Is it a hidden hobby? or...

[Lanx]

does your significant other know about how peculiar you are about keyboards that you frequent a site like GH?

Mine has seen me work on my v1 for a while and still thinks it's the v1 until i told her it's a second one and she's like what happened to the first. Then i told her what i had planned and she was like whatever (cuz she just thinks split ergo are impossible to use so she doesn't even try typing on the v1 or v2). She's not against it, she's just wondering the countless hours i spend modding and she's trying to put a price to the keyboard and she's like it must be at $1,000 now. (i don't think i want to tell her i even have a v3 in the back of my mind as i'm on the final stages of my v2!)

I know many of you collect, does your significant other wonder why you need so much storage room?!

[msiegel]

i've come out to a few friends i trust.

they respect that it's part of who i am, and they even appreciate some of my exploits

i haven't told my family yet.

wait... we're talking about keyboards, right?  <_<

[Sam]

Designing electronics is my job and my wife was well aware of that when I first met her.  So if I wasn't tinkering with a keyboard it would be some other piece of electronics.  Not to mention, my wife's got a degree in computer engineering, so if anything she'd probably like to get involved also if I were to bring my stuff home to work on.

[Senor_Cartmenez]

I don't have any problems telling folks about the superiorness and awesomness of mechs.

Most of em think it's a load of bull though.

One of the reasons might be that I am the only one actually working, everyone else is studying and has no income. So it's not really an option for them.

And we all know: If you can't afford it, it CANNOT POSSIBLY BE THAT AWESOME.

[instantkamera]

that's when you tell them to go buy a model M, or even give them one.

[iMav]

I don't have any problems telling folks about the superiorness and awesomness of mechs.

Most of em think it's a load of bull though.

One of the reasons might be that I am the only one actually working, everyone else is studying and has no income. So it's not really an option for them.

And we all know: If you can't afford it, it CANNOT POSSIBLY BE THAT AWESOME.

That's why I keep a stack of NIB AT101Ws and several refurbed Model Ms around.  They make great giveaways for those that can't afford a decent keyboard.  I've also ordered several keyboards from Unicomp that I have given away over the past few years (I've even given keyboards away to geekhack members as gifts/rewards/etc).

Nothing says "I love you" like the gift of a [strike]spatula[/strike] keyboard.

[kidchunks]

I've got friends who freak when I say I've spent x amount on keyboards. Then they go and spend the same amount at the strip club.

Different strokes for diff folks!

I consider it a hobby! Expensive one at that!

[zmurf]

Expensive one at that!

Nja... It isn't really that expensive... A really expensive keyboard cost something like $2400. But most of them don't reach above $300.

I have friends who plays golf and have a set of clubs (a set is 14 clubs) where each club cost between $1000 - $3000. They also have to pay somewhere between $2000-$5000 per year for a golf club membership... otherwise they aren't allowed to play on any golf course. And before they could join the golf club they had to take a golf green card... and that costs about $1000. And then it takes lots of time to actually play golf....

and here in Sweden you are only able to play between late spring and early fall...

that's an expensive hobby...

[jpc]

I give away refurb'ed Model M's to friends, family, coworkers if they express interest.

Each giveaway costs $10 for the original board (from a guy who has a hoard of used Ms in varying condition) plus $3 in nuts and bolts and $4 in new springs and hammers. It's not expensive, and the resulting boards type like brand new.

[microsoft windows]

Does owning 15 computers sound like a hidden hobby to you?

[msiegel]

in a basement it does

[keyb_gr]

My boards have all been low double-digit € range at most. Just about any other serious hobby is more expensive.

[microsoft windows]

I pick most of my keyboards out of the trash, so I guess that doesn't count as real expensive.

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

Yeah, but you got your Model M5-2 out of the trash, you couldn't find a better keyboard in the trash in my opinion...

[microsoft windows]

A guy here found a few M15's in a dumpster once.

[Pylon]

I pick most of my keyboards out of the trash, so I guess that doesn't count as real expensive.

Hi-Five my fellow dumpster diver.

Though the only keyboard I've gotten in the trash is a terminal Model F...

[Minskleip]

I told a woman about keyboards once; she disappeared. The good thing is I won't get her awesome-juice on my interface.

[InSanCen]

Most people know I am picky about what I type on. My Co-workers reeally know after the incident that ended up with me smashing a rubber dome, and bringing a cherry 1800in to replace the now even less functional thing that was called a keyboard. Sadly, someone objected to Mechanical switches, and promptly "spilt" coffee over it. It will be getting fixed, and put back.