Search engine queries from the winter of 2012.
1. Do most people enjoy small talk? Yes. Even though it can be pretty dull sticking to mundane topics is better than inadvertently hurting or offending a new friend by bringing up a touchy subject.
2. What was Nellie Bly afraid of while she was in the Blackwells Island Insane Asylum? She might have feared being injured by a staff member or fellow inmate, never being released, contracting a lethal disease or all of her hard work being ignored or dismissed by the outside world.
3. Is it bad to snap at someone? Yes. How you conduct yourself after the fact is very important, though.
4. Will the smell of a rotten potato go away when you cook them? Food poisoning is brutal. Just buy new ones.
5. Where to go if you do not want to celebrate Christmas?
A few ideas:
- The nearest big city. There are bound to be neighbourhoods there populated with ethnic and religious groups that also don’t celebrate Christmas. Maybe you’ll find a new favourite restaurant or store!
- The great outdoors. Go hiking, sledding, camping (or swimming if you live in a mild climate. 🙂 )
- Online. Bake cookies/pop popcorn and catch up on that movie or tv show you’ve always wanted to see.
6. How do you avoid awkward conversations? Smile politely and then suddenly notice that someone across the room urgently needs your assistance.
7. List of compliments for relatives? Look for even the smallest accomplishments or acts of kindness and acknowledge them sincerely. Not possible? see #6.
8. Is anonymity destroying social skills? No. It can make some people more willing to tear down others, though.
9. % of people who lodge a compliment? 2.*
10. Bruxy Cavey is wrong. Yes, but so are you occasionally. I don’t have such a great track record either.
11. Deconversion hurts. Sometimes. It gets better, though!
12. How do quiet people make friends? Quiet people naturally exude a tantalizing pheromone that is irresistible to social butterflies. After our victims new friends are tagged and released we track them back to their social networking sites and cannibalize their friend lists.;)
13. What were the likelihood of John Watkins prophecies coming true? About as likely as any other prediction.
14. Is it passive aggressive to dump [someone] by email? Yes, unless you fear for your safety.
15. When is violence acceptable in religion? It depends on the interpreter. Some people believe their religion allows for violence on any day that ends in a Y, others think it’s ok under specific circumstances, and still others never condone it.
16. How do you become talkative and philosophical? Find a notebook, dress warmly and head to the nearest park or forest. Spend half an hour watching the local wildlife and writing down every question about humanity and the world around us you can think of that cannot be answered with the scientific process. When you have your list find someone who is interested in following these questions wherever they may lead. Finding this person will be by far your biggest challenge.
17. Bible character skinned alive.
Bartholomew.
Lachish captives (an unknown number).
Two Elamites.
18. Dialogue for two people in a dark alley.
Person #1: Did you hear that?
Person #2: Yes. Keep walking. We’re almost out of here.
The footsteps quicken.
Person #1, growing anxious: What happens if they catch up?
Person #2, smirking: Buffy isn’t the only slayer in town.
19. [Do] highly sexual cultures have less violence? This study says there’s a correlation between the amount of physical affection (or abuse) shown to infants and the level of violence in adult society. That’s not exactly what you were asking but it will be interesting to see if any further research is done on this topic.
I highly suspect there is a link between violence and living in a repressive culture – sexually or otherwise. Correlation is not causation, though, so high levels of violence and repression could actually be caused by something else entirely.
20. The word that means “the use of profanity as a stress reducer.” I couldn’t find any current words with this meaning. Let’s make one up. Any ideas?
*Not a scientifically accurate figure.
Let’s talk.
