nostr:npub1jdnjk3rursksr6s6sc4wdst4ag9sf9fvrnqc7f5mfsegps07gh2q42ycw3 yeah, but then you're back to being a tool. i would like to meet my customers. that probably means i should be the entrepreneur. but before you can do that, you need to be a person that people would want to meet.

nostr:npub1jdnjk3rursksr6s6sc4wdst4ag9sf9fvrnqc7f5mfsegps07gh2q42ycw3

nostr:npub1jdnjk3rursksr6s6sc4wdst4ag9sf9fvrnqc7f5mfsegps07gh2q42ycw3 your neighbour isn't very likely to need a custom-made hammer. the one at the store is going to be good enough. so if what you know is how to make hammers, you're probably going to be more useful to a hammer making business than your neighbour.

nostr:npub1jdnjk3rursksr6s6sc4wdst4ag9sf9fvrnqc7f5mfsegps07gh2q42ycw3 i didn't say it was easy. i was saying that the core business idea doesn't rely on them being a tech. you have tools for making web shops now. i think that's the main thing a tech knows how to do. to make and maintain tools.

nostr:npub1whnum8nhxdrrny6jnc3etx7n46m6wnt77ee7h2has2zsfjyyqdhshctwsa i was looking at maybe becoming an electrician, but it has some drawbacks.

nostr:npub1jdnjk3rursksr6s6sc4wdst4ag9sf9fvrnqc7f5mfsegps07gh2q42ycw3 that sounds like something you could easily start without needing to be a techie.

one thing i hate about being a techie is that most people don't really need your help. the skill is mostly useful to businesses.

it would be much easier if my old job was actually something useful to people like a plumber or a doctor.

all i can do with my skill set is make corporate wallets fatter. techies are often a tool of the system.

nostr:npub130ypy43ux2y0gfewyctn2wutaappr4ywy46n56j0qpsfxjktmrrqsqtw07 many immigrants in this neighbourhood.

somebody talked about repair cafes as a way of meeting people and was told there are a few of them in Oslo. it looks like the concept is a bit of a mismatch for people who need help with tech in particular. more of a place to find a handyman to repair a small item.

nostr:npub130ypy43ux2y0gfewyctn2wutaappr4ywy46n56j0qpsfxjktmrrqsqtw07 i'm working on a poster i'm thinking of hanging up and it's in English but the audience is mostly non-native English speakers, some of them very fluent, some of them not, some of them from Norway and some of them from other countries. i shared some drafts on here and got wildly differing opinions on it.

nostr:npub130ypy43ux2y0gfewyctn2wutaappr4ywy46n56j0qpsfxjktmrrqsqtw07 and sometimes, simply rearranging the words a little can change how it comes across emotionally

nostr:npub130ypy43ux2y0gfewyctn2wutaappr4ywy46n56j0qpsfxjktmrrqsqtw07 a simple example would be

coffee? = can we talk?

nostr:npub130ypy43ux2y0gfewyctn2wutaappr4ywy46n56j0qpsfxjktmrrqsqtw07 there are a lot of coded words

nostr:npub130ypy43ux2y0gfewyctn2wutaappr4ywy46n56j0qpsfxjktmrrqsqtw07 yeah, but it can be stuff like... if you word it the wrong way, you sound weird, even if you were just saying something literally.

nostr:npub1uxmmyz2nw8ys8npflt93m9yu5c8ewckp00xsu5g3aykvn836jt7qyxujtm so, note that this poster might get read by immigrants whose English isn't super good and they might understand "movie talk" better than long sentences.

i've been told about these repair cafes today after starting to make the poster.

what's funny is that nobody told me about them when i was originally asking for suggestions for how to meet people. the only good suggestion i got at the time was to make a poster like this.

nostr:npub1uxmmyz2nw8ys8npflt93m9yu5c8ewckp00xsu5g3aykvn836jt7qyxujtm from America or just "International"

nostr:npub1uxmmyz2nw8ys8npflt93m9yu5c8ewckp00xsu5g3aykvn836jt7qyxujtm it might help if you picture an American voice in your head, because i don't speak British English, and English messaging is usually assumed to be from America here.

nostr:npub1uxmmyz2nw8ys8npflt93m9yu5c8ewckp00xsu5g3aykvn836jt7qyxujtm in the Germanic countries we tend to be a bit blunt and straight forward at times i think while the British try to be super polite.

nostr:npub1uxmmyz2nw8ys8npflt93m9yu5c8ewckp00xsu5g3aykvn836jt7qyxujtm funnily enough, i chose "expert" to make it sound less intimidating. maybe "specialist" would have been better. the idea was to convey that i've done it for a long time and i'm experienced. i mean, they say to be confident in job interviews and resumes.

i don't see how it's insincere and shallow when it's the simple truth.

i'm also trying to use as few words as possible, like they do in advertising, to make it really easy to read.

nostr:npub1ywutg8d5lxla8xg6yncavec0tzr6e4jekdhl02lqx7nekuc04umqskj7gt the 4th sentence is turning out to be the most challenging one to get right, because there are 99 ways of making it weird.

nostr:npub1uxmmyz2nw8ys8npflt93m9yu5c8ewckp00xsu5g3aykvn836jt7qyxujtm nostr:npub1yh2hl89d72h2gfnfcz0zsuxclnqcnzrddm0a5l280azgg03ft00sf4gvz5 it's the most difficult sentence in the entire poster. must get it exactly right.

nostr:npub1uxmmyz2nw8ys8npflt93m9yu5c8ewckp00xsu5g3aykvn836jt7qyxujtm nostr:npub1yh2hl89d72h2gfnfcz0zsuxclnqcnzrddm0a5l280azgg03ft00sf4gvz5 if this was for Norwegians only, saying "a cup of coffee" suggests a conversation

nostr:npub1uxmmyz2nw8ys8npflt93m9yu5c8ewckp00xsu5g3aykvn836jt7qyxujtm nostr:npub1yh2hl89d72h2gfnfcz0zsuxclnqcnzrddm0a5l280azgg03ft00sf4gvz5 funnily enough, someone told me to drop it because it's creepy

it's funny just how sensitive people are to the WAY you say stuff.

nostr:npub1yh2hl89d72h2gfnfcz0zsuxclnqcnzrddm0a5l280azgg03ft00sf4gvz5 it looks like this now

nostr:npub1yh2hl89d72h2gfnfcz0zsuxclnqcnzrddm0a5l280azgg03ft00sf4gvz5 i'm still working on this. has to be worded very carefully so it doesn't come across as weird and it's challenging

nostr:npub1yh2hl89d72h2gfnfcz0zsuxclnqcnzrddm0a5l280azgg03ft00sf4gvz5 someone in a DM proposed asking for a cup of coffee or tea.

nostr:npub1jhuk93p4cj9lwyx58pjxc8dt568drym2djyy2qhx0u8dawlskl7s2fxhwd eating Wasa all the time can get a bit boring 😅

i went to group therapy for a little while, but there was something about it that bothered me.

it's hard to place a finger on it.

it bored me a bit maybe?

the others had problems but they weren't very serious. child's play compared to what i've seen people post on here. mostly just common insecurities and relationship problems.

i'm working on the text for a poster i want to hang up in my neighbourhood. i'm offering an excuse to talk.

made a snack for myself

what's the typical show-up rate for something like a Meetup or Facebook event? 10%? i'm thinking maybe i should start something and build a list of interested people and only schedule one once it hits critical mass.

the American media industry is almost too good at what it does. every medium over there tries to mesmerise you and suspend your disbelief. it hits you with striking effects and plays at your heartstrings. propaganda techniques used in the service of making money. that can't possibly be healthy for people.

funny realisation: if i had a good network full of people to interact with, i wouldn't really want a job at all, except to pay the bills.

it would be kind of handy to have a job where you can stay in touch with people throughout the day.

i get so bored when there's no one to talk to that i start talking to myself instead.

it's funny how your sense of self is so often shaped by your life circumstances.

it was useful for me to believe i was an introvert who didn't need friends and was happy to sit at a computer all day. but i was just a smart kid that got bullied due to social development delays who found refuge in the machines and books that dad kept in his house.

and it made sense to believe that i was a writer because i'm a very active social media poster who types a lot. but i really just like to have conversations with friends.

most of my hobbies emerged out of a subconscious desire to have more friends and life success. it's like when people play in a band to get girls, except i didn't have the self-awareness to see that. i like my hobbies but they're very "been there done that" for me now.

the idea that i was a musician was much in the same vein. as with my other hobbies, there was of course a natural interest there, but i lost motivation again when it didn't make me any money or friends.

people who have a genuine passion for their work don't quit just because no one cares. they love doing it too much to stop. and i can't recall having such an enduring passion for anything.

if i have a passion, it's communication in all its forms, i think. pretty vague and not terribly helpful when you're trying to decide on a new career path.

nostr:npub1uhyp2jpp5gwjqh7w52tlapdwssmycmxglw2dzavy3mas3sfr83rsv6y4d5 i'm far more comfortable with one-on-one conversations than group dynamics because my friends have always kept me for themselves instead of introducing me to their other friends.

nostr:npub1uhyp2jpp5gwjqh7w52tlapdwssmycmxglw2dzavy3mas3sfr83rsv6y4d5 sensitivity is a double edged sword like that. i think sensitive people often end up self isolating because it feels safer and i'm very aware that this is what i've been doing. i don't know how to make friends IRL. there's a pattern i have of making them online first and then meeting IRL later if possible. that's kind of how i ended up installing that Venn ("Friend" in Norwegian) app. it lets you find people to make friends with in your area. but it's a little dead there. it's a bit like online dating apps. send hundreds of contact requests, get 1-2 replies, etc.