# Whats your passion?



## diddi (Jan 25, 2012)

Just thought I'd get the lounge talking about something non-political and non-intellectual so i was wondering what fellow excellers use excel for to enhance their leisure time.

I don't mind a bit of genealogy so i find it quite rewarding to get excel working for me scaraping a few web pages and making nice lookups for mine (and others) family history research.

What's your 'bent'?

Cheers, and happy discussion...


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## Jon von der Heyden (Jan 25, 2012)

Well I'm a complete nutter so my passion is snakes and gliding.

I also enjoy veggie gardening and hiking in the wildlife reserve behind my house.

Recently I got into geocaching!


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## meldoc (Jan 25, 2012)

Field Archery, I've been practicing for over 50 years, and if I don't some improvement soon I'm going to give it up! 
And no we don't wear green tights, well not all of us and definitely not in public.


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## Domski (Jan 25, 2012)

Other than using it to keep track of what people owe me when I've booked holidays I don't use Excel for much outside work and if I'm honest most of that kind of thing goes on Google Docs these days to make it easier to share.

Dom


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## Jon von der Heyden (Jan 25, 2012)

Ohhhhhh excel related.  I missed that bit.

Well I work with Excel all day so these days I'm enjoying not being glued to it all days and every day.  Still, being self-employed and using excel sure beats working a 'regular' job.


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## justme (Jan 25, 2012)

Jon - geocaching is fun isn't it?  Right now I have a travel bug that needs a new home.  But it will have to wait until it gets a little warmer here.


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## Jon von der Heyden (Jan 25, 2012)

Well I'm a geocaching noob but we travel about a fair amount, both locally and internationally, so it made sense to join the club.  We really enjoy our outdoor walks/hikes and my daughter (3) also finds it fun.

You might be surprised how many caches are local to you.  We live in the middle of nowhere and yet there is about a dozen around us, mostly up the hiking trails.


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## justme (Jan 25, 2012)

It's amazing how many there are.  I just checked the website and I have 44 caches within 10 miles of my zip code.  302 if I go out 25 miles!  The kids lose interest if we don't find them really fast, but once found they are all over it.  They loved the one that was a bug in the hole of a tree.  You had to pull a string coming out of the abdomen of this huge plastic pincher bug and a little aluminum tube came out which you had to unscrew and sign your name.


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## TinaP (Jan 25, 2012)

Geocaching sounds interesting.  There are over 20 within a mile of where I'm sitting.  I'll give it a go once Ma Nature allows outdoor activities.  Except for the site that says the area abounds in poison ivy.  Been there, done that, don't care for it.


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## arkusM (Jan 27, 2012)

I have recently used it to drive TSD Rally computations, which will serve as the springboard for a VB Version with Odo/Speedometer inputs and a separate hardware stand alone unit. (Caution!!! steep learning curves ahead)


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## diddi (Jan 27, 2012)

@arkusM  are you a bit of an electronics geek?


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## arkusM (Jan 30, 2012)

diddi said:


> @arkusM are you a bit of an electronics geek?


 
HAHA, hard to say, my first dabbling in school was for electronics but did not pursue it.. This project is definitely stretching me(Learning VB, may need to translate to C++ which I don’t know and will need to learn a microcontroller language!!!). 
What is amazing is the resources that are out there; this site is amazing and there seems to be a resources like this for almost anything, I am blown away with the generosity of some people(geeks).


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## diddi (Jan 31, 2012)

which microcontroller are you planning to use?


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## diddi (Jan 31, 2012)

which microcontroller are you planning to use?


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## Bronte (Jan 31, 2012)

except simple excel calculator , i 'm fond of cinema, salsa dance .


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## arkusM (Jan 31, 2012)

diddi said:


> which microcontroller are you planning to use?


 

I was looking at the Arduino platform at first, but came across the Propeller chip that might handle everything I want to throw at it better, namely it needs to drive multiple LCD displays. Both the Arduino and Propeller have special programing languages so I'll have to learn something new. Do you dabble in these things as well?
We are also developing a Software version as well, and are playing around with VB, mostly because I am familiar with VBA, but VB is different enough I feel like I should just go to C++, I don't know, the learning curve feels like a brick wall at the moment...


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## daniels012 (Feb 1, 2012)

I am involved with little league and I love creating schedules, and setting up a draft page to do our draft.

I am with Domski though, i have moved a lot to Google Docs just because the sharing part of it.  So easy.

Michael D


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## arkusM (Feb 1, 2012)

daniels012 said:


> I am involved with little league and I love creating schedules, and setting up a draft page to do our draft.
> 
> I am with Domski though, i have moved a lot to Google Docs just because the sharing part of it. So easy.
> 
> Michael D


 

Have you guys used Docs.com? It allows you to use xlsm files, it is a microsoft sharepoint backed system, the upside is it lets you use native MS office files.You can used FB to sign in. (not that I am a fan of that...)

But it is an option.


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## diddi (Feb 1, 2012)

@arkusM
i did some old 8bit programming back in the day on 6502s and Z80s,  then some PIC programming here and there.  built a dodgy programmer for flashing eeproms for playstations etc.  havent done anything recent tho.  too old LOL


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## arkusM (Feb 1, 2012)

@diddi,
HAHA, never *too* old, someone once said to me you grow old anyway, might as well learn something along the way.
Was just curious, you never know what tangled webs people have wove over thier lives and might as well tug on a thread you find, never know what might shake out. 
For me starting this projects(s) feels a bit like standing on the top of a 10m diving board mustering the courage to jump, one way or another your going in the pool but will it be an elegant entry, a passable entry, and I just hope it isn't a belly flop... LOL


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## diddi (Feb 1, 2012)

this has been an interesting thread.  i hope more people get on board (pardon the pun). its fairly likely that our collective interests will overlap and all sorts of positive outcome may prevail.

are there any specs on your microcontroller/s available online to look over


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## SuperFerret (Feb 2, 2012)

I use Excel to control my passion for making Fancy Dress outfits, I tend to go a little overboard and spend FAR too much so I use Excel to keep tabs on what I spend so I don't go over budget. Not very technical, or advanced...but it's something.

I also love to draw


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## JamesW (Feb 2, 2012)

PC Gaming for me... Oh, and keeping the missus happy of course!

I'm also into Military Aircraft and attend the Fairford Airshow (Worlds largest military one) every year.


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## Jon von der Heyden (Feb 2, 2012)

Fairford is pretty awesome!


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## arkusM (Feb 2, 2012)

diddi said:


> this has been an interesting thread. i hope more people get on board (pardon the pun). its fairly likely that our collective interests will overlap and all sorts of positive outcome may prevail.
> 
> are there any specs on your microcontroller/s available online to look over


 

The chip itself:
http://www.parallax.com/propeller/
a development board Here

I think I am leaning this way because of the multiprocessor and not needing to use interrupts...  but it is probably more than I need LOL. oh well.


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## JamesW (Feb 9, 2012)

Jon von der Heyden said:


> Fairford is pretty awesome!


 
It's very awesome!


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## eorill (Feb 28, 2012)

I love car racing though I do not have the guts to drive one but I fancy attending F1 races and all the glamour that surrounds it.  I know that there are some who just like it for what it is but when you get to understand the sport and the science behind, you just see it as something that you bring you a lot closer to perfection, or at least right within those ranks.


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