this post was submitted on 18 Aug 2023
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What is the best skill you possess that makes you stand above the average person?

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[–] mookulator@mander.xyz 66 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Statistical modeling.

And yes, I am miffed about the use of the word “exponential” in this post’s title.

[–] slaughtermouse@lemm.ee 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Same here; what're the odds?

[–] bermuda@beehaw.org 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

About 50/50. Either you are or you aren't.

[–] bstix@feddit.dk 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

But what are the exponential odds?

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[–] killerinstinct101@lemmy.world 35 points 1 year ago (2 children)

So you're asking people what they do for a living?

Doing something for 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week makes you a lot better at that thing than other people.

[–] radix@lemm.ee 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Actually doing something for 40 hours a week is truly remarkable. People waste so much time, me included.

[–] snowe@programming.dev 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Man I’m so good at sleeping though. I get at least 5 hours a night, so that’s 40 a week! Woohoo!

/s

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[–] radix@lemm.ee 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

By feel I can identify 20 lb, 24 lb, 28 lb, 65 lb cover, 110 lb cover, and 12 pt matte paper. I'm increasingly impressed by people's business cards as a result, as it is often much, much heavier than 12 pt matte.

Using comparison I can distinguish 80 lb semi-gloss cover, 100 lb semi-gloss cover, 8 pt gloss, 10 pt gloss, and 12 pt gloss. (But then again, most people could, given multiple choices rather than a free-response question.)

[–] DJDarren@beehaw.org 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

"Look at that subtle off-white colouring. The tasteful thickness of it. Oh my god, it even has a watermark."

[–] Mothra@mander.xyz 21 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Socializing with cats, befriending them.

[–] Nonameuser678@aussie.zone 9 points 1 year ago

I too consider myself better at this than the average person. I often find myself slow blinking at random cats in the street.

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[–] excitingburp@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Not littering.

[–] SassyGumsquatch@lemm.ee 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I have a lot of experience reconstructing whale skeletons for museums and such. I do it as a hobby with a friend of mine who is the marine mammals recovery coordinator for the state of North Carolina.

[–] Obi@sopuli.xyz 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] Hadriscus@lemm.ee 16 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Exponentially denotes a progression, a rate of change. You probably mean greatly or vastly

For me it would be authoring images-illustration, rendering, etc. I guess most people can answer with their job

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[–] cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Anyone in this thread could probably just cite their career.

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[–] Interesting_Test_814@jlai.lu 11 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Math (I'm a graduate student). And "exponentially more experienced than the average" means nothing as exponential is a progression, not a comparison between two values.

[–] RampageDon@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago

What this person is trying to say is they are exponentially better at being technically correct.

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[–] Extrasvhx9he@lemmy.today 10 points 1 year ago

Picked up soldering and small appliance repairing as a hobby couple months ago so I guess that

[–] Mandy@beehaw.org 10 points 1 year ago
[–] Lifebandit666@feddit.uk 9 points 1 year ago (12 children)

Since the Reddit blackout I decided to learn how to solve a Rubik's Cube. My best time for solving one so far is 82 seconds. I know it's no world record but the average person can't solve a Rubik's cube so I'm way more experienced.

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[–] Pulptastic@midwest.social 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Ability: Coordinate system rotation. I can move 3d objects around in my mind with ease and it is clear in group settings that most people are not good at this.

Knowledge: heat transfer. I've done years of theoretical study and more years of practical application of heat transfer.

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[–] grannyweatherwax@feddit.nl 8 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I am "exponentially" better at nothing in comparison to others. There's always this one kid, who will do whatever I do, far better than I can ever do.

[–] blackstrat@lemmy.fwgx.uk 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

But that one kid isn't the average person. Don't put yourself down.

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[–] Barbarian@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 year ago

My humility.

Joking aside though, I'd like to think I'm pretty empathetic and understanding.

[–] thelsim@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 year ago

Besides my professional skills, which are so boring they’re not worth mentioning, I’m good at snapping my fingers? I can do both hands really fast.
Also, standing on one leg, having internal monologues that can last for hours and other useless skills :)

[–] Iunnrais@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago

Living outside my home country.

[–] Lewistrick@feddit.nl 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Linguistics, programming, rationalizing, and trackmania =)

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[–] Dice@ttrpg.network 5 points 1 year ago

Gamemastering rpgs. 20 years of experience and a good cross section of games played. Spent the last five years really trying to improve too.

[–] Gargleblaster@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago

I could say job-related things or my hobbies, but Ima go with Google-fu. Maybe just search engine fu.

I know way too many 'first page people' when it comes to results. No fuckin' way. Learn how to dig. Do not take no for an answer from a search engine without trying a range of strategies to find what you're looking for.

OK, I'm lying. This is part of my job. I teach academic research, and I hear these people with two sources tell me there aren't enough sources for them to do a research paper on a given topic or that all these peer-reviewed journal articles say the same thing.

But it does extend into non-academic life. I was out of town, my older brother needed a U-Haul, drove 40 minutes to a place he knew, but there was a U-Haul less than 10 minutes away that he couldn't find.

I'm surrounded by this.

[–] poopiddy@pawb.social 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] CapnAssHolo@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 year ago

Show us your PayPal balance

[–] keeb420@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago

Driving a forklift

Being in a freezer

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

If I was to base it off people I know IRL, it'd be video games. But against the collective of gamers on the internet, I don't even rank. :/

Well... I guess that's just skill. Experience, though... Many streamers and gamers are a fraction of my age, and I've been gaming since as far back as I remember.

[–] JoBo@feddit.uk 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Statistics.

That word does not mean what you think it means.

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[–] ODuffer@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Being myself, I'm pretty good at it.

[–] UlyssesT@hexbear.net 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I have decades of experience with improv storytelling. It's a niche thing, and normally I use it for tabletop games, but in a pinch I can make up campfire stories, ghost stories, or whatever else and use the slightest cues from the audience to suit what they enjoy.

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[–] zeekaran@sopuli.xyz 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Cocktails. I'm purely an amateur home bartender (I work in software development) but I'm better at making cocktails than most paid bartenders in the city, including a number of the ones working at craft cocktail bars I've been to across the country. I make my own syrups, creams, infusions, carved ice, and dehydrated fruit. I've recently started using an iSi whipper to make foam toppers; beer foam for old fashioneds, tropical foam for Mai Tais. My avocado orgeat is awesome. Fat washing with coconut oil is easy and makes Campari and cachaça amazing. I've hosted many parties in the 15-28 person range, as well numerous smaller cocktail nights, so I have experience creating thematic menus and then prepping and serving the drinks all night.

I have a ton of knowledge about spirits in general, both breadth and depth. Most bartenders and even mixologists don't even know what baijiu is (let alone tried each aroma), know the difference between soju and shōchū, or why soju is rarely made with rice. My rum knowledge is where I've specialized and I can recommend multiple bottles of each type (Smuggler's Cove categories or Minimalist Tiki's) in varying price ranges, what cocktails they are best for, and the subtle differences between each bottle within its own category.

I'm a perfectly average programmer though.

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[–] luthis@lemmy.nz 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Well, it's definitely not my height, hahahaha 🥲

But I'm pretty good at ~~not giving up~~ getting obsessed with a problem and basically bashing my head against the wall until the wall gives in.

Or until a new problem steals my focus.

Like, I have no mechanical experience, but I did a valve adjustment on my motorbike.

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[–] Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Having gone through conscription military, I have leveled up some very important abilities.

Looking busy: I can find convincing ways to spend time without actually doing anything important.

Wasting time: When nobody is looking, I can find creative and fun ways to pass the time. (this ability is maxed out)

Also gained a few special perks.

Forest fun: Who needs movies, games or the internet when you have an axe and some wood. Even pine cones, rocks and sticks will be enough to keep you preoccupied in creative ways.

Day dreaming: Who needs the forest, when you can build countless universes in your mind.

Oh, and I did learn to shoot and keep my rifle in working order. I guess that’s nice too. Didn’t get to level that anywhere near as much, but that’s ok.

[–] Rocketpoweredgorilla@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I'm pretty good at controlling my temper... does that count?

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[–] tailiat@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I have two useless talents:

  • Highly developed sense of smell (sometimes a liability)
  • Ability to identify voice actors with high accuracy

I once identified the source of a minute gas leak in my basement, which had evaded the calibrated detection equipment of the utility company, so I guess I can't say it's completely useless.

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[–] BlueEther@no.lastname.nz 3 points 1 year ago

Not getting stung by bees?

[–] mtchristo@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

Wasting my time Yo.

[–] Vex_Detrause@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 year ago

I'm good at putting a needle inside people's veins.

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