Obsolete Skills: A to Z List

Brad Kellett, WWW page ^ | Ongoing | Brad Kellett, etc

[dickmc]

"Scooby came up with the idea in a recent blog post to make a list of 'obsolete skills.' He describes these skills as things we used to know that no longer are very useful to us, and provided few examples including:

* Dialing a rotary phone
* Putting a needle on a vinyl record
* Changing tracks on an eight-track tape
* Shorthand?
* Using a slide rule
* Optimizing 640K-worth of memory
* ....

The community has started to create a much larger list of these obsolete skills, check out the full A-Z list (link below). Feel free to contribute more if you can, and if you have the time, please make a page with a short description of the skill. (from http://obsoleteskills.com/Main/HomePage)"

Although this makes me feel old, I have a 1964 Corvette that I still set the dwell angle on. I can also:
* still use a slide rule,
* use a library card catalog,
* know what the Readers Guide to Periodical Literature is,
* set a tone arm balance,
* etc.

The A to Z list of skills is at http://obsoleteskills.com/Skills/Skills

Enjoy

[bvw]

That list is a bit too buzz brained, eh? Writing checks, for example, is NOT obsolete. People who do NOT get in over their heads in credit card debt still write checks and hand enter the check, payee, date and amount in a handwritten ledger. A walking long distances is popular, not obsolete. For example *ideally* I do 40+ miles a week. Lately, past few months less, albeit.

[Inyo-Mono]

Putting a needle on a vinyl record...

As a radio DJ, I used to make a living doing this.

[Hyzenthlay]

Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-Right-B-A-Select-Start in Konami games

I'm gonna have to do some research on that one... I have a few recent Konami games.

Interestingly enough, I've never met anyone near my age who knows how to use a slide rule, and only the engineer types even know what one is. However, there's a lot to be said for knowing all that math stuff that doesn't require a calculator - it's definitely helped me out a few times.

[steve8714]

Good manners? Good spelling?

[Califreak]

Good values?

[Monterrosa-24]

Military skill wise...we’ve seen lots of skills fall off in importance from using a CEOI code book in the “scrambler” era to organizing “Real Train” war gaming in the Miles (laser) era. Practicing map reading and compass skills has gone to the “back up” category of needed skills in the GPS age.

But marksmanship is every bit as important as it has ever been. The man on the ground still needs to know how to zero his weapon, maintain it, and be able to shoot accurately when called upon.

[bvw]

Spelling was a temporary fad! Try reading Chaucer. Or even Shakespeare in original.

[PennsylvaniaMom]

I actually 'know' shorthand. I am waiting for a time when this now 'top secret' script is in demand...I shall raise to the task.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Dialing a rotary phone

I still have a rotary phone--the first phone I ever bought, circa 1981 when you could only buy them at the phone company phone store. It's fun when anyone under, say, 20, tries to use it. They haven't got a clue.

[Mugwump]

“I actually ‘know’ shorthand..”

_________________________________________________________

Pitman or Gregg? :0)

[TheThirdRuffian]

farrier

[BenLurkin]

Putting a needle on a vinyl record *

No, vinyl still the way to go — spunds much better.

[PennsylvaniaMom]

Gregg...when I was in HS I was in a club called FBLA. I actually went to shorthand competitions. :)PaMom

[Joe 6-pack]

Yep....hard to beat the spund of good vinyl ;-)

[Tijeras_Slim]

I had a red dial desk phone. Mrs. Slim got rid of it, probably because she was tired of me answering it by saying “Da, Nikita?”

[JustaDumbBlonde]

I'm coming at this subject purely from things I do on a daily basis. How many folks these days know how to milk a cow? Make butter? Dehydrate and/or can food? Cut and split wood? Tie an effective fly for fishing? Hunt? Tan a hide? Sew a nice article of clothing?

Mind you, I don't do every one of these things every day, but at least some of them.

[Young Werther]

I can still throw a discus! My Gym Teacher Shot Putt me up to that sport!

[PennsylvaniaMom]

I know how to make butter!!! We’ve made it at my kids’ school for their ‘Colonial’ activities.

[N. Theknow]

Dressmaker for Hillary Clinton.