Innholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2022 i SkillSet

Americans spend around $72 billion every year for lottery tickets, and the chances of winning are less likely than being killed by murder hornets, having identical quadruplets, being crushed by a vending machine, winning an Academy Award or being elected president. But don’t be dismayed by your lack of phenomenal luck; it’s not as great as it sounds. In fact, the odds of going broke after winning the lottery are pretty good since one out of three lotto winners will eventually file for bankruptcy.…

We all agree that the great state of Texas leads the way in American freedom, but those liberties definitely stop at the beltline. According to section 43.23 of the Texas Penal Code, a person who is in possession of six or more dildos is committing a felony. We’re not sure why the number is capped at six, but we aren’t pushing our luck with any Texas county mounties. We suggest that you take the same advice the great Clint Smith gave us about owning a self-defense rifle: Find one that fits you, buy a backup in case you lose it (ouch!) and then buy a third one for spare parts. That will keep your Lone Star State bedroom on the right side of the law.…

Even though they were mortal enemies during the Cold War, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev did have one common goal: to destroy alien invaders. Back at the 1985 Geneva Summit in Switzerland, the two superpowers had a closed-door conversation about sharing planet Earth with little green men from outer space. In a 2009 interview, Gorbachev said President Reagan asked if they could set aside their differences and team up if we were ever attacked. Without hesitation, Gorbachev replied, “No doubt about it.” We are pretty sure that at that moment they shared an Over the Top flexed-arm handshake and then went right back to stockpiling nuclear weapons.…

You have been asked to be the best man at a wedding. Where do you start? Right here! There are three primary items you must complete to receive your “Best Man of the Year” trophy: The Bachelor Party, The Best Man Speech and The Present. It’s a big responsibility, but if you use this guide, you’ll come out smelling like roses. THE BACHELOR PARTY This is your priority. It’s your job to round up the groomsmen, find a place to party and keep the groom out of trouble. That’s right. Keep him out of trouble. Ostensibly, having been chosen as the best man, you agree that he should be getting married. Don’t fuck up the marriage before it starts and don’t let him either. You’re his wife tonight—minus the great…

MARCH 15, 2020, CHANGED THE LIVES OF A LOT OF AMERICANS, AND SADLY, IT WAS FOR THE WORSE. IN CASE YOU FORGOT, THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE TWO-WEEK LOCKDOWN THAT LASTED OVER SIX MONTHS. THAT WAS THE DAY THAT STARTED A HORRIFIC TREND OF BUSINESSES CUTTING EMPLOYEES AND SOME BUSINESSES HAVING TO CLOSE THEIR DOORS FOR GOOD. COVID-19 CONTINUES TO BE THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING. (YES, OF COURSE I AM BEING SARCASTIC.) Whether you believe that it was a “plandemic” or a “scamdemic,” it affected a lot of us in different ways—from losing a loved one to getting financially destroyed due to the lockdowns. This article is going to help you to strategically plan what to invest in to make sure that you’re OK if anything like…

Remember when you were a kid and the best possible thing would be to come face to face with an alien? We’re talking about the cool aliens, like E.T. or the good guys from Galaxy Quest, not the acid-spitting friends of Sigourney Weaver. You would fantasize about seeing a UFO, getting beamed up and flying across the cosmos like in The Last Starfighter. Then we grew up and maybe came to believe that aliens have actually been here, but only in the distant past. Who else would have built the pyramids, made the crop circles or given us the plotline for Stargate? Then, as if 2020 wasn’t weird enough, 2021 brought with it the revelation that UFOs were in fact real, and the Pentagon even released information about them. In…

Blackjack, or “twenty-one,” as it is also known, is a casino game that has been around since at least the late-16th or early-17th centuries. Since that time, millions of people have played this relatively simple game with mixed results. For some, large smiles have accented their faces as their pockets swelled with well-played and well-earned cash. However, others—and these are the vast majority, by the way—have exited casinos or closed their laptops (for today’s online gambling) in nothing but frustration as they replayed hands in their minds that they should have played differently. And worst of all, the cash that they had hoped to multiply into vast riches was gone as if it had never been there. But it doesn’t have to be that way if you know what strategic…

Winters in Wisconsin are long, bitter cold and always seem to last until May. When summer comes around, people get out and about and drink in every bit of warmth and sunshine, knowing full well it won’t last that long. On July 17, 2016, police officer Brandon Kehoe was working the night shift in his hometown of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He had just finished with a domestic violence complaint and had met up with his partner from the call, Anthony Hamilton, to catch their breaths. Hamilton, a former Marine with three combat deployments, had been friends with Kehoe since he started at the department eight years prior. They had barely parked when a call came in of a robbery that was in progress at the Union Avenue Tap, just a little…

Who knew dolphins were the Cheech & Chong of the Seven Seas? These aquatic super fish can fight off sharks, detect anti-ship mines and even jump through hoops of fire for your kid at SeaWorld. But behind closed doors, addiction runs deep. While the puffer fish is known to be deadly to humans, its toxins are like black tar heroin to our blowhole buddies. It isn’t uncommon to see a school of dolphins passing a chewed-up puffer among each other and then drifting off into the deep blue in a trance-like state of euphoria. So, the next time you see a dolphin washed up on the beach or tied up in a tuna net, have some sympathy and let them know that “If you can quit for a day, you…

Do you ever feel that your window to become an Olympic athlete has passed? Or maybe that the jock life isn’t for you, but your origami skillset is too awesome to go unnoticed? Well, it’s too bad you weren’t born in the early 1900s because you might have hung a few gold medals from your mantle. That’s right, from 1912 to 1952, the Olympics handed out over 150 medals for painting, music and sculpting. Granted, all these works of art had to be Olympic themed, but for the first time, a 350-pound man who lived in his mom’s basement could reach one of the world’s most-coveted podiums for something other than men’s curling. (Sorry, Canada.) $1,350 THE PRICE A CORNFLAKE SHAPED LIKE THE STATE OF ILLINOIS SOLD FOR ON EBAY…

Fall is finally here, and winter won’t be far behind! Maybe you aren’t yelling these words on the East Coast, but here in the hot-ass desert, we relish the days when the weather starts to turn for the better. This inevitably leads to those damned commercials about freakin’ pumpkin spice drinks at Starbucks and the like as well as your significant other posting about them on Instagram. So, I got to thinking … can pumpkin spice be cool for guys too? Is it OK for us to crave this flavor? I say yes! Who cares what other suckas think? I’m here to walk you through it all and to give you some examples of how you can use this spice combo at home and still be considered one of the…

“There was nowhere to go but everywhere” is as true today as it was when Jack Kerouac first wrote and experienced it in his classic novel On the Road. The road trip is an American tradition and a rite of passage in the lives of many in this great nation. It doesn’t matter where you’re headed, only that you get out and go. After all, it’s about the journey and the countless experiences that you can have along the way. Here at Skillset, we love a great road trip, and we have come across so many interesting stopping places on the road that we had to collect a few to share. If you’re looking for adventure and something a little out of the ordinary, then check out these roadside attractions…

UFOs —now referred to as UAPs (unidentified aerial phenomenon)—are a blazing-hot topic these days. Places where UAPs have been reported are beacons for the curious, the open minded and sometimes, for individuals who are just a bit strange. (You know who you are.) Since the beginning of our species’ existence, whether it be out of fascination or curiosity, we have watched the skies and the stars above us. We are always looking for answers. What’s up there? How far does it go? Who or what else is with us? We have been documenting visitations from above since humans lived in the darkness of caves. The earliest drawings of UAPs were found in France and thought to be from around 13,000 B.C. One has to wonder how these people were inspired…

Escaping from prison is no simple feat. It takes nerve, guile and ingenuity. The idea of a prisoner on the run, by its very nature, is sensational and inspires films and captures Americans’ imaginations as events play out on the news. But planning an escape and making it happen are two very different things. This a look at some of the personality traits and preconditions involved with such attempts and how criminals sometimes do manage to break out, even if only for a short, dangerous while. DARING Guts, intestinal fortitude, balls—whatever you want to call it—executing a prison break takes boldness. Many prisoners may dream of making a run for it, but only a small percentage actually give it a shot. This certainly makes sense when you consider the repercussions:…

Ever wonder why your cat brings home dead animals even though you have its food bowl filled with kibble? It’s because they think you are a worthless hunter and you probably can’t survive on your own. Truth be told, they are probably right (about 80% of Americans don’t even know how to start a fire), and there is really nothing you can do to stop them. Unlike our canine companions, who we can domesticate and turn into lazy furballs, cats still retain their predatory instincts and will always have the will to hunt. Plus, cats are known to be assholes, and they love to boast to their pitiful human companions.…

There are four Sig Sauer pistols that can be carried by the Sentinel guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Virginia. These pistols are custom made and have been named “Silence,” “Respect,” “Dignity” and “Perseverance.” Their grips are made of wood from the USS Olympia, which was the ship that carried back the first Unknown Soldier in 1921, and their sights contain marble dust from the tomb itself. Even the cocking serrations are engraved with XXI to signify the 21 steps each guard takes to walk by the Tomb of the Unknowns.…

He had been ill for days and was deteriorating rapidly. Fever, aches and a general malaise wracked his body. His lips had turned blue and he was experiencing the beginning of paralysis as he checked into the hospital. His skin was on fire and felt as though insects were crawling just beneath the surface. The following day, he watched in horror as the doctors pronounced him dead and he felt the bedsheet being pulled up over his face. He remained completely lucid as his coffin was nailed shut. Powerless to move, one of the coffin nails pierced his face. If only he could scream, he thought, as he was lowered into the earth and covered with dirt. Such is the initial experience of a voodoo zombie, dramatized here from the…

We can all agree that fairy tales are written and passed down for many reasons. One of these reasons is that there is a moral lesson in them for kids. Another reason is just to scare the crap out of them. Without a doubt, parents and grownups need a certain level of fear instilled in their children to keep them in line and to teach them about all the wicked stuff that happens in this world. Likewise, on a psychological level, fairy tales also make it easier to convince children that someone or something that isn’t real can impact our lives. (Not too sure what that has to do with raising well-adjusted children, but hey, nobody ever said that parenting has to be entirely logical.) And interestingly enough, as children,…

Personal safety should never be taken lightly. Although your neighborhood, work location or favorite hang-out place may appear calm, docile and free of crime, the scary fact is that you may indeed be the intended victim in a stalker’s eye—or simply the unfortunate victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Either way, you need to be able to protect yourself when deadly trouble comes your way. Carrying weapons to fend off an assailant is a great place to start, but hefting around a knife, a club or a large stun gun not only attracts attention from good and bad people alike, it may also make you appear as the “bad guy,” which can cause you all sorts of problems with curious citizens and law enforcement personnel…

Some people are born into legacies, and all they have to do is the bare minimum to take control of an empire, while others truly earn every ounce of their soon-to-be domains. Then, there are the 1% who are born into a legacy and work nonstop to continue earning their keeps, only to walk away from it to forge a new birthright from scratch. This is exactly what TJ Marfione did to create his own company, Heretic Knives. TJ is the son of Anthony Marfione, the CEO of world-renowned Microtech Knives. Since the age of 6, TJ knew that he wanted to be a knifemaker. While his father was grinding steel, TJ would mimic him by turning over a bicycle and pretending its back wheel was a grinding stone used…

The door cracks open, revealing bright sunshine and a beautiful New Year’s Day. The year is 2022. Our hero steps out into the light and is greeted by his neighbor, who shouts at him, “Put on your mask, you bigot!” He responds with a friendly wave as he ponders how mask wearing and racism could possibly be connected. He knows that he is committing a “thought crime” that could be punished by the cancel culture mob if he were to speak it aloud. He would immediately be pounced on by the mob as they hurl all manner of abuse at both himself and everyone in his inner circle. The mob, as we all know, is bloodthirsty, and once they smell that blood in the water, a feeding frenzy ensues. They…

Few characters in cinema have made the cultural impact of a certain globe-trotting, no-nonsense archaeologist named Indiana Jones. This quintessential adventurer was created from the mind of George Lucas and brought to life on the big screen by his close friend and in-the-business partner, Steven Spielberg. Indy’s escapades span three solidly constructed films (yes, I know there was a fourth—enough said!), and the character cemented the way for a plethora of copycats who personified the adventuring treasure hunter in comic books, video games, movies and television programs. Just as iconic as the character, however, is his attire, which is also quite well known to most. Jones goes nearly everywhere (except for the Club Obi Wan, where his Connery-esque tux made an appearance) in his weathered leather jacket, beat-to-hell fedora, with…