Useless Skills
Everywhere all over the world, there are people with hidden talents. These talents aren't what we'd say useful, but they're still talents nonetheless! Redditors have all shared their special talents.
From being able to smell ants to recognizing faces in perfect detail, these talents have never helped the people they belong to, but they are neat all the same.
Recognizing Faces
I can identify faces very easily, even with age. People I saw once in a film 40 years ago I'll see again in something current and say, "Oh, that's the guy who played the 3rd terrorist in that film from 1980." It's bizarre.
And I have the exact opposite! Unless someone has a REALLY unique feature, or I interact with them excessively often (like day-to-day coworkers), I will always introduce myself to them. Story credit - Reddit/thewoodbeyond
Animals
I know a lot of random things about animals. Both extinct and living.
Tapirs have four toes on each front foot and three toes on each rear foot. But every tapir I've seen makes only two-toed rear footprints because the third toe grows too far up their hamstring to touch the ground. Story credit- Reddit/TigBitties42069
Smell Ants
I can smell ants. Apparently, it's like a genetic thing. They kind of smell like earthy sulfur. They smell awful. I hate them. O answer some questions, it's usually always the small and big black ants that intestate houses.
I can usually smell THE smell a few days before they start showing up. As I said, they smell awful and earthy, very musty too. But it's such a distinct and unique smell I really can't describe it better than that. Maybe add bitter, too. Story credit - Reddit/i_am_scared_ok
Wiggle Their Ears
I know how to wiggle my ears! And to be even more useless, actually spent time learning to do it. I wasn't born to be able to.
I remember seeing my cousin doing it, then trying for years to do it until I got it. Now I can't stop wiggling them. It's pretty useless, but it does make for a good party trick. Story credit - Reddit/sparklingshanaya
Identifying Headlights
Identifying cars' make/model by their headlights at night. Pre-2020s Mustangs look like big spiders with all their lights.
These days I recognize a handful of them, but not all. Tail lights at also fun. But it's a lot more boring now with extra bright led's on awful crossovers. Story credit - Reddit/[deleted]
"Play" Random Objects
I can play with a blade of grass and the cap of an acorn. I have a bottle of water beside me and thought, "I wonder if I can 'play' just any sort of cap?" Turns out I can. I'm just an idiot, I think.
A few people have asked how to play an acorn cap. Uh, you kind of hold it on the opposite side of your thumbs(similar to playing a blade of grass), and you just sort of doing it? It's much easier to explain with visual aid. Story credit - Reddit/McLagginz
Guessing Weight
I've worked in a deli most of my life. I can weigh things in grams eerily accurately with just my hands. Some customers get pretty kind of blown.
I worked in a deli at a grocery store for a few years. Definitely was a skill I picked up, and it was super satisfying to get a customer's order right the first time just by feeling it. It's been some time, about six years, so I've sorta lost the precision. Story Credit - Reddit/Origin_Of_Ebot
Guessing Pulse
Yeah, that's a weird thing humans can do. I worked as an EMT for so long that I could take their pulse and breathing rate in 5 seconds and be right every time.
Most people need 60 seconds to take a pulse, but I'd feel three beats and be like, "That's 70 for a pulse. Also, their breath was 21bpm." Story credit - Reddit/Spartan1088
Morse Code
I can send and receive morse code at 65+ words per minute. Completely pointless skill. But interesting fact: Back in the height of T9 text messages, I heard that in Australia, they had a competition to find the fastest texter.
The two 17-year-old girls who won then completed against an 80-something WW2 Morse code operator. The Morse code operator won, and it wasn't even close. Story credit - Awdayshus
Towel Whipping
This is something that everyone in my family has advanced skills in. We love getting in playful towel wars. I have never found a girlfriend who wanted to do this with me despite always wishing I would.
My mom and uncle will go at it until they are both bleeding and look like they were in a paintball fight. Story credit - Reddit/PaticusGnome
Twirling Pencils
Twirling, flipping, and spinning writing utensils. Like, really intricate stuff, effortlessly. A skill built up with hours and hours of fidgeting. Seems to impress a lot of people, apparently. Gets plenty of compliments.
Pretty much anytime I've held a pencil or pen, I've tried to twirl it like Boris in Goldeneye, ever since the movie came out. Story credit - Reddit/DocFishFight
Curiosity
I have the skill of vaguely knowing how most things work as a consequence of unlimited curiosity. When I realized this, I tried to explain complex things in simple terms to my daughter, and a year later, I found myself in a position where kids love to ask me about million things, and I felt motivated to explain.
I call this process "introduction. "Within a short conversation, I can shoot someone's knowledge on a subject from none stage to Beginning Of Enlightenment stage on Dunning-Kruger learning curve. Story credit - Reddit/itsklimov
Flexible
Can twist my neck horizontally so far that it cuts off my airflow, I can moderately dislocate my jaw, and I also have one double-jointed thumb. Maybe I'd make a good zombie extra, idfk.
And in every case, it's pretty much a less extreme version of what you're imagining. I also have double-jointed thumbs too! It's my favorite weapon to get people to stop holding my hand without saying - just unclick ad whip back, and they're instantly grossed out.
Animal Friend
I can make friends with any stray dog. In my town, there's a huge stray population, and I've made friends with most of them over time. They all respond to the names I've given them. I've taught a few commands like sit, come, wait, and other useful tricks for walking together.
Every weekend I go on a hike with my dog at the local park, and as we walk there, all the strays that we meet just join the group. Some days I'll be hiking with 3-4 dogs that aren't even mine, and we all have a blast. They'll escort us home at the end of the walk and then just go about their business. Taming strays is very useless, but my favorite thing ever. Story credit - Reddit/beatrizklotz