On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Bart Jacob about his decades-long love of the board game Go. He was introduced to the game in 1979 as a grad student and has been a dedicated player for nearly half a century. That's a pretty long time, but just a blip in the 3500 years or so that the game has been played.

We'll hear some audio of Bart at the weekly meetup of the Austin Go Club (every Tuesday night at Dragon's Lair Comics and Fantasy), we'll talk with him about his history with the game, all the places around the world he's played, his Go board and stone collection, how Go has affected his outlook on life, and more!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

With this episode, we’re going back to the show’s beginnings; this was one of the earliest interviews we recorded, way back when This Is My Thing was just an idea for a show that we were hoping would make it onto the airwaves and/or podcast streams someday. It took a little while, but we’re happy to bring it to you now.

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Mitch London about his love for metal detecting. For Mitch, it’s a hobby born out of another hobby – he was already a coin collector when, a few years ago, he was introduced to metal detecting as a way to search for rare coins. Now he also uses his skills to help strangers find meaningful (metal) objects they’ve lost.

We joined Mitch on a hunt for a lost earring that holds great sentimental value for its owner; on this episode you'll hear some highlights from that search along with our in-depth conversation with Mitch about his love of metal detecting. We talk about how he got into it, what kind of equipment he uses, what he's hoping to find, and what it all means to him!

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org

Lesley Murray grew up as a competitive swimmer, so she was already pretty comfortable in the water when she decided (on a whim, she says) to take a Deep End Fitness class. She fell in love with the practice, which led her to Underwater Torpedo League.

Now she loves the sport, which she finds both meditative and exciting (it's 'meditating on fire,' she says). We'll talk about her history with the sport, how it's played, and what it means to her.

This is My Thing is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast by making a donation at supportthispodcast.org