On hobbies in 2025:
My interests have changed a lot over time. Early on was deeply interested in electronics, photography, computer graphics coding.
All of these fields have been significantly impacted by technology in ways that take the user away from the underlying fundamentals. With modern digital cameras and AI in the world, photos have lost their mystery. Modern hobby electronics has become about plugging together microcontrollers rather than understanding how they work. Computer graphics has long since moved on from the hand unrolled software rasterisation tricks I treasured.
Of course, you can always approach these hobbies with limitations and scope in mind. There is nothing stopping you making timing circuits using resistors and capacitors, but it wont be what you see on YouTube and in community.
My hobbies today tend towards things that have been less impacted by technology. Yes we have new steel and composite woods, but hand tool woodworking is still very much grounded in the hands on practical skills of old. Yes I have so much more information and LED grow lights and sensors, but when I do gardening I am still mostly moving dirt with a shovel.
I don't know how to name this feeling, but there's something about the soul of writing cursive with a fountain pen, or sewing with a machine older than me, that I can't find in the newer hobbies.
Wistful longing for working with my hands.