Written on January 20, 2026
It was way too cold to do a survey last Sunday. And a few days beforehand, my question How can we solve the loneliness epidemic? went super-viral in a niche community of technology nerds.
So that gave me an idea. I've been wanting to do a social experiment, where I hold up a sign inviting people to a group discussion at a specific time on a specific topic. Why not do it with this one?
After all, I've been doing my signs and surveys for so many months that I've made dozens of acquaintances and a few friends. So I figured, if nothing else, it's kind of an ad hoc invitation for any of them to come say hi and kill time.
But none of them showed up. And then I just felt like a weirdo. So I went home.
I don't blame anyone, of course. But it made me reconsider doing social experiments. I don't mind if people look down on me or think poorly of me. But it occurred to me that I might be making people uncomfortable. That's something I would like to actively avoid.
So maybe I'll just stick to the surveys from now on. Or host the discussions in the outside spot when it's warmer out, with specific time slots and not giant 2-hour windows.
Oh well. You live and you learn. I'm such a slow learner.