logoalt Hacker News

nater5000 • yesterday at 8:17 PM • 8 replies • view on HN

>Anything I write will be outdone in 2 seconds by someone else.

Then it's not really a hobby, no? Sounds more like a weird competition.

>But before I could, many many others had an LLM do the same thing and my work was obsolete in a moment. There went that hobby... so now I'm hunting a new one...

That sounds more like a job, at least with your perspective.

>I gain no joy from that, the joy I would have gained would be from other people using my work. Now they can produce my work without me entirely...

That's a job, man. Even if you're not getting paid money for it, you're not really doing it for yourself.

The point is a bit moot cause it's the same difference: you can get joy from a "job" and AI making that job obsolete sucks regardless. But if that's what you think a hobby is, then you don't have an actual hobby.

Go take up gardening.


Replies

dumberquestions • yesterday at 8:27 PM

We've thoroughly pathologized this aspect throughout history, but doing things that earn you societal status and respect from others is a essential for having a healthy psyche for many, possibly most people, men especially struggle when they don't have avenues to demonstrate skill and competence.

nemomarx • yesterday at 8:35 PM

Doing things to share them with others is pretty normal in a hobby. You might be baking for friends and family or sewing clothes or whatever, and want to enjoy the recipients appreciation for it. If people don't accept your gifts, the satisfaction of it will go away, and the same is often true of small coding projects I think.

xboxnolifes • yesterday at 9:44 PM

If their hobby was contributing through code and now their contributions are worthless, they have lost a hobby.

sqeak • yesterday at 8:53 PM

I wish I could take up gardening but alas I live in an apartment like most other people... I suppose you got me, I have no hobbies and it's just another reason to not want to be here. :) Everything is work and not much fun, is it?

➕ show 1 reply
lelanthran • yesterday at 9:04 PM

This is a weird PoV - that a hobby is only a hobby if there is no community and you do it solo.

Sounds like you're saying tennis can't be a hobby. Nor videogames, nor making movies, writing stories, etc.

I mean, it'd be hilarious if it wasn't so tragic: hobbies via a community is still a hobby. There is no requirement that to qualify as a hobby it has to be completely audience-free.

➕ show 1 reply
mulr00ney • yesterday at 8:43 PM

Thank you for this post, enlightened being

airstrike • yesterday at 8:49 PM

Woefully out of touch and crass.

happytoexplain • yesterday at 8:18 PM

This is hideous.

➕ show 1 reply