How to Make a Feed Bag

Today we introduce you to a wondrous concept, the feed bag. It's the perfect group snack to sneak into a movie theater, take on a backyard camping trip, or enjoy with a night of watching Titanic and playing PSO Episode 3. The feed bag is a little complicated, but this picture tutorial will guide you through its creation.

Step 1: Buy a bunch of candy.


Step 2: Grab a garbage bag.


Step 3: Put candy(see step 1) into garbage bag(see step 2).


Now that you've made your own feed bag, you might be wondering how you use it. Basically, without looking, you place your hand into the bag, say "Come on Twix," and pull out a random piece of candy. If you win, you get to enjoy the crunchy, caramel taste of that delicious Twix bar fate brought into your palm. If you lose, you have to eat whatever filler candy you grabbed before trying again. No cheating and feeling around for a candy that feels like Twix.

And remember, no re-picks!

Hobby 19: Image Editing - Selective Coloring

This week’s hobby is Image Editing.

Image editing encompasses the processes of altering images, whether they be digital photographs, traditional analog photographs, or illustrations. Traditional analog image editing is known as photo retouching, using tools such as an airbrush to modify photographs, or editing illustrations with any traditional art medium. Graphic software programs, which can be broadly grouped into vector graphics editors, raster graphics editors, and 3d modelers, are the primary tools with which a user may manipulate, enhance, and transform images. Many image editing programs are also used to render or create computer art from scratch.

Photo editing can be as simple or complex as you make it out to be. You do not have to go out and buy Adobe Photoshop or any other expensive photo editing software; you can download a program called gimp for free, or even use MS Paint.

This tutorial shows an easy way to manipulate a photo by gray scaling the background, while keeping the color in some portions. This is in order to bring out the color and put focus on an object. This process is called Selective Coloring (A.K.A Color Spotting)



Pros:
-Intellectually stabilizing
-Free (with gimp)
-Relaxing

Cons:
-Gimp has a large learning curve…but that is why we are here, showing you how easy it can be.

This is an excellent hobby and I highly suggest you pick it up if you have some spare time. Don’t be worried if you think you are not artistic or good with computers, as you practice you will eventually be able to see an improvement in speed and skill. I agree with this fact. It took me some time to finally download a program to record the screen during this tutorial. The first time I created the video with Adobe Captivate 5, it took me about 35-40 minutes to finish editing the picture. Unfortunately, this program did not export the video to a decent format, so I had to search for another. After two more programs and trials at creating the video, it only took 10-15 minutes total to finish editing the photo... As I keep blabbing, all I am really trying to say is that as you practice you become better and you should not shy away from things if you feel you are not good at it the first time.

Hobby 18: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

After we carved our pumpkin, we decided to make use of the pumpkin seeds. These seeds have a good amount of protein and iron in them, as well as zinc, magnesium, and potassium.

Most importantly you make a good use out of one pumpkin by not only carving it, but baking the seeds as well. The seeds can be roasted into a very satisfying salty snack in just a few simple steps.



Materials:
-Pumpkin Seeds
-Butter
-Salt
-Pepper
-Garlic Powder

Pros:
-Make use of every part of the pumpkin

Cons:
-Disgusting

1. Make sure to preheat the oven at 275 ° while rinsing the seeds. It’s very important to clean the pumpkin seeds beforehand to get the bits of pumpkin off of them.
2. Put about a tablespoon of butter on a plate and microwave it until it fully melts. The butter adds flavor and helps the seasonings stick to the seeds.
3. Prepare the seasonings you prefer to be on your seeds. We chose garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
4. Mix the seeds with the melted butter. Once this has been thoroughly done, season the seeds to your liking.
5. Once seasoned, put the seeds on a cookie sheet, making sure the seeds are not sticking to each other or overlapping. Once the oven is preheated, put the seeds in the oven for about 10-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Be sure to check on them and mix the seeds occasionally.

Add more seasoning if necessary, and enjoy!

Hobby 17: Carving a Pumpkin

When we finally decided and picked on the perfect pumpkin, we thought to ourselves, what should we do with it? Carve it of course! This brings us to today's hobby, creating a jack-o'-lantern. A jack-o'-lantern is a carved pumpkin in which the top is cut off, and the inside flesh then scooped out; an image, usually a monstrous face, is carved onto the outside surface, and the lid replaced.

While stumbling the vast pumpkin patch and searching for the most bountiful pumpkin, we came across many disturbing images. Hundreds of pumpkins were stepped on and even thrown down on the floor, exposing their seeds and flesh. After we realized what had happened, Mike turned around and looked at the path we had created and said, "Ohhh God." It was a very unsettling sight but through all the horror, Patty pointed to the most beautiful sight, a snowpumpkin! We all sprinted towards it and dropped to our knees (possibly killing baby pumpkins), completely in shock and awe. Long story short, that snowpumpkin's head came home with us and we carved the most monstrous face ever!


"Loop Hobbies dumpster diving"

Materials:
-Pumpkin
-Newspapers
-Knife (Preferably a serrated knife)
-Bowl
-Spoon

Pros:
-Scare children
-Relaxing and fun activity for Halloween
-Creative with the design

Cons:
-Getting out all the internal flesh
-Only a seasonal project
-Messy

Basically, if you're not using a serrated knife, be very gentle when carving. We learned that the hard way. Just be creative and let your imagination run wild! Have fun with it and hope you guys enjoy this weeks hobby.
Also, have a happy and safe Halloween!

Hobby 16: Pumpkin Pickin'

Continuing our weekly hobby updates, we bring you the very seasonal hobby, Pumpkin Picking! Pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae (which also includes gourds).



We really wanted to carve a pumpkin, make pumpkin seeds, and bake pumpkin pie, so we went to the nearest pumpkin patch. Turns out making a pumpkin pie requires the outer part, so we couldn't carve it and make a pie at the same time. Even though our plans were ruined, we still had fun.



A snowpumpkin. Or possibly, a pumpkinman.

Materials:
-Pumpkin Patch with pumpkins left

Pros:
-Plenty of uses for pumpkin

Cons:
-Most pumpkins have been stepped on

How to Pick Your Pumpkin



Step 1: Find pumpkin on ground. Check to see if it has been stepped on. Don't step on other pumpkins in the process.



Step 2: Pick up pumpkin.



Step 3 (Optional): Place pumpkin in wagon. Learn from our mistakes; make sure the wagon has all four wheels before you take it.



Step 4: Wash pumpkin in dirty water with filthy brush.

Some Things You Might Run Into



Baby pumpkins!



These green pumpkins may look exotic, but don't be fooled. They just aren't ripe yet.



Watch out for this strange green thing that may find its way into the pumpkin patch. It's not actually a pumpkin.

That should be it! I hope you've enjoyed this weeks hobby.

The Best of Garfield Minus Garfield

Free Game: Blocks

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

It's very simple, players stack blocks of the same color. The more consecutive blocks you stack, the faster the blocks fall on your opponents side. The game is mixed up with several bonuses and completely customizable rules. Play against the computer or another player!

Click to image to play or Download here!

Bonuses:
-Add 6 blocks
-Remove 6 blocks
-Next 4 blocks are flaming blocks
-Skull block can't be stacked
-Rainbow block stacks on anything
-Next 4 blocks can't be flaming blocks
-Bomb destroys column

Hobby 15: Drawing

Our first hobby of 2010 is drawing, presented by Jeff. Drawing is a visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. It all began many years ago with cave drawings, eventually evolving into pictures on wooden tablets, but drawing began to flourish in the fourteenth century once paper became generally available.

Everyone has drawn something at sometime during their life, but not too many people take the time to sit down and just draw. As for me, I began to draw for fun during high school and I continue to keep up with this hobby. I feel it is great practice for me because I am studying to be an architectural engineer. While at school I create technical drawings, but I feel drawing in my own style is a great way to keep up and help improve my skill.



Pros:
-Intellectually stabilizing
-Inexpensive
-Relaxing

Cons:
-Time consuming

This is an excellent hobby and I highly suggest you pick it up if you have some spare time. Don’t be worried that you will be bad at drawing, as you practice drawing more often, you will eventually be able to see an improvement. I can say this even though I still am an amateur, but when I started, my sketches were terrible but as time was spent practicing, I could see great improvements in my ability to draw.

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)