No, this won’t be a post about an obscure rock group.

In Orson Scott Card’s book “Seventh Son” he talks about people who have a “knack”.

The idea, at it’s base, is that some people have an ability, innate, that others do not. That some people are born with extra, special skills that make them supreme fitters, joiners, cabinetmakers, plumbers, electricians, etc. In the book proper, he speaks about the idea that white men have simple and sometimes forced knacks, and that the red men have knacks that are encompassing. It’s an interesting concept, and one that gives me a good jumping off place for a discussion of the “simple science” of the previous post.

I used to think that anyone can learn anything. I have learned a lot of things in my life, from harness repair to robot programming. From homebuilding to auto repair. From deer hunting to baking. I’ve been very adept at adapting. And I enjoy that. I continuously do new things to try to keep my brain stretched; I also have begun to notice gaps in my abilities. I’ve noted before that I have no interest in sports, nor do I seem to be able to deal with musical instruments. I have not done well with languages either, but I think that if I had a chance to live somewhere for a while, I could change that.

One of the most damned useful things I’ve ever learned was how to tie knots. No, not the kind that frustrate you while getting your shoes undone, the kind that you learn in boy scouts. Even some of the best scouts I know, don’t remember their knots.

My wife works in a store where they still have an overhead twine line, and the employees can break the twine by hand, and make a parcel of brown paper and string. When was the last time you saw that done? Just tying the knots is difficult enough.

SO if you want to be able to tie a knot that won’t come loose until you want it to, and come loose when you need it to, go get a copy of the Ashley Book of Knots.