Sunday Seven #130

This week's question:

Name seven “obsolete” skills you have mastered in the past, and state whether or not you still use those skills.

This one was actually really tough for me. I guess I just don't think about the technologies that have passed into oblivion very much. Anyway, here's my list:

1. VCR programming 101 -- haven't used it in about 5 years or so...
   
2. Mixing audio cassettes -- hmm... mid-to-late 90's on this one I think.
3. Embroidery -- I was never very good at this and only ever did a few projects, but it's been at least 10 years since I've tried to embroider anything by hand. There are machines that do this now, so I figure it counts as obsolete even though lots of folks still do it as a hobby.
4. Calligraphy -- if you pay close enough attention, you can see the influences of calligraphy in my handwriting, but I haven't done any real lettering work since high school.
5. Long Division -- I love math problems and puzzles, so I still use this one fairly regularly. Besides, what's the fun in using a calculator??
6. Mixing any paint color in the rainbow. I last used this one in 2001ish when I worked at the gaming store. The owner purchased a statue of a warrior that had a fleck of paint chipped off of her leg. I told him I could fix it and he didn't believe I could ever find a perfect match. Find? No. Make. He was somewhat impressed.
7. Making Change -- I am always amazed that most people just don't know how to do this. I still do it all the time. I never use the computer to figure out how much someone gets back!

If you'd like to browse through a list of obsolete skills, including most of the ones on my seven, check out this link. If you'd like to participate and make your own list, make sure you visit Patrick's Place!