if I could putt well. My pitching/chipping is the only redeemable thing about my game.
30
#30
0 Frags +

Outside of TF2 i'm a Bio and Chem double major (don't do it, its a trap) and I play collegiate lacrosse. So in the free time outside of that, i do a lot of hiking/study of native flora and fauna in the areas i've been to school (transferring also sucks, but it was well worth it) and i lift a fair bit.

I'd really like to get into more mountain biking and skiing, so after my senior season of lacrosse in the spring, i'm hoping to invent some time for that :)

Outside of TF2 i'm a Bio and Chem double major (don't do it, its a trap) and I play collegiate lacrosse. So in the free time outside of that, i do a lot of hiking/study of native flora and fauna in the areas i've been to school (transferring also sucks, but it was well worth it) and i lift a fair bit.

I'd really like to get into more mountain biking and skiing, so after my senior season of lacrosse in the spring, i'm hoping to invent some time for that :)
1 2 3
Please sign in through STEAM to post a comment.