Re: 100 Skills Every Man Should Know

[Tanner]

Popular Mechanics ran an interesting article entitled 100 Skills Every Man Should Know: 2008's Ultimate DIY List. I'm posting it because, as a man, I find it interesting how a rag like Popular Mechanics defines me. Personally, I find many of these skills to be both desirable and yet firmly inhabiting some sort of manly fantasy world. I don't think it would be a bad thing to know how to tie a bowline. Who knows, there may be a point in my life where I'd even be at a benefit knowing how to do so. Still, am I going to go learn how? No, because there are still skills and activities that I value over bowlinery.

Before you balk and say to me, "Tanner, the modern man is expected to be sexy and social as well as useful. Where is the section for making martinis and the Kama Sutra?" It's a DIY article in Popular Mechanics. Your half of that article is in the last installment of Gentlemen Quarterly.

Seriously though, what do you think of this list? Is it good? Is it bad? Does it do a good job of listing the skills you have or would like to have?

[BNW]

Only one man that I have seen knows how to do all this.

Mike Rowe. He can also sing Opera. Now who doesn't want a man like that?

[Atilla]

Pah. Half of them are completely irrelevant and/or nigh useless in the modern world. Maybe if we were all lumberjacks living in the snow-lashed wilds of deepest, darkest Canada. With mountain bikes, for some reason.

[blue_tetris]

"15. Use a sewing machine"

"29. Use a French knife"

"39. Change a diaper"

"41. Sew a button on a shirt"

"77. Take the perfect portrait"

I'm not at all surprised that Tanner linked this.

[scythe]

Popular Mechanics ran an interesting article entitled 100 Skills Every Man Should Know: 2008's Ultimate DIY List. I'm posting it because, as a man, I find it interesting how a rag like Popular Mechanics defines me. Personally, I find many of these skills to be both desirable and yet firmly inhabiting some sort of manly fantasy world. I don't think it would be a bad thing to know how to tie a bowline. Who knows, there may be a point in my life where I'd even be at a benefit knowing how to do so. Still, am I going to go learn how? No, because there are still skills and activities that I value over bowlinery.

Before you balk and say to me, "Tanner, the modern man is expected to be sexy and social as well as useful. Where is the section for making martinis and the Kama Sutra?" It's a DIY article in Popular Mechanics. Your half of that article is in the last installment of Gentlemen Quarterly.

Seriously though, what do you think of this list? Is it good? Is it bad? Does it do a good job of listing the skills you have or would like to have?

Wouldn't that list be more useful as "100 Skills Everyone Should Have"? It seems relatively gender-neutral, to be sure. The disparity in how much you ought to know about various things is hilarious, too.

[jackass]

"15. Use a sewing machine"

"29. Use a French knife"

"39. Change a diaper"

"41. Sew a button on a shirt"

"77. Take the perfect portrait"

Yes like Scythe33 wrote these are both male and female things

[George]

Pah. Half of them are completely irrelevant and/or nigh useless in the modern world. Maybe if we were all lumberjacks living in the snow-lashed wilds of deepest, darkest Canada. With mountain bikes, for some reason.

Mmmhmmm. I don't think I'd ever have use half of those skills in my lifetime.

[blackson]

Maybe a variety of some 30 jobs could benifit from knowing this, but other then that, I don't see why you'd know it.

[Jiggerjaw]

1. Breathe.
2. Eat.
3. Drink.
4. Have sex.
5. Dodge traffic.
6. Extract cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the human brain.

[epigone]

1. Breathe.
2. Eat.
3. Drink.
4. Have sex.
5. Dodge traffic.
6. Extract cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the human brain.

You could probably just eliminate all of those except for number 4 and I'd be happy.

[smartalco]

My roommate gets this magazine, I was flipping through these a couple weeks ago.

I have #76 covered.

[T3chno]

I got #34 down.

[TribulatioN]

Hmm, a lot of those things I've done or tried as a joke (carve a turkey, I failed miserably but the turkey was still good.) It's a list that's seems irrelevant, but there'd probably be a time where you'd go, "oh thank god I knew how to do that".

[ladeda]

It was originally 50 Skills Every Man Should Know, but Chuck Norris did them all so well (and then some) that he actually stretched the fabric of space, causing everything in life to double. So in fact, original N levels gave you only 45 seconds to live and there was no "left" button.

[Pixon]

I've got #64 and #79 done. Only 98 more to go.

[Turiski]

Meh. I understand the point in knowing most of that stuff, but, well... I'm too lazy.

Also, I'd just like to say: Techno, your sig... wow. I guess some people really ARE that clueless.

[Pixon]

I've got #50 done as well.

[origami_alligator]

Automotive
2. Drive in snow
6. Conquer an off-road obstacle
8. Hitch up a trailer *
9. Jump start a car *

Handling Emergencies
10. Perform the Heimlich
11. Reverse hypothermia
12. Perform hands-only CPR
13. Escape a sinking car
(did they forget, "Jumping from a burning building" and "Rescuing babies from being eaten by mountain lions"? I think so.)

Home
16. Put out a fire
18. Remove bloodstains from fabric <-- (for... uh... unknown reasons)
19. Move heavy stuff
20. Grow food
22. Shovel the right way *
23. Solder wire *
24. Tape drywall
25. Split firewood *
26. Replace a faucet washer
27. Mix concrete <-- this doesn't really apply, since concrete bags tell you how anyway
28. Paint a straight line
30. Prune bushes and small trees
31. Iron a shirt
32. Fix a toilet tank flapper *
33. Change a single-pole switch
35. Replace a broken windowpane
36. Set up a ladder, safely *
37. Fix a faucet cartridge
38. Sweat copper tubing
39. Change a diaper *
40. Grill with charcoal
41. Sew a button on a shirt

Medical Myths
43. Treat frostbite
44. Treat a burn
45. Help a seizure victim
46. Treat a snakebite
47. Remove a tick

Military Know-How
48. Shine shoes
50. Drop and give the perfect pushup *

Okay, so it's about here where I stop removing the ones that don't have any practical use that I can see, and start keeping the ones that I can fantasize about knowing and imagining myself in dangerous situations where I have to use one or more of the skills to escape. Meaning the Outdoors section doesn't really apply.

Outdoors
51. Run rapids in a canoe *
52. Hang food in the wild *
53. Skipper a boat *
54. Shoot straight *
55. Tackle steep drops on a mountain bike *
56. Escape a rip current *

Primitive Skills
57. Build a fire in the wilderness *
58. Build a shelter
59. Find potable water

Surviving Extremes
60. Floods
61. Tornados
62. Cold
63. Heat
64. Lightning

Teach Your Kids
65. Cast a line
66. Lend a hand
67. Change a tire
69. Fly a stunt kite
70. Drive a stick shift *
71. Parallel park *
73. Tie a necktie *
74. Whittle
75. Ride a bike *

Technology
76. Install a graphics card *
79. Shoot a home movie *

Master Key Workshop Tools
81. Drill driver
82. Grease gun
83. Coolant hydrometer
84. Socket wrench
85. Test light
86. Brick trowel
87. Framing hammer
88. Wood chisel
89. Spade bit
90. Circular saw
91. Sledge hammer
92. Hacksaw
93. Torque wrench
94. Air wrench
95. Infrared thermometer <-- why?
96. Sand blaster
97. Crosscut saw
98. Hand plane
99. Multimeter
100. Feeler gauges


I think the bulk of those have practical use. (except the Outdoors section, my what a fantasy trip.) Not every one of them is something I'll feel like I'll need to know in my lifetime but I could see why some people would like to have /most/ of those skills. You'd be a pretty handy guy, of course.

* signifies everything that I'm pretty sure I can do, minus the Outdoors section.

[blue_tetris]

Stuff I can do (*).

Automotive
2. Drive in snow *
6. Conquer an off-road obstacle
8. Hitch up a trailer *
9. Jump start a car *

Handling Emergencies
10. Perform the Heimlich *
11. Reverse hypothermia
12. Perform hands-only CPR
13. Escape a sinking car * (go Worst Case Scenario Survival Guide)

Home
16. Put out a fire *
18. Remove bloodstains from fabric *
19. Move heavy stuff *
20. Grow food
22. Shovel the right way *
23. Solder wire *
24. Tape drywall *
25. Split firewood *
26. Replace a faucet washer *
27. Mix concrete
28. Paint a straight line *
30. Prune bushes and small trees *
31. Iron a shirt *
32. Fix a toilet tank flapper *
33. Change a single-pole switch
35. Replace a broken windowpane
36. Set up a ladder, safely *
37. Fix a faucet cartridge
38. Sweat copper tubing
39. Change a diaper *
40. Grill with charcoal *
41. Sew a button on a shirt *

Medical Myths
43. Treat frostbite
44. Treat a burn
45. Help a seizure victim
46. Treat a snakebite
47. Remove a tick *

Military Know-How
48. Shine shoes *
50. Drop and give the perfect pushup

Outdoors
51. Run rapids in a canoe
52. Hang food in the wild *
53. Skipper a boat *
54. Shoot straight *
55. Tackle steep drops on a mountain bike
56. Escape a rip current

Primitive Skills
57. Build a fire in the wilderness *
58. Build a shelter *
59. Find potable water *

Surviving Extremes
60. Floods *
61. Tornados
62. Cold *
63. Heat *
64. Lightning *

Teach Your Kids
65. Cast a line *
66. Lend a hand *
67. Change a tire *
69. Fly a stunt kite
70. Drive a stick shift *
71. Parallel park *
73. Tie a necktie *
74. Whittle *
75. Ride a bike

Technology
76. Install a graphics card *
79. Shoot a home movie *

Master Key Workshop Tools
81. Drill driver *
82. Grease gun *
83. Coolant hydrometer
84. Socket wrench *
85. Test light *
86. Brick trowel *
87. Framing hammer *
88. Wood chisel *
89. Spade bit
90. Circular saw *
91. Sledge hammer *
92. Hacksaw *
93. Torque wrench *
94. Air wrench
95. Infrared thermometer
96. Sand blaster *
97. Crosscut saw
98. Hand plane *
99. Multimeter
100. Feeler gauges

[kkstrong]

This I can do (*)

Automotive
1. Handle a blowout
2. Drive in snow *
3. Check trouble codes
4. Replace fan belt
5. Wax a car *
6. Conquer an off-road obstacle
7. Use a stick welder
8. Hitch up a trailer *
9. Jump start a car *


Handling Emergencies
10. Perform the Heimlich *
11. Reverse hypothermia *
12. Perform hands-only CPR *
13. Escape a sinking car *


Home
14. Carve a turkey *
15. Use a sewing machine *
16. Put out a fire *
17. Home brew beer
18. Remove bloodstains from fabric *
19. Move heavy stuff *
20. Grow food *
21. Read an electric meter
22. Shovel the right way *
23. Solder wire *
24. Tape drywall *
25. Split firewood *
26. Replace a faucet washer
27. Mix concrete *
28. Paint a straight line
29. Use a French knife
30. Prune bushes and small trees *
31. Iron a shirt *
32. Fix a toilet tank flapper
33. Change a single-pole switch
34. Fell a tree *
35. Replace a broken windowpane *
36. Set up a ladder, safely *
37. Fix a faucet cartridge
38. Sweat copper tubing
39. Change a diaper *
40. Grill with charcoal *
41. Sew a button on a shirt *
42. Fold a flag *


Medical Myths
43. Treat frostbite *
44. Treat a burn *
45. Help a seizure victim
46. Treat a snakebite
47. Remove a tick *


Military Know-How
48. Shine shoes *
49. Make a drum-tight bed
50. Drop and give the perfect pushup *


Outdoors
51. Run rapids in a canoe *
52. Hang food in the wild *
53. Skipper a boat
54. Shoot straight *
55. Tackle steep drops on a mountain bike
56. Escape a rip current *


Primitive Skills
57. Build a fire in the wilderness *
58. Build a shelter *
59. Find potable water *


Surviving Extremes
60. Floods *
61. Tornados
62. Cold *
63. Heat *
64. Lightning *


Teach Your Kids
65. Cast a line *
66. Lend a hand *
67. Change a tire
68. Throw a spiral *
69. Fly a stunt kite
70. Drive a stick shift
71. Parallel park
72. Tie a bowline
73. Tie a necktie *
74. Whittle *
75. Ride a bike *


Technology
76. Install a graphics card
77. Take the perfect portrait *
78. Calibrate HDTV settings *
79. Shoot a home movie *
80. Ditch your hard drive ***


Master Key Workshop Tools
81. Drill driver *
82. Grease gun
83. Coolant hydrometer *
84. Socket wrench *
85. Test light
86. Brick trowel
87. Framing hammer *
88. Wood chisel *
89. Spade bit
90. Circular saw *
91. Sledge hammer *
92. Hacksaw
93. Torque wrench
94. Air wrench
95. Infrared thermometer *
96. Sand blaster
97. Crosscut saw *
98. Hand plane
99. Multimeter
100. Feeler gauges


64/100 :D

[Tanner]

Stuff I can do (*).
73. Tie a necktie *
74. Whittle *
75. Ride a bike

Really? No bike?

[blue_tetris]

Stuff I can do (*).
73. Tie a necktie *
74. Whittle *
75. Ride a bike

Really? No bike?

Ahem.

Very much really.

Never learned how to ride a bike in my youth. Then, when I was about 20-ish, I looked at people who rode bikes and, when given the option of learning to do it myself, I decided not to be one of those guys.

[Lachesis]

17 is mah favorite

[Pixon]

17 is mah favorite

hahaha Brew home beer.

[Manifest]

I find it amusing that if there were an article "100 Skills Every Woman Should Know," it would likely be labeled as extremely sexist and offensive.

Point being, I don't see why I should hold myself, or anyone else, up to a magazine's view of masculinity. It's degrading to think that everyone should conform to a superficial gender identity.