Skills

I’m currently reading the Oct 2007 edition of Popular Mechanics. Glenn Reynolds wrote an article about “Forgetting the Basics.” His first paragraph was a quote of science fiction author Robert Heinlein, who wrote:

“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, 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, and die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”

After reading this paragraph, I realized how much I have learned through the years. In the sci-fi world of Heinlein, I’m actually human. I haven’t conned a ship but I’ve read something about it. Setting a bone is part of being a doctor. I designed a small house in a virtual environment. I learned programming when I was 9 years old in 1982. I can cook a little and having been in karate for 25 years, I can fight efficiently.

Reynolds says that Heinlein’s description is a tall order given how kids these days are. In this instance, I’m glad I was born when I did. My dad wasn’t the kind who would teach me stuff. He actually didn’t like my asking all those questions and touching the stuff he was doing. He did let me watch when he tinkered with stuff and he did purchase an entire set of science encyclopedia books. Luckily, I never did get into a LOT of trouble with trying out what I learned and experimenting on my own. I had cuts, bruises, burns and more than the average share of electrocutions but i’m still whole and functioning well.

As I was growing up, I realized that some of the things I learned needed to be shared. It would be a shame to let all that experience go to waste. I tried teaching my baby brother little by little but he was not that eager to learn. He does ask if there is something that he wants to know so I’m happy that he is that way. I do hope that my future children will have the same curiosity and aptitude that I have so that I can teach them everything. And yes, I will teach them. I wont just show but I will try to explain why things are done that way and more important, why it is safer to do it that way.

My first Swiss army knife was this huge complete thing I bought from my Flight Attendant Tita who sold it to me for 900 pesos while I was in grade 7. It now costs almost 4000 pesos. I love that thing. It had everything but I always felt hesitant to use it because it was so nice. I eventually got myself a small one that goes with my keys and I won a medium sized one in college during the Physics department’s McGyver contest. Those I used with gusto. The funkiest thing I did with a swiss knife was during our tour in Europe. One of our group was this girl who had braces. She was in so much pain because the wire at the back was poking her cheeks. She forgot to visit her orthodontist before leaving. I volunteered to fix it J Yeah, while the bus was stopped, I took out my trusty swiss knife, cleaned it with alcohol and cut that wire inside her mouth.

My parents dreaded the day I finally bought my own screw driver. I think I was 9. Nothing was sacred. I opened everything I can. Some… needed time to get put back together. During those times, whenever something doesn’t work when my parents got home, they would scream my name to ask me to explain. It wasn’t always because I opened it. I think they eventually forgave me when I started being able to actually repair things that they themselves broke. I can solder wiring, figure out which component is malfunctioning (just the basics), and I can rewire circuits.

I’m now in my power tools phase. I’m being extra careful. I need my fingers for doing surgery in the future :)