So somehow I ended up over on this page:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/home_journal_news/4221635.html
And whereas it's a decent list it does contain some poorly chosen skills (patch a radiator hose, rescue a boater) and some doggone easy ones (paddle a canoe).
I wanted to augment the list with a more refined version. A list that focuses on the essential technology skills a modern man must have to properly function in the world.
No offense to any women in the audience, but being married I find that all (and I mean ALL) the technology problems around the house are placed into my lap. Therefore this list is directed at men mostly, but hopefully it is helpful for anyone.
This list isn't geared towards the uber-geek but more towards the everyday Joe. These are the ESSENTIAL skills that are required to keep a modern house with all it's technology up and running.
The ESSENTIAL tech skills for a modern man. - Install a light: Simple I know, but I wanted to start out there and I don't mean light-bulb, I mean a new light fixture in the ceiling.
- Play a computer game like a kid: Choose your game wisely. Be able to smack down your friends on it. Bonus if you can smack down some teenagers on it.
- Build your own home network: Whether Cat-5 or wireless, build it out, set up security, etc.
- Protect your computer: Letting your computer get infected by viruses or taken over by a trojan is your fault, don't let it happen. Bonus if you are able to use an all open-source / free-software solution
- Retouch digital photos: Red eye, cropping, resizing, pick an editor and master it. Bonus for being able to remove unwanted people/items from pictures
- Have a backup plan implemented for your computers: If your hard-drive craps out you have no-one to blame but you. Don't be the grasshopper, be the ant, just do it. Bonus for a RAID system
- Be able to convert any file format from one to another: You know, rip your mp3's, mp4 --> divx, mov-->mpeg, whatever it is you can change it into what you need it to be.
- Swap out a drive: Bad disk drive? No problem. Bonus for building a whole computer (still just snap together guys)
- Know your phone: Use it and master it.
- Create a family website: Pick your poison, from scratch or myspace. Have one and use it.