A demonstration of a remarkable skill....
Discussion
..... or luck?
Have you ever performed or witnessed a remarkable act of skill?
Here's one.
Many years ago, a group of us were shooting the breeze on a campsite one lazy, late summer afternoon.
Bees and wasps were darting amongst us, going about their business. The wasps were particularly vexing, as they tried to alight on our food.
While discussing this annoyance, one of the group boldly stated that he could cut a wasp in half with a pair of scissors while it was in mid flight. Cue gales of derisory laughter.
Undaunted, the chap bustled off to find a suitable weapon. When he returned he regained his seat and began to wait patiently for a victim to swoop by.
In time a wasp did just that and in a flash, a blur of scissor death shot out.
Two halves of a still quivering wasp fell on to our table. The wasp had been neatly cut in half at the 'waist'.
With that, the chap mic-dropped the scissors, got up from the table and strolled away, leaving his audience dumbstruck at what they had just witnessed.
He never admitted whether it was luck or his great skill that we saw that day, and he took his secret with him to the grave.
Have you ever performed or witnessed a remarkable act of skill?
Here's one.
Many years ago, a group of us were shooting the breeze on a campsite one lazy, late summer afternoon.
Bees and wasps were darting amongst us, going about their business. The wasps were particularly vexing, as they tried to alight on our food.
While discussing this annoyance, one of the group boldly stated that he could cut a wasp in half with a pair of scissors while it was in mid flight. Cue gales of derisory laughter.
Undaunted, the chap bustled off to find a suitable weapon. When he returned he regained his seat and began to wait patiently for a victim to swoop by.
In time a wasp did just that and in a flash, a blur of scissor death shot out.
Two halves of a still quivering wasp fell on to our table. The wasp had been neatly cut in half at the 'waist'.
With that, the chap mic-dropped the scissors, got up from the table and strolled away, leaving his audience dumbstruck at what they had just witnessed.
He never admitted whether it was luck or his great skill that we saw that day, and he took his secret with him to the grave.
Wife's grandad was a cabinet maker - trained with the CooP and amongst other things did church screens and shop fittings
He once showed me one of the first things they were taught to do as an apprentice, they had to practice and practice over 6 months until they got it perfect. Only then were they allowed to progress.
Took a lump of random sawn mishshapen hardwood and with nothing other than a vice, wooden bench hook, a sharp plane and a square turned it into an absolutely perfect piece of timber with dead on parallel faces and every angle 100% square - took him very little time. It has stuck with me as being an example of real skill, I was in awe at the time.
These days it would get shoved through a thicknesser or CNC machine.
Also used to make furniture in retirement and one of the side tables he made for us had drawers so perfect you could feel the air compressing as you closed them.
I inherited his tools but can't do them justice sadly.
He once showed me one of the first things they were taught to do as an apprentice, they had to practice and practice over 6 months until they got it perfect. Only then were they allowed to progress.
Took a lump of random sawn mishshapen hardwood and with nothing other than a vice, wooden bench hook, a sharp plane and a square turned it into an absolutely perfect piece of timber with dead on parallel faces and every angle 100% square - took him very little time. It has stuck with me as being an example of real skill, I was in awe at the time.
These days it would get shoved through a thicknesser or CNC machine.
Also used to make furniture in retirement and one of the side tables he made for us had drawers so perfect you could feel the air compressing as you closed them.
I inherited his tools but can't do them justice sadly.
P675 said:
Several times saved myself from crashing and have no idea what I did, was just a reaction.
This! Purely reactive instinct me is apparently a far better driver than actual me. The split-second evasive maneuverers I've pulled off that there's not a cat in hell's chance I could pull off if I actually tried have astonished me more than once.KaraK said:
P675 said:
Several times saved myself from crashing and have no idea what I did, was just a reaction.
This! Purely reactive instinct me is apparently a far better driver than actual me. The split-second evasive maneuverers I've pulled off that there's not a cat in hell's chance I could pull off if I actually tried have astonished me more than once.Lotobear said:
Took a lump of random sawn mishshapen hardwood and with nothing other than a vice, wooden bench hook, a sharp plane and a square turned it into an absolutely perfect piece of timber with dead on parallel faces and every angle 100% square - took him very little time. It has stuck with me as being an example of real skill, I was in awe at the time.
Exactly the same exercise as mine (for my mechanical engineering apprenticeship in 1970), except mine was with a lump of rusty metal. Had to end up with a piece of perfectly square bar 0.5" x 0.5" x 3", all dimensions +/- .005 and (by using a scraper and surface plate with engineer's blue) so flat that it would 'wring' together with the piece made by the apprentice next to you. Everything done with hand tools.judas said:
KaraK said:
P675 said:
Several times saved myself from crashing and have no idea what I did, was just a reaction.
This! Purely reactive instinct me is apparently a far better driver than actual me. The split-second evasive maneuverers I've pulled off that there's not a cat in hell's chance I could pull off if I actually tried have astonished me more than once.
I went to buy a new pen in Kendall, the customer in front of me was making her choice between two fountain pens. She picked up a pen in each hand to test them and wrote different words with each hand at the same time, each was perfectly legible. Made her choice and left.
I cannot do the same thing to save my life.
I cannot do the same thing to save my life.
Blib said:
..... or luck?
Have you ever performed or witnessed a remarkable act of skill?
Here's one.
Many years ago, a group of us were shooting the breeze on a campsite one lazy, late summer afternoon.
Bees and wasps were darting amongst us, going about their business. The wasps were particularly vexing, as they tried to alight on our food.
While discussing this annoyance, one of the group boldly stated that he could cut a wasp in half with a pair of scissors while it was in mid flight. Cue gales of derisory laughter.
Undaunted, the chap bustled off to find a suitable weapon. When he returned he regained his seat and began to wait patiently for a victim to swoop by.
In time a wasp did just that and in a flash, a blur of scissor death shot out.
Two halves of a still quivering wasp fell on to our table. The wasp had been neatly cut in half at the 'waist'.
With that, the chap mic-dropped the scissors, got up from the table and strolled away, leaving his audience dumbstruck at what they had just witnessed.
He never admitted whether it was luck or his great skill that we saw that day, and he took his secret with him to the grave.
I once towel-whipped a fly so perfectly the fly exploded and there wasn't a mark left on the ceiling.Have you ever performed or witnessed a remarkable act of skill?
Here's one.
Many years ago, a group of us were shooting the breeze on a campsite one lazy, late summer afternoon.
Bees and wasps were darting amongst us, going about their business. The wasps were particularly vexing, as they tried to alight on our food.
While discussing this annoyance, one of the group boldly stated that he could cut a wasp in half with a pair of scissors while it was in mid flight. Cue gales of derisory laughter.
Undaunted, the chap bustled off to find a suitable weapon. When he returned he regained his seat and began to wait patiently for a victim to swoop by.
In time a wasp did just that and in a flash, a blur of scissor death shot out.
Two halves of a still quivering wasp fell on to our table. The wasp had been neatly cut in half at the 'waist'.
With that, the chap mic-dropped the scissors, got up from the table and strolled away, leaving his audience dumbstruck at what they had just witnessed.
He never admitted whether it was luck or his great skill that we saw that day, and he took his secret with him to the grave.
littleredrooster said:
Lotobear said:
Took a lump of random sawn mishshapen hardwood and with nothing other than a vice, wooden bench hook, a sharp plane and a square turned it into an absolutely perfect piece of timber with dead on parallel faces and every angle 100% square - took him very little time. It has stuck with me as being an example of real skill, I was in awe at the time.
Exactly the same exercise as mine (for my mechanical engineering apprenticeship in 1970), except mine was with a lump of rusty metal. Had to end up with a piece of perfectly square bar 0.5" x 0.5" x 3", all dimensions +/- .005 and (by using a scraper and surface plate with engineer's blue) so flat that it would 'wring' together with the piece made by the apprentice next to you. Everything done with hand tools.I always maintain that the easier it looks the harder it actually is.
littleredrooster said:
Lotobear said:
Took a lump of random sawn mishshapen hardwood and with nothing other than a vice, wooden bench hook, a sharp plane and a square turned it into an absolutely perfect piece of timber with dead on parallel faces and every angle 100% square - took him very little time. It has stuck with me as being an example of real skill, I was in awe at the time.
Exactly the same exercise as mine (for my mechanical engineering apprenticeship in 1970), except mine was with a lump of rusty metal. Had to end up with a piece of perfectly square bar 0.5" x 0.5" x 3", all dimensions +/- .005 and (by using a scraper and surface plate with engineer's blue) so flat that it would 'wring' together with the piece made by the apprentice next to you. Everything done with hand tools.The legendary Bookatrack "Lotus Elise Through a Gate" Oakington Spin video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLa-x9ZZsaA
I still don't know if he meant to do it or not.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLa-x9ZZsaA
I still don't know if he meant to do it or not.
98elise said:
littleredrooster said:
Lotobear said:
Took a lump of random sawn mishshapen hardwood and with nothing other than a vice, wooden bench hook, a sharp plane and a square turned it into an absolutely perfect piece of timber with dead on parallel faces and every angle 100% square - took him very little time. It has stuck with me as being an example of real skill, I was in awe at the time.
Exactly the same exercise as mine (for my mechanical engineering apprenticeship in 1970), except mine was with a lump of rusty metal. Had to end up with a piece of perfectly square bar 0.5" x 0.5" x 3", all dimensions +/- .005 and (by using a scraper and surface plate with engineer's blue) so flat that it would 'wring' together with the piece made by the apprentice next to you. Everything done with hand tools.K87 said:
I went to buy a new pen in Kendall, the customer in front of me was making her choice between two fountain pens. She picked up a pen in each hand to test them and wrote different words with each hand at the same time, each was perfectly legible. Made her choice and left.
I cannot do the same thing to save my life.
I knew someone who in the early days of mobiles could type two separate messages on two phones (one in each hand) simultaneously.I cannot do the same thing to save my life.
More a party piece than a skill though as there was absolutely no use for it!
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