now considered useless traits

[noharleyyet]

 

[BrentD]

I shot an animal last year at a measured range for the first time in my life. I felt like I was cheating.

I know what ya mean. Were you using a rainbow gun or a 6.5 Manbun?

 

[Joe in La.]

Basic car maintenance… it’s hilarious when I tell someone I change plugs, wires, sensors or even f@cki g oil… They look at me like I’m on a damn NASCAR pit crew…

My work partner once drove us 50 miles to change a tire for his healthy 21 year old son with a flat on the side of the road. And yes the kid had a jack, good spare, and lug wrench. I couldent believe it. I told him instead of changing the tire he should take his keys instead. I never road with him again after that.

 

[MTTW]

No.

 

[Joe in La.]

I can paddle a canoe standing up, and I can cast a fly rod that way too, if the bottom is wide enough.

Tried standing up in my kayak to free a 5.00 fishing lure from a tree branch. that ended bad and wet. Made me realize why the heck am I fishing out of this thing with two real boats at home. But I really needed to get that lure back it was my last one.

 

[Joe in La.]

I am pretty good at a bunch of things, really good at few, expert at probably none, except maybe “figuring it out” and losing my keys. I was a state-level runner, was pretty fast on a dirtbike, people seem to take my advice seriously, I don’t hire contractors to do much, I butcher my own game, do my own plumbing and basic wiring, grow a good garden, can build a fence, can cut down a tree, can manhandle a bobcat loader, know how to break the bead on a tire, and I can identify probably 2000 plant species. Most of what I do feels a bit obsolete most days, but I save money, stay out of trouble, and avoid hurting myself most of the time. What more can I ask.

I Try to do the same but can no longer do high up on ladders dry well. Age vs. balance issues I guess.

 

[44hunter45]

Maybe I fall into the "bad" category then, haha.

We could be in a band together. You know they phase , "shut up and play your guitar?" My wife tells me, " put down your guitar and sing."

 

[isu22andy]

Cleaning a carburetor .

 

[44hunter45]

Amen,

I just moved and hopeful after my hunting trip next week i will have time to set the kit back up. She's a beautiful big 80's Tama with deep concert toms all on rack. She looks like she came right off the stage from a heavy metal /hair band. I didn't list drumming because most will never understand the feeling of mastering some weird off beat time signatures. All Hail NP RIP

A drummer would get this.

Another useless thing I do is collect and repair cuckoo clocks. I was laying in bed last night listening to three cuckoo clocks beat in different rhythms. Eventually I figured out a grove I could lay down for it. Polyrhythmic heaven. Hail Neil, Hail Geddy

 

[Benfromalbuquerque]

Being able to read a non digital caliper. Or any non digital instrument for that matter.

Reading the clouds in the distance when on the lake or in the wild. Now we just open our smart phones for a satellite radar pic.

Using a nautical map and be able to triangulate where you were then take a compass heading and get exactly where you wanted to go. Now you just hit the waypoint and it tells you. My great uncle Bob would be out on Lake Erie 12-15 miles out chasing walleyes back in the early 80's. We would drift past a marked buoy and he would tells us kids " go get the map and tell us how to find our return port". Priceless education and back then we never realized that he was making us use our brains and learning cool stuff.

I once was with him in thick fog. We came out of the canal and he told me the heading to go to hit a buoy marker he wanted us to fish by. Off his heading we damn near ran over the buoy. He left this world at 60 years old ( I was 12) and I wish I could have had a few more years with him. He taught me everything I know about reading water, navigating, boat control in rough seas, sailing, fishing, etc...

15mi, that’s the Canadian border! Dad and I never used nautical maps, but target fish was perch. More like where’s the sun, stay between Eastlake and Perry. 5’-7’ too high, got to get back.

 

[hank4elk]

Showing on time for work, or early and actually working,hard.

 

[XXL]

Knowing how to tie a double-diamond and a single-diamond, when to use each and how to balance a load. It's a pretty small cohort of Americans who still have and use those skills. There was a time, though....

 

[2rocky]

Knowing how to tie a double-diamond and a single-diamond, when to use each and how to balance a load. It's a pretty small cohort of Americans who still have and use those skills. There was a time, though....

I learned on a North Idaho Decker outfit. Seldom did toploads there. I seem to use a Box hitch more often if I do have a top load but the guys in Wyoming with their Sawbucks seem to like the Diamond and Double Diamonds. I do love the Regionality of packing Hitches, because there usually is a reason those hitches work there...I abhor the Buckle on H packs. it is the mark of a rookie to me.

 

[pre6422hornet]

15mi, that’s the Canadian border! Dad and I never used nautical maps, but target fish was perch. More like where’s the sun, stay between Eastlake and Perry. 5’-7’ too high, got to get back.

yep sure is!

We fished Pelee island before it was cool. Spent a lot of time out at West, East, and Middle Sister. I still have the old map we used out in the shop.

 

[Straight Arrow]

Common cents(sic).

 

[FranklinME]

My dad carved duck decoys on the side. I became pretty good at carving and won the Ward world champion youth division at wild fowl carving. Now of course its all plastic decoys.

 

[44hunter45]

I learned on a North Idaho Decker outfit. Seldom did toploads there. I seem to use a Box hitch more often if I do have a top load but the guys in Wyoming with their Sawbucks seem to like the Diamond and Double Diamonds. I do love the Regionality of packing Hitches, because there usually is a reason those hitches work there...I abhor the Buckle on H packs. it is the mark of a rookie to me.

Other way around for me. Pop taught me sawbucks on the ranch. I never saw Deckers until I came to Idaho

 

[FranklinME]

Can't take my ribbon though!

 

[IDFireLass]

A fire lookout that knows how to operate a Alidade fire finder and read a paper map.
GPS are handy but still like my paper maps.

 

[belshawelk]

When I was a young fellow (11 or 12), a Chinese exchange student staying at the neighbors taught me how to solve the Rubik's Cube. Not by pictures or anything, just how to do it.
After not seeing one for nearly 40 years, I saw one in a toy store with the grand kids and bought it. After fumbling around for a few minutes, I remembered how to solve it. Probably not under a minute @ZMT588, but I can still do it. Can't remember what I had for supper last night, but can solve a cube from 40 years ago.
Granddaughter wanted me to teach her but her mother just googled it for her...

I taught myself to juggle many years ago. Can do 3 or 4 and some other different tricks. Still do it occasionally, you know, at parties and such...

I won't remember your name, but if you have a Rubik's Cube I can solve it... If you have 3, I can juggle them.
Sorry ladies, I'm married.

I wish I could juggle. I have tried and tried. I even had a girl on my HS Softball team i coach teach everyone to juggle on the team. Except me. Albeit they didn't all juggle great but they could do it. I can coach a top state champion girls fast pitch team, multiple times and top National finisher, but dammit I cant juggle. I can play drums pretty darn good, I have faster than average hands but cant juggle!