All of Mar_17's Comments + Replies

Mar_1730

“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, 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, die gallantly.” ~ Robert Heinlein

Do you think Mr. Heinlein could do all this stuff? I don't think he could. I most certainly can't.

0[anonymous]
I think he could. Remember, he was a lieutenant in the navy, and a lifetime is enough to pick up most of those skills (although I suppose it might be hard to prove that you could plan an invasion or die gallantly). Certainly most of the people here could change a diaper, plan a building, write a (bad) sonnet, take & give orders, pitch manure, program a computer, and cook a tasty meal.

It would be astonishing if this list were not pretty much shaped around skills Heinlein happened to have.

Do you think Mr. Heinlein could do all this stuff?

Yes I do. He was a naval lieutenant. He and his third wife designed their own house. It's a broad set of skills but not amazingly broad. Anyone who is both book-smart and has spent time in highly physical occupations should have a similar spread.

7[anonymous]
That quote needs it's punchline! Specialization is for insects. It's also easy to think that you know how to do all of those things, if you read instruction manuals and never have an opportunity to find out that you're wrong. Also, I'm working on it. I'll skip on the dying part though.
3ata
That's actually a quote from a character in one of his novels, I think.
Mar_1770

As Dale Carnegie says: Ask questions and get the other person talking. People love to talk and so the great conversationalist is really the great polite inquisitioner and listener.

6Kaj_Sotala
That's my preferred approach, when I manage to run into someone who's willing to talk. But I want to also be able to break the ice with people who, like me, are primarily listeners by nature. :)
Mar_17-20

As Dale Carnegie says: Ask questions and get the other person talking. People love to talk and so the great conversationalist is really the great polite inquisitioner and listener.