# What useless skills can you NOT do? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 13, 2003, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-useless-skills-can-you-not-do/201423 "2003-09-13T19:18:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-useless-skills-can-you-not-do/201423/41 "2003-09-14T14:15:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RotorHead \* > \*\*I have never learned to whistle loudly, like the way you would, to alert someone. I can do the standard lips-pursed soft whistle useful for keeping a tune, but beyond that, nothing. I tried and tried. Maybe someone could give me lessons. \*\* I thought I was the only one. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Gail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gail)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-useless-skills-can-you-not-do/201423/42 "2003-09-14T15:44:28Z")
I, too, have always wanted to “taxi whistle”. I can’t raise one eyebrow in order to give someone a quizzical look. Nor can I wink my left eye. I can’t seem to get the hang of certain playstation 2 games, like “Splashdown: Rides Gone Wild”. I believe it’s the quick-thinking and eye-hand coordination thing. My husband and daughter always laugh at me when I play. I’m organization-impaired. I don’t know how to win against clutter. ---
**Author:** ![raz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@raz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raz)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-useless-skills-can-you-not-do/201423/43 "2003-09-14T18:20:57Z")
I can’t do the loud whistle either. I can do the regular soft whistle though. Can’t do a cartwheel. Can’t do a flip on a trampoline and land on my feet. I have friend that just learned how to skip about a month ago. ---
**Author:** ![raz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@raz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raz)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-useless-skills-can-you-not-do/201423/44 "2003-09-14T18:20:57Z")
I can’t do the loud whistle either. I can do the regular soft whistle though. Can’t do a cartwheel. Can’t do a flip on a trampoline and land on my feet. I have a friend that just learned how to skip about a month ago. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-useless-skills-can-you-not-do/201423/45 "2003-09-14T18:44:41Z")
Despite being in my mid-twenties, I cannot tie shoes “properly.” I’ve never been able to, not even once. So I use the bunny-ears method. It’s not pretty, but it gets the job done. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-useless-skills-can-you-not-do/201423/46 "2003-09-14T19:07:14Z")
There’s a little rhyme for Cuban kids who have difficulty rolling their rs. It even appears in a cha cha cha of 1950’s vintage: erre con erre cigarro erre con erre barril rapidos corren los carros cargados de azucar en ferrocarril Something like that. ---
**Author:** ![saramamalana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@saramamalana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saramamalana)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-useless-skills-can-you-not-do/201423/47 "2003-09-14T19:09:35Z")
Count me in for not knowing how to ride a bike. I think there was one attempt without training wheels when I was about 6, I fell and scraped up my knees, and never got back on. Oh well. Also, no cartwheels for me. I just managed whistling within the last year, but it’s still pretty crappy. And I don’t know why but I have never had a problem with the Magic Eye pictures, that’s always come very easily. I can’t master chopsticks. I’ve had it shown to me and explained and I’ll have it working for about 3 seconds before it all goes to crap. Gimme a damn fork. ---
**Author:** ![RotorHead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85e7bf/32.png) [@RotorHead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RotorHead)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-useless-skills-can-you-not-do/201423/48 "2003-09-14T19:14:22Z")
You know what we need? We need someone to produce an adult-level training video that teaches these various skills. Seems like there would be a market. ---
**Author:** ![Yumblie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/76d3ee/32.png) [@Yumblie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumblie)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-useless-skills-can-you-not-do/201423/49 "2003-09-14T19:27:36Z")
I can’t whistle at all, and it really bothers me, because I always have music in my head and I’d love to express it through whistling. I don’t care about the loud “get your attention” whistle as much as musical whistling, but I can’t do that either. I can’t snap my fingers either. I have a very anti-musical body. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-useless-skills-can-you-not-do/201423/50 "2003-09-14T19:36:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by whatmove \* > **I suck mightily at those.** Oh, so good to hear. I’m usually a very coordinated person but have never been able to get the ball back to the paddle more than twice, and it’s mostly by accident. I always felt like such a doofus trying.\*\* [/QUOTE] I consider myself to be coordinated, too. I can juggle up to 4 balls or 3 clubs/rings/etc and read a book at the same time if someone else holds it. But those paddle things are just way beyond my abilities. ---
**Author:** ![Dawne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Dawne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dawne)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-useless-skills-can-you-not-do/201423/51 "2003-09-14T19:47:09Z")
I can’t whistle (apart from inward whistling), click my fingers, roll my r’s, purr, juggle, raise 1 eyebrow, or see magic eye pictures properly (when i see the they’re always inverted) ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-useless-skills-can-you-not-do/201423/52 "2003-09-14T19:59:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tanaqui \* > \*\*I can only raise my **right** eyebrow. For some reason, my left one just will not do it. I can raise them both at the same time, but only the right one individually. It’s kinda weird. \*\* We should just always stand side by side. I can only raise my left one individually. ---
**Author:** ![professorbiscuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@professorbiscuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/professorbiscuit)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-useless-skills-can-you-not-do/201423/53 "2003-09-14T22:36:50Z")
Swings. Never ever could get the whole concept behind swings. Could never get high in the air at all, and I blame this lack of swinging know-how for my lack of social interaction from the age of 3 to about 15. And I’m not too hot with reading upside down or the macarena either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-useless-skills-can-you-not-do/201423.md?page=2)