# Mundane "super powers" you have **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 17, 2012, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078 "2012-10-17T23:07:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/21 "2012-10-18T02:42:15Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > :dubious: I don’t buy it. Sorry, but it’s statistically impossible. > > I can whistle perfectly in melody. If you wanted someone to replicate the whistling in Billy Joel’s _Stranger_ or The Scorpions _Winds of Change_, I’d be your man. No WAY! That kind of whistling is so freaking incredible. Mine always comes out so “breathy” sounding. I’m rightly jealous. Also, some people are just good test takers, regardless of having studied the material. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/22 "2012-10-18T03:00:44Z")
I have the power of Park-fu. I almost always get a great parking spot right up close. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/23 "2012-10-18T05:44:58Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > :dubious: I don’t buy it. Sorry, but it’s statistically impossible. I can do that do. It’s not based on guessing, so statistics have nothing to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/24 "2012-10-18T06:25:20Z")
Statistically, if you don’t study, but absorb information another way, it’s possible. If you don’t look at any questions but just answer, you have a 25% chance of guessing right, or less if it includes “e” answers. ---
**Author:** ![prettydorky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@prettydorky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/prettydorky)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/25 "2012-10-18T06:26:47Z")
I am having trouble describing this, but here goes. My son can bend his middle two fingers down (like when making devil horns), and then touch his pinky and pointer together. He’s the only person I’ve ever seen do that. And many have tried after seeing my son do it. I don’t think I have any of my own. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/26 "2012-10-18T06:40:21Z")
I am always in the way, no matter where I stand. Mostly I remember I have this superpower in the supermarket, where I spend most of my time saying “Oops, sorry” and scurrying out of the way… only to impede someone else. I am… Obstacle Girl. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/27 "2012-10-18T06:48:49Z")
I have a extremely poor sense of smell, I can stand next to a dumpster with a dead dog in it and not even be bothered while others are about to vomit. I am extremely resistant to going crazy out of isolation or loneliness, shit I’d enjoy a job like that I wouldn’t have to deal with people. I’m not claustrophobic to a degree that creeps people out, I find enclosed spaces comforting. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/28 "2012-10-18T06:50:22Z")
I often daydream about a scene from a TV show within a day or two of catching that particular episode in syndication. This happens most often with The Simpsons\*\*, but also with _Friends_ (though until recently I’d gone a few years without re-watching any episode of that show) and (to an even lesser extent) other shows. While I ordinarily wake up using an alarm or wake up call, during extenuating circumstances (alarm busted or big day ahead) I can wake up on time. This is a power I’ve inherited from my father; he can wake up pretty much whenever he wants to on a day-to-day basis. My internal alarm clock isn’t yet properly calibrated, though. The other day (on account of the aforementioned extenuating circumstances), I went through this: I wake up. Did I oversleep? I fumble for the switch on my bedside lamp. It’s 2:00am. I roll over and fall asleep. I wake up. Did I oversleep? I fumble for the switch on my bedside lamp. It’s 3:50am. I roll over and fall asleep. I wake up. Did I oversleep? I fumble for the switch on my bedside lamp. It’s 4:15am. I roll over and fall asleep. I wake up. Did I oversleep? I fumble for the switch on my bedside lamp. It’s 4:40am. I roll over and fall asleep. I wake up. Did I oversleep? I fumble for the switch on my bedside lamp. It’s 4:55am. This is exhausting. Or have I just not slept enough yet? I roll over and fall asleep. I wake up. Did I oversleep? I fumble for the switch on my bedside lamp. It’s 5:20am. I roll over and fall asleep. I wake up. Did I oversleep? I fumble for the switch on my bedside lamp. It’s 5:22am. I roll over and fall asleep. I wake up. Did I oversleep? I fumble for the switch on my bedside lamp. It’s 5:37am. I roll over and fall asleep. I wake up. Did I oversleep? I fumble for the switch on my bedside lamp. It’s 6:00am. I roll over and fall asleep. I wake up. Did I oversleep? I fumble for the switch on my bedside lamp. It’s 6:10am. Fuck it, I’m getting up. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/29 "2012-10-18T06:50:57Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > I am always in the way, no matter where I stand. Mostly I remember I have this superpower in the supermarket, where I spend most of my time saying “Oops, sorry” and scurrying out of the way… only to impede someone else. > > I am… Obstacle Girl. I can do something similar, but it’s not a power I can control. By standing in a check out line I can make the register break. It may be as simple as running out of paper, or it suddenly goes off-line becoming unusable. With advancing technology making the registers more reliable my power seems to extend to making a checker suddenly go on break, or drop a bottle of spaghetti sauce requiring an extensive cleanup before operations can continue. I apologize for doing this, and most people are sympathetic. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/30 "2012-10-18T07:06:25Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Statistically, if you don’t study, but absorb information another way, it’s possible. If you don’t look at any questions but just answer, you have a 25% chance of guessing right, or less if it includes “e” answers. You are assuming the the multiple choice test is perfectly constructed. Many of them aren’t. For example: Who was the Duke of Prussia from 1618 to 1619? A. OJ Simpson B. Bart Simpson C. John Sigismund D. Lady Gaga My guess is that more than 25% of randomly selected people would answer correctly. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/31 "2012-10-18T07:16:23Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > You are assuming the the multiple choice test is perfectly constructed. Many of them aren’t. For example: > > Who was the Duke of Prussia from 1618 to 1619? They don’t even have to be that stilted. It’s a matter of how well you can recall information in a contextual framework. I’d never do as well on tests that only that question and no choices to select from. Even cleverly constructed multiple choice answers designed to deceive don’t fool me easily. The correct answer doesn’t ‘glow’ as if from synesthesia, instead, just by seeing the correct answer I find the associative path to the information I’ve already learned. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/32 "2012-10-18T08:02:22Z")
> [@prettydorky](#): > > I am having trouble describing this, but here goes. My son can bend his middle two fingers down (like when making devil horns), and then touch his pinky and pointer together. He’s the only person I’ve ever seen do that. And many have tried after seeing my son do it. I don’t think I have any of my own. Huh. Is this abnormal? I am not double jointed. I am not even 1/4 jointed. This is easy! Granted, tip to tip hurts but is possible, but just mere touching is easy. > [@friedo](#): > > You are assuming the the multiple choice test is perfectly constructed. Many of them aren’t. For example: > > Who was the Duke of Prussia from 1618 to 1619? > > A. OJ Simpson > B. Bart Simpson > C. John Sigismund > D. Lady Gaga > My guess is that more than 25% of randomly selected people would answer correctly. Hmm… reread? _If you don’t look at any questions_ including a, b, c, d, then it’s a 25% chance. Like if you don’t realize that it should be Duchess Gaga. 25% would answer correctly if they just picked “C” every time. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/33 "2012-10-18T08:37:00Z")
A lot of times I can pick the correct choice in a game because it seems to have a bump, or a hump, on it. (Like a card or a curtain.) I can “feel” it. My thumbs do that, too. _Eliahna_, my husband shares your super-power. I don’t care where he is in the kitchen, it’s where I need to be. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/34 "2012-10-18T08:37:59Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Huh. Is this abnormal? I am not double jointed. I am not even 1/4 jointed. This is easy! Granted, tip to tip hurts but is possible, but just mere touching is easy. I can’t get even close to it. But I can stick out my tongue and touch my ear. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/35 "2012-10-18T13:15:33Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I can do that do. It’s not based on guessing, so statistics have nothing to do with it. Better than average without studying, was the claim. So, 100 people take a multiple choice test. 99 of them study. You don’t study and you claim you’re going to do better than the class average? :dubious: You might not come in last, but I doubt you’ll do better than average. I think statistics has everything to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/36 "2012-10-18T14:32:26Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Better than average without studying, was the claim. So, 100 people take a multiple choice test. 99 of them study. You don’t study and you claim you’re going to do better than the class average? :dubious: You might not come in last, but I doubt you’ll do better than average. > > I think statistics has everything to do with it. He doesn’t say the subject is something he knows nothing about. Given a test based on information that is absolutely unknown then of course no one can do better than selecting answer C every time (assuming a random distribution of the right answer), but I didn’t read his OP that way. He said no studying, which I assume to mean a refreshing of the subject before the test. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/37 "2012-10-18T14:35:39Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > He doesn’t say the subject is something he knows nothing about. Given a test based on information that is absolutely unknown then of course no one can do better than selecting answer C every time (assuming a random distribution of the right answer), but I didn’t read his OP that way. He said no studying, which I assume to mean a refreshing of the subject before the test. Ah. I see. I interpreted it differently. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/38 "2012-10-18T14:47:35Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Ah. I see. I interpreted it differently. Well actually we don’t know what he meant. Perhaps he’ll return to illuminate the correct answer. I’d find his claim doubtful if it was based on a subject that he has no knowledge of. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/39 "2012-10-18T14:53:05Z")
I can wake up 1 minute before my alarm goes off. I can predict, usually within a minute or two, what time I’ll arrive on a multi-hour drive. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078/40 "2012-10-18T16:50:08Z")
I’m quite good at estimating how much time has passed in the absence of a clock. I can usually guess what time it is with a 5 minute margin of error. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-super-powers-you-have/638078.md?page=3)