Built me a peg-board for cables (extras) to keep'em handy and clean and not under-foot. Instead of garden ties I use the thinnest 6-inch zip-ties available and simply cut them when I need to use the cable next.

Simple and sweet.

The BEST reason for doing this....is running cable out.
Throw a properly coiled cable while holding onto one end, it it goes exactly where you want it to, dead straight.

Try that with an improperly coiled cable, and it will sit on the floor still with giant kinks in it, and it wont unravel properly, will be a general bitch to undo the innevitable knots in it.

Should put a "you're doing it wrong" tag. I love those

Yep, worked at an event center. Sound guy was a complete pain in the ass when it came to coiling up cables. Don't know how many times I got to hear "Your doing it wrong"
Went off on him one night. "I just assembled 3 stages and moved 18 floor units. I'm tired. If your that f$#$ worried about the cables get off your fat ass and do them yourself."
Got fired the next day because "We hired him away from So and So and he said your hard to work with...."
hehe A few days later they call back going "He just quit and stormed out! can you.." "Nope" click

Ha! So meaningful . . . but that's because I wrap cables all the time. :-p Surprised this many people care!

Cable coiling for dummies. Seriously? Who here can't coil a cable suitably enough in all their years of existence?

Not just for ease of storage and for un-rolling ease, this method extends the life of your cable. When you do it the wrong way, you break cable strands inside.

I used to DJ a bit and help with concerts at the University. Anyone that got this wrong got fired, as the cables were worth more than their wage.

Oh yes, that's very nice about the ca-OH MY GOD, WHAT THE HELL IS ON HIS SHIRT?!

*related=http://videosift.com/video/How-to-properly-coil-a-cable

How to properly coil a cable has been added as a related post - related requested by Ornthoron.

You'd be surprised to discover how many thousands of so-called intelligent peeps be unable to execute the simplest of opposable digit tasks. My ex-father-in-law, a published, successful pulmonary physiologist at a world-renown hospital couldn't wield a shovel to save his life. I often refer to this line from a Heinlein novel as a road map to what is is to be an actual, human being:
"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." — Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love

If you live on planet now, are located in a first-worldlier country with a reasonable amount of "education" , are over 30 years of age and are not approaching the level-up to polymath or renaissance person, yer a fuckin' lazystupid

I have serious concerns about the future of our society if something as simple as cable coiling becomes a skill that requires instruction. What happened to getting your hands dirty? Today's youth would rather spend their time behind a computer reading about how to perform tasks than learning about them through tactile experience. Things have changed since my day, and not for the better. Your father-in-law is an exception. Middle and lower class families for the most part have always taught their children these very basic tasks so that when they leave the nest they'll be able to manage on their own. The internet has changed that, and it's pretty fucking sad. Knowing that there's a video on how-to-do pretty much anything on youtube has made parents lazy.

Not knowing how to properly coil a cable != contributing to the moral dissolution of future generations.

Also, I'm getting tired of this entire ridiculous fascination society in general seems to have with people "getting their hands dirty." I grew up surrounded by intellectuals, and though they might've been able to handle simple problems around the house, there were other things they spent their time learning how to do.

These were mathematicians, programmers, psychologists and physicists, and for all the usefulness of plumbers, mechanics and others of their ilk, these intellectuals provided other services to society which were quite honestly no less vital to its success. What they taught me was how to use my brain rather than my hands, and frankly, the world as I see it is filled to the brim with people are perfectly willing to get their hands dirty but who are astoundingly unwilling to ever use their heads.

I spent about a week this summer building a fence, and for all the shallow gratification of "honest labour," I would honestly really prefer it if I could just pay someone else to do it while I stayed inside, learning about the world and everything that goes on in it, instead of working outside like some sort of beast of burden.

If you happen to be one of those people who for some reason feel that digging holes and putting large sticks in them is a meaningful pastime, I will neither stop you from doing it nor judge you for your choice. So please, would you kindly shut the fuck up about how wonderful it is to "get your hands dirty" and just leave me to my Goddamn books?

Not only are the children of this new generation lacking in basic life skills, but they also have no respect. You are a prime example. Is your ego this large in real life, or do you have delusions of grandeur due to the anonymity that the internet provides? A well rounded individual should be able to both use their brain and perform menial tasks. It's not a choice of one or the other. So you took a break from reading and built a fence. Goody for you. A little exercise - what a chore. That's right, pay someone to work for you so you can sit around on your lazy ass all day. This is exactly what I'm talking about. Thanks for adding to the discussion and proving my point.

I'm lacking in respect, huh? Fuck you, pal. I disagreed with you, and I did so pretty vehemently because I feel very strongly that you are wrong. Do you somehow think that you are entitled to judge everybody else by your impossible standards while staying safe from reproach and disagreement up in your ivory tower? And I'm the one with the ego, sure.

Now, look. I have two friends who are way into blacksmithing (and I'm actually going to try this out a bit when it becomes feasible for me to have a forge and anvil (I don't think my current neighbours would like it if I suddenly started pounding metal in my back yard)) and many others who have spent years working in construction. One of them even broke his back doing it. They have their primary skills and I've got mine, and while there is a slight overlap (since we all love to learn new things and tend to do so from each other), we all have to recognize that we are different people who are good at different things.

Because the really fucking simple truth is that life isn't perfect, and neither are human beings. We also have a finite amount of time and a finite amount of energy, and unless you are some sort of crazy person who doesn't have any limits and will work yourself until you keel over, you're going to have a few things you do well and a few things you do less well. Deal with it. What is happening here is that you've got some jacked up übermensch fantasy you can't possibly live up to, so you judge others instead of just taking your expectations down to a more realistic level.

Oh, and by the way - I love how your response was essentially just one big throbbing ad hominem. Don't have anything meaningful to say? Don't worry; you can always call the other guy an arrogant jerk! That'll show him! Nice job there, buddy. You really got me good.

I'd lean more towards enouraging men to be autodidacts and polymaths than specialists and experts. The latter relies upon society to survive, but society relies on the former to survive. Indepednance is always prefereable to interdependance in my mind. A jack of all trades, master of none, is always better than a master of one.

I'd remove 'change a diaper' from that list by Robert Heinlein and replace it with 'make a baby, deliver a baby'.

I thought I presented my argument rather well. It was certainly not meant as an ad hominem attack. I'm far too mature for such silliness. When a perfect example of which I'm referring to plops itself conveniently into the conversation, why would I not use it to validate my argument? I also think you're missing the point of it all. What bugs the fuck out of me is the laziness, it's the time spent behind the computer on social networks, video sites and game sites, thinking that life can best be experienced by reading rather than doing. It is stunting social growth, and giving individuals an exaggerated sense of self importance. "Getting your hands dirty" teaches humility and how to figure things out independently. I'm tired of seeing so many young people sitting around at home playing on the internet all day while collecting money from the government, just waiting for a job that's worthy enough to fall into their laps because they think they're too good for manual labor or that job at McDonald's.

That wasn't what I perceived your initial comment to mean. I mostly agree with you, though.

And it IS true that I am decent enough example of this, though it's not out of an exaggerated sense of self-importance, but rather crippling anxiety caused by... well, things I won't go into here.

I still don't think you're entirely right, though. And I really don't think you have a reason to be worried. First of all, I would love it if I could get some help so that I could get myself out of the situation I am in, but it's never that easy when you're dealing with mental illness.

Second of all, I am the only person I know who is dealing with these issues. The vast majority of my peers since my late teens and now, when I am in my early twenties, have been perfectly willing to get their hands dirty, and they have been perfectly willing to get a job. Any job, in fact. Almost every last one of them is absolutely desperate to just be given a chance in a world where even entry-level positions now somehow require several years of experience and a driver's license. And everything costs a fortune.

Most of us youngsters aren't sitting on our asses because we're too lazy and self-important to get a job - we're sitting on our asses because, frankly, the world has changed, and we have been left behind in the process. When my dad was my age, there were so many jobs that there weren't enough people to fill all the positions. You would probably be working on a factory floor and you may not have liked the job, but the job was available and it paid.

And that simply isn't true anymore. In fact, most of the guys I know would leap at the opportunity to get a job like that because they are just out of options.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag.(show it anyway)

Sift of the week!

If there is an ego and a lack of respect being demonstrated, I'd have to say it was mostly on your part. There is nothing inherently superior to physical labor, and far far fewer who are even capable of intellectual tasks...so ragging on someone who prefers to spend their time on the latter is...um...fucking stupid, not to mention obnoxiously judgemental.

Are you suggesting that labourers lack intelligence? It certainly sounds that way. Your comment reeks of ignorance if that is indeed what you are inferring.

@carnivorous
not trying to butt in on your penis waving contest (ok.yes i am).
but i think what some here are trying to convey to you are your broad generalizations.

i am sure your points do apply to some of the younger generation but in no way represents ALL of them.

i am getting long in the greys and i know MANY of my generation that expend far too much energy on:social networks,candy crush and full out gossip and complaining (good lord do they complain).

i know this is veering off topic,but its a worthy topic.

my boys are in their twenties.they all are hard workers of the manual persuasion but they are all having a hard go.
this happens and the times are not ripe for an easy run.
do you know what bothers me the most about watching my boys struggle?
the fear.
they are afraid,uncertain and unsure.
when i was their age i was fearless.

when i was their age i was working for my friend who was a lighting director for russell simmons.def jam summer fest world tour baby!
traveled all over the country and the carribean,duffle bag in tow.
learned how to coil cable right proper too.

ok.not at first.
totally screwed that up the first night.
so my buddy made me unravel every inch of cable (even the ones done right by him and others) and learned the hard way how to coil cable proper.
you have any idea how MUCH cable is used for lighting?
well neither do i but im gonna go in measurements of miles (or hours of lost sleep,you decide).

i guess my point is (if i even have one):
manual labor has its advantages but so do intellectual pursuits.
they actually compliment each other.

but dont judge this generation too harshly.
they are afraid,
and uncertain.
something we (or at least I) never really had to deal with on that scale.

and so ends my rambling incoherent rant.
think ill go fix that broken screen door i have been putting off for ages.
yall got me in the mood to fix something.

You know where that fear comes from? The TV. At least, I'd say 90% of it does. I suppose you can generate that level of fear from the PC if you try really hard with regular news sites, etc. Radio and newspapers are also a big fear contributors. Seriously, exorcrize your home form the demon that is TV and you will find greater peace. I've installed satellite TV professionally for nine years, all the while I've never owned a TV (I am the father of five children so far). Every time I tell a customer I don't own a TV, they INEVITABLY (100%, every single time) respond that they don't watch it very much, or just watch the news. They feel guilty all on their own, because they know it's a vice, not a virtue. And the news is the worst thing you CAN watch on TV, because most people believe it to be important and true, while it is neither. Heck, you can probably make a bunch of money selling your TV's to boot! You'll be amazed at how productive you are without a TV in your home! DO IT! DO IT NOW, LAAAUUWL!

I'm happy to say I've quit installing TV, and now install satellite internet. Which is much better on my conscience and better for the recipient (to a degree).

Studio 101! I learned this in school