Ask Lemmy

I'm definitely an introvert, but you could get me to talk for ages about my personal hobbies and interests.

Just ask me about space or rockets or airplanes or building trebuchets.

I'm just happy they want to talk to me. Unless they're drunk. If you're drunk don't talk to me. Drunk people piss me off.

Self-hosting, Linux, video games, building guitar pedals, what books people are reading, AI philosophy, digital privacy and advocacy, songwriting, how meshtastic works, how to set up Openwrt router and if they want to use an antenna with me, and OS hardening.

I'm 45 / F and recently moved to a small town in the Southern US. No tech folks here.

Recently went to a company wide meeting, so I had to speak to loads of strangers. Usually I tell them about Linux and they leave me alone.

Olive oil.

I just read Extra Virginity and it turns out there is a whole world of food oil counterfeiting and I really need help stopping it, because suddenly this is the topic I am 3rd most passionate about.

Constructed languages. It’s a profoundly lonely hobby. I would love to randomly meet another conlanger IRL

i'm surprised there's no linux in the comments

I dragged my introverted ass to 10 houses on my street in an attempt to find a shred of US political solidarity in a red state. I got 7 no answer, left 1 Ring Camera message, 1 polite declination, and 1 prison guard who "doesn't really watch the news". I felt awkward as hell but I remain excited about talking to enough people to find 1 or 2 who are like "You think this is all insanity too?!" This isn't the "topic" OP solicited but as an introvert it feels valuable to share here that I felt good after forcing myself to break that ice.

I am easily spun up talking about myself. Getting me talking isn't too hard, but I start to feel introvert exhaustion once I think maybe I'm talking too much or I find reason to doubt the person wants to talk any further.

Movies/shows have been good topics for me. Enough people have seen Spaceballs, Interstellar, The Pitt, Marvel that people's inner nerd pops out like a Jack in the Box when their fandom comes up. A coworker and I once had nothing in common, but I brought up Mystery Science Theater 3000 offhand and she cut me off to shout "I LOVE EMMESSTEE THREE KAY!!"

40k.

Depends on the subject. I do actually like to hear someone's passion in something. I typically don't like myself dominating a conversation all of the time, so I'm almost always tossing the chance to the other person to speak their mind. People always told me that they're sorry for rambling but I'm encouraging it because I like to listen.

I get more tired of hearing myself talk than I do others.

Soulslikes.

I want to know about music that gives you the chills, and why you think it has that effect on you.

I have brainworms from getting so heavily involved in local political organizing over the last two years so probably that. Talk about their life and if there are issues troubling them and then maybe how those issues are probably downstream of capitalism and how the only way out is hand in hand, arm in arm with your fellow man fighting for a future that is for everyone.

Anyway like I said brainworms.

Depending on whether they are allowed to leave.

I want to talk to him about that briefcase full of cash that he brings me.

Do you fuck on the first date?

Sports. I follow all of the teams in my city, even if only a little bit (cough the Seahawks cough) because it makes it super easy to strike up a conversation. I’m usually wearing a sports apparel and posting to sports communities so it’s easy to identify which teams I’m interested in. Finding topics usually isn’t hard because there’s a lot of coverage and the narratives are pretty well established. There are “good guys” and “bad guys,” but everyone takes turns being the good guy and the bad guy so everyone understands that it’s not that serious.

the weather/state of the roads. please make this easy for me, I am scared of you.

Batman

I can't do small talk or general chat, but I can do meta. I can talk about how awkward it is to talk to strangers, for example. That feels like information exchange, as opposed to a complex two-person dance where I don't have rhythm or sufficiently-malleable limbs, which is what small talk feels like to me. The goal of small talk seems to be the process itself. If we're instead 'educating' each other about something, and that information is the ultimate goal, I'm much more comfortable.

Water on Mars

I know this isn't in the spirit of the post, but currently .I would like for someone to say to me why the hell is my diy soldering station is not working it responds to tempature changes but shows up as 175C but really it is 20C and when it reads 400C really it is 111C. Suspecting that t12 thermcouples really aren't K type, whyyyyyyyyyyyy???