Complete aside here: I used to do work with amputees and prosthetics. There is a standardized test (and I just cannot remember the name) that fits in a briefcase. It's used for measuring the level of damage to the upper limbs and for prosthetic grading.
Basically, it's got the dumbest and simplest things in it. Stuff like a lock and key, a glass of water and jug, common units of currency, a zipper, etc. It tests if you can do any of those common human tasks. Like pouring a glass of water, picking up coins from a flat surface (I chew off my nails so even an able person like me fails that), zip up a jacket, lock your own door, put on lipstick, etc.
We had hand prosthetics that could play Mozart at 5x speed on a baby grand, but could not pick up a silver dollar or zip a jacket even a little bit. To the patients, the hands were therefore about as useful as a metal hook (a common solution with amputees today, not just pirates!).
Again, a total aside here, but your comment just reminded me of that brown briefcase. Life, it turns out, is a lot more complex than we give it credit for. Even pouring the OJ can be, in rare cases, transcendent.
Basically, it's got the dumbest and simplest things in it. Stuff like a lock and key, a glass of water and jug, common units of currency, a zipper, etc. It tests if you can do any of those common human tasks. Like pouring a glass of water, picking up coins from a flat surface (I chew off my nails so even an able person like me fails that), zip up a jacket, lock your own door, put on lipstick, etc.
We had hand prosthetics that could play Mozart at 5x speed on a baby grand, but could not pick up a silver dollar or zip a jacket even a little bit. To the patients, the hands were therefore about as useful as a metal hook (a common solution with amputees today, not just pirates!).
Again, a total aside here, but your comment just reminded me of that brown briefcase. Life, it turns out, is a lot more complex than we give it credit for. Even pouring the OJ can be, in rare cases, transcendent.