Monday, July 21, 2014

Advice from Mr. Know It All (no, I don't mean me :-)

I am not sure how many of you read the Mr. Know It All column in Wired magazine, but it is a fun way to spend 2 minutes every month. They are a rare combination of tongue-in-cheek humor along with some uncommon wisdom - with some sarcasm thrown in.

He answered 3 questions this month, and the last two are highly recommended - not just to read but to follow his advice.  One reader asks whether it is OK to vent on his social media (photo optional) about the bad smelling egg salad the woman next him at the airport gate is eating.  Mr. Know It All uses a quote from a Walt Whitman poem and the history of interpersonal communication to prove that it would be act of moral cowardice and callous antisocial behavior.

Then a reader asks how to respond to the countless requests he gets from friends to repost on his social media their latest projects, businesses, or causes.  He is worried that the constant flow of recommendations will hurt his credibility.  Mr. Know It All's conclusion - Get over yourself you pompous hippopotamus (you need to read the column to understand the reference).