Larry:

This is a great topic! I hope other members respond to your card!

The six new skills I would try to acquire if I were stranded on a desert island (with the necessary resources) are:

1. I want to find out more about music and how it works. I once spent an uncomfortable year in a junior high school band playing some kind of tuba-like instrument, but other than that I know next to nothing about music theory. As an amateur mathematician I wish I understood better what rules govern musical patterns. I would dearly like to know how a symphony is constructed so that I could appreciate more of its subtleties. I suspect that beautiful mazes and beautiful songs have something important in common.
2. I would enroll in the island's art history course. This area has always been a gaping hole in my education.
3. I would read the entire Arabian Nights.
4. I would learn how to write and read poetry.
5. I would improve my programming skills and my understanding of the human mind in order to create an artificial soul. Every Prospero needs an Ariel.
6. I would try to become a better lover on all levels (which will be difficult without friendly natives or a good canoe).