
Let's get this out of the way: Turn it off and turn it back on.
So, there's that.
Reddit user, anushitech, wanted to know what computer skills we should all be using when they asked:
What is one computer skill that you are surprised many people don't know how to do?
Never underestimate the importance of really basic computer management.
Don't use the same password for everything. Make it a phrase. Include numbers and symbols. Also, this is important, the task manager can save your hide.
It's Not A Universal Password
"Considering the level of office work required in most corporate America, you'd be surprised by the number of people that don't even have the basic understanding of simple office software."
ahtemsah
"As an IT manager and having dealt with a ton of people. This and their basic inability to operate a computer. Like knowing what your trying to log into. Asking for your Google password to be reset and wondering why it doesn't work for your windows login?!"
Brief_Theory_1778
The What Manager?
"Open the task manager"
XxDalegend27xX
"Or how to use the task manager. Or what "CPU" "Disk" or any of the rest of it even means."
RiotHyena
"We still have plenty of staff for whom the 'CPU' is the big black box under their desk."
"And more than 20 years after the introduction of the iMac, people are still confused by the computer part being in the screen."
CousinDirk
Turns out a lot of computer issues arise in the office setting. While some people were hired to do a job, and you would hope they'd be able to do that job competently, that won't always be the case. Some people find themselves lost when you put a keyboard in front of them.
"CAN YOU HEAR ME?"
"Mute themselves on zoom calls."
vincyhot
"And unmute themselves on zoom calls."
autre_temps
...Disappeared Into The Aether...
"taking screenshot"
Feyru97
"Finding the folder where screenshot saved"
plowableacorn
"Win+shift+s to mark an area to screenshot, I use it several times a day in my job and I've seen people instead press printscreen and then paste the entire image into paint and then select the area they wanted to screenshot into a new image and then save it etc etc"
[usernameredacted]
Be More Precise
"Google effectively. Not just google, but to find any meaningful information from google."
"Let's say you have a computer issue, your monitor is simply came unplugged from your PC."
"Many people might just google "why wont my computer work" or "computer wont turn on". Sure, that may eventually lead you to checking your monitor is plugged in correctly."
"But I bet if you google "pc turns on but no picture" or "pc turns on but no screen/black screen" you're gonna get a helpful answer much, much faster."
"And this goes for any kind of problem that you're googling."
"dishwasher not working" -> "frigidaire model xxxx dishwasher stops after rinse cycle"
"You get the idea. Generally, the more granularity the better."
FranticDisembowel
Even though computers are found in everyday life, there is still a surprisingly large swathe of the population who don't understand them or how they work. What comes as second nature for casual users can feel like foreign, and sometimes scary, skills.
Point. Click.
"I taught a computer course several years ago. I remember the biggest thing for most completely-new computer users was not looking at their hand while moving the mouse, and being terrified of breaking the computer by accidentally closing a window or something. Oh, and knowing whether they should single click or double click - this was a major preoccupation for some."
timmyrey
Two Buttons: Copy. Paste.
"A recent phone conversation I had with my mother:"
Me: You just need to copy and paste it. Let me talk you through it.
Her: There's no point, I can't do it.
Me: It's like two key presses.
Her: It's too complicated.
Me: It'll take 5 seconds. It's easy.
Her: It's easy for you, you're a computer programmer. I don't have qualifications.
Me: So what are you going to do next time you need to copy and paste something?
Her: I'll just put my laptop in the car and drive it over to your house and you can do it for me...
Schwann-Port
I Keep Them All On My Desktop So I Can See Them All
"Basic folder/file structure."
Regulai
"there's more places than just the desktop wut?"
j33205
"Hello, IT. Have you tried turning it off and on again?"
"How to fix 99% of problems - by turning it off and on"
superfankiks
"I have a friend who gets mad that it is my go to for any problem I come across on my computer. Like bro I don't expect it to be fixed off of that, but at least I've checked it off my list."
"And also it works more often than even I expect"
AmishCyborgs
Oh Auntie
"I remember my aunt wondering why her document wasn’t in the My Documents folder on our family computer. She had saved it in her own My Documents folder on her own computer the next town over and apparently assumed there was only one Windows 98 communal My Documents folder in existence."
bu**boy3
Belonging
"A couple years ago my mom wanted to know how to better use computers, so she went to a class. She realized she didn't belong there when the first lesson was teaching people to use a mouse and some of them just couldn't figure it out."
dbanarsdfgdfgdf
"Don't know about millennials but I have a feeling Zoomers won't have much in the way of desktop computer skills since phones are so ubiquitous and do most everything the average teenager (and young adult) might need on the daily."
MariusPontmercy
Too many clicks...
"Pressing tab to get to the box below."
aimsp89
"And SHIFT+TAB to go to the one above."
UnloadTheBacon
"You don't know how many times I've missed something spamming tab to get to it and just went through every tab-able thing to get back to it."
Pankiez
‘site url’
"Working in phone customer support, the number of times I’ve had an old person do a Google search for a web address instead of going to the url has made me realize most middle aged and elderly have no idea what a browser or address bar are."
“Type ‘site url’ into the address bar.”
“I did! The page isn’t here!”
"9 times out of 10 they were just on a Google page and I lost a week of life expectancy."
taburde
The Box Below
"As a Geek Squad agent, my only answer is reading onscreen instructions. There are a ton of people that, for some reason, when they read very clear instructions on what to do (like during the setup of a device) they just go clueless. And we're talking people going 'It says to click this box, what does that mean though?' Actual quote btw."
Keegabyte
Bad Engine
"Unfortunately googling has gotten a bit harder in recent years as the search engine starts to prioritize its own algorithm over user input. Ive had it outright ignore search terms in quotations, or even things like dates. I suppose in most cases it’s helpful but in some circumstances it can be incredibly frustrating."
Magply
Fast Track
"That while watching youtube on PC, you can use J to go back 10 seconds, K to pause the video, and L to fast forward 10 second."
Dr_Cindebar
"Also comma and period to go frame by frame."
Hiiamataco
+ V
"Windows key + V. Brings up a list of past copy and paste history."
nathanoleary
"I use a program called 'Ditto' for extended clipboard functionality. It keeps a fully functional clipboard history among other things."
"Being able to quickly copy 2 things separately and then paste said things in whatever order I please is really useful. I have CTRL+ALT+V bound to paste the second to last thing in the clipboard. I sometimes even copy something just to save it in case it's something I might need soon."
1N07
screenshot
"Win+ shift + s to mark an area to screenshot, I use it several times a day in my job and I've seen people instead press print screen and then paste the entire image into paint and then select the area they wanted to screenshot into a new image and then save it etc etc."
C**nilingus_Academy
Full of Numbers
"The simplest functions in excel - sums, multiplication, division. It's just not that freaking hard. People see spreadsheets and their brains just turn to mush, I guess. I've seen people take a column full of numbers in excel and add them up manually and then type in the sum in the bottom cell."
DTownForever
Point. Click. Double click to open. Different passwords.
And, the most important of all, turn it off and on again if something seems iffy.
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Everyone has their travel bucket list.
The list of places they absolutely must visit before they die.
There are those, however, who also have a rather different list of destinations.
The places that have no intention to visit.
Be it for safety concerns, language barriers, or simply that there's nothing at these places that calls to them, there are places some wouldn’t dream of spending the time and money to visit.
Redditor TrooperJohn was curious to hear which places were at the very bottom of the list of travel destinations for his fellow Redditors, leading them to ask:
"What is a popular tourist destination you have no interest in visiting?"
Oasis in the desert? No thank you.
"Dubai."
"Why and whats special about it?"
"Its a modern city in a desert."- Maximum_Calendar_791.
"Dubai."
"A fake city with fake people, no human rights, where the world's tallest buildings hide corruption and slavery in their shadows."
"It's like someone decided to take every problem of mankind and concentrate it in one spot."- PayNoNoticeOfMe.
"Dubai one i think it is ugly two I would die in two minutes of me being there I can't stand anything above 40 c°."- BookWormPerson.
One of the seven wonders is one too many for me.
"The pyramids. "
"Too many horror stories of Egypt."- Aemiom.
Landlocked.
"Not really a destination, but taking a cruise."- Shortbus_Playboy.
Mountains aren't really my thing.
"Everest."
"Just why."
"You use a bunch of money to get in there them come down."
"And trash your whole way there. It's literally a corner in the Earth insufferable for humans and we still made a way to go there to trash it."- ACLullaby.
It's in my own backyard... but still not interested.
"I have lived about 15km away from the Burj Khalifa ever since it was made."
"I could not care any less besides the occasional pointing out the 'shiny tall building' to my nieces.- legolosss.
The pictures are enough for me.
"Mount Rushmore."
"Friends who've made the journey to Mount Rushmore mostly say it was no big deal and not worth the effort or expense to travel there."- Back2Bach.
Hustle and Bustle? No thanks.
"Anything busy.'
"Whether it's cities, structures, I don't care."
"I'd rather go to a boring empty quiet place than a place full of people."- TheSmeep.
They're watching us.
"That creepy a** place in Japan with all the realistic dolls."
"No thank you."
Some dream of paying a visit to these places.
Others hope they never have to set foot there, and will choose to leave it to the other millions of tourists.
To each, their own.
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When it comes to electing a leader, the choice is an easy one if a potential candidate shares the same values as yours.
And while a candidate is fit to lead remains to be seen, we rely on our instinct to choose someone with whom we can relate.
But sometimes, our options are limited and we inevitably go with someone who is the lesser of two evils.
Curious to hear from strangers online about a hypothetical, Redditor Cashmeresquid2309 asked:
"Americans of Reddit, would you vote for an openly Atheist presidential candidate? Why or why not?"

Redditors were quick to point out the answer was a no-brainer.
We Already Know The Answer
"Asking Reddit if they'd vote for an atheist..."
"I feel like the answer would be obvious."
– sarahmagoo
Sci-Fi Analogy
"Americans of Reddit, would you vote for a Star Wars fan who heckin loves doggos?"
– WitnessChemical
For The Atheists In The Crowd
"Atheists of atheistville, would you vote for an open atheist?"
– nixcamic
Others weighed in with a range of opinions.
About 45
"What's funny is how many of them would probably say no, even though they voted for Trump and would do so again. Say whatever else you want about him, but I seriously can't understand how anyone could genuinely believe Trump is a Christian. He's so obviously faking it and is undoubtedly the most atheistic president we've ever had or are likely to have for a long time."
"This is a guy who's never even so much as read the Bible or attended church, who told a conservative radio host his favorite Bible verse was 'an eye for an eye', who told evangelical interviewers that he's never asked God for forgiveness because he's never done anything wrong, and who routinely commits all 7 deadly sins (pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth) without remorse."
– empfindsamkeit
From A Different Perspective
"Not an american but interestingly according to this survey on 1006 people from 2007, being atheist was the worst thing you could be as a candidate (of the things asked) with only 45 % of people saying they'd vote for one."
– ilovecatfish
An atheist candidate isn't necessarily a big strike.
Double Negative
"I wouldn’t not vote for someone just because they were atheist."
– HabitualEnthusiast
Credibility First
"This is it. If they’re running on platforms I support with a history to back up those campaign promises, I don’t care if they belong to the church of the flying spaghetti monster. They could literally be a member of the satanic temple and I, an actual practicing Christian, would give less shi*s than a constipated sloth."
"Edit: yes, I realize the Satanic Temple does not actually worship satan. I used it for that purpose. The Church of Satan has some…problematic views and I probably would not vote for someone who literally holds a platform of eugenics."
– Phoenix_of_Asclepius
Some view the role of religion in politics as important.
It Depends
"Religion can be relevant: I would have strong reservations about voting for a Scientologist, even if I agreed with the policies they proposed. I would have strong reservations voting for a member of an apocalyptic cult or, possibly worse, a follower of the (highly heretical) 'prosperity gospel,' which unfortunately includes more and more so-called 'evangelicals' — I didn't vote for George W. Bush, but it's not because he was an evangelical."
"It depends on the role: I'd probably be more flexible with a legislator than an executive (mayor, governor, president), as their character is IMO more important than for a legislator and their policy stances somewhat less important relative to a legislator."
"Satanic temple — well, that's just an organized group of atheists and humanists with an intentionally inflammatory choice of name. They're generally fine people."
– alyssasaccount
A Bad Rap
"The Satanic Temple is an excellent organization that every decent person should be able to respect. A Church of Satan member, not so much."
"There's a huge difference between them!"
– StarsEatArtBooks
And Redditor boganvegan said it best.
"Better an open atheist than a fake Christian."
It all boils down to trustworthiness. Without full transparency, how could anyone put their faith in a candidate who spews nothing but lies?
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Being home alone isn't always the most tranquil thing.
No one is there to help or protect you.
And things that go "bump" in the night... sometimes they do more than bump.
Redditor ag9910 wanted to hear about the times home felt like an unsafe place to be. They asked:
"What is the scariest, strangest, most unexplainable thing that has happened to you while home alone?"
I'm always freaked out when I'm home alone. Lights on. Yeah, my electric bill is high.
Dorothy?
"I dreamed the front door blew open at the exact time the house alarm went off... I hopped up and sure enough, the front door was open. No intruder."
fatowl
I See You
"Not home alone but only one in right side of the house. Went to my mom's bathroom to wash my hands and saw a pair of feet behind the half open door. Laughed and said 'very funny Ma, I see you.' then finished up and left. Bumped into my mother in the kitchen unpacking, nobody else was in the house. I'm glad whatever was behind the door didn't peek out."
SatanWithFur
“It’s Doug!”
"One night I had forgotten to lock my apartment door and woke up in the middle of the night. My bedroom door was about 2 feet from my front door, as you walked into the apartment. First a big dog ran by, then a person. Holy crap I was so scared and I screeched 'Who is it?!?!!'"
"A man said 'It’s Doug!' As I was thinking to myself, who the f**k is Doug, he said 'oh, crap.' He turned around to go back out the front door saying 'Sorry.' I asked 'Didn’t you have a dog with you?' He said 'Oh, yeah. Hey, c’mon!.' He left, his dog ran out after him and I locked my front door."
"Edit: glad you all thought this was funny, because I did too, once my heart quit trying to beat right out of my chest! The next day the girls at work thought I was crazy for not being upset, but eh, done is done. Peace!"
scarletohairy
Confused...
"My sister and I were home alone and we heard someone big running up the stairs. The stairs make lots of noise with slight pressure so when there’s someone big on them you can tell. I went out of my room to check but saw no one anywhere and my sister also came out of her room and she asked if that was me I said no and we both looked around to see if there was anyone but found no one in the whole house. We were confused and called our parents and just waited until they got back and that was that."
JtSudbury04
I See You
"I very clearly saw a guy walk into my room. But when I went after him there was nobody there. I checked in the closet, under my bed, everywhere one could hide in my room."
HighlyOffensive10
This is why home video surveillance is key.
"NO"
"My parents were on a road trip, just left, and I sat down at my desk. I thought 'Weekend alone by myself' and a voice yelled into my right ear 'NO' so loud it hurt."
Th4ab
Wild
"I managed to lock myself out of my house on my birthday during a tornado while trying to bring my cats to the basement for safety. I later found out that the tornado was approximately a couple miles or less from me at that exact time. The sky was green and it got weirdly calm and then I could hear what sounded like a train coming before I found an unlocked window to climb through. Wild times."
SilverGnarwhal
Saturday morning in the 80s...
"I wasn't home alone but I was awake by myself one Saturday morning in the 80s when I was around 7 or so. I believe my mom was the only one home because my dad went to the lake to go fishing that weekend, and I'm not sure where my older brothers were, maybe they went with him, idk."
"Anyways, my mom's sleeping in, and I'm in the living room by myself, watching Saturday morning cartoons and making a fort out of sheets and cushions. Something made me turn around and I saw my dad in his pajamas standing in the hallway entrance with his hands on his hips, looking the mess I was making and shaking his head."
"He then turned around and walked into my room, which was just off the hallway entrance. Dude. I didn't even look, I just booked it to my parents room and woke my mom up. I don't remember what happened after that, this was around 35 years ago. And yes, my dad was fine, nothing had happened to him."
smriversong
Get the Bat...
"I was at home by myself on a call with some friends when all of a sudden my dog begins to bark like crazy, which was odd since it was the middle of the night and he's usually sleep. I go downstairs to check on him and find him barking at our hall closet, terrified I grabbed my bat that I keep in my room just in case and open the door. There was nothing out of usual at first at then I look down and notice a familiar looking object at the bottom of the closet."
"It was my mom's necklace she had lost when I was 9, (i'm 15 now just to put in perspective how long it's been). I showed it to my mom at breakfast and she was just as shocked as I was. I still have no clue how it got there or how my dog knew it was in there, definitely one of the oddest occurrences of my life."
SomeRandomIdiot14
Meow
"Many years ago, I was 14 or so, my first night alone in the house when my parents were out. Lying on the living room floor reading, my cat sleeping next to me."
"Suddenly, cat wakes up, stares intently into the dark corner of the room behind me, hair on end, growls and then bolts out of the room and upstairs. I look behind me and see nothing, but follow cat upstairs and hide under the covers. Freaked me out."
LairdofWingHaven
Thank God for alarms. I hate being home alone.
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The human body is still such a mystery.
How much do we really know?
Not a lot apparently. We're learning more all the time.
And most of it is gross.
Redditor BathNo7713 wanted to discuss the ick factor of anatomy. So they asked:
"What is the most disturbing fact about the human body?"
The body freaks me out. But it's all I've got. So teach me some things.
Minutes...
"The fastest killing virus takes around 4 days to kill you. That would be Ebola. Your immune system can kill you in 15 minutes."
will477
'locked-in'
"If your brainstem (the part of the brain that mediates most motor control for all of the body) is damaged, you can get 'locked-in' syndrome. That means you're fully conscious and aware of your surroundings but unable to move or speak. The only muscles that remain unaffected in most people are the muscles that move they eyes and the eyelids."
"You're essentially trapped within your own body with your only way of communication being blinking or moving your eyes It can be caused by toxins, blockage of the basilar artery which is the main artery of the brainstem, or other brainstem damage."
4oodler
Explosions
"Some people suffer from Exploding Head Syndrome, which causes them to hear a loud bang when they wake up."
ToraMix19
"When I was younger I believe I experienced this a few times. Sounds I heard were: about a million people talking and laughing all at once, a train that irl would've been about a foot away from me based on the volume of the sound, and a door slamming loudly."
aliaisacreature
Pain
"Not sure if this is by design, but I totaled my car once, almost completely uninjured somehow. Then I looked down to my right hand which I remember jabbing into my dashboard at 55mph. Luckily (unluckily?) only my pinky took the blow. But instead of a floppy-udder full of bone-sand, my pinky was 0.5 inches long."
"Broke no bones, but instead perfectly stacked my phalanges, or finger bones, INTO my hand. This is fixed by a muscular Russian murse grabbing your pinky with both hands and pulling very hard. God I wish they gave me more lidocaine."
TelevisionOlympics
Functions
"If you have a surgery where they need to move your organs around they might not function for a day as the body assumes that they are dead."
tonythebutcher13
Move things around? You mean that's not fake when it happens on "Grey's Anatomy?"
"The only reason you are not aware of it is because the ambient noise kind of drowns it out because your ears focus on it. If you go to one of those super-silent rooms that absorb all sorts of sounds, it is a really weird way to reacquaint yourself with your body."
Black_Handkerchief
The Mouth
"Idk about the most disturbing but how bad human teeth are. We’d think it’s our sugary and processed diets these days that cause it, but even Otzi the iceman discovered in Italy was found to have terrible teeth, mouth diseases and cavities. It’s odd that even with the most basic of diets our teeth are so bad."
Dorianisconfused
In the bowels...
"I noticed this after my abdominal surgery. When I turned over in bed my guts seemed to fall from one side to the other. Mentioned to my doc and she confirmed it was my bowels rearranging themselves."
squatter_
"Apparently the doctor just throws your intestines back in there higgeldy-piggeldy because there isn't a correct way to pack them neatly."
LostDesigner9
A Quick Burst
"There are a vast number of ways that your body can malfunction and kill you with little or no warning. An aneurysm can go undetected until it bursts and kills you. Getting hit in the chest just the right way can stop your heart. You can encounter an allergen that never previously provoked an immune response that freaks out your body so badly that you die. You literally just never know if your body will just... die."
Unsolicited_Spiders
The body is such a conundrum. Sexy and gross all at once.
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