Fun -and- educational

10/10. This presentation is pure win.

In all seriousness, though, there are some valuable lessons here in situational/environmental awareness (potentially life-saving skills), protecting oneself from information-gleaning miscreants, and the fundamental problem of technology frequently outstripping the ability of the general public to use it in such a way that does not circumvent the reason for developing said technology.

And an additional +5 Internets for having actual Bujinkan training.

(Get comfortable, go to the restroom, whatever you need to do. The video is almost an hour.)

Skill Sets: Rope Use

I'll start with a topic that I have an arguable level of expertise in: knots, lashings and splices. The following knots are the minimal level of proficiency; there are other knots that are useful, but these knots span the range of useful application for most people.

Remember: Any knot or splice will weaken the rope, so be mindful of the working-load allowances.

- Anchor Bend: While not a "bend" in the contemporary sense, an excellent hitch for general use; it has an exceptionally high strength-rating.

- Bowline: The original non-slip loop, used often as a rescue knot. It's rumored that the pharaoh Khufu that commissioned the Great Pyramid at Giza was buried with a "solar barge", and some of the lines were tied-off with bowlines.

- Constrictor Knot: An infinitely better substitute for the Clove Hitch, in my opinion. The Constrictor self-tightens on twisted rope, and grips to slick surfaces more firmly as a result.

- Figure-Eight with follow-through, plus Double Overhand: The standard way to tie into a climbing-harness today. The figure-eight won't overtighten under strain, which is a big bonus when it comes time to remove the rope from the harness. If you have plenty of rope, use this instead of a bowline.

- Prussick Hitch: I love this knot, as it makes the application of force parallel to the object very easy. I used this to replace fence-posts a few summers ago.

- Sheet Bend: Notice the similarity to the bowline; the sheet bend inherits all of the non-slip properties. Unlike the square-knot/reef-knot, which has been known to capsize under strain, the sheet-bend is a very stable and robust bend. Personally, I will use a double sheet-bend for added security if needed.

- Tauntline Hitch: An adjustable-loop hitch that maintains its position under strain. Extremely handy for almost everything.

- Timber Hitch: Useful for hauling items around, particularly timber (imagine that). Be sure to keep the rope from rubbing on the ground when using this knot.

- Truckers' Hitch: I'm providing the link here for basic form; the variation I use on a regular basis for its non-jamming nature is at Wikipedia:



As one might infer from the title of the knot, the Truckers' Hitch is generally used to tie-down a load on a truck, car or other conventional vehicle. It may be re-adjusted after having tied-off the running end by undoing the knot (typically a slippery-hitch or two half-hitches), applying tension, then retying the stopper-knot.

Bonus:

While knots are wonderful things, lashings and splices have an equal or superior amount of utility. Splices, being constructs from braiding the rope (or cable) back into itself, have a greater percentage of structural integrity of the original rope than almost any other knot. The eye-splice and short-splice are particularly noteworthy.

Lashings bind two or more objects (usually spars) together. The square-lashing and the diamond-lashing are the most frequently used, but the tripod-lashing gets a special mention for pure utility. A few pointers:

- Use a Constrictor Knot instead of a Clove Hitch. Your lashings will be tighter, and thus more secure.

- If attempting a tripod-lashing, keep the lashing somewhat loose (about an inch between spars and ropes). The lashing tightens when the tripod is erected, and an overly-tight lashing will snap the spars, rope, or simply fail to open enough to stand.

- Natural-fiber twisted rope seems to grip spars more effectively, from my experience. Manila-hemp rope seems to be a inexpensive and frequent choice.

The Manliness in Usefulness

While scrambling at full-speed around the 'Net, I skidded into a Popular Mechanics article from last September entitled "25 Skills Every Man Should Know". Suffice to say, after I had read the list, I was ready to scrap it and scramble on, but I felt that it was broken enough that the list deserved a thorough renovation into something, well, shinier.

The list had to conform to some degree of utility, so I weighted skills by potential usefulness based on frequency of use, the potential to make or break the situation, application of knowledge versus the use of items/tools/specialized equipment, and the relative intuitiveness of the skill in question. Here are the keepers from the Popular Mechanics article:

7. Build a campfire
9. Navigate with a map and compass
11. Sharpen a knife
12. Perform CPR
19. Clean a bolt-action rifle
20. Change oil and filter

Unsurprisingly, these reminded me of the advancement requirements in my old Boy Scout Handbook. So, in order to completely cover the bases, I not only reviewed and noted the advancement requirements for a Boy Scout, but the requirements for advancement to Eagle Scout, plus a few elective badges for the rank.

In the end, I had a list of 15 skills that everyone should know, not just men. If a skill is truly important, everyone should learn how to do it, without exception or excuse. To wit:

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.

- Lazarus Long, Time Enough for Love

However, some, if not most, traditionally fall within the sphere of the man's responsibilities. So, without further noise on my part or presuming as much eloquence as Heinlein, here they are (in no particular order):

- Firearm use and maintenance
- Orienteering
- Operating a car with a manual transmission
- Building a fire without matches or lighter
- Basic open-fire cooking
- CPR / AED operation
- Basic first-aid application
- Basic rope use
- Swimming
- Hunting, fishing and trapping
- Basic use of woods-tools
- Basic automotive maintenance
- Familiarity with the US Constitution and Amendments
- Shelter construction
- Living beneath one's means

Some of these are general skill-sets; this is partly due to the large number of constituent skills involved, and to condense the list into something of manageable size. I will be posting individual entries for each item on the list, much like the original article, except with a greater eye to detail, since I'm not on the clock and otherwise occupying advertising area in a print-magazine.

Furthermore, many of the above skills relate to some measure of self-sufficiency; with the decline of the economy as of late, wars in various parts of the world and civil unrest, I maintain that in a society so structured for global interdependence that it is not only prudent but necessary to exercise self-sufficiency when possible as a method of risk mitigation. Remember, protecting your family, providing leadership and putting meat on the table are the primary manly responsibilities, and it's overlooked much too frequently for my tastes.