I'm often the last to learn about something. Take, for instance, Popular Mechanics' "25 Skills Every Man Should Know," which was posted last week (see also the October issue of the print magazine) — I think half the bloggers in the English-speaking world have tallied their scores and put in their two cents' worth on the list. Here it is:
1. Patch a radiator hose
2. Protect your computer
3. Rescue a boater who has capsized
4. Frame a wall
5. Retouch digital photos
6. Back up a trailer
7. Build a campfire
8. Fix a dead outlet
9. Navigate with a map and compass
10. Use a torque wrench
11. Sharpen a knife
12. Perform CPR
13. Fillet a fish
14. Maneuver a car out of a skid
15. Get a car unstuck
16. Back up data
17. Paint a room
18. Mix concrete
19. Clean a bolt-action rifle
20. Change oil and filter
21. Hook up an HDTV
22. Bleed brakes
23. Paddle a canoe
24. Fix a bike flat
25. Extend your wireless network
I've done 21 of those. I haven't done numbers 1 (replaced a few, but never patched one), 3, 12, or 19 (I have only semi-auto rifles). Some of the others I can't claim to be particularly good at.
I prefer Robert A. Heinlein's list, although my score is much lower on it:
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
— from Time Enough for Love (1973)
