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Frustrated with People's perception of HV hobbies.

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GreySoul

Tue Jun 19 2007, 09:09PM

Registered Member #546 Joined: Fri Feb 23 2007, 11:43PM
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Posts: 239

Steve Conner wrote ...

GreySoul's comment about cooking meth is a case in point: why on earth would the cops search his house in the first place? Even if they did, what on earth would he have to worry about, considering that they wouldn't find any meth (I hope)? He's just trying to make the ownership of sodium and iodine look more glamorous than it is, and not exactly doing the geek cause any good.

I wasn't trying to make anything sound glamorous, sorry I came off that way to you...

But to answer your question: It's obvious you and I do not live under the same rules. Albuquerque is currently under siege by meth. There are anonymous tip-lines you can call to report a suspected meth house. the cops will show up and demand to go in your house. If you refuse it just makes things worse - and in the end they still manage to get in, in the end.

In the past year I have had the police come in my house uninvited. I was in my front yard cleaning a big 4000ml flask (I didn't want to waste the rinse water, so I did it on the grass). A neighbor or someone driving by called the cops (they would just say someone who saw it was concerned) and they came by to ask me why I had lab equipment in my possession. After explaining that I was making Ferrofluid, and showing it to them, I asked if that was illegal or something and they got all weird and told me they could bring the meth lab squad to look in my house if I wasn't going to cooperate. Feeling pressured, I did not protest when they followed me into my kitchen to see that the mess I was making was perfectly legal. They did not look in my fire cabinet, if they had there is no doubt in my mind I'd have been accused of something - they had pretty much made up their mind when they got the call that they were going to an illegal lab. It's a regional problem, I guess.

They apologized at that point and explained their position (the meth epidemic, they're stretched too thin as it is, they have to deal with every complaint no matter how minor, etc) and I pretty much left it at that. After all, as you surmised, I really don't have anything to hide. Certainly no meth or meth labs.

...

So back the thread topic....
My concerns are not so much misunderstanding from my friends and peers about my hobbies - oddly enough most of them either understand it, or at least respect it. My concern is I fear the reactionary nature of the police in my community. They don't think - they see chemicals and they instantly think someone is running an illegal lab. They would go through the 3-4 dozen bottles of chemicals in my fire chest and pull out 2 of them and use it as proof that I was doing something illegal. Context means nothing I guess?

There's also the issue that a lot of people around here have really taken the whole "things have changed since 9/11" to heart and are paranoid about anything being out of place or not the norm. I really feel sorry for the rocketry hobbyists out there who not only deal with chemicals, not once that go boom as well.

If I am a glamorous geek, then so be it. I need a cape, a limo, and hot chicks on both arms - then it would be SOOO worth it to be a glamorous geek.

-Doug

Adrian

Wed Jun 20 2007, 11:12AM

Registered Member #697 Joined: Thu May 10 2007, 12:28PM
Location: Australia
Posts: 22

GreySoul wrote ...

They don't think - they see chemicals and they instantly think someone is running an illegal lab.

Keep in mind very few people do chemistry experiments at home.

GreySoul

Wed Jun 20 2007, 02:20PM

Registered Member #546 Joined: Fri Feb 23 2007, 11:43PM
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Posts: 239

EXACTLY!

If you think HV hobbies garner a bad perception by the public, try some kitchen chemistry. Even a few HV people think I'm weird for trying to make Ferrofluid, NI3, nylon, batteries, and other chem related things at home.

Vaxian

Thu Jun 21 2007, 02:07AM

Registered Member #635 Joined: Tue Apr 10 2007, 01:56AM
Location:
Posts: 85

I feel your pain.

I live on a low - medium traffic road in Chattanooga, TN
I have expected at least one person to stop and at least gawk and leave.

Not a single soul has bothered slow down as they motor up/down the road as my disruptive spits out 36" streamers and the roar of the spark gap will jar the fillings from your teeth 3 houses down the road.

I import my spectators from other areas: Family, Friends, Friends of Friends, etc.
All this has wielded so far is an occasional wow, and the ultimate question to end all questions:

So what is it for?
It's a tesla coil, it makes sparks.
So why did you build it?
Duh........

This of course is a very condensed version, most of you are saying been there, done that

Personally I build them because it's a challenge, I enjoy it, and they make interesting bug zappers.

MikeT1982

Thu Jun 21 2007, 07:22PM

Registered Member #621 Joined: Sun Apr 01 2007, 12:37AM
Location:
Posts: 119

Thanks guys, its awesome to read all this its a real morale booster! It's funny, what I don't get is how the "Joe Public" people have such a hard time understanding.....I mean we build such things simply to expiriment, learn, and be brought face to face with the things that fascinate us. I have other hobbies too like playing guitar and listening to high end audio, and interest in saltwater aquariums, outdoors, workign on engines, etc. And just as I would keep a reef aquarium so I can be face to face with an odd species of animal. I once set up a seperate aquarium to keep an octopus because they are one of the most intelligent invertebrates, and I had a freshwater tank with an electric catfish I grew from a baby and I trained to eat from my hand (when he was pissed he would shock me though, and sometimes a little shock, sometimes he'd make me knock the lid off his tank LOL) Well we build Tesla coils and lasers, do chemistry, etc. to be face to face with physics and electricity that fascinate us!!! Its that simple Mr. Public!!! Geez!!!

Steve Conner

Thu Jun 21 2007, 09:32PM

Registered Member #30 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 10:52AM
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 6706

wrote ...
Well we build Tesla coils and lasers, do chemistry, etc. to be face to face with physics and electricity that fascinate us!!! Its that simple Mr. Public!!! Geez!!!

Amen to that! Every year I do the Tesla coil demos for the university EE department open day, and the high school kids mostly ask me just that: "What are Tesla coils good for?"

I usually answer: Well the technology that Tesla developed gave us car ignition systems, radio communication and switched-mode power supplies, but Tesla coils like this one are really only good for doing cool demonstrations like this.

RickR

Fri Jun 22 2007, 01:14AM

Registered Member #93 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 04:11PM
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 64

I agree with Bored Chemist. When someone asks you what use the products of your hobby are, just ask them what their hobbies are (if they have any - a lot of people don't even have one).

Just about any hobby can be questioned in the same way. You're a rockhound? Why do you go around picking up rocks f'r chrissake? You collect stamps - isn't that the same as little kids collecting stickers? You're a numismatist - let me get this straight; you're into old pieces of money? You fish - have you calculated the cost per pound of the fish you catch when you factor in the cost of your bait and tackle?

Truly, if it makes any sense then it's not a hobby.

Rick

Firnagzen

Fri Jun 22 2007, 06:19AM

Registered Member #567 Joined: Tue Mar 06 2007, 10:55AM
Location: Singapore
Posts: 147

If it makes sense, then it's not a hobby- it's a job.

I personally don't have much problems with others, I just point out, simply, that I do it because it's fun and interesting, to me, in any case.

Simon

Sat Jun 23 2007, 09:45AM

Registered Member #32 Joined: Sat Feb 04 2006, 08:58AM
Location: Australia
Posts: 549

RickR wrote ...

Just about any hobby can be questioned in the same way. You're a rockhound? Why do you go around picking up rocks f'r chrissake? You collect stamps - isn't that the same as little kids collecting stickers? You're a numismatist - let me get this straight; you're into old pieces of money? You fish - have you calculated the cost per pound of the fish you catch when you factor in the cost of your bait and tackle?

Other hobbyists tend not to be the problem. It's people who spend their time watching sport on TV, etc, who usually say stuff like, "You make electronic stuff? What's the point? You're weird!"

I know what I'd rather do.

Tesladownunder

Sat Jun 23 2007, 04:58PM

Registered Member #10 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 09:45AM
Location: Bunbury, Australia
Posts: 1424

I don't have much social contact apart from work.
I have abundant pictures that I put on the work computers in the hospital as desktop wallpaper and rotate them around. They include a range of stuff from high voltage to nature shots to smoke rings to ferrofluid to comet shots. They were well appreciated like a new picture on the wall which is different even if you don't understand it.
Most people know me as a personable and mild mannered person primarily and find out about the nerd bit later. I don't push it but am happy to talk about things at whatever level they understand.
If anyone doesn't fall instantly asleep I give them my Tesladownunder business card with a full colour shot of my 6 inch coil.
TDU

Peter

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