His most famous quote:

“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. Specialization is for insects.”

A list of 21 things a human should be able to do.

Personally I can: change a diaper, butcher a hog, conn a ship, write a sonnet (sort of), build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders (lol), give orders, cooperate, act alone, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently and (hopefully, when the time comes) die gallantly.

So I claim 16 of the 21.

How many of this list can you muster?

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Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas.

Albert Einstein

18 for me.

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With each crime and every kindness we birth our future.

Can I get a new list? LOL

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eh 18 or 19 depending on how balanced an accounts needs to be. I'm great at Bank America balancing of the books. fair at my own. BTW what is conning a ship. some sort of scam?

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In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
Diogenes Of Sinope

17. Conning a ship is controlling it, i.e, Captain/Pilot/Helmsman.

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Big question is how large of a ship? My 16' boat, no problem...my dad's 22' Sea Ray, no problem...

Other than that, I could and can do all the rest...

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Clk2HlpSetiCty:::PayIt4ward

I thought the Brits at least had a dry one of these...
Humor:
1. a comic, absurd, or incongruous quality causing amusement: the humor of a situation.
2. the faculty of perceiving what is amusing or comical: He is completely without humor.
3. an instance of being or attempting to be comical or amusing; something humorous: The humor in his joke eluded the audience.

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In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
Diogenes Of Sinope

Only 15 =/

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N = R x fp x ne x fl x fi x fc x L

Impressive, perhaps he's got the answers.


[character from ''starship troopers'' film adapted from Robert A. Heinlein book]

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0245653/

Big question is how large of a ship? My 16' boat, no problem...my dad's 22' Sea Ray, no problem...

Other than that, I could and can do all the rest...

I am thinking a ship as capable of crossing oceans. If a sailboat, 24 ft is about as small as I'd try crossing the Pacific in. For engine powered boats, probably 80 - 100 ft + range would be about right. I've conned sail up to 72 ft and diesel to 132 ft, so I claim that one.

'cmon tho, guys and gals, give me details on what you can't do. I was honest. . .

I can't design a building (at least not to building code.)

I can't balance accounts (as my Visa bill reminds me monthly)

I can't solve equations more complex than a + b = c

I can't program a computer (beyond making it say "hi there beautiful' in C, C# and BASIC. Plus a smattering of HTML.)

I can't plan an invasion. (Well, I've never tried. Maybe I could. . .?)

So come on, fess up, what on the list can't you do? :p

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Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas.

Albert Einstein

poetry is not my strong suit but I can write.
designing buildings isn't difficult as long as you allow for adaptations from others.
2 kids means plenty of diaper changing.
I've been trained in the army to set a leg or other bones.
building a wall could mean either on a house or a fence. I can do both so no biggy
I've played sports and work in a large lab so cooperation is a necessity
I at times am in charge of several people. the easy part for me is to get them to work without me looking like a boss. BTW unless you are God himself you have someone giving you orders.
I do the daily mensa calendar puzzler as well as the eveil sudoku puzzles
I am asked to analyze and adapt our lab system for new testing and invent rules for the LIS to make it run smoothly and with minimal if any errors.

Pitching manure is a rarity today. most people never have lived near a farm to smell the manure let alone ask to help pitch it into a cart.

I worked at a 3 start seafood restaurant before I interned in Dallas. I made many a tasty dish. and continue to do so.
fight efficiently Hmmm if it means making someone back down yes. In highschool I pinned a guy that pissed me off in abouit 15 seconds. Lucky for him a couple of Football players were there to get me off of him.
I play Counterstrike and die a hero so many times. I doubt most people will get the oportunity to do this in real life and if they did they probably won't do many of the other things on the list.
Never was nautical
I tinker with Linux code on my Mandriva machine
I've never had to butcher a hog and hope to never need to do so.

My job keeps me well acquainted with the dying. All I and others can do at times is provide a bit of comfort to patients going through some of the worst pain a humanshould have to endure

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In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
Diogenes Of Sinope

This is what I mean! I want details. LOL.

Pitching manure is a rarity today. most people never have lived near a farm to smell the manure let alone ask to help pitch it into a cart.

I grew up in a farming community: there is more to pitching manure that meets the eye. Challenging, especially if it is the fresh, runny stuff. :p

I play Counterstrike and die a hero so many times. I doubt most people will get the oportunity to do this in real life and if they did they probably won't do many of the other things on the list.

I sort of interpreted dying gallantly as dying without undue regret or bemoaning one’s fate, not so much dying in battle. Tho the latter is probably what Heinlein meant.

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Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas.

Albert Einstein

I can't design a building (at least not to building code.)

I can't balance accounts (as my Visa bill reminds me monthly)

I can't solve equations more complex than a + b = c

I can't program a computer (beyond making it say "hi there beautiful' in C, C# and BASIC. Plus a smattering of HTML.)

I can't plan an invasion. (Well, I've never tried. Maybe I could. . .?)




So, you're an agent from another galaxy {dispensable} {couldn't you always guess the agent from the image they present?}.


{Andromeda}

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lTsX_1ogHU


Should consider answering potential colleague suiter. Methinks.

'cmon tho, guys and gals, give me details on what you can't do. I was honest. . .

I don't mean to be overtly anal about this, but the statement is "things a human should be able to do", but it doesn't say to what degree of mastery or by who's or what standards. For example, what if I can write a sonnet really well, but others think it's crappy? What kind of wall does it have to be; brick, drywall, mud? What is "programming a computer"; being able to operate on and change it's configuration or to actually write a computer program via a coding language? My gf's mother always used to say that I "programmed her computer" because I would configure it the way she wanted it to run and I'd try correcting her by saying that programming is writing the programs themselves to which she'd point out that I may not write the firmware (not her words) for a VCR, but I can still program it to record the right shows. To what level of efficiency is "fighting efficiently"? "Efficient" at fighting your opponent to death would be using a gun, which anyone can do. "Efficient" at fighting an opponent verbally takes more skill.

I guess I'm far too technically minded for something fun and simple like this! LOL

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I guess I'm far too technically minded for something fun and simple like this! LOL

Step one. Remove head from butt. :D

Step two: relax and enjoy. Almost every thread that I have ever created in any forum has one underlying purpose: a chance for people to get to know each other a little better. For example, we just learned that someone need to get himself laid. :p

It is more a subjective list than an objective one. It is not whether or not you can write a sonnet, but if you think that you can. If it is good or not is entirely subjective.

By your future mom-in-law’s standards, I program computers as well. I can even build them. But not really, I just assemble the assorted bits and configure software. So I don’t think of myself as being able to program a computer.

I claim fighting efficiently because I waitress in an occasionally rowdy bar and can take care of myself, at least until the bouncer arrives.

Like I said, it is subjective, not objective. It is what you think that you can do adequately well.

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Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas.

Albert Einstein

heinlein was probably talking about the punch card method of programing a computer. Heck if you can find the system32 file on a computer you are better tahn 1/2 the people out there

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In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
Diogenes Of Sinope

heinlein was probably talking about the punch card method of programing a computer. Heck if you can find the system32 file on a computer you are better tahn 1/2 the people out there

He probably also meant space-ship when he mentioned conning a ship. But his central idea, that it is better to be a generalist with a broad view of life, than a specialist with a narrow, tunnel-vision view, is more valid now that ever, methinks.

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Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas.

Albert Einstein

Lets see, I know of a few things I can't do:

1. Breathe under water like a fish(No gills)
2. Swim(I'm lucky I can still walk a bit)
3. Spend money like It's water(as I haven't won the Mega Millions lottery yet)
4. Fly to the nearest habitable planet outside this solar system in a few days time(that's total transit time, No habital planet has been discovered anyway)
5. Drive a vehicle with a stick(Manual Transmission, Motorcycles excepted as I have an addendum to My Drivers License for that)
6. Have children(I couldn't support a Woman and Children anyway)
7. Live on Mars(too cold and such)
8. Live on Venus(Why? It's Hell there, Its a place only a Demon could love currently)
9. Pay for everything on My 4 amazon wishlists(I'm working on this)
10. Get a used Mustang(V6 with a Supercharger, I'm working on this)
11. Sell My House and Buy another one with land that I could own and a mortgage(I'm definitely working on this one)

There, Hows that Mac?

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

She needs practice, she tires...

How much...

{kenzie singing}

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHIxO7sXXUg

She needs practice, she tires...

How much...

{kenzie singing}

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHIxO7sXXUg

Norman, you are absolutely priceless.

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Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas.

Albert Einstein