# Do you have any stupid special talents?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-stupid-special-talents/291032
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [February 20, 2005, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-stupid-special-talents/291032 "2005-02-20T17:53:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-stupid-special-talents/291032/1 "2005-02-20T17:53:54Z")
I’m not talking about anything physical, like bending your thumb back or twisting your head around like in The Exorcist.
I’m talking extremely stupid-will never help you anywhere in life-people asking why the hell you do that talents.
In our six months of marriage, I’ve entertained my husband with one major talent.
I can tell you exactly which season of Hunter is on by the opening three seconds of the credits.
He still can’t do it, and he’s tried. Many times. He’s tried to memorize the openings and do it. Still can’t. I can do it usually within 2 seconds, most times within three.
If we’ve missed the credits, I can usually tell which season it is by Stepfanie Kramer’s hair within about a half-second.
I wish I could get a job doing this.
E.
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### Author:  [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-stupid-special-talents/291032/2 "2005-02-20T18:15:24Z")
I play a pretty good medic on team fortress classic (a PC game). You should see me in action.
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### Author:  [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-stupid-special-talents/291032/3 "2005-02-20T18:20:27Z")
I can fit a quarter in each nostril. Two on a good day.
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### Author:  [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-stupid-special-talents/291032/4 "2005-02-20T18:23:06Z")
You know those number puzzles, the kind with the sliding squares that you mix up, then put in order? I can do that faster than almost anyone. If someone else mixes it up for me, I can do it within 10 seconds, usually within 8. It takes me far longer to mix up a puzzle than to put it in order. Talk about a useless skill.
StG
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### Author:  [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-stupid-special-talents/291032/5 "2005-02-20T18:30:50Z")
I have the same ability to identify episodes of _Buffy_.
I can blow up one balloon inside another - so there’s one balloon inflated with another partially inflated inside it.
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### Author:  [@MissGypsy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissGypsy)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-stupid-special-talents/291032/6 "2005-02-20T20:11:45Z")
> [@Lsura](#):
>
> I can blow up one balloon inside another - so there’s one balloon inflated with another partially inflated inside it.
That’s a neat trick! How do you do that?
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### Author:  [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-stupid-special-talents/291032/7 "2005-02-20T20:13:02Z")
I can balance myself horizontally on my hands. My body ends up being parallel to the ground. I can also do a kip.
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### Author:  [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-stupid-special-talents/291032/8 "2005-02-20T21:31:35Z")
My brother can tell you how many letters are in each word of any sentence you might say, real quick. For example, the first sentence of this post would elicit the response from him “2-7-3-4-3-3-4-7-3-2-4-4-2-3-8-3-5-3-4-5.”
And if you tell him “That’s annoying,” he goes “5-8.”
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### Author:  [@SpectBrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpectBrain)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-stupid-special-talents/291032/9 "2005-02-20T21:32:08Z")
When we go to the grocery store and get ready to check out, my wife will ask me how much are we going to spend. I’ll grab a number out of the air and usually be within $5 of the total bill.
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### Author:  [@Nunavut\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunavut_Boy)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-stupid-special-talents/291032/10 "2005-02-20T21:38:05Z")
I can force myself to belch explosively on command.
This talent was a lot more important in elementary and junior high school.
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### Author:  [@Greywolf73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greywolf73)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-stupid-special-talents/291032/11 "2005-02-20T21:43:39Z")
> [@Elza B](#):
>
> I’m not talking about anything physical, like bending your thumb back or twisting your head around like in The Exorcist.
>
> E.
Well, damn. I was going to post that I could do exactly that. The bending my thumb backwards thing, not the Exorcist thing. Although the Exorcist thing would be way cooler.
I can usually name any TV theme song after hearing just the first 3 notes.
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### Author:  [@Burnt\_Sugar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burnt_Sugar)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-stupid-special-talents/291032/12 "2005-02-20T21:54:34Z")
> [@iampunha](#):
>
> I can balance myself horizontally on my hands. My body ends up being parallel to the ground. I can also do a kip.
That’s physical! I’m an ex-gymnast so there’s heaps of useless yet entertaining stuff I can do in a physical sense (walking on hands, splits, etc).
But not physica? Hmmm. Well my hair is very unusual. People are fascinated with it. It goes into ringlets, and people pull them so they spring back. My hair even springs when it’s in plaits!
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### Author:  [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-stupid-special-talents/291032/13 "2005-02-20T22:51:29Z")
> [@Nunavut Boy](#):
>
> I can force myself to belch explosively on command.
>
> This talent was a lot more important in elementary and junior high school.
That could come in handy during Question Period if you were a Member of the House of Commons.
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### Author:  [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-stupid-special-talents/291032/14 "2005-02-20T22:51:46Z")
> [@MissGypsy](#):
>
> That’s a neat trick! How do you do that?
Blow up the outer balloon a little. Holding it shut, roll up the second one, then insert it into the first balloon. Hang on to the opening of the second one - if you lose it, there’s no way to blow it up any.
Now, hold the mouth of the second to the side a little, and blow up the first one some - don’t go as big as it will go, or you can end up popping it. Then, blow up the second one as big as you want it and tie them both off. I usually tie them together, so the two openings are anchored together.
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### Author:  [@whoisfoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whoisfoo)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-stupid-special-talents/291032/15 "2005-02-20T23:06:28Z")
I can spin stuff on my fingers really easily: books, notebooks, tennis racquets, basketballs, back packs filled with books, etc.
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### Author:  [@emekthian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emekthian)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-stupid-special-talents/291032/16 "2005-02-20T23:22:47Z")
You know that twirly thing Boris does with a pen in the movie _Goldeneye_? I can do that.
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### Author:  [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-stupid-special-talents/291032/17 "2005-02-20T23:27:32Z")
I can make fart noises by squeezing my palms together.
I’m also really good with a bo staff. ::snicker::
Oh, I can [chug half a bottle of Tequila](http://www.madaproductions.com/spoofe/pics/SPOOFEDrink%5b1%5d.mpeg). Yeah!!! Hehe.
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### Author:  [@Nahk\_Ila\_Dihahs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nahk_Ila_Dihahs)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-stupid-special-talents/291032/18 "2005-02-20T23:48:46Z")
I can spin stuff on my fingers too, and I can mirror write.
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### Author:  [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-stupid-special-talents/291032/19 "2005-02-20T23:52:55Z")
It’s been years since I’ve seen an episode so I can’t do it anymore but I used to be able to tell you the plot of an episode of _Saved by the Bell_ after about ten or fifteen seconds. And thanks to costume and hair and makeup changes, it’s pretty easy to do for _ST: TNG_ and _ST: DS9_ too.
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### Author:  [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2005, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-any-stupid-special-talents/291032/20 "2005-02-21T00:20:08Z")
If you read the opening panel of any _Calvin & Hobbes_ strip, I can tell you the rest, almost verbatim in most instances.
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