Wednesday 19 November 2008

A handy man

tool-fist-470-1008 In his 'Notebooks of Lazarus Long' Robert Heinlein famously averred that every 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."

Popular Mechanics updates Heinlein's list with 100 Skills Every Man Should Know: 2008's Ultimate DIY List.

Try their quiz to see just how human you're being.

8 comments:

Peter Cresswell said...

13. Huh!

Anonymous said...

"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."

Sounds like Sarah Palin. But to the Libs, she's a figure of hate and scorn. Gonna make your mind up or what?

Peter Cresswell said...

Redbaiter obviously scored zero, and he's bitter.

Annie Fox just scored 9. Eat your gallant hearts out.

KG said...

15

Peter Cresswell said...

You're only supposed to do it once, KG. :-)

Anonymous said...

11. But how am I supposed to distinguish between the consistency of grits and chunky peanut butter when I have never eaten or even seen grits, despite having lived in the States? I should therefore up my score by at least one, but I won't.

DenMT

Anonymous said...

Now having read the full article, I feel very puffed up indeed. I'm sure my chest sprouted a few extra hairs when I pulled off the Heimlich manoeuvre on a friend who was choking on a piece of ice. I have also learned removing ticks over here in Sweden by necessity, and live in fear of the little fuckers. They're known as 'fästingar' and have wrecked otherwise awesome mushroom-hunting expeditions.

I reckon MIG and TIG welding should be on the list.

DenMT

Anonymous said...

Strip and rebuild a V-8 engine. Extra points for a V-12.

LGM