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 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: 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

Response by poster: 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