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Once again, there is proof people ACTUALLY read my column, even years later! The first time I visited Seattle, I wrote a column about many of my experiences there (click here to reminiscence). I also mentioned a car I saw, covered entirely in floppy disks. I asked readers to put me in touch with the driver.
Well, the driver found me ... here's her response to the column:
People who use instant messenger services occasionally receive chat requests from people they don't have on their buddy list. Usually these messages are from random people or lost friends and mean no harm. Every once in awhile, though, a message will pop up from your IM stalker.
I thought I had found some sort of glitch in the space-time continuum. One of the local rock stations plays songs from the band Rush as often as any classic or even current band. But after a trip to Chicago a week ago, where I managed to find myself in the middle of a Rush block one day and not being able to change the channel while "Tom Sawyer" played the next, I realized I wasn't alone.
I'm really, really getting frustrated by the advice Dear Abby hands out to people on a daily basis. Millions of people read this, and many times, what she has to say is incorrect!
In a previous column, I mentioned that I might try to make the world's largest waffle, and an observant reader wondered what the record actually was.
Of course, I had no idea, so I attempted to look it up. Here's what I found:
You can learn a lot about people by finding out what types of books they like. In the past, that meant grilling them on what they had read, what they own, etc. Maybe they remember every book they have ever seen, but most likely, unless you come up with a title and/or author, they'll have no clue if you spout off about a book they love.
It's bad enough when you can't win a simple game of cards with your family. But when you're a poker champion and have to play against multiple bots colluding against you, well, it's time to take up something else, maybe shuffleboard.
One of the toughest things I have found as a new novelist is finding objective reviews. It seems that most friends and family members, as truthful as they may be, have insider information that makes it difficult to be unbiased. While I have received a few great reviews from people I did not know, I haven't received a large amount of bad ones. Which might be good, but then again, who wants to review a bad book?
When entire countries decide that your browser is a security risk, that's probably not good news for your company. That's the case with Microsoft and Internet Explorer, as French and German governments are recommending their people to use safer alternatives to IE.
Some people I know who refuse to date people online say so for one simple reason: "I don't know if people are who they say they are."
This is a funny comment first off because even if you met people out somewhere, at work, etc., you rarely don't know who they are until you REALLY know them. Even then, it's debatable how well you know them, not just their physical appearances, but their personalities as well.