A friend of mine, a gay white guy from the northern part of the US, lent me 1950's Popular Mechanics book on home improvement. It talks about all kinds of projects for the (male of course) homeowner. Many of these projects are rather ambitious in terms of skills required, tools required, and patience required. It has been creeping up on me for a few years that American know-how is on the decline. The book that my friend lent me doesn't speak to many people now, because it assumes that you have a workshop in your basement. Do you know anyone that made their own kitchen cabinets? I don't. I hardly know anyone who has even installed kitchen cabinets.