[AB^2=BCxAC]

OK, there are obviously more addictions than these, but these are the primary geek issues related to technology, and that aren't NC-17 or belong in another part of the lounge.

The key trait of an affliction hobby is that it never becomes really successful or professional, but eats up your life.

This will be my non-scientific study of the issues that plague us. Consider the stereotypes, think of where you might be in relation to the problem. Which ones eat up the most time and money? Which ones make social pariahs? Which ones create the most powerful cults? Discuss...

Audiophile: Collects vintage and modern stereo equipment; has a major system for pristine listening; argues about wiring fidelity, headhones, tube amps, and the warmth of vinyl; obsessive librarian of music "that matters"...

Shutterbug: Covets flawless prime lenses and compulsively buys zoom lenses, strobes, umbrellas, and bounce devices; loves digital flexibility, but feels film is where you prove yourself; thousands of mindless nature photographs of birds and sunsets, family, flowers and buildings...

AV Addict: The home theatre is a refuge, a sanctuary, a zen palace of perfection; daydreams that a Lucas Film engineer might one day stop in and gush about the brilliant use of strategically placed multiple woofers; the display costs more than the first year at most universities; Tivo is for amateurs...

Downloader: File sharing as an art; GB of warez never even tried out; GB of mp3's and movies; separate identities for leeching and sharing; IRC, IRQ, IRT - they know the difference...

Apple Evangelism: If it comes from Infinite Loop in Cupertino, they've got a crush on it; if it's rumored to be coming out from Cupertino, they've got an ear to the wall; they quietly clean up the "Desktop" at various stations in the local Apple Store, because the staff and geniuses aren't fast enough at cleaning up after the riff-raff, and they want any potential switcher to have a perfect first experience.

PC Mods: It's been super-cooled and meticulously fit into an old G.I. Joe Hovertank; their Wi-Fi signal still gets 50% strength in the next county; if it has a display, they can get it to play Doom...

Forum Posting: +1; carefully designed signatures and avatars for multiple logins at the same forum; refreshing the same thread more than 30 times in an hour; because no one reads their blog...

Computer/Console Gaming: beating Zelda on NES, fragging in the original Half-Life; beating Koreans in StarCraft, making Halo movies, WoW debits their checking account monthly - yawn, that's nothing; they've stayed up 48 hours eating nothing but Dominos Pizza, looking for and comparing easter eggs in the various console versions of Medal of Honor (which they hate), just for bragging rights...

Chess: Not expensive or techy, but really geeky and it doesn't serve any grand social purpose; At some point after age 6, they realize they're not a prodigy, but it doesn't matter; Chess is the game for "real" intellectuals...

[Y3a]

Ya left out Hobby Geeks.

Three catagories.

Sci-Fi modellers who are anal about the Aztec pattern on the "TOS" Enterprise and the "real color" of the ship.

Model Railroaders - who make giant moving dioramas for their accurate models of some obscure Steam locomotive and correct number and type(Correctly numbered) cars. Rivet counters.

Also Military modellers who do figures, tanks, ships, planes, and also dioramas.

[Randman]

I would say people who write fan fiction (1), dress in up costume for conventions (2) and serial trolls (3).

[AB^2=BCxAC]

Well, hobby geeks... yeah, I wish I had thought of that. But then I'd have to include costumed folk at conventions. And if I said that, then I'd have to include Manga and Comic Books, and then I'd have to let in... it's a slippery slope, so I capped myself with a limited selection before the list got too long.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by AB^2=BCxAC

Forum Posting: +1; carefully designed signatures and avatars for multiple logins at the same forum; refreshing the same thread more than 30 times in an hour; because no one reads their blog...

The best description of the Lounge I've ever read

-t

[Doofy]

Ricers.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by AB^2=BCxAC

Forum Posting: +1; carefully designed signatures and avatars for multiple logins at the same forum; refreshing the same thread more than 30 times in an hour; because no one reads their blog...

Oh yeah. Let's not forget bloggers.

[Millennium]

None of these really bother me all that much. A few others:

Anime: If it's Japanese and it's not live-action, I'll give it a shot. Hell, I'll even check out the live-action stuff sometimes. I keep a Region 2 DVD player on hand at all times, even though I don't live in Region 2. Japan is TEH AWESOME. I've even started learning Japanese; listen: Watashi wa aho de gozaru.

Comics: TV is good. Books are good. Let's try combining them to create a visual medium in book form. I hear the Japanese are doing well with this; maybe I should check that out...

Role-Playing Games: Conversant in multiple systems, often with a homebrew system or two under their belt; playing games in costume; LARPing more than once a month; 'deep-immersion' LARPing more than zero times in one's life...

Otherkin: Games are for wimps. Why 'play' an elf when you can be one? Or at the very least, when you can literally have an elf's soul? I'm a dragon, though.

Soul-Bonding: Why be just any elf, when you can be Legolas Greenleaf? Or if elves aren't your forte, how about Hermione Granger, or Smaug the dragon, or Li Mu Bai? Me, I'm Sailor Jupiter.

Furry: Anthropomorphic animals are nice. Really nice. I think I want to be one. Not like those Otherkin, though; I'd be satisfied with a suit.

Plushie: My personal heroes are Noah, Ty Warner, and Caligula. I try to emulate all of them at once.

By the way, I'm guilty as charged on the anime, comics (though I came at it from the opposite direction: first manga then Western), and RPG geekdoms, as well as Downloader, Forum Posting, and Computer/Console Gaming. I'm not really into the original post's list, though, and I tend to avoid the others which I mentioned.