Critical thinking. Consider the intent of the source.
This, and reading comprehension.
Hmmm, I’m sceptic about this
People should really know how to research. Sure, almost everyone knows how to do a google search, but there are shockingly many people who can’t research, i.e view multiple sources including those that don’t align with your views.
Basic cooking.
You don’t need to be Gordon Ramsey, but in a pinch, know how to make pasta, chilli and a few other things.
Insatiable curiosity
How to polish and maintain your boots. On that subject, an awareness of why old school leather boots are an outstanding lifelong investment.
Where does one find the proper old school leather boots?
Redwings are a good place to start. Still made in the USA using old standard foot lasts, still warrantied for life, and still great boots. I’ve been looking into some hand made custom boots lately. They’re about $500, but they’ll last me the rest of my life with an occasional $50 resole job and they’ll be tailor-made for my exact foot.
God i just trash my Iron Rangers and they stand up to all the abuse i can throw at them. A little wash and a bit of oil and they’re parade ready again.
Horror warning: My last pair got wet shoveling snow at work so i left them in the mud room to dry. Some thoughtful soul put them up next to the monitor heater to help them dry… Found them the next day shriveled abd unwearable. Heat kills good boots!
Some of the guys back in the Army would fill their combat boots with water and then wear them until they dried out. They’d stretch with the water and then shrink as they dried, basically giving them a custom fit. You could try that next time if it happens again.
I still have them and have been thinking about doing that, cool to hear it may work. I was pretty bummed about losing them.
Food and shelter
Agreed. Everyone should be able to cook themselves some good meals and unlock their door to get into their house.
Very important skills.
Mmm Lemmy comment deletion is weird as it stays there with my username. Anyway I misread the question and responded food and shelter if anyone’s wondering.
The ability to survive outside / without a roof over one’s head.
I’m not talking surviving solely off the land type of outdoor survival, although that is an excellent set of skills to obtain.
- Learn how to set up shelter, or find shelter if a tent / tarp isn’t available
- Learn how to start a fire in multiple ways
- Learn basic hunting skills
- Learn how to sanitize / store drinking water
- Learn basic first aid
- Always remember the order of operations in a survival situation: Shelter, water, fire, food
I’ll just use my phone and call someone.
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Basic networking skills. Most lives can be significantly improved by basic home network. WiFi deadzones, wireless printing, shared folders for basic documents and resources etc. All while being relatively secure.
Common sense, or better yet, critical thinking.
Basic zipper merge
Reading. Being able to quickly skim and comprehend text will give you an edge in basically every field.
Basic plumbing skills
Know how to shut off a water line. Those knobs under your sink and behind the toilet? That’s your water shut off for that line. Got a toilet that’s about to overflow? Close the line in back quick enough and you won’t have to mop the floor. Or ruin your neighbors ceiling.
Know how to clear a clog. Know the difference between a sink plunger and toilet plunger. Sink plungers are those short deals and terrible for just about anything, their surface coverage is awful and they’re usually too shallow to push a serious clog. You want a flanged or accordion plunger for toilets. They make the best deal and do a lot do the work for you. A larger suction cup plunger, looks like the big boy version of the sink plunger, for sink drains.
For toilets, make a firm seal around the drain, push down once to clear the air out of the cup, make sure your seal is strong, then give several short, quick, full pumps like you’re performing CPR. This will usually clear a paper clog. Repeat if it doesn’t clear. It almost always will after a few tries. If your other drains back up when you’re pumping, you have a main clog. It’s time to call a plumber.
If your kitchen sink clogs, start by running hot water in the line with a little dawn soap. Most sink clogs are fat based, so hot water will help to loosen them by melting them a bit. Drain-o or other line clearer might work, but in my experience, if you don’t clear the clog, you now have a caustic chemical sitting in the line. The chemical burn scars on my right hand say that’s bad, and Tyler Durden agrees. If you haven’t cleared the clog, let it sit a bit and then get back to it. I’ve fought shower clogs for an hour before, but if I don’t see signs the clog is breaking up, it’s time to give up and get a professional in to snake it.
Also, when clearing a clog, don’t keep your mouth open! In fact, pucker your lips in. Trust me, speaking from experience.
Leaky faucet? Usually a 10¢ rubber washer, they only last about 10 years before they start to rot. Try to salvage the washer, bring it to your local hardware store, preferably plumbing supply, and ask someone to size it, otherwise bring the fixture. Toilet running nonstop? Adjust the chain or replace the flapper, again rubber parts only last about 10 years. A universal flapper will cost about $10. They usually just snap right in to place. Toilet base leaking? Replace the wax seal. They cost $5. Shower head clogged? Usually calcium or mold buildup. CLR for calcium, bleach for mold, and a scrub brush. Shower head joint leaking or spraying, remove it and apply plumbers tape, also called Teflon tape, to the threading, costs $1 a roll. In fact, apply it to any threaded plumbing joint you have to unscrew… It’s necessary for making watertight seals.
That’s like every basic water line in your house right there. If I could learn to do it as a teenage apprentice so many years ago, anyone can. If you’re not sure, Google has guides and visual breakdowns for every fixture and how to take them apart now. Just be careful not to strip threads or screws. Knowing how to service these parts could save you hundreds or thousands of dollars over the years.
Lastly, don’t flush spaghetti and meatballs down the toilet… Yes, that’s a thing.
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The self- and contextual-awareness and communicative ability to express consent or lack of consent for engaging in any activity.
A lot of shame, regret, and anger could be avoided if all of us knew how to do that.
