25 Skills Every Man Should Know

Popular Mechanics have a great Hey Martha article 25 Skills Every Man Should Know. How did I rate, as red-blooded Aussie Urban Hobbyist keen to get more analog skills in this digital world?

1. Patch a radiator hose

Oh, that would assume I had a car. Almost no-one I know has a car, one friend does, and I think Marcus at the office does. But I think I can do that. Tick

2. Protect your computer

I protect my computer by trying to use free or open source software where possible. Hackers and virus-writers go after mass software, by and large. Tick

3. Rescue a boater who has capsized

I learned surf rescue at school. I wonder if they mean rescue like take to the shore or rescue like swim out and right the boat? Hmmm. I am much more buoyant now. Half tick

4. Frame a wall

I don't even know what this means. Does it mean I could put a wall frame up. I've helped making walls before, so I guess so. Tick

5. Retouch digital photos

Tick

6. Back up a trailer

Again, a car would probably come in handy. I have backed up trailers before, but Australia is actually full of trailer-backing-up experts who will kindly insist on taking over the job at the slightest wobble. Half tick

7. Build a campfire

Are they kidding? In Australia? Start a fire in our droughts and you can set the country on fire. The ability to build a campfire should be a criminal offense here. Our Parks service thoughtfully provides gas barbecues along the highways for this. And who would go camping with all our snakes? No Tick

8. Fix a dead outlet

I can certainly check a fuse. But our power is 240 volts, not something you want to be poking around with. (Actually, I probably would be able to do something.) Half Tick

9. Navigate with a map and compass

And go where, exactly? East is the Pacific Ocean. North is bush. West is bush. South is bush. When I lived in Taiwan I used to get terribly lost, until I realized that I was unconsciously checking the direction using shadows: I had no idea I used shadows for direction until then. Nature's compass. But I am OK with maps, from navigating when flying with my dear old dad. Half tick

10. Use a torque wrench

Oh, now the pretense at not being a complete girly boy falls into a shambles. I don't even know what a torque wrench is. No tick

11. Sharpen a knife

I can sharpen carving knives, but my success with other knives is not good. Half tick

12. Perform CPR

Again, we learned this in our life-saving training at school. But I wouldn't choose myself if I needed it. Tick

13. Fillet a fish

Sure. But some fish are more tricky than others to do well. It really is a job for the professional. Tick

14. Maneuver a car out of a skid

See 1 Half Tick

15. Get a car unstuck

If your car is stuck in mud here, you probably have a bigger problem than the mud: you have to watch out for flash floods or crocodiles. Half Tick

16. Back up data

I use web-based software for most things to do with important data, so I don't have local copies. But for my hobby stuff, it is a good reminder. Tick

17. Paint a room

Tick

18. Mix concrete

I think I can remember. Tick

19. Clean a bolt-action rifle

Guns are illegal in the cities here; the government had a big buy-back project a few decades ago that was very successful. I suppose things are different in the USA, which is so full of bears and the vicious coyote and the varmint, and which is surrounded by neighbouring countries who are likely to invade at the drop of a fur-skin cap or sombrero, hence the need for a well-formed militia. I gather the North has been having trouble with the South too. I've never even touched a gun.No Tick

20. Change oil and filter

No Tick

21. Hook up an HDTV

I don't watch TV except for Dr Who, and that not on HDTV, so I expect I could. Half Tick

22. Bleed brakes

No Tick

23. Paddle a canoe

Tick

24. Fix a bike flat

Tick

25. Extend your wireless network

If extend means to add another node, the sure. If it means wander around the house trying to find some position for the receiver that actually makes it everywhere that people go, then sure. Tick

So my score: 16 out of 25. I think my three brothers would each have gotten almost 25/25 each: they are the butch ones. But the article does strke me again with the same impression I get whenever I am in the USA: how gadget-centered people are. I suppose that is a pretty poor criticism for an article from that magazine. An accompanying article justifies the article in terms of are people becoming less handy which is a fair question.

However, the differences may be that people are becoming more handy at small-room skills and less handy at large-workshop skills. In Taiwan, the DIY stores provide an assembly service because it is not cultural to DIY. But I notice in the local hobby stores here, especially for modeling, that almost all the customers were Chinese, so I don't think it is fair to say that the urge to build isn't cross-cultural. But what is interesting about the Popular Mechanics list is that almost all of them are useless skills for me to have: urbanization is what deskills people. We are in the age where we should be asking "Can you use a Dremel?" rather than "Can you use a torque wrench?"

What about "Can you shape and fibreglass a surfboard?" Or "Can you sew a patch into your jeans?" or "Can you trap a spider?" or "Can you fight fires?" or "Can you remove ticks from pets?" They are more practical mechanical skills for us here!

Finally, when I lived in the country and needed something done, the thing to do was to ask a woman. It is not so tragic if men don't know all these skills, because they are only half the population. I guess that goes without saying.