Ask MetaFilter questions in the sports, hobbies, & recreation category

Conversation and Impromptu Games

Ollie — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 07:13:45 -0800

What are some fun impromptu games--I'm thinking like Punch Buggy, or Not It? AND, what are some fun conversation games--like Would You Rather, or The Dozens, or Questions, or Existential Rock Paper Scissors?

Where to kitesurf in Europe?

insouciant — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:43:11 -0800

What's the best spot in or close to Europe to learn how to kitesurf? I'm looking for a place with good kitesurfing somewhere easily accessible from Central Europe (not more than 3 hours of flight from Germany). I'm a good snowboarder and I've been wakeboarding a few times, so while I'd be new to kitesurfing, it doesn't have to be a beginners'-only place. Any recommendations for places, specific schools, maybe even package deals etc.?

Puzzle filter: I'm looking for the name of this puzzle involving a cube...

puloxor — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:33:27 -0800

Puzzle filter: I'm looking for the name of this puzzle involving a cube... No, not a Rubik's cube. I'll try my best to explain it: a bunch of wooden cubic blocks are attached together via a string. The goal of the puzzle is twist and turn these blocks and form them into bigger cube. E.g. make a 3x3 cube out of 27 smaller cubes.. Anyone know what this is called? Better yet, where can I buy one online?

Swimsuit for not-so-clean pond

portabella — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:10:12 -0800

Please recommend a full-body swimsuit for a not-so-clean pond. It's the closest body of water to my house by far, and I really want to swim there, but the cleanliness of the water has got me worried. It should be protective, light, and inexpensive -- in that order of priority.

Feel like a kid again.

Christ, what an asshole — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:55:10 -0800

I own a Nintendo DS. What are some great, unheralded games I should probably know about?

What band equipment do i need?

pencroft — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:41:41 -0800

My buddy and I are trying to figure out what we need so we can have amplification and recording capabilities when we jam in the basement. I've played acoustic guitar and drums for years but am an absolute n00b when it comes to next steps. Meaning, I don't know the difference between a PA or an amp (is a PA an amp?). What we have: acoustic guitar (w/pickup), electric guitar, electric bass, drumset. What we need:??

What we want: amplified vocals, guitar and bass. Some type of multiple track recording so we can record different parts at different times.

Basically, we're trying to make a mini-music studio.

I'd like to be all in for around $2k, if possible. Ideally, this would be equipment that we could take to smaller venues and play as well (coffee shops, etc)

Getting started in plastic welding/brazing

drezdn — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:00:34 -0800

Getting started with (hobby) plastic welding/brazing? For a while now, I've wanted to try kit-bashing model kits and action figures to create strange new vehicles and umm... male aspiration figures. My glue-fu was never up to the task though.

Through toolmonger, I heard about The Discovery Channel Power Welder which sounds like it might allow me to overcome my glue weaknesses. I don't have much familiarity with plastic welding/brazing though.

Should I start with the Discovery Channel toy one, or should I get something like the Harbor Freight one (which seems designed more for working with pipes)?

Is there a good information source for the beginner?

Beware the 2-year-old with a Game Boy.

halogen — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:20:19 -0800

My nephew is 2 and a half years old. What simple electronic toys should we buy for him? He lives in Bulgaria, and is pretty much a typical toddler going through his stubborn tantrum phase. My parents gave him the Fisher-Price® Fun 2 Learn™ Laughtop™ earlier this summer, and he is absolutely in love with one of the games it came with. For anyone who knows the tyke, to see him play his console game is amazing--no other activity gets him so concentrated, enthusiastic and determined!

He is not quite verbal yet, and he doesn't speak or understand English--but I remember from my childhood that foreign languages never posed a problem as far as toys or video games were concerned. Shipping the gifts to Bulgaria is not an issue, however, games that plug into the TV will not work due to the different color encoding (PAL).

My mom has decided that a Game Boy would be pretty much perfect for him, and showed me this video in support of her opinion. Still, I would like to ask if there are other toys along those lines that are more appropriate for a toddler (I'm probably just bitter because I've been wanting one for myself for the past, oh, 10 years or so). What electronic toys did your kid like at his age? Is it too early to get him hooked on video games?

Where can I find a list of the sales rank of NFL jerseys?

ChasFile — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:05:17 -0800

How would you find a ranked list of professional sportsmens' jersey sales for a particular league during a particular season? For instance, where could you find a ranked list of the sales of NFL players' jerseys for 2007? I've Googled around and found various articles that list the top 20 or 25 in a particular year. That's a start, but really what I'd like is the source that those articles are based on, so I could get all the rankings, not just the top few. I'm as much interested in seeing the worst selling jerseys (spoiler: I know that the worst seller is New Orleans Saints nickelback Randall Gay) as I am in the best. Also, I'm most interested right now in the NFL — given its seasonal relevance — but I'd also be interested in seeing good data for any professional sports league.

They must be pulling that data from a list somewhere, and really what I'm interested in is seeing that list. Is it available anywhere online? Some of those articles list NFLShop.com as the source, but they don't get any more specific than that. I've looked around quite a bit on NFLShop.com but haven't found anything like this data.

I realize that it is proprietary sales data and therefore might not be available, but I feel like enough of those "This Year's Top Selling Jerseys" stories get published each year that the information must be out there, somewhere.

At worst, would it be possible to do this somehow based on, for instance, Amazon.com sales rankings? Is it possible to do a search on Amazon in such a way that it returns all the products in a category (like NFL jerseys, for instance) listed by sales rank?

Are there any other ways to get this kind of data or at least an approximation of it?

Bonus points if that list contains the actual sales figures, in addition to simply the rankings. Again, I realize that since this is proprietary sales data the chances are slim, but you never know. Again, since so many of those "This Year's Top Selling Jerseys" stories get published each year, I thought perhaps the data might be out there.

Swimming Holes Near San Francisco

salvia — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:01:50 -0800

Are there any good swimming holes in the San Francisco Bay Area or nearby? (Let's say, within a three hour drive.) I'd love to find some fresh water to swim in -- lakes, rivers, streams, something like that. Thanks for any suggestions! (And feel free to Mefi-mail me if you don't want to tell everyone your secret spot.)

How can I store comic books?

AlliKat75 — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:28:14 -0800

I am looking for some uber-cool comic book storage ideas. I am not really down with the boring cardboard boxes; however the storage does need to be of of the box and/or cabinet variety. Does anyone have any suggestions?

On an Urban Photo Safari in T.O.

nathaole — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:29:56 -0800

Aside from landmark buildings and tourist architecture, where can I take my out-of-town friend (an amateur photographer) to capture unique shots in Toronto this weekend? I haven't explored every nook and cranny of the city, but am looking for special places that would provide him with great souvenirs of his trip to Toronto. Examples of things similar to what I'm looking for might include the back alleys near Queen/Bathurst (amazing grafitti) and Kensington Market. Did the secret swing disappear long ago?

I'd like to avoid the CNE.

Thanks!

Poster repair

dreamphone — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:51:53 -0800

Need low-tech repair options for vintage paper poster. Is tape okay? My father-in-law has a bunch of old (1960's) paper posters (unmounted, no lamination) taped to a wall in their summer home from a summer that he travelled in Europe. Sad to report that our toddler tore the bottom quarter off one of the posters. The tear is "clean"; if the edges are placed together, it is hard to discern the tear.

My father-in-law has shrugged it off and said he'll just tape it back up (with tape on the back of the poster). Anyone out there have any thoughts on the best way to repair the poster without causing any further harm to it? We're not looking to go through an in-depth restoration/repair, but I want to make sure I'm not overlooking any less intrusive methods of repair before I stick a piece of tape on it.

I need to become a Guitar Hero master in 3 months... HELP!

gwenlister — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:52:52 -0800

A co-worker and I are having an ultimate Guitar Hero Battle to the death in 3 months time. I need some tips/techniques so I can kick his ass! After only playing 4 times I am ripping it up (getting ~95% on most songs) on medium, so I fully expect to reach expert level by the end of November (when the battle is). He currently has the advantage as he is already at expert level, but he has more demands on his time than I do so I will have much more time to play, practice and master it than he will before the battle. Also, I have 12+ years of piano training (among other instruments), and am an excellent touch typer, so I have fast accurate fingers, where he has said himself that isn't necessarily his forté.

I just need some tips on how to get really good at it quickly. Anyone know of some great tutorials/lessons/etc online? What songs should I focus on? What are some techniques for playing I wouldn't have thought of? Any tips on how to master the hammer-ons and roll-offs?

Help me beat him because the loser has to buy the other the Aerosmith version of the game, plus have a humiliating sign on their office door for a week explaining how they suck at Guitar Hero.

ps - We are going to be playing Guitar Hero 3, and I have the Wii version. Also, the battle will be that we each choose 5 songs some the set list that we will both play. Whoever gets the most points for the song gets to count it as a win. First person to get 6 wins... well, wins. :)

Is there an aquatic sport called zapping?

ninebelow — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:43:34 -0800

Is there an aquatic sport called zapping? My girlfriend was watching the Olympics in a bar in Ljubljana last week. She swears that one of the events was called zapping and consisted of a sort of aquatic leapfrog with one person swimming over three others in the pool before somersaulting off the back of the final one. Now, obviously this isn't an Olympic sport but she is adamant she wasn't drunk. So what did she see? Was this part of the Olympic synchronised swimming? Or some crazy Slovenian sport?

Solve my Sudoku

cosmonaught — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:17:17 -0800

Is this a medium difficulty Sudoku puzzle? Am I a Sudoku idiot? I've just started playing Sudoku (on my iPhone) and this puzzle comes up under medium difficulty, and apparently is going to keep coming up until I solve it. I'll get through it eventually, I'm sure, but it's requiring a lot more thought then I was expecting. Is the difficulty of this puzzle off, or have I not given Sudoku puzzles (and their solvers) enough credit?

What's the story w/ football (soccer) nicknames?

boombot — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 11:23:56 -0800

What is the best online essay available for history, anecdotes, methodologies, etc. for the Brazilian (and elsewhere, to be sure) footballer practice of going by a single-word nickname?

What type of bike should I get for pulling a trailer?

winston — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 06:31:28 -0800

I'm planning to buy a bicycle for myself and a trailer for two children to ride in. For the bike, I'd like to get something like a simple three-speed cruiser, but I've been told that I'll need more gears to pull the trailer. What do I need to look for in a bike to make it a good trailer-puller? The kids are currently 20 lbs and 30 lbs.

I'd like a bike I can sit upright on.

I'm planning to buy both the bike and the trailer used.

I'm not especially athletic but not in terrible shape. I walk about half an hour a day. Most of the cycling will be short distances without steep slopes.

Capture the magic of the olympics--two weeks after it's over.

mecran01 — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:08:42 -0800

What's the best way to catch all of the olympics that I missed? It seems like NBC's coverage was narrow at best and I'd like to see some of the great stuff they didn't focus on. Is there the equivalent of a boxed set of olympic footage that will show up on netflix at some point, or am I just stuck cobbling together olympic torrents?

Who sang the US national anthem at the men's basketball final at the Olympics?

cda — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 18:40:37 -0800

Who sang the US national anthem at the men's basketball final at the Beijing Olympics?

Excel help for auction?

shotgunbooty — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 17:16:56 -0800

Excel filter: Help me optimize my auction! Also, fantasy football filter.

Ok, so I have a set of projections/predicted stats for NFL players, and their predicted points scored according to my league's settings. I also have the average auction price that each player has been going for in mock auctions and other leagues.

What is the best way to use excel -- using functions, visual basic, whatever -- to figure out what the best combination of players at certain prices is? In other words, can excel help me figure out what starting lineup will best use all of the money I can use to auction and get me the most points?

(Non-trophy) Hunting in Southern California?

bone.eater — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 14:15:16 -0800

I'm an avid primitive outdoorsman living in Temecula, California one hour north of San Diego, 45 minutes east of Oceanside, and one hour south of San Bernardino (including Crestline, Lake Arrowhead, Big Bear, Devore). I'm seeking any sort of hunting, fishing, or collecting. On land I plan to using primarily a bow and, when hunting on private property with permission, an atlatl or sling. I'm a competent archer but have limited hunting experience. I'm up for anything - and I mean ANYTHING - that I can eat: pigs, goats, deer, hare, rabbit, crustaceans, mollusks, possums, raccoons, beaver, frogs, snakes, large insects, etc. What are my closest, best opportunities for game/fish/crustaceans? I'm SCUBA certified and willing to purchase dive equipment if opportunities for ocean collecting exist. Cost of hunts and charters, however, is a concern, so I'm looking for the best "bang for the buck" regarding dollars per pound of meat. I am wholly unconcerned with trophy opportunities.
I'm also looking for a hunting partner, if anyone is interested. You bring experience, I'll drive and carry.

Help me buy and have fun with my first bike in New York City

falameufilho — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 17:29:12 -0800

After thinking about it for half the summer, I am buying bikes for me and my wife. I need tips about buying a bike and also pointers on recreational biking in New York City. So, after renting bikes a bunch of times this summer with my wife, we decided to get our own bikes. So as you imagine, I have a bunch of questions.

First the requirements:

* These bikes are not for commuter use. These are just for weekend recreational use.
* They will, for 99.99% of their lifetime, ride on asphalt.
* I am a large individual: 6'1" and 260 pounds
* I prefer small to large: I live in a small apartment and storage is an issue. However, since folding bikes are ridiculously expensive for what they offer, I will suck it up. So size is not a deciding factor but again: Small is better than large.
* I prefer light to heavy: My building has an elevator but we may occasionally carry the bikes into the subway or something. Since this will happen rarely, it is also not a deciding factor but light is nice.
* My budget allows $500 on each bike, tops.

So, on to the questions!

1) I am going to buy them at Metro Bicycles in 88th street. I went there and I was really impressed by the salesman - I made a bunch of questions and he was really patient. Also, many things that I asked if I needed (tools, sturdier pedals) he was really emphatic in saying that I should not waste my money on them. I am really impressed when a salesman tells me not to buy stuff because it's superfluous. Anyway I'd like to check - anyone had bad experiences with Metro Bicycles?

2) I have done some research on hybrid/comfort bikes and decided they are the right type of bike for us. I rented a Giant Cypress a couple of times and really liked it. They go on Metro Bicycles for a very similar price as suggested on the Giant site. What do you think about it? They carry many other brands, if you have other brand preferences, feel free to speak up!

3) Any specifics I should look for in adapting the bike for physical differences? For example, what should I look for in buying a bike for a large guy (such as myself) of for a woman (such as my wife :-) )?

4) I am a little anxious about braving traffic in a bike. Any tips from veterans and links to resources on how to behave on a New York street are much appreciated.

5) Any tips for having fun with your bike in New York City are also much appreciated :-) I've just read this post with a lot of great options, anything else you'd like to add?

Bonus question: Anyone lives in a ridiculously small apartment and successfully stores a full-sized bike without going insane? Share your story.

Wow, that was a lot of questions. Thanks in advance, hive mind!

Where can we swim with the fishies?

aleahey — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 08:55:34 -0800

Fresh water creek/lake swimming in Central NJ? Recently went swimming in Double Trouble Park in South Jersey (official stance there is "no swimming" but no one bothered us), looking for similar experience in central NJ. Not interested in a place that has a lifeguard or tons of families swimming. Just a nice trail that leads to clean(ish) water for a nice refreshing dip.

We're very active, love hiking, swimming and anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new kayak! Any suggestions of cool places to go that won't be too crowded would be appreciated!

Thanks! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Alternative to MotionBased and Garmin Connect?

letitrain — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:09:21 -0800

Alternatives to MotionBased and Garmin Connect for tracking running workouts with a Garmin Forerunner 305? Are there any alternative websites that provide running-specific GPS tracking, including maps and heart rate, pace and speed analysis? I had transitioned completely to Garmin Connect, but with yesterday's site update they locked out the Forerunner 305 (not officially supported, but previously working just fine). Grrrr...

I could go back to MotionBased and pay to upgrade my account (necessary to see more than ten workouts), but it's supposedly going to be replaced with the (free) Garmin Connect any day now. I can't tell if I'd be paying for a month or if they'll have their typical 4-12 month upgrade delays. Which means I don't know whether to sign up for a month or a year.

Anyway, my emails with Garmin support are an exercise in frustration and I'm ready to try something new until they get their heads out of their collective asses. Any suggestions? Thanks!