I was driving down a back country road in the North Carolina when I saw a biplane that appeared to by doing acrobatics. I quickly realized that this was a cropduster working and I pulled over to the side of the road to watch some amazing low level flying.
I like taking the time to watch skillful people work such as overhead crane operators, or heavy equipment operators on construction sites.
Do you?
Sometimes. I generally don’t have time. I watched a dude with a big old scoop thingy build a real nice rock wall once. It was amazing how he could pick up a rock, turn it around a few times and stick it in a spot and it would fit damn well.
Your thread title is naughty. 
How is Rap like Porn? Both are better with the sound turned off.
I’m not much on cropdusters but I do enjoy watching a couple of cows go to town.
A couple of years ago they tore down a (small) building that was only a few yards away from the one I was working in at the time. Not only did I have fun watching, but I brought my 2-year-old son into work for an hour or two, so he could watch.
That’s one of the reasons why I like to watch athletics - to see people that are so incredibly fit, and so in-tune with their bodies that they can make them do the things they do, is amazing to me.
A few years ago I worked next door to where a sky-scraper was being constructed, and watching the guy who climbed the ladder and worked waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay up in the sky-crane made me glad I had the job I did.
I have always loved watching heavy machinery at work. I’ll stop and watch a guy digging a hole with a backhoe any day. I have a secret desire to operate heavy machinery, I guess.
The OP reminded me of one day years ago when I was coming home from north Georgia. I noticed at one spot that 5 or 6 cars had pulled off the road in one area, and folks had gotten out of their cars and were looking at the sky.
They had all stopped to watch a bi-plane doing acrobatic maneuvers. It was very cool.
Doh! I was really hoping this thread involved…well, you know, IT.
Our neighbors have basically asked if we would be interested in ‘soft swinging,’ which I understand to involve watching as a primary component (as well as some doing, which would be watched).
However, given their aesthetic value, I think I’d rather watch a bi-plane doing acrobatic maneuvers, following by some soft non-swinging. Maybe I’m weird.
Well, you know, I didn’t really specify what ‘it’ was (if you know what I mean ).
I used to work up the street from a water-treatment plant. One day, I noticed some old building near the plant (or perhaps part of the plant) was being knocked down. Yes, I did watch. Took a long time to get that sucker down, must have been about 5-stories.
Maybe not quite the same thing, but they’re building a new bridge over the Maumee river on I-280 here in Toledo. This thing is one helluva construction project - the largest (meaning most-expensive - $220 million for the main span) “single-site” road construction project ever undertaken in the State of Ohio. There are columns for this cable-stayed bridge sprouting like mushrooms and some of the work actually takes place above the moving traffic. I occasionally drive the interstate through the construction site just to check out the progress. Work isn’t scheduled for completion until Summer 2006.
ODOT webcams:
http://www.dot.state.oh.us/dist2/mrc/mrc.htm
Click the “Interactive Project Journal” for some nice pictures of the bridge at the link below.
http://www.lookuptoledo.org/servlet/com.hntb.toledo.servlets.NewsManagement?option=3
I always watch construction sites… its either big machinery or big men operating said machinery.
The other day a HUGE articulated lorry was pulling out of a side road, and having some difficulty doing so. It’s presence made it possible for I and the other 20 or so people waiting at the crossing to cross (as it was blocking the trafic) but this sight had managed to completely switch off normal brain functions in all of the people waiting to cross. (they were all staring open-jawed and absent-minded at this lorry trying to get out of the side road) until… I said (under my breath) ‘sod this’ and crossed.
This seemed to switch everyone’s brains back on. All 20ish people crossed.
Sometimes psychology fascinates me.
I’m falling in love with those Discovery shows that have guys building custom motorcycles.