Geeky Faux Pas
I came across this particularly insightful essay entitled “Social tips for geeks.” I am not insulted at all because this is something I can improve on. In fact, I am quite surprised at the accurate observations.
I love item #4.
Try to talk as little as possible, and when you do speak, only ask superficial questions
Given how I feel about small talk, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to do it just to make everyone feel comfortable. Especially when I bump into the sales guys in the office kitchen.
I don’t think that I was always like this. I swear I was much friendlier and outgoing back in high school than I am these days, despite my nerdy interests like reading, computers and chess. Somewhere along the way I developed this mildly anti-social interaction patterns.
By the way if you enjoyed that particular essay by the author Philip Guo, he has a whole bunch of other wonderful gems:
Attention: Overbearing Asian Parents – There are actually quite a few more posts on his website about this subject.
Some tips for life – All the things I wonder about life in one convenient serving.
Types of Friends – If I blow you off, it’s cause you’re lower on the totem pole. Sorry. This is a pretty taboo topic to be writing about if you think about it.
I like the preciseness of the writing, probably because of my nerdy academic background. And I like how he goes right into tacking some pretty difficult subjects such as the ones in the articles I picked out. I may not wish to write in his style, but one day, I sure would like to be able to write with as much impact as he has.
