Skills that are disappearing or will disappear...

[Arkay]

I stumbled across a topic that I thought was interesting, and sort of appropriate for AK, given the general interest here in "obsolete technologies"...

Do you know how to properly hook up and drive a horse-drawn carriage? Quite probably not, but your great-grandparents almost certainly did. Similarly, many of us here on AK know how to set up and play a turntable, or wind pulled-out tape back into a cassette, or put film in a non-digital SLR camera, or load ribbon into an old typewriter, or dial a rotary phone... but many teenagers today haven't a clue how to do these things. How many here can use a slide rule? An abacus? How about operating a Hollerith card-punch machine, or formatting a floppy diskette?

As technology evolves, some skills that are commonplace for a while, later disappear when they are no longer needed.

What skills did you (or those around you) used to use, that you don't need any more? What skills do older people usually have, that youngsters don't? Have you learned any "obsolete" skills, just for the fun of it?

And how about the future? What skills do we all have and use today, that will no longer be needed in the future?

 

[MAXZ28]

propur speling

 

[SPL db]

People who can do math without a calculator.

Scott

 

[spartanmanor]

Turning the channel on the television without a remote.

 

[epifanatic]

Counting back change properly.

 

[Holst]

I grew up with rotary phones, (I'm 51)I have one in my basement and I dial out on it maybe once every other year. I usually get it right on my third try.

 

[whoaru99]

The two I see going out the future window are common sense and people interaction skills. Perhaps I'm just old-fashioned on the latter...

 

[onepixel]

Grace.

 

[Jack Lord]

Turning the channel on the television without a remote.

Jack Jr just busted mine so I am getting a refresher course. Thank God I ditched cable.

Anyway, threading a reel to reel or a film projector is a simple but lost art.

Does anybody make cartoons without a computer anymore?

How long before my beloved Sunday morning ritual of going outside to fetch the newspaper morphs into booting up the computer?

 

[pahtcenter77]

It's a toss-up between armpit farts or belching the alphabet. Backwards.

 

[fropiler]

Long live Echowars, Markthefixer and their ilk.

People who possess the skills to rebuild and repair our vintage gear have become far and few between. Outside of this board, I can't think of anyone I would trust with my gear.

 

[Snade]

The one skill I have that continues to have value is typing speed and accuracy.

Unfortunately, the skills that are quickly losing value are writing and spelling. Also, being knowledgeable in the liberal arts, it's nice to have in retirement to stimulate reading and interests, but has less and less value in the modern world.

The use of internet search is diminishing the value of retained knowledge and eduction.

Cheers, Snade

 

[pbda]

The two I see going out the future window are common sense and people interaction skills. Perhaps I'm just old-fashioned on the latter...

Agree. I have personally witnessed my 13 year old son texting his friends when they were sitting in the car with him.

 

[ZebraBlvd]

Hand written letters.

 

[promoguy17]

telling time on an analog clock.

 

[Arkay]

Agree. I have personally witnessed my 13 year old son texting his friends when they were sitting in the car with him.

Perhaps that was only to keep the Dad driving the car from hearing what he wanted to tell his friends...

 

[240sx4u]

Good legible handwriting..

I am a very good typist, and make very few mistakes. I never had good handwriting skills and I have noticed they are getting progressively worse.

Evan

 

[ponderbear]

It's a toss-up between armpit farts or belching the alphabet. Backwards.

Yes, but Arkay specified things no longer needed. These things clearly are.

I would add turning eyelids inside out to this.

 

[Rodzilla]

Good legible handwriting..

I am a very good typist, and make very few mistakes. I never had good handwriting skills and I have noticed they are getting progressively worse.

Evan

agreed...these days i type everything,i never write more than a few words at a time...and often have to think about that,writing out a cheque is an experience!and that is ironically yet another thing likely soon to be gone by the wayside....

i've actually considered getting out some loose leaf paper and doing writing exercises like we learned and did in elementary school..a page of "A's"."B's" etc just to get myself used to the flow of it again,i find it almost embarrassing that i seem to have almost lost such a simple skill that i always took for granted

 

[elcoholic]

Manual Drafting and Lettering - I have a 4 post Mayline with a Vemco in my home office - Doesn't everyone?
Cooking - It's amazing how many people don't cook
Tuning, sharpening and using handplanes, chisels, saws, etc.
Aluminum coach building - a friend ordered a 'new' Shelby Cobra when they were first available. He had to choose between aluminum or fiberglass. He went with the glass because they look so much better.