I can explain very complicated concepts in a very simple, easy to understand manner, so long as I understand the concept. I’ve been told this by bosses, my wife and even a government agency.

I can visualize things in three dimensions, rotate them in three dimensions and manipulate them. It allows me to read things backwards and upside down. I’m pretty sure almost all engineers can do the visualization thing, but I’m not sure about the reading part.

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Originally posted by Nuclear:
I can explain very complicated concepts in a very simple, easy to understand manner, so long as I understand the concept. I’ve been told this by bosses, my wife and even a government agency.

I can visualize things in three dimensions, rotate them in three dimensions and manipulate them. It allows me to read things backwards and upside down. I’m pretty sure almost all engineers can do the visualization thing, but I’m not sure about the reading part.

I can do the 3-D part… I’ve been told by others that not everybody has that ability… Seems weird to me because it’s so natural. Never thought about the text thing though… Probably can’t do that.

But I did teach myself solidworks and built a battlebot from the actual CAD/CAM software.

Here is something rare (Grant Imihara RIP, from MythBusters had a lot of these):

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Originally posted by NavyAgShooter:
Drive an aircraft carrier.

I can land on one. Your ability to drive that ship during Underway Replenishments in heavy seas has always impressed me.

I can also talk like Donald Duck which I've found to be very useful. Besides entertaining little kids, I get away with saying things that I shouldn't say using my own voice. When Donald drops into a conversation and says "That's a bunch of bullshit!" it rarely fails to draw laughter, or at least a chuckle.

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Originally posted by Tailhook 84:

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Originally posted by NavyAgShooter:
Drive an aircraft carrier.

I can also talk like Donald Duck which I've found to be very useful. Besides entertaining little kids, I get away with saying things that I shouldn't say using my own voice. When Donald drops into a conversation and says "That's a bunch of bullshit!" it rarely fails to draw laughter, or at least a chuckle.

You should use that talent for screw with telemarketers. This guy does:

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Originally posted by Nuclear:
I can visualize things in three dimensions, rotate them in three dimensions and manipulate them. It allows me to read things backwards and upside down. I’m pretty sure almost all engineers can do the visualization thing, but I’m not sure about the reading part.

We'll have a store display that needs to be put up in a hurry and I'll start painting the words on the back side of the glass and then add the background afterwards.

Drives them insane!

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Originally posted by aileron:
I hold an FAA Statement of Aerobatic Competency Card (SAC) for 250' altitude. I used to be have a Surface waiver (no altitude restriction), but didn't perform at enough airshows to keep the surface endorsement.

Super cool.
I logged 1 hr of aerobatic instruction time in a 152 Aerobat. Probably the most fun thing I've ever done.
Also the only time I've worn a parachute.

Had a former coworker (prior job) with an RV6 that I never got around to scoring some right seat time with.

Put me in a room of people I will have the best looking woman there back at my place by the end of the night.

I’m also a good liar

I can look in the mirror and see me.

Unfortunately I guess mine is work related. I have a skill at getting confessions during investigation interrogations and being very good at interrupting body language. Doing an interrogation is a scientific art and many people don’t see it that way and is why they are not good at it.

I have been doing investigations/Interrogations for over 25 years, done thousands of interviews, taken every class I can, and am a Certified Forensic Interviewer. I have gone in after people failed to get a confession to then get one with zero evidence.

My nickname at work is Father Battles because they say people come to confess to me. I try to spread my knowledge to law enforcement agencies across the state as I get sent all over to teach, but sadly many think their way is best.

^Work, play, it's all good.

I can successfully dock a ship of any size. I could (30 years ago)send and receive flashing light and semaphore as fast as anyone in the world.

Lots of cool skills. But pragmatically for me, the woodworking and (garlic) slicing skills would be nice to have - envious.

I guess my claim to fame is that most people have a unique skill(s) but I don't. I'm not even a jack of many, let alone master of one. So, what I can do that most people can't is claim to have no relatively unique skill.

StorminNorman:
You indeed have a special talent. Early on, I worked with a guy who could get a confession from a rock. He specialized in sex offenses and related crimes against children. I once saw a videoed interview with a child rapist where the investigator and the suspect cried together before the suspect fully confessed. He patiently tried to teach me his technique, but I did not have the talent or patience to make it work.

In a given day, I can:

Bench press 300 lbs
Try a murder case (finish a day of the trial at least)
Play 18 holes of golf and shoot damn near even par

The combination of these together is what I would consider rare.

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Originally posted by YooperSigs:
StorminNorman:
You indeed have a special talent. Early on, I worked with a guy who could get a confession from a rock. He specialized in sex offenses and related crimes against children. I once saw a videoed interview with a child rapist where the investigator and the suspect cried together before the suspect fully confessed. He patiently tried to teach me his technique, but I did not have the talent or patience to make it work.

The ability to disassociate yourself from the crime is HUGE! You have to rationalize with the criminal that what they did isn’t that bad to have any chance to get them to confess. It is tough to do, but there are times you are telling the person you totally understand why they would want to sexually assault a young girl or injure someone just to secure that confession or whatever the crime is.

I can make a 8" tall salt and pepper mill set, drilled, turned and finished sanded in less than 30 minutes.

Do a track stand with my road bike.

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I can properly pronounce the Dutch "g", "ch", and "sch" sounds, of which hardly any other non-Dutch people in the world appear to be capable.

My German-born friend had me practice saying "Ach, ich schlag dich tod!" That has 4 different "ch" ending sounds. Is it like that in Dutch?

Thanks to my friend and maybe good genes, I was able to pass for a German for half of my year in Germany. I mean people wouldn't believe I was an American.

I can do the Donald Duck thing, have since childhood. Kids love it. I once did it in a medical conference when I had laryngitis; didn't go over well.

I have prehensile toes, can pick up a sock on the floor with my toes. Is that unusual? I don't know. Some of my kids can do it, some can't.

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Originally posted by slabsides45:
Well... My thumbs are double jointed, so I can make a "L" outta them pointing either direction from the bend, if'n I wanna.

Mine too. In my younger days, until I was about 45, I could bend my thumb back to my wrist either way. I could also make my thumbs do "hula dances", thought about "Stupid People Tricks" on Letterman, but never followed up. I joked that I could use my thumbs as a pick up line, showing a girl my hula thumb and say, "I'm double jointed all over". Never did it, of course. Alas, now both thumbs are arthritic, perhaps because of my shenanigans, perhaps not. Regardless, my dancing thumb days are pretty much over.

When I was with Social Security illegal aliens would sometimes come in with fake immigration documents looking to get a SS number. They were almost always easy to spot. After telling them they would not be getting a SS number I got a promise from two of them to go back to the people who sold them the fake documents and demand a refund.