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[ISTP] In praise of ISTP's

substitute

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gee- I wish someone would start a thread praising ispts now!

My best buddy is ISTP. Well, I have two best buddies*, one ISTJ and one ISTP. But I kinda like the ISTP more (don't tell Dave that). Even though he's not the best typist in the world either ;)

He's a grouchy, pedantic bastard, but somehow manages to pull it off in a way that makes you still like him, no matter what, and nothing's quite as much fun without him. He's great when he's drunk - all the stuff he keeps in his head normally just comes out, and it's great fun. And the next morning, he forgets everything after the second pint. He's always up for any adventure, and he's a superb photographer. He rescues my failed attempts at being handy with powertools. He's really smart and knows a lot of obscure information, but he's humble about it and doesn't wave it in people's faces.

My step-dad is ISTP as well, and he's what's known in the UK as 'the salt of the earth' kind of guy. And he can take apart a car engine and put it back together again, which to me is totally awesome. And he puts up with my mom nagging him all the time, and yet still manages to maintain his dignity and independence where most other guys would've by now become hen-pecked wusses.

So, c'mon people, let's give those ISTP's a bit of love and adoration. They'll probably take it a bit better than the INFP's at least! ;)



*actually I've probably got about 5 or 6, but for convenience let's keep it at 2 for now
 

miss fortune

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thanks! I should quit typing after a nice evening out with friends! :D

yeah- I've always talked a lot when drunk...
 

Athenian200

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Well, I guess I like them well enough. They can be blunt, but that can be a good thing when it's something you need to hear. Also, they're some of the easiest SP's to get along with, as long as you remember not to take things they say personally. They also seem very good at bringing the discussion back into what's really possible from the purely theoretical realm where N's like to take it, while still being able to appreciate the applications of theories.
 

anii

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Ummm... they're good with tools?
 

substitute

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Okay ISTP's, I started it - it was a good start, you gotta admit. But I'm not responsible for what follows... haha...

Mind you, the INFP I was thinking about in the other thread finds the ISTP I mention in this thread quite scary. They get on really well, as long as I'm there, but I can't see them meeting each other independently... haha...

No! No! No! This is supposed to be a GOOD thread about ISTP's, dammit!!!

Let's just say they're the ultimate drinking buddy for a guy who wants to go out and drink to forget (as I frequently do) - they're a never ending supply of fascinating trivia and laughter, and real good drinkers! :)

(so I can see why some women might not like them too much...!)
 

INTJMom

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I married an ISTP and we have an ISTP son.
I always say if it wasn't for my son, I'd never have any fun. There's never a dull moment with him around. He's known for asking questions such as, "Mom, can I have a hatchet?" and "Mom, can I ride my bike off the roof?"

He was a bright effervescent little boy - always happy. It makes me smile just to think of it. He was always excited about something.

As he entered his teens, he became more dangerous. I didn't dare leave him home alone for fear he would blow something up while I was gone.

My husband turned out okay, so I'm sure my son will too.
 

ptgatsby

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As he entered his teens, he became more dangerous. I didn't dare leave him home alone for fear he would blow something up while I was gone.

This is a valid concern. I... uhh... was good at that.

(The hatchet, however, not so much. Me, I was into whips... indiana jones lenth, swinging whips. That was good times. Painful to learn though.)

Also, if he asks for saltpeter, don't give it to him.
 

ptgatsby

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*thinks dreamily of saltpeter-and-sugar volcano projects*

Uh huh... Good times :D

Me, I thought about how large of a smoke bomb i could make with enough of it. It's large. Very.

Oh, that reminds me. If he takes up painting, don't ever buy aluminum powder. I don't know if you still can, but at least saltpeter isn't dangerous. (well, not very dangerous)
 

miss fortune

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hmmm... hatchets can be dangerous too. I liked to cut dead trees off when I was a kid with my hatchet- nearly got smashed a couple of times! (and no- I didn't ever learn that it was a dangerous thing!) And you should fear when he starts driving- I tried to see how fast I could get to school every morning (top speed reached on the only straight 2 mile stretch of road was 145 in my shitty old car!)
He should survive and turn out to be a fun enough person though! :D
 

INTJMom

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This is a valid concern. I... uhh... was good at that.

(The hatchet, however, not so much. Me, I was into whips... indiana jones lenth, swinging whips. That was good times. Painful to learn though.)
Most of the time he asks those question just to get a reaction out of me... at least... I think that's why he's doing it...

Also, if he asks for saltpeter, don't give it to him.
LOL! :D Thanks for the warning!

He dismantles sparklers into one great big pile of powder and lights it all at once.
He also buys rocket engines, takes out the powder and blows up stuff.

One really cool trick is where you put Drano in a small Gatorade type bottle (the stiffer the plastic, the bigger the boom) and well you... oops :blush: You can see he's rubbed off on me.
 

INTJMom

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hmmm... hatchets can be dangerous too. I liked to cut dead trees off when I was a kid with my hatchet- nearly got smashed a couple of times! (and no- I didn't ever learn that it was a dangerous thing!) And you should fear when he starts driving- I tried to see how fast I could get to school every morning (top speed reached on the only straight 2 mile stretch of road was 145 in my shitty old car!)
He should survive and turn out to be a fun enough person though! :D
Thanks for the heads up.
Unfortunately, we're about to buy him a car tomorrow I think!
He wants a Honda Civic so he can "Mod" it out - of course.


I forgot to mention, one of our favorite tv characters is Edgar Montrose on The Red Green Show on PBS.
He's a "self-taught explosives enthusiast".

Graham Greene is Edgar Montrose
 

ptgatsby

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Most of the time he asks those question just to get a reaction out of me... at least... I think that's why he's doing it...

Maybe a little...

But mostly not. When I was a kid, when I asked for something, I really intended to do something with it. And if you said ok, believe me, I was going to make it even bigger of a deal than if I had to hide it.

My parents learnt to find me other things to do pretty early on in life, which suited them and me just fine. I would find my own entertainment and it was never good for them.

He dismantles sparklers into one great big pile of powder and lights it all at once.
He also buys rocket engines, takes out the powder and blows up stuff.

The sparklers are the easy version of aluminum powder :D I did it with matches too... Never did it with rocket engines, but that's because I was actually making rockets (launchers). I never did get the payload thing to trigger off of the ejection part of the rocket engine though...

Another hobby my parents decided they should be a part of, as it turns out.

One really cool trick is where you put Drano in a small Gatorade type bottle (the stiffer the plastic, the bigger the boom) and well you... oops :blush: You can see he's rubbed off on me.

I never got very good booms from it... draino has the side effect of heat generation, which reduces the containment strength. Good for killing plants though

You can get a much higher boom from baking powder and vinegar. It takes a while to get the right ratio (well, it did before I knew chemistry :D ) and get a good timing mechanism so that you can... close it and run... But it's actually more effective than almost anything else you can get your hands on. Except the really dangerous stuff.

The advantage is that it is non toxic. The weak point is still the cap that gives. If you duct tape the cap, you can actually get a pretty impressive effect - the only drawback is that you need a really really good timing system... and this works better for the 2l bottles so that you can get enough presssure to actually blow the bottle up (this is harder than you think... and believe me, when they don't blow, you really don't want to get close.)
 

GZA

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One of my ISTP friends seems to actually be very moral, not in a way ISTP's generally sound like (but I'm not too familiar with the ISTP personality descriptions). He always seems to be very concerned with the integrity in things, making sure they have dignity and "prestige" (he throws that word around A LOT). Is that common ISTP stuff?

Hes a very smart guy, and he is very passionate about his favourite topics (such as environmental science -he can talk about saving the environment forever). Like the ISTP descriptions say, he loves environmental science because he can go outside and do things with his hands to learn and make progress. He worked as a photographer too, part of a project at the university he attends where they studied invasive insects or something, and he took some very good pictures and LOVED playing with his new digital camera (it had super marcro soom focus). He also works as a balloon catcher in the summer, I think he enjoys chasing the balloons when they land.

He often talks about how he hates his teachers who use power-point presentations because they arn't interactive (and he says they are lazy and just read what they put in the points, rather than explaining them).

He also loves beer, and will talk in great detail about what beer is good and what is for people who do not truely appreciate a good brew. He does the same with coffee, he seems to have almost like a moral objection to people who go to Starbucks because its cool. He says that there are a lot of stupid losers who buy their coffee and carry the cup around displaying the logo long after they have dranken it. Its kind of a funny rant, and its true.

ISTPs are definitely awesome people, or at least the one I know well is.
 

miss fortune

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yeah- I know that I can talk for HOURS about what wine is good, what you should drink with what and how it was made (I am definitley a bit of a wine snob!) AND detest power point presentations (I sit in class and do the crossword or sudoku instead of pay attention- they're usually kind of boring)

I see nothing abnormal about having a strange moral streak either, though my moral obsession falls into the category of loyalty (to family and friends, and to one's signifigant other)- I can't say whether that's common in other ISTPs though- I have a weak P! :)
 

prplchknz

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yay ISTPs I don't know if I know any personally. But I'm sure I know someone whose an ISTP and they're probably great people.
 

Splittet

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Hehe, I would like to praise ptgatsby, for his excellent understanding of statistics! I respect ISTPs for their dominant Ti.
 

Vortex

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I wanna know more about how to blow things up! and I wanna know more ISTPs to teach me how to do it! :hi: Personally I've just messed about with fireworks, but now I see I was meant for greater things! (I've heard horror stories from friends, though. I wouldn't wanna break 200 windows by not being careful)
 

ygolo

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ISTPs can turn a rather dull thread about praising their own type into a much cooler thread about blowing stuff up.
 

INTJMom

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I wanna know more about how to blow things up! and I wanna know more ISTPs to teach me how to do it! :hi: Personally I've just messed about with fireworks, but now I see I was meant for greater things! (I've heard horror stories from friends, though. I wouldn't wanna break 200 windows by not being careful)
tee-hee :D
 
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