Unusual Interests

Rachel_Scope · September 10

I absolutely love learning so I wondered if any of you have any unusual interests you could tell us about? It could literally be anything at all. I spotted a post about liminal spaces which are pictures of places that don't feel quite right and a bit eerie.

So, my unusual interest is Soviet Bus Stops! They were built across the Soviet Union in the 1960s to 1970s and they are so creative and unusual. I wish we had bus stops like this in the UK! Let me know what you think of these bus stops and I can't wait to hear about your unusual interests 😊

An open-air bus stop with a pointed roof

A bus stop that looks like a large blue and yellow wave in mosaic tiles

A bus stop in the snow that is pointed in the middle with a circular window and two pointed roofs on each side

Mary_Scope · September 10

Now these are intense!! I never knew these sort of things existed!

Going to have to think about unusual interests I may have now..

66Mustang · September 10

I love reading about random stuff too, I probably spend a few hours a day doing it in my down time, I guess when most would watch TV or whatever

I was reading about the USSR recently but never came across the bus stops 🤔 that's interesting

Something I'm really interested in is religion, which isn't too unusual but as a total unbeliever that maybe makes it a bit so? It's great reading about different religions but from a disinterested perspective… I get the impression most people involved are religious themselves or staunchly anti-religion; so for, against, or indeed too often both (i.e. for their religion, against others')…

I also love reading about mundane, almost anorak-type, stuff but using it as a way of seeing how different people live… an example is I once researched into the road rules of every country, as it's a kind of weird insight into culture rather than looking at it from a war or politics point of view

Mary_Scope · September 10

I am guilty of watching massive costco hauls for huge american families with like 20 people. I find it interesting what people buy in other countries and their hauls😄

Rachel_Scope · September 10

Tell us more @66Mustang! What things have you learned recently?

I'm a bit obsessed with the USSR at the minute, not sure why! Here's a link to information about the bus stops - Soviet Bus Stops. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Religion is definitely interesting. I'm an atheist but love to know the customs in different religions. I also love learning about the culture of different countries and how we value different things. There's always more to learn!

pburns1337 · September 10

I am interested in aviation, flight simulators, that sort of thing. One of my favourite passenger aircraft was a Soviet aircraft - the TU-154 built by the Tupolev Design Bureau. One cool feature of this plane is that it was built with extra sturdy landing gear and cold weather modifications, so that it could land on gravel runways within the Arctic Circle. Here's a clip of it landing on an unpaved runway, I think it's a beautiful looking plane. It's a big favourite with flight simulator fans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTR9Jlt3i_U

WelshBlue · September 10

Every day is a school day … absolutely love those bus stops I never knew existed. The vision and the craftmanship is wonderful

Rachel_Scope · September 10

I also love planes @pburns1337. I'd never heard of this plane so thanks for sharing! I'm really fascinated by plane crashes - I like to understand what went wrong and then what changes they put in place to avoid it happening again. I find the relationships between flight crew really interesting and how it affects their decision-making. Do you watch any YouTube videos about aviation?

Ah my favourite phrase @WelshBlue! Aren't the bus stops great? I couldn't believe it when I saw them. Some were built to promote pride in their industry and had pictures of workers and factories to inspire the people who waited for the bus to get to work. I just love how it's the USSR that produced such beautiful pieces of architecture - very unexpected!

WelshBlue · September 10

@Rachel_Scope … I'd never have guessed USSR if you hadn't said. Like a lot of people I'm guilty of thinking utilitarian and boxy when thinking of architecture there.

Cuba is one country I wish I'd visited … I've always found the architecture there beautiful.

Anyone interested in 'planes should Google … The Mach Loop, photographs and videos of RAF and foreign jets, planes etc like you've never seen before

Rachel_Scope · September 10

I also love architecture @WelshBlue and don't know much about Cuba so I'll have to look it up. Maybe one day you can visit? My dream is to go to Japan but I'm not sure when/if I'll make it there.

I completely agree that with soviet architecture you think of utilitarian, grey, brutalist, so the bus stops are a refreshing change. I'll give those plane things a google 😊

Albus_Scope · September 11

I'm not sure if it'd be seen as an unusual interest, but I've really got into resin 3D printing this year. I'm trying to teach myself a few different bits of software so I can create my own 3D images to print.

Here's my latest model;

Rachel_Scope · September 11

That's so cool! What kind of things would you like to design and print?

Albus_Scope · September 11

Cheers! I'd love to make sculpts of old, niche horror movies, games etc.

A lot of the current offerings tend to be ladies. They don't seem to like making male presenting sculpts for some reason. 😆

Rachel_Scope · September 11

Have you seen Metropolis? I'd love one of the robot Maria. I'd never get anything done if I had a 3D printer!

Albus_Scope · September 11

Oh I looooove that character so much! I'll have a look in my folder of 3D prints and see what I can do. 😊

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