Hobby 14: Breakdance (Bboy)

Loop Hobbies is back from the holiday "Break" with "Breakdancing"!

What's this all about you ask? Well that's a good question. In came Kenneth Liu, suave, sophisticated, and devilishly handsome. You may recall all of my good qualities and features from the previous logo.



Although this picture is 3 years old, I assure you, I still look that good with that bag over my head.

Ironically, I hated to dance. So, at the start of my freshman year in college I decided to take up breakdancing, because I was attracted to the powermoves. I learned a lot over the course of a year: the history behind the dance, "Breakdancers" vs "Bboys", and the crucial balance between style and power. Eventually, I learned to love dancing and here we are today! Take a look and learn something new!



Pros:
-Learn how to dance
-Learn a new way to express yourself
-Fun and exciting!

Cons:
-There are no cons

So yeah, to sum it all up, start a new hobby and maybe you'll learn to find a new passion!

Free Game: Savior From Orbit

Here's a free game to play while waiting for our next hobby post.





Players gun down asteroids and mine gems to purchase upgrades. After each stage, players are allowed to upgrade and repair their ship using their collected gems. There are also 4 different weapons to use and upgrade.

Play here!

Also, you might need to head to microsoft.com and update your directx 9 drivers to play.

How far can you get?

Hobby 13: Mini Golf

Everyone loves mini golf, and today we are going to show you how to play for free. While the international sports organization World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF) prefers to use the name "minigolf", the general public in different countries has also many other names for the game: miniature golf, mini-golf, midget golf, goofy golf, shorties, extreme golf, crazy golf, adventure golf, mini-putt and so on.

Harshal insisted that not only do we play mini golf, but that we pay for him so he could "beat us badly." We weren't doing that. Instead, we just decided to build our own golf course for free and challenge the self proclaimed master of miniature golf, Harshal. Here's how we put together our 5 hole championship course.



Materials:
-Spare carpet or rugs
-Golf ball and putter
-Golf hole or cups
-Wood, books, stuffed animals, pillows, etc.

Making your own mini golf course is simple! First, use a spare piece of carpet or a leftover rug to outline your hole. Next, place objects like wood scraps or books under the rug to make bumps and hills. Place more on top to make obstacles for players to putt around. Use a cup or a specialized golf hole as your destination and start playing. If a player hits the ball off the carpet, give them a penalty stroke and let them place the ball where it left, or give them an incomplete for that hole.

So we challenged Harshal and here was our final scores:
Mike - 10
Jo - 16
Harshal - 18

Be creative and have fun!

Hobby 12: Burger King

Today we are going to talk about a hobby everyone should avoid, Burger King.



Willing to take one for the team, we set out to eat a real meal at the Burger King. Normally we just get the pies and onion rings, but how was the rest of the food?


Zesty.



Cons:
-Fattening, unhealthy food
-Way too many calories
-Good chance of giving you a stomach ache
-Triple Whopper


If you fill out the survey, they will give you free food. We decided to stick it to the man by actually filling out their survey. They never saw it coming.



All in all, eating at Burger King is a hobby that should be avoided. Try not to do this regularly.

Check back later this week for some hobby videos!

5 Minutes with Loop Hobbies Episode 3

"The night is dark. The room is hot. In our dreary daze, we decided to converse about the topics we care about most, such as: cellphones, movies, and holidays.

Let us enlighten you for five minutes of your precious life."

Cleaning Out a Desktop Computer

Today, Jamon and Patty search through an ancient computing relic to discover long lost artifacts. What will they find?



Cleaning out your computer regularly can greatly affect the lifespan. Dust can inhibit the performance and cause your computer to make louder than normal buzzing noises. After we cleaned this computer, it made significantly less idle noise.

Tips:

-Make sure to be careful while cleaning around all the wires inside the computer so as not to unplug any of them. If you unplug a wire you're unfamiliar with, it can sometimes take a while to figure out where it belongs.

-Keeping your computer elevated at least two inches off the ground can help prevent it from getting so dusty.

-Working in a well lit environment helps a lot while cleaning. Use a flashlight if you're in poorly lit conditions.

Things you might discover:

Dreamcast Game Reviews

The Sega Dreamcast recently celebrated its 10th birthday, so today we are reviewing some of the systems best games. Take out your Dreamcast and enjoy.



Ikaruga
Patty: 5/10
Jo: 10/10
Mike: 10/10
Average: 8.3/10

Phantasy Star Online
Patty: "I've never played it"
Jo: 9/10
Mike: 10/10
Average: 9.5/10

Gauntlet Legends
Patty: "I've never played it"
Jo: 7/10
Mike: 7/10
Average: 7/10

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
Patty: "I've never played it!"
Jo: 8.5/10
Mike: 8.5/10
Average: 8.5/10

Sonic Shuffle
Patty: 10/10
Jo: 8/10
Mike: 8.2/10
Average: 8.7/10

Power Stone 2
Patty: "I've never played it"
Jo: 7/10
Mike: 9.7/10
Average: 8.4/10

Fur Fighters
Patty: 8/10
Jo: 8/10
Mike: 9.1/10
Average: 8.4/10

Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future
Patty: 6/10
Jo: 6/10
Mike: 6.7/10
Average: 6.2/10

Chu Chu Rocket
Patty: 10/10
Jo: 10/10
Mike: 9.6/10
Average: 9.9/10

Hobby Followup - Popsicle Stick House Roof

Today we are posting our most requested how-to video, the roof for our Popsicle stick house.

'How to Make a Popsicle Stick House' is our most watched video, with nearly ten times as many views as our second most popular movie. Many readers and viewers have requested we explain how to make the roof to our house, so we finally got around to doing it! Basically, we attempted to make the roof in the original video, but failed horribly and cut that part out of the film. Now you can finally see how it is done.



Materials:
-18 Popsicle sticks
-Pencil
-Scissors
-Glue
-Weights
-Roofless Popsicle stick house

To make your own roof, notch cut 16 of the sticks and pair them together. Use the remaining two sticks to connect the 8 pairs. Just watch the video.



Have fun and check back next week for more hobbies.

City Life

Click any image to zoom in.


The sign reads, "Will Ferrell Semi-Pro."


His saxophone was singing the tune to "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands."


In the city, you can't help but look up.



A lost Asian tourist.



The "Civic Opera Bvilding." Yes, building is spelled with a 'v'. I guess they hoped nobody would notice.


There is always a protest going on in urban centers. They just become part of the noisy background.




The Museum of Contemporary Art.


They told us we couldn't take pictures inside the museum, but we knew better. This masterful video projection simply can't be expressed in words or a still image.



The rolling mountains make a great addition to the city skyline.


A quiet match of ping pong amidst the urban sprawl.

(photos by Jamon, text by Mike)

5 Minutes with Loop Hobbies Episode 2

Here is the second installment of our 5 minute talk show. For those joining late, we talk about as many relevant topics as we can in only a 5 minute time span.

Our topics for this week are cellphones, dreams, spell check, and shopping. This was the most popular of our new segments, so we hope you enjoy.

Wii Game Reviews

Want to buy some new Nintendo Wii Games? Wondering which ones are actually good? Watch our review show and find out.




House of the Dead 2 & 3: Return
Patty: 9.6/10
Jo: 9/10
Mike: 8.7/10
Average: 9.1/10

Super Mario Galaxy
Patty: 9/10
Jo: 9/10
Mike: 9.7/10
Average: 9.2/10

Super Smash Brothers Brawl
Patty: 9.6/10
Jo: 10/10
Mike: 9.7/10
Average: 9.8/10

Red Steel
Patty: "There's some slut on the back..."
Jo: 7/10
Mike: 6/10
Average: 6.5/10

Sonic and the Secret Rings
Patty: 0
Jo: 0
Mike: 6.5
Average: 2/10

Shonen Jump Presents Bleach: Shattered Blade
Patty: -
Jo: -
Mike: 5/10
Average: 5/10

Hobby 11: Listening to Music

Our hobby today is the classic way to spend time, listening to music. According to our sources, hearing (or audition) is one of the traditional five senses; music is an art form whose medium is sound.

With the recent formation of our band, it became increasingly important to listen to music. By listening, we can gain inspiration and insight into the creation of music.



Pros:
-Great way to relax
-Engage in small talk about favorite bands

Basically, we are too busy in the studio writing and recording our first single. Loop Hobbies will have more updates later this week when we have more free time.

Hobby 10: Shopping

This week's hobby is our current favorite weekend activity, shopping.



It all started at the end of summer, with the need for back to school shopping. New clothes, new shoes. But visiting just one mall isn't enough. We visited every mall in the area, several times, to make sure we fully explored this hobby. Every weekend became a trip to another mall.



Materials:
-Money(Need lots of this)
-Camera to take pictures of outfits
-Friends to tell you how it looks(We found employers always told us it looked good)



Pros:
-Buy new outfits
-Find new styles
-Steal ideas from mannequins
-Outlet mall deals



Cons:
-Costs lots of money
-May spend up to an hour in a single store
-American Eagle employees yell at you for taking pictures in store
-Go shopping so often, you have seen everything the stores have to offer



This is a very good hobby, just don't over do it, because you will run out of new clothes to try on. Luckily, this hobby can be repeated every season. And be careful when trying on joke clothes. You might find out that you actually like them.



Basically, check outlet malls for the best deals. And keep a look out for end of season sales!

DS Game Reviews

Interested in picking up some games for your Nintendo DS? Find out which ones are worth your time based on our expert opinions.



WarioWare: Touched
Patty: 8/10
Jo: 10/10
Mike: 8/10
Average: 8.7/10

Animal Crossing: Wild World
Patty: 9.5/10
Jo: 9/10
Mike: 9.5/10
Average: 9.3/10

New Super Mario Brothers
Patty: 9.5/10
Jo: 9/10
Mike: 9/10
Average: 9.2/10

Super Mario 64: DS
Patty: 10/10
Jo: 9.5/10
Mike: 9/10
Average: 9.5/10

Mario Kart DS
Patty: 9.4/10
Jo: 10/10
Mike: 10/10
Average: 9.8/10

Meteos
Patty: "I never played it"
Jo: 4/10
Mike: 6/10
Average: 5/10

Sonic Rush
Patty: "I've never played that"
Jo: "I don't know what that is"
Mike: 7/10
Average: 7/10

Advance Wars: Dual Strike
Patty: "I've never played that either"
Jo: "I played a little bit of that. It was okay, I guess."
Mike: 7/10
Average: 7/10

Words of Wisdom with Jamon

Introducing our brand new 30 second segment, Words of Wisdom with Jamon.

T-Shirt Poll Results

Thanks to everyone who voted on our highly successful poll!

The results were unanimous! Every single voter chose shirt #1. Check out the results:
Shirt 1: So IL (100%)
Shirt 2: Plain Logo (0%)
Shirt 3: Star Logo (12%)
Shirt 4: Cardinal (12%)
Shirt 5: No Cardinal (12%)
(Results add up to over 100% because multiple votes were allowed)

Stay tuned for what we do with all this data. What could it be?

5 Minutes with Loop Hobbies Episode 1

Today marks the triumphant return of Loop Hobbies. We took a vacation from blogging over the summer, but we are back in action. Today we introduce our proud new segment, 5 Minutes with Loop Hobbies.

We will discuss new topics each week in our 5 minute segments. This weeks topics are Facebook/Twitter and Music.

T-Shirt Poll

In prep for an upcoming hobby, we need to know which tee designs are the best.

Shirt 1: So IL


Shirt 2: Plain Logo


Shirt 3: Star Logo


Shirt 4: Cardinal


Shirt 5: No Cardinal


So what do you think? Post your comments or vote in the poll on the left hand side of the screen.

What really happened on the second Death Star

Talented Darth Vader - View more free videos

Dempsey's Corner

Hot Potato Tournament

What better game to play when you're bored than Hot Potato? Today we hold the world's first Extreme Tournament: Hot Potato. Mike mans the music, while Jo challenges Patty and Dempsey. Who will win?


(Note the pillow on the bed)

Hot Potato originated in the 1800s, in which people would sit in a circle and pass around a lit candle. Whoever was holding the candle when the flame went out was the loser.

My Brute?

My Brute is a free, web-based battle rpg where you make a Brute and battle a bunch of other brutes. As you gain levels, you earn skills, weapons, and pets.

>>Make a brute and battle against Loop Hobbies<<

Clicking the link above will let you make a character, and automatically set up a fight against Loop Hobbies. Don't be alarmed if you lose.

Which flyer?

True story, we've become so successful with our blog that we have to expand. So this week we made two flyers that were very impressive but now we need you guys to decide which is better.





Your votes would help us alot. Thanks guys.

Hobby 9: Where's Waldo?

Today's hobby is "Where's Waldo?", the popular book-game. Apparently, it ranks #88 on the American Library Association's "100 Most Frequently Banned Books" for too much nudity.

While Jo entertained himself with Wario Ware, Dempsey and Patty attempted to tackle the immense challenge of finding Waldo. Mike realized they were making the classic beginners mistake, only finding Waldo. Basically, not only do you have to find Waldo, but you also have to find Waldo's dog, evil Waldo, Mrs. Waldo, and the wizard on each page.



>>Play Waldo online!<<

Hobby 8: Baking Suger Cookies

For today's hobby, making cookies, we enlisted the help of Patty and Dempsey. In the United States and Canada, a cookie is a small, flat-baked treat, containing milk, flour, eggs, and sugar, etc. In most English-speaking countries outside North America, the most common word for this is biscuit.

Dempsey, avid fan of Hell's Kitchen, demanded that we help him prepare for next season's auditions. As part of the requirements, Dempsey had to send in a "video cooking instructional to be judged by the Hell's Kitchen staff." Basically, we decided to kill two birds with one stone and also made it into this week's hobby. We'd wish Dempsey luck with his audition, but with this video, he made the show for sure.



Ingredients:
-1/2 cup of butter (basically, a whole stick)
-1/2 cup of sugar
-1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
-1 egg
-1 cup of flour

Instructions:
Step 1: Combine flour, sugar, and butter
Step 2: Separate egg yolk; save egg white for later
Step 3: Mix egg yolk and vanilla extract
Step 4: Mix all ingredients together until blended
Step 5: Roll dough into balls on cookie sheet(around 6 balls)
Step 6: Beat egg white with fork, then gently press cookie ball with fork; sprinkle sugar on top
Step 7: Bake for 8 to 10 minutes at 350F
Step 8: Enjoy

Learn from our mistakes! Make sure to soften the butter before trying to mix it, be gently when pressing the cookie ball with the fork, and don't dump too much sugar on top. Also, all these mistakes were made by Dempsey. Oh Dempsey, when will you learn?

Online Puzzle

Following up on last weeks hobby, I decided to link to an online puzzle.

>>Try out the hobby for yourself<<

Just be careful not to throw pieces outside of the game window like I did, because apparently, you can't get them back.

Remember our instructions, start with the corner pieces. There are only four of them.

Hobby 7: Puzzle

Today's hobby is popular across the world, from the scavengers of Africa to the steelworkers of Germany. It's none other than the puzzle! In a basic puzzle one is intended to piece together objects (puzzle pieces) in a logical way in order to come up with the desired shape, picture or solution.

You know those steaks that are so huge that if you eat it, you get it for free? Yeah, we found that in puzzle form. Proof of purchase and a picture of the completed 300 piece puzzle was all we needed for a full rebate. Basically, why wouldn't we accept this challenge?



Materials:
-Puzzle
-All 300 pieces (missing pieces will ruin this)
-Table

Pros:
-Group activity
-Might impress Birju

Cons:
-Takes a lot of time
-Missing pieces

Remember, start by flipping all the pieces over, then move on to corner pieces. Basically, Jo kept on insisting we stop doing this terrible, terrible puzzle, and despite Patty and Mike's better judgment, we never got to complete our work. If we had finished, our puzzle was supposed to be a barn and a tree of some sort.

Hobby 6: Making a Popsicle Stick House

New week, new hobby. Today we are building something everyone can enjoy, a popsicle stick house.

It all started when we were walking down the isles of the local hobby store, buying anything that looked good. Stumbling across a bag of popsicle sticks, Patty suggested, "Let's build a popsicle stick house! It's so easy to do too; we did these in kindergarten." Jo quickly responded, "Patty please. We are men. I think we can handle something a little more complex. Like a dragon or a boat." "Yeah, nothing short of a popsicle stick mansion. Trust me, I took wood working back in highschool. I know this stuff," Mike added.


"We're sorry. We're so sorry."

Materials:
-Popsicle sticks
-Glue
-Paper
-Scissors
-Weights

Cons:
-Making the roof

The goal was to get so good, we can make something like this out of popsicle sticks:


Basically, making the house was incredibly hard. Especially the roof. We edited out the part where we struggle to make the roof. Please don't do this hobby.

---

See how to make a roof for your house in our followup post: Hobby Followup - Popsicle Stick House Roof

Top Simpsons Quotes (Audio Form)

Ok, here's the top six Simpson quotes. Or six random ones I could find an audio clip for...

Click the links to here the sound. Turn your volume up!
6. Lionel Hutz explains his relationship to the judge
5. Homer and Apu
4. James Bond plays poker at Mr. Burn's Casino
3. Escaping from Shelbyville
2. Boogey man attacks while Marge is gambling

1. Number One - Take a guess which episode it is from

And a video quote just for fun:


Did I miss any quotes? Post 'em in the comments!

Hobby 5: Dry Ice Bomb

This week's activity won the hobby poll, none other than the legendary dry ice bomb. A dry ice bomb is a simple bomb-like device. While the simplicity and ease of construction, high bursting pressure, and sound make the dry ice bombs attractive for recreational purposes, they can be unpredictable and dangerous.

Birju's mom works at a laboratory, and she suggested that we take some of her dry ice that she brings home every night for her own "doings." So we decided to take advantage of this and create a bomb with the dry ice, because it won our hobby poll (even though Birju and his mom probably rigged the results). We gathered all of the materials and placed the dry ice in the freezer because we wanted to plan this activity out first. When we came back to get the ice, Mike's dad was playing with it, and got his hand frostbitten. He was mad for Birju's actions. Birju is so stupid, you will realize in the movie that Patty filmed. I hope you guys enjoy this weeks activity.



Materials:
-Dry Ice
-Plastic Bottle
-Hammer
-Gloves
-Dry Ice Container
-Warm Water
-Stars and Stripes (if you dare)

Pros:
-Makes obnoxious loud noise

Cons:
-See Birju in video

To make your own bomb, crush up some dry ice and dump it into a half-filled bottle of warm water. Shake and throw far away from fire hydrants. Also, be careful of leaving crushed ice on the sidewalk. Dogs might eat it.

Have fun and be safe.

Adeeb and our Opinions

Here are our opinions on Adeeb:


-Metrosexual
-Hairstylist in his freetime
-Stripped scarf matches his stripped shirt
-Plays a mean Diddy Kong

So what's the verdict, cool or not? Please post your opinions.

Hobby 4: Ikaruga

This week we're playing the impossible video game, Ikaruga. The gameplay consists of shooting enemies who come in one of two polarities: either black or white (or possibly red and blue). The player's ship can be either polarity, and can be switched at will.

We have never beaten Ikaruga. Seriously, has anyone? Basically, the game is only 5 stages long, yet we have only recently advanced our skills enough to pass stage 3. Check out our video of the impossible stage 4!


"This is where heroes are made."

Materials:
-SEGA Dreamcast
-Copy of Ikaruga

Pros:
-"It is among the most successful and recognized arcade shooter ports of the 2000s"
-"ScrewAttack voted Ikaruga the 2nd greatest 2D shooter of all time, while IGN voted it the 3rd greatest. ScrewAttack also declared it #9 on Top Ten GameCube Games."

If you can't find either of the materials, you can play a flash remake of the first boss here.

Enjoy everyone! Especially you, Harshal.

Guest Hobby: Cute Animal Photography

*This is a guest article written by Erik Stevenson*



















I think most baby animals are cutie pies. Every once in a while, I stumble across a picture that really stands out from the rest. When I find these, I download them and store them in my "Cutie Pie Shrine". This is simply a large collection of images that I look at when I'm feeling down, entertaining guests, or my favorite--right now! I usually get about 1 new pic a week, but I've been doing this for a while and the collection is getting quite large.

















The Hobby: Collecting pictures of baby animals that are cutie pies.

How it works: It's very easy!

1) As you browse the internet, pay careful attention to the pictures you see. If one catches your eye, DOWNLOAD IT!

2) Make sure you download it to a memorable location. This will help in case you decide to go back and look at it again someday, or if you plan on creating a shrine, like I did.

3) Rinse and repeat.

It might take a while to get started, but don't let that discourage you. Just take your time and SET REASONABLE GOALS. This is a key idea that helped me get to where I am today.

I have decided to include several of my favorite images to help get you off to a good start with your shrine. I hope you like them as much as I do. I'm sure that you will find that collecting pictures of cute baby animals and creating shrines based around them can be a fun, and rewarding experience.