YouTube. From around 2008 - 2016, it was pretty much my only source of media and entertainment. I was subscribed to so many different channels and never missed an upload. I could spend hours just binge watching all types of content. These days, I only watch / follow a handful of creators. Really only visit the site when I have nothing better to do.
When I’m not on the phone or with a client, I typically listen to jazz. Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Lee Morgan, Charlie Parker, etc. Something about it just helps me focus.
I’ll also occasionally listen to movie and game soundtracks to mix things up. It’s very rare that I ever listen to anything with lyrics while working.
I use Thunder for the exact same reasons. I’m personally not a big fan of the Apollo look. Just doesn’t do it for me. Thunder has also been the most stable for me as well.
I recently got back into collecting physical comics as a hobby. It’s fun going to comic shops and/or used bookstores and flipping through all the back issues to try and find certain runs. I also enjoy experiencing new / current issues when they come out. I’ve been delving into the indies recently, and it’s opened up a whole new world for me.
Other than that, I’ve been trying to get into woodworking. Just need a few more tools before I can really start. I seem to have a habit of being drawn to the more expensive hobbies…
Assassin’s Creed III. I know it’s considered one of the weakest entries in the series, but I absolutely love the time period it’s set in. That alone had me excited. Decided to finally give it a try recently and quickly found out that all the criticisms are valid. It’s not very fun, the story is extremely bland, there are multiple glitches throughout, and the modern day sections are just the absolute worst. I don’t ever expect much when it comes to the AC series (especially the titles from that time) and can usually find something enjoyable in them. Not the case with III.
Anything revolving around collecting more obscure items. I was pretty invested in pens and mechanical pencils on Reddit…even though I don’t collect either. There was just something super satisfying about seeing all different types of pens / pencils and learning about them.
Also miss having a trumpet community! Hopefully one will eventually spring up and become active!
Originally started out on Beehaw due to the name. I like bees. I like cowboys. Win-win. Then they defederated from the two biggest instances, and I lost out on a lot of great communities.
Ended up switching to Reddthat since the name / URL was easy for my ADHD brain to remember and didn’t require typing a novel to join.
Overall I’d have to rate the channel 4.5 Mark Ruffalos.
Here are a few of the top of my head…
Calvin Dyson: In depth reviews on all things James Bond.
The Backyard Scientist: Crazy guy in FL doing crazy science experiments.
Doctor Wolfula: Horror related channel that harkens back to the days of horror movie hosts.
Comic Book Corner 2.0: Casual video centered around comic book collecting.
Minnime: Reviews / retrospectives of more obscure games.
Scarfulhu: Reviews / retrospectives of mainly point and click adventure games.
Jim Browning: Exposes all sorts of tech support scams. Unlike other scam channels (Scammer Payback, Kitboga, Trilogy Media, etc), Jim is more focused more on educating rather than comedic scam baiting.
Puppet Nerd: If you ever wanted to learn how to make a puppet or get into puppetry, this is the go-to channel. The creator (Adam) was diagnosed with brain cancer last year, but he’s doing much better now and starting to put more videos out again.
Tasting History: Historical recipes re-created and the history behind them.
Accented Cinema: Video essays covering foreign (mainly Asian) films and actors.
ComicTropes: History of certain comic book runs, spin-offs, writers, artists, and tropes.
Game Sack: Deep dives into classic video game consoles and games.
Ordinary Sausage: A guy who makes sausage out of anything and everything.
Tried to hit multiple interests with this list. There’s so many smaller creators I’d love to recommend, but they all revolve around more specific topics / hobbies / interests.
I fell for the same thing back in the day. Probably where my trust issues began….