Home Office: Use your PC to Start a Hobby

Before PCs, if I wanted to experiment with a hobby, I'd schlep to the library, browse through the stacks, and find things that interested me. I still browse, but now it's on the Web. And with a quick download, I can virtually experience many intriguing pastimes.

So I rummaged around and found a few potential hobbies, things that might help me (and you) prolong summer.

Start Playing Around

Are you curious about your musical talent--not playing music but learning how to create it? I found a few neat-o programs to give you a musical boost.

Start with one of these four freebies, which give you--or your child--the basics in music. Begin by taking a shot at reading music with Treble and Bass Clef, and then try your hand at Play It By Ear, an easy way to learn music by listening to it. You might want to use Notes In Space to get a handle on note durations--whole notes, half notes, and those pesky quarter notes. And once you're comfortable with note duration, tackle rest signs with Note Cracker.

If you can spend a couple of bucks (like $20), try A Musical Tutorial. In a few lessons, you can try your hand at sight reading, get a better understanding of timing and rhythm, and learn how to play scales. As you progress, you can print chords and scales to study away from the PC.

Before you move on, you really have to poke around the Shareware Music Machine site. It offers more than 40 software categories, including ear training, tuners, sequencers, and radio production. If nothing else, check out the massive section of free music software. I promise you'll be overwhelmed.

Some Sound Advice

All this talk about music provides you an excuse to buy a new pair of speakers for your PC. The set I like is from Logitech, the THX-certified Z-560s. While they've been selling for a while and aren't exactly new (but hey, neither am I), they still produce a spectacular, life-like sound. Read speaker aficionado Eric Dahl's review, "Powerful PC Speaker Set."

And how about giving your PC's sound system a little boost? Can do, folks, with just a little reading. I bumped into "Upgrade Guide: Revamp Your PC's Sound System," a great Stan Miastkowski tutorial.

Dig this: You know how I often joke about people having too much time on their hands? Well I'm not sure what's more worrying: the fact that someone spent the time to paint an add-in card and post it on a site called Metku Mods, or that my PCWorld.com buddy Kirk Steers somehow found the site. My favorites? Card Painting, Project Cryo, and the ultra bizarre GlowPad.

Need a Hobby? Check These Out

Too many people I talk with say they don't have any extracurricular activities. If you don't have a hobby, spend a few minutes plowing through these short takes of top-notch programs--and see what tickles your fancy.

Go Boating Online. Have a yen for sailing or power boating? I do, and was taken aback by how real Virtual Sailor felt. The boat's response to waves felt accurate, as did the race against other boats. There are dozens of free third-party add-ons--from bathyspheres to cigarette racing boats--as well as additional scenes and views. You can sail into the sunset for $25, or play with a limited trial download.

Explore Your Inner Cinematographer. You get seasick? Fine, then let's trim the sails and try a different tack. You might consider becoming the family auteur and videotaping the next holiday gathering. (Okay, so Columbus Day isn't a biggie--but you get the idea.) Our "Buyers' Guide to Digital Camcorders" reviews five sleek little models. Be sure to read the "Key Features" page for a solid background before you compare cameras.

Grow Your Own Veggies. My tomato plants are on their last long run, but the Thai peppers are still growing--and still blistering hot. Are you interested in gardening, too? Then you'll want to check out Garden Organizer Deluxe 1.9. Among other features, the program lets you organize your vegetables and ornamental plants, with spots for descriptions, pictures, and maintenance notes (which helps me decide whether my tomatoes are over- or under-watered). At $65, the program's not cheap; but you can use it free for 45 days to see what it does.

Catalog Your Fish. How about starting an aquarium, or maybe a backyard pond? If you think that's a cool idea, try MSA Aquarium Software. It's a neat way to keep track of and organize multiple species of fish, manage the water quality and temperature, figure out your fish's feeding schedule, and keep a breeding scorecard. The program also lets you record pictures of your precious guppies and neon fish. I'll bet you can probably note which fish are floating on the surface and whether they're listing to port or starboard. (Please, no PETA e-mails.) Buy it for $29.95, or try it for 30 days.

Raise Frogs. Okay, so you weren't thrilled with the fish idea. How about herps? You know, reptiles and amphibians--snakes and salamanders. (Hey, better than some of the guys in the IT department, no?) MSA Herpetology Software is similar to the company's aquarium software, except for the water and floating fish.

Birding, Anyone?

Look, up in the sky. Is it a Red Shouldered Hawk or a run-of-the-mill Red Tail? If you don't know the difference--and you'd like to learn--I have a Web site and some software for you to try. (BTW, if you haven't guessed, both my wife Judy and I are avid birders.)

First head for The Virtual Birder for "birding breaks," quick birding trip simulations to assorted North American destinations.

Once you're hooked on birding, you'll want to start keeping track of your sightings. Take a look at AviSys, the bird listing software that my wife swears by. You can retrieve your records by site, season, state, county, and bird species--or even design your own criteria, say, hawks that have flown over my home office while I was stalling on a deadline. Unfortunately, there's no free trial, but the author provides a 60-day money back guarantee.

Dig this: I'm worried that you're not having as much fun with these hobbies as I am. So check out Switcheroo Zoo, a strange little site you might find amusing.

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