Do you have mutually distracting interests?

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I often become frustrated that my desire to research something in depth prevents me from researching another in depth. For example, I will spend an hour reading about Fast Fourier Transforms and then realise I also want to read about Asperger's, but then I have a whole stack of books I haven't read yet, and code to write for an Android app, papers to file away according to my careful system (though I'm actually thinking of assigning each paper a unique ID, tracking them in a database and then filing them in ID order so I don't have to worry about overlapping categories, but that's another topic ). I understand I can make a list and work through it, but since a lot of this stuff can be done as deeply as you like, I worry I'll never get to 7/8ths of them if I work through them in order. If any of them became truly imperative to do "right now" I could certainly blaze through it given the right environment for concentration.

I blame the Internet, and my full time employment allowing me to buy whatever books I want. Things were much simpler when I was 8 years old and this was limited by my ability to carry books home from the library and how many times they would let me renew the audio book on Halley's Comet.

Do any of you identify with this? Or does this tendency/trait come from the wrong-wrong planet?

No. When I have a special intrest, I focus on nothing but that. I've been working on this picture of my fursona and Tails the fox from Sonic the hedgehog for the past few days to the exclusion of eating and sleeping and haven't really had the desire to do anything else.

I understand how you feel. I recently developed an interest in some well-known science fiction franchises (Star Trek, Star Wars and Doctor Who). They each have their own wikis, which makes it very easy to find information about them. The problem is, the universes built up around them are so highly intricate and detailed and the articles on the wikis are so long that I feel overwhelmed by all of the information and don't know where I should even start.

I want to become an "expert" on them just like I am about Tim Burton movies. But if it took me a year to become an expert on Tim Burton's movies, which are all self-contained and simple plot-wise, I shutter to think about how long it will take me to learn everything about Star Trek, Star Wars and Doctor Who.

yes yes yes... I try doing too much and end up doing nothing...

yes, I am interested in computer science and in philosophy... AND psychology and neurology would also interest me... and its not good, because i would like to know all in depth... and at the end i know nothing more..... ((

thanks,
anton

Chase two rabbits, catch none.

Yes, I can be guilty of this.

Every time I do this with Star Wars it takes a month, maximum.

Star Trek takes longer, although I've managed it a few times (and I have to admit money was on the line on one occasion).

Never done with Doctor Who, at least not the old series. The new series I've done to some extent. There's inevitable overlap too, of course.

I have done with multiple other settings as well (Buffy/Angel, Firefly, the new Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, Justice League (International), Avatar: The Last Airbender, Farscape, Stargate: SG-1, The X-Files, and that's just TV shows). The most frustrating thing for me with this sort of process these days is that my memory is not what it used to be - it's still really good, but if I'm not maintaining information, I don't retain it. I can still remember things from decades ago, but more recent stuff doesn't stick around quite so easily.

It can be intimidating. I usually just pick something that sounds interesting and start reading.

I find that my interests are primarily exclusive, though. I can really only commit to one at a time. I can do something with a second but not really give it my full attention. Anything past that is just an idle way to waste time.

Like right now, autism is still my interest, and I spend the majority of every day talking and reading about it. After that it's whichever TV series I'm currently watching on Netflix Instant (hate the lack of good subtitles there, btw). I don't actually commit all that much to the show I'm watching right now, but I might if my interest shifts.

Of course I spend my time while watching these shows comparing how recognizable actors are when they have different hairstyles (not very recognizable at all) because I've never really before thought this was unusual and now I'm obsessed a bit with prosopagnosia.

I got into Doctor who a few years ago, then recently got into Star Trek. I was overwhelmed til my friend bought me a book called Celebrations about all the types of celebrations all the different races have. It taught me a lot about the history of Starfleet too and brought me up to speed. I'm now trying to get through the movies and need to watch classic Star Trek. The sci fi channel has about four different Star Trek series on the weekend, so that is helping.

What got me knowledgeable about Doctor Who was not the wiki but a reference guide. I still haven't seen every episode of the classic series yet but I've read summaries of almost every episode.

I think I have to refresh my knowledge of Star Wars too. I know the overall story but I never paid much attention when I was a kid. I'm collecting a comic book series called Darth Vader and the Lost Command. And I just remembered I still haven't read my issue 3 yet.

Anyway, back to the topic. I've got so many interests that it's hard to know what to focus on. I've got a telescope and a dark starry sky but I just haven't taken it out. I'm reading two books at once, well, want to but I've been reading Area 51 and hope to start reading Stargate Atlantis: The Lost soon. I'm still trying to make my way through The Brain That Changes Itself and Foundation. Then there's my novel which takes up most of my time and energy. Then there is fitting time to watch an episode of season 9 of Stargate, and then watching Burn Notice and Star Trek when they air. I was also re-reading His Dark Materials and was up to The Amber Spyglass but now that I got my Stargate Atlantis book I want to read that.

And never mind conflicting interests, when I get so deep in research for my novel or writing the chapters, when I stop to make food I find I can barely do that.

I need to get into some Battlestar Galactica next.

You know what a strange interest of mine is? Canadian actors and Tv shows. Thanks Stargate.


I might add there is a movie about prosopagnosia coming out and Michael Shanks is in it. Thought it was worth a mention. It's called Faces in the Crowd.