Can You Master These 25 Essential Skills for Every Man?

[Janus]

According to Popular Mechanics, these are the 25 skills every man should know.

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



How many do you know?

Also, do you agree/disagree with the list?

 

[dontdisturbmycircles]

I can:


2. Protect your computer
3. Rescue a boater who has capsized
4. Frame a wall
5. Retouch digital photos
7. Build a campfire
9. Navigate with a map and compass
10. Use a torque wrench
11. Sharpen a knife
12. Perform CPR
14. Maneuver a car out of a skid
15. Get a car unstuck
16. Back up data
17. Paint a room
18. Mix concrete
21. Hook up an HDTV
23. Paddle a canoe
24. Fix a bike flat
25. Extend your wireless network

26. Call someone who knows how to do the things I can't

 

[BobG]

The only things I haven't done are 12, 21, and 25, but I'm pretty sure I could hook up an HDTV.

I'd delete 4 & 25 and put 'repair a toilet' and 'repair a sink' in their place.

Open a can and open a bottle of beer should probably be on the list somewhere, too.

Having skin like leather and the diamond hard look of the cobra should be on there, too, and maybe the ability to walk like Brando right into the Sun and dance like a Casanova.

 

[Astronuc]

I've done all but 12 and 21, but I have had CPR lessons. I'd probably read the instructions to hook up HDTV installation.

Open a can and open a bottle of beer should probably be on the list somewhere, too.

With a set of keys and key ring, counter/table edge (preferably metal or ceramic and not wood), screwdriver, hammer, or just about any tool.

I've repaired most kinds of plumbing including installation and repair of showers, sinks, toilets, piping, DWV, . . . through steam lines, condensate lines, and then stuff like repair pumps, motors, compressors, and various other equipment.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I put 23, but I still need to think about the radiator hose... I should know that one. Of course, unless stranded, you never patch a hose anyway.

I only use wireless networks when at hotels.

They should have included using a pair of nylons to replace a broken V-belt, and pepper for a leaky radiator [in life or death situations].

How to use a multi-meter

And they forgot the most important one of all: How to keep mama happy! Because if mama's not happy, nobody's happy.

 

[kaisxuans]

The only things I can't do are those like 1.14.15 and 22. well, mostly because I don’t know what the horse thing is and I am too young to drive a car.

 

[russ_watters]

There are a couple that I have never done, but only one that I wouldn't know how to do - bleed brakes.

Being a Boy Scout took care of about a third of those...

 

[Moonbear]

Not being a man, I can do 21 of them, and can't imagine hooking up any sort of TV would be all that difficult, but haven't tried with an HDTV (I'm not getting one of those or a flat screen TV until the prices come down to what a normal TV costs). I used to joke that I had to go to grad school to learn to back a trailer, because that's when I learned to do it while moving animals around the farm for experiments.

In theory, I think I could frame a wall too, but have never needed to do construction on that scale yet (short of handing nails to my dad when I was a kid...I'm sure my help only slowed him down, but at that age, my mind was like a sponge, so I could watch something once and do it myself...I think that knowledge is still kicking around in my head somewhere). The only one that I wouldn't even know where to begin would be cleaning a rifle.

 

[Moonbear]

There are a couple that I have never done, but only one that I wouldn't know how to do - bleed brakes.

Oh, that's easy, just keep stepping on the brake pedal until Dad tells you to stop. Yeah, that was one of mine too...I was always on the pedal side of the job. My step-sister can do it though, so I should ask her someday to teach me.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Oh, that's easy, just keep stepping on the brake pedal until Dad tells you to stop.

Tsu hates it when I need help bleeding the brakes on truck. Her leg usually gets tired before I can bleed the longest lines.

 

[Math Is Hard]

"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."

— Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Being a Boy Scout took care of about a third of those...

Can you boil water in a paper bag over an open fire?

 

[Integral]

Though I have never needed it I have been trained in CPR. I am not sure about the radiator hose, a lot would depend on what was at hand. I claimed 23 or 24.

edit:
Modern hookup of HD is easy, the single HDMI cable gets it all. Hooking up the component cables along with a full Home theater system is a bit more fun.

 

[daniel_i_l]

What about screwing in lightbulbs?

 

[mathwonk]

how to make your woman feel wonderful - this we all aspire to.

 

[ice109]

how to make your woman feel wonderful - this we all aspire to.

 

[Astronuc]

how to make your woman feel wonderful - this we all aspire to.

Ivan covered that one so eloquently -

And they forgot the most important one of all: How to keep mama happy! Because if mama's not happy, nobody's happy.

 

[whitay]

With a set of keys and key ring, counter/table edge (preferably metal or ceramic and not wood), screwdriver, hammer, or just about any tool.

Don#t forget the german way... With a lighter. Thats like the number one bottle opener in germany.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Real men can turn a bicycle frame into a blowtorch, disarm a bomb with a hockey ticket, or weld a broken pipe with a handfull of quarters.

http://www.hlb.com/inovlogImages/cap07.jpg

 

[turbo]

I have not hooked up a HDTV, but I claimed all 25. If I can build guitar amplifiers, I figure I can plug in a few cables.

 

[rewebster]

I have not hooked up a HDTV, but I claimed all 25. If I can build guitar amplifiers, I figure I can plug in a few cables.

same here----


but if that "Simple Kirchoff's Law Problem" is going to a HDTV, I may have some trouble

 

[DaveC426913]

I have been trained in CPR. I am not sure about the radiator hose,

Just don't confuse the two.

Which, now that I think of it, should be skill 26.

 

[hypnagogue]

I am dismayed at some obvious omissions from Popular Mechanics' list.

- how to kill a bear with one's bare hands
- how to intimidate a foe with grunts and gestures
- how to club a woman unconscious without causing serious injury or death
- how to approximate the appearance and mannerisms of Bob Vila
- how to make a radio from a coconut

 

[hypnagogue]

Not to mention...

- how to manufacture a gun
- how to comfort the dying
- how to hack the local government's computers
- how to exploit the medicinal properties of the local flora
- how to send smoke signals
- how to overcome one's self and become an ubermensch
- how to fly a Boeing 747

 

[zoobyshoe]

I am dismayed at some obvious omissions from Popular Mechanics' list.

- how to kill a bear with one's bare hands
- how to intimidate a foe with grunts and gestures
- how to club a woman unconscious without causing serious injury or death
- how to approximate the appearance and mannerisms of Bob Vila
- how to make a radio from a coconut

Not to mention...

- how to manufacture a gun
- how to comfort the dying
- how to hack the local government's computers
- how to exploit the medicinal properties of the local flora
- how to send smoke signals
- how to overcome one's self and become an ubermensch
- how to fly a Boeing 747

And how to evade and skirmish with a rural redneck police force on their own turf if they draw first blood. That one's important.

Tha ability to track down and defeat taunting serial killers and terrorist cadres holding hostages also comes in handy.

 

[brewnog]

22.

I don't know what framing a wall is, and I've never picked up a gun, let alone clean one. I failed on the wireless network one though, I gave up with mine and sold all the bits on eBay!

 

[turbo]

I started thinking about things that are necessary or just real darned handy to live self-sufficiently as possible. I think all of these things rank WAY above altering digital photos (unless you are a congressman who had his picture taken when a certain lobbyist named Jack was handing you a wad of cash!).

Dress out and butcher a deer or hog.
Tie your own flies for fishing and learn to fool tasty salmonids with them.
Build a workbench or simple furniture/storage cabinets.
Shingle and flash a roof.
Prune a fruit tree.
Rebuild/adjust a carburetor.
Build a stone wall.
Plant and maintain a vegetable garden.
Prepare and can the food from that garden.
Operate, sharpen, and maintain a chain saw.
Evaluate investment options.
Sight in a rifle with open sights or a scope.
Ride a horse.
Obedience-train a dog.
Evaluate a used car before buying.
Refinish wood furniture.
Re-glaze a window.
Clean and re-gap spark plugs.

There are probably hundreds more things that are more important than some of the things on that list - these are just things that came to mind.

 

[DaveC426913]

I started thinking about things that are necessary or just real darned handy to live self-sufficiently as possible.

Which raises some interesting questions:

Are these lists of what a man specifically should be able to do, or lists of what a person should be able to do? The list seems pretty biased towards physical labour.


Are these lists about self-sufficiency in a world devoid of other people, or in the normal world? For example: while dressing a game animal might be truly necessary to survival if you're lost or after civilisation falls, what about skills like budgeting one's household income? I'd put that pretty high up.

 

[cristo]

I think a lot of these things depend upon your way of life. For example, there is no way I'll ever need to know how to use, or clean, a rifle. Also, there's no need to know how to reglaze a window, since if a window breaks one can call the glazier (it's their job so they're bound to do this a lot faster, and do a better job, than a layperson). However, I agree that more fundamental things, like using a jack to change a car tyre, are important to know, since one may be stranded with no one to call.

 

[rewebster]

OK--who is going to start a list:

What every woman should know how to do




(not me--)

 

[turbo]

I made my list of additional stuff mostly out of mental rummaging about things that I would hate to not be able to do for myself, even in a world where there are other people and I could hire them to do them. For instance, I have hunted since I was a kid, and there is no way that my family could have afforded to have other people dress out and butcher deer or hogs. We did it ourselves, just like our neighbors and relatives did. My father would not let me hunt until I could handle his M1 safely, field-strip it, clean it and reassemble it, just like the Army taught recruits in boot camp. I was 10. If you grow up hunting, fishing, farming, etc, there are levels of proficiency that you have to achieve to be good at it. Probably the toughest occupation is farming because to be a successful farmer, you have to be able to troubleshoot and repair your equipment (often on the spot) understand good points and deficiencies in crops and livestock, manage your cash flow, plan for optimized yeilds, etc. The guy on the tractor may be wearing dirty coveralls and have manure on his boots, but if he's a successful farmer, he has to know LOTS of stuff that never made it onto the list in the OP.

 

[cristo]

With the exception of manging your own cash flow, these things are all specialist skills that a farmer would need to know, in order to go about his life. However, the majority of us are not farmers; we live in a civilised, advanced world where peoples' jobs are to do precisely these things for us, since for the most part, we do not have the time to mend difficult to fix things ourselves.

I'm not saying that these things are not useful for *you,* but simply that I will never have to do things like that, unless I choose to, and, as such, should not be on a list of things that "every man should how to do." The fundamental things are pretty much covered in that list, with the exception of Dave's comment about managing finances-- after all, if we start thinking like this, then there would be, firstly, no time in one's day to do one's own job and, secondly, no jobs for the glazers, plumbers, carpenters, etc..

 

[Evo]

Ok, thanks to my first husband that believed wome should be self sufficient, I can

1. Patch a radiator hose
2. Protect your computer
4. Frame a wall - but I need another person to help
5. Retouch digital photos
7. Build a campfire
8. Fix a dead outlet - but I am too afraid to
9. Navigate with a map and compass
10. Use a torque wrench
11. Sharpen a knife
12. Perform CPR - have a certificate in it
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 - in small batches
20. Change oil and filter - but won't do it, because I can never unscrew the damn filter even with that loop thing wrench thing
21. Hook up an HDTV
23. Paddle a canoe
24. Fix a bike flat
25. Extend your wireless network

How about things like fixing a leaky toilet, stop faucet drips, patching drywall, replacing tile, buidling a fence, replacing a sump pump, replacing blown car engine fuses, replacing car and riding mower batteries, just beware of melting metal.

Thanks to watching Survivorman on tv, I can now make a knife and spear point out of a harmonica.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Not to mention...
- how to fly a Boeing 747

According to my flight simulator, I can land one on a highway.

You just never know when it might come in handy.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

This is fun
http://www.worstcasescenarios.com/

I bought the book years ago - just in case I ever found myself on a runaway camel.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Thanks to watching Survivorman on tv, I can now make a knife and spear point out of a harmonica.

I can make a harmonica out of a knife or spear point.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I can make a harmonica out of a knife or spear point.

I can spear a harmonica player.

 

[turbo]

I can make a spear point or a knife out of a piece of obsidian or flint. I doubt that I could make a harmonica out of obsidian or flint, though my knapping flakes would make wonderful scalpel blades.

 

[turbo]

How about things like fixing a leaky toilet, stop faucet drips, patching drywall, replacing tile, buidling a fence, replacing a sump pump, replacing blown car engine fuses, replacing car and riding mower batteries, just beware of melting metal.

All good things to know. Every time I need to pay somebody to do something that I should be able to do, I try to learn to do it myself. 30 years ago, I took my Honda CL450 to the dealer for a tune up and they screwed it up so badly, that I could hardly get the bike home. I hired the brother of a close friend to do the tune-up and he let me watch and explained what he was doing. When I got back home, I got out my tools and re-did the whole procedure. I tuned up my bike and my neighbor's bike (same model) over and over again until I could do a tune-up in 20 minutes, including checking/cleaning filters, synchronizing carbs, setting valve-cam follower clearances, setting timing chain tension, and static-timing the bike. That includes all prep and clean-up including the removal and replacement of exhaust, access covers, etc. Not everybody wants to be this anal about "doing it yourself", but I am. I took a heavily-laden, blinged-out, rich-running backfiring '85 wide glide, stripped off at least 75# of ugly accessories, and turned it into this. Well-tuned S&S racing carb with a Yost Power Tube pre-atomizer, anti-reversion exhaust, adjustable push-rods, not-too-radical cams, high-flow petcock and fuel filter... I was a friend of the previous owner, and when his buddies from Mass came up to ride with us, they were drooling over the bike and dissin' Rick for selling it. Performance-wise it was a pig when I bought it. After, it would run away from any Harley our riding buddies owned.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I can spear a harmonica player.

I can knock a spear carrying gray space alien off a camel at 20 yards with a well aimed harmonica.

 

[turbo]

I can play a Sonny Boy Williamson song on harmonica. So sad that the spear-carrying alien will cry and ruin his vision. Then I will hit him with a 2x4.

 

[NoTime]

I just had to do 21 "Hook up an HDTV" last week.
The hard part was teaching my 80+ year old parents how to use it.

So far I havn't had to do 12 in real life.

Frankly, I think make beer should be in that list somewhere

 

[out of whack]

Are these lists of what a man specifically should be able to do, or lists of what a person should be able to do? The list seems pretty biased towards physical labour.

It's a pertinent question. It shows that lists like this one are a bit like Cosmo quizzes: not to be taken seriously. I personally find that every woman should know how to use the lawnmower and every man should know how to use the washer/dryer. Neither of these is rocket science or physically demanding and almost every house needs both. Add to these abilities the willingness to use them.

 

[Moonbear]

It's a pertinent question. It shows that lists like this one are a bit like Cosmo quizzes: not to be taken seriously. I personally find that every woman should know how to use the lawnmower and every man should know how to use the washer/dryer. Neither of these is rocket science or physically demanding and almost every house needs both. Add to these abilities the willingness to use them.

Very true! I was completely shocked when I started college when I discovered that there were students who had no idea how to do laundry. How do you get to college age without ever having done laundry...or at least knowing how to do it? Toss clothes in washer, add detergent, turn washer on. When in doubt, use warm water.

 

[NoTime]

When in doubt, use warm water.

Or read the little label?
Since they seem compelled to use weird hieroglyphs nowadays, I guess reading has become a lost art

 

[Moonbear]

Or read the little label?
Since they seem compelled to use weird hieroglyphs nowadays, I guess reading has become a lost art

I can't figure out what half those hieroglyphics mean! What the heck does a triangle with an X in it have to do with laundry? (Labels only work if you haven't cut them out...some clothes have labels that seem stiffer than usual, and scratch, so I cut them out.)

My edit didn't stick (the forum hung up and I didn't copy the text before I lost it). I had my own opinion on a list of essentials. Let's see if I can recreate it.

Know how to do the laundry.
Know how to iron a shirt.
Know how to sew on a button.
Know how to cook a nutritious meal (and know what a nutritious meal is).
Know how to clean your dishes and kitchen counters to avoid bacterial contamination.
Know how to do basic housecleaning, like vacuuming, mopping floors, scrubbing toilets, cleaning the tub/shower, and recognize when it's time to do it.
Know how to operate a lawnmower.
Know how to winterize the lawnmower (applicable only if you live in a climate with winters).
Know where your water shut-off valve is, and how to use it.
Know how to jump start a car.
Know how to change a tire.
Know basic first aid (not just CPR, but when to apply pressure to a wound, ways to immobilize a fractured limb...basically what to do until the ambulance arrives).
Know how to recognize the symptoms of major, life-threatening conditions, such as stroke and heart attack, and know not to wait to call for emergency assistance when you see these symptoms.


I think there was something else in my list, but I can't remember it now. Basically, these are the sort of life skills that everyone needs to know to live independently, and while you can call for someone else to provide professional assistance on many things, these are the things that will get you by until you can arrange for help, or will buy time or minimize damage while waiting for that help to arrive in an emergency.

 

[NoTime]

I like your list better.
The winterizing your lawnmower really applies to any extended period of non use.
You need to summerize your snowblower as well

I did look up the laundry symbols one time.
They didn't make any more sense with the explanation.
Negative net benefit if you ask me.
Grumble, I had a girlfriend leave because I could do laundry better than she could

Unlike CPR I have had to deal with stroke in real life.

PS:What happened to the icon list?

 

[BobG]

I can't figure out what half those hieroglyphics mean! What the heck does a triangle with an X in it have to do with laundry? (Labels only work if you haven't cut them out...some clothes have labels that seem stiffer than usual, and scratch, so I cut them out.)

My edit didn't stick (the forum hung up and I didn't copy the text before I lost it). I had my own opinion on a list of essentials. Let's see if I can recreate it.

Know how to do the laundry.
Know how to iron a shirt.
Know how to sew on a button.
Know how to cook a nutritious meal (and know what a nutritious meal is).
Know how to clean your dishes and kitchen counters to avoid bacterial contamination.
Know how to do basic housecleaning, like vacuuming, mopping floors, scrubbing toilets, cleaning the tub/shower, and recognize when it's time to do it.
Know how to operate a lawnmower.
Know how to winterize the lawnmower (applicable only if you live in a climate with winters).
Know where your water shut-off valve is, and how to use it.
Know how to jump start a car.
Know how to change a tire.
Know basic first aid (not just CPR, but when to apply pressure to a wound, ways to immobilize a fractured limb...basically what to do until the ambulance arrives).
Know how to recognize the symptoms of major, life-threatening conditions, such as stroke and heart attack, and know not to wait to call for emergency assistance when you see these symptoms.


I think there was something else in my list, but I can't remember it now. Basically, these are the sort of life skills that everyone needs to know to live independently, and while you can call for someone else to provide professional assistance on many things, these are the things that will get you by until you can arrange for help, or will buy time or minimize damage while waiting for that help to arrive in an emergency.

I can fold a shirt. If it comes out of the drawer folded, it must be clean, right?



For those needing more detailed instructions: How to fold a T-shirt

In fact, the second site, Video Jug, provides instructions for other, more advanced tasks as well:

How to hit 400 career home runs (You need the video on how to use steroids if you want to hit 500+ home runs)
How to marry Prince William (and how to create an heir and a spare)
How to look good in the buff (surprisingly, this doesn't help in marrying Prince William)
and, of course:
How to be a tool at college

 

[turbo]

Know basic first aid (not just CPR, but when to apply pressure to a wound, ways to immobilize a fractured limb...basically what to do until the ambulance arrives).

I had to not only immobilize fractured limbs (usually legs), strap the patient into a rescue toboggan, and ski them down to the base lodge for transfer to an ambulance. It's interesting that women would often resist, and would rather risk compounding their injuries by trying to get to their feet, claiming they'd be OK, while the guys generally shut up (apart from expletives about the pain) and did as they were told. Ski patrol was a good job, with lots of responsibility for a high-school kid.

 

[turbo]

I can't figure out what half those hieroglyphics mean! What the heck does a triangle with an X in it have to do with laundry? (Labels only work if you haven't cut them out...some clothes have labels that seem stiffer than usual, and scratch, so I cut them out.)

I cut labels out of shirts, too, but since I own practically nothing except cotton T-shirts, jeans, sweats, flannel shirts and fleece pullovers, my laundry is simple. Here is the laundry code for people with more "exotic" clothing.

http://www.fabriclink.com/Care/Caresymbols.cfm