Any 8 year old can recite this quote.

January 20, 2014 12:57 PM

Looking for a quote about how the average 8 year old is plenty equipped with the skills to build/create X complicated thing.

As above.

I'm inclined to think it was said by Carl Sagan but Google won't play.

posted by popcassady to Society & Culture (4 answers total)

Hmm. The closest I found was this:

...The AK-47 was designed to be used by illiterate, poorly trained troops. Load, lock, point, spray.

Having faced the AK-47 in actual combat, I have to say that it’s one of the most estimable weapons ever built. Simple, rugged, and with a built-in muzzle whip that guarantees that you’ll fire a pattern in full auto it is a paragon of battle rifles. The average eight year old can clean and maintain one.

However, I suspect this isn't what you were referencing.
posted by valoius at 1:59 PM on January 20, 2014

Hmm… now I'm wondering if I've confused the quote I'm after with that one. The age in question could be 10 or 12, come to think of it.

I've got a feeling it had something to do with either rocket or computer science. I may be completely wrong.
posted by popcassady at 2:09 PM on January 20, 2014

Are you just thinking about the old saying that if you need to program your VCR, you should find the nearest 8 year old?

It's a pretty common trope. I don't know if there was an original source quote, but it shows up in various forms -- different ages, different technologies -- all over the internet.
posted by jacquilynne at 2:18 PM on January 20, 2014

Found it. I have no idea where I originally heard/read it:

"Any bright 10-year old possesses the skills to become a computer programmer capable of building arbitrarily complex programs; however, it would take the same 10-year-old a lot of work to develop the manual skills to necessary to build, say, a radio."

http://faculty.washington.edu/gloftus/Downloads/Postdictions.pdf"
posted by popcassady at 4:47 PM on January 20, 2014