HOW many can YOU do? (From Popular Mechanics)
As Glenn Reynolds writes in his new PM column, traditional knowledge of how to build and fix ordinary things-around the house and in a jam- might be on the decline. With our lives becoming more driven by technology, blue-collar labor has been replaced with more white-collar employment, and teenagers are becoming better at programming Web sites than swinging hammers.
Here at PM, where we at least try to do everything, we spent weeks fine-tuning our list of "25 Skills Every Man Should Know," debating over whether certain items were too basic, too challenging or just too obscure. You can find a full how-to rundown of each one in the October issue of Popular Mechanics, which just hit newsstands. But for now, check out our carefully selected list below, then offer your own arguments and suggestions in the comments section below, or tell us how to perform your must-know skill by writing to us here...
The List: How to...
- Patch a radiator hose
- Protect your computer
- Rescue a boater who as capsized
- Frame a wall
- Retouch digital photos
- Back up a trailer
- Build a campfire
- Fix a dead outlet
- Navigate with a map and compass
- Use a torque wrench
- Sharpen a knife
- Perform CPR
- Fillet a fish
- Maneuver a car out of a skid
- Get a car unstuck
- Back up data
- Paint a room
- Mix concrete
- Clean a bolt-action rifle
- Change oil and filter
- Hook up an HDTV
- Bleed brakes
- Paddle a canoe
- Fix a bike flat
- Extend your wireless network
Well...shit....I can do all of those......( I must admit that hooking up The HDTV has a fair bit to do with WHAT protocol...yeah, I hooked up mine... 1080i and all that...)