I offered a free coffee on Craigslist to anyone who would spend the time it takes to drink the coffee teaching me about something that they are passionate about or something they find interesting. So far I have 15 people in line to take me up on the offer. I don't know what I'll be learning, but it's going to be awesome. I'll keep you posted!

8/3/2009 3:58:10 PM

sadly i imagine you're going to get a lot of evangelicals preaching to you.

but maybe one or two other cool stuff.

[Edited on August 3, 2009 at 3:59 PM. Reason : facts]

8/3/2009 3:58:44 PM

Check your pm. I'll taking you up on that

8/3/2009 4:09:21 PM

is this an original idea? b/c it's pretty cool.

8/3/2009 4:14:57 PM

^^ Sorry, I live in Oregon =)

^^^ I thought so, but so far the first three things I'm lined up to learn are how to make a tamale, how to take a good photograph and how to straighten a bike wheel.


I'm sure I'll know how to do a few of the things people want to teach me, but that's ok. I edited my posting so they wont tell me what I'm learning before I get there, that way I won't be bringing any judgements with me

^If by original you mean 'thought of it on your own' then yeah, but I'll bet someones done it before

[Edited on August 3, 2009 at 4:16 PM. Reason : ^]

8/3/2009 4:16:04 PM

I was gonna teach you origami aww

8/3/2009 4:18:23 PM

Too bad I don't live in Seattle, otherwise you'd learn how to beat off with mittens

8/3/2009 4:18:37 PM

pretty cool idea

8/3/2009 4:20:47 PM

^^ too bad Seattle isn't in oregon

[Edited on August 3, 2009 at 4:21 PM. Reason : .]

8/3/2009 4:21:06 PM

i hope for your sake a hot chic or two responds.

8/3/2009 4:21:31 PM

this is a great idea. people love to talk, especially about the things they love. wish I thought of it while I was at State

8/3/2009 4:22:26 PM

^what do you need to be at state for? That has zero to do with this.

But you are right, people love to talk about things they know about. And everyone wants an opportunity to share. Also, most people have at least one interesting thing to say, this is a perfect way to collect them.

[Edited on August 3, 2009 at 4:28 PM. Reason : .]

8/3/2009 4:27:11 PM

ibtyougonnagetraped

8/3/2009 4:34:52 PM

Sounds like something awesome to write a book about...

8/3/2009 4:35:32 PM

Trust me, I'd make the drive down to teach you that skill

8/3/2009 4:42:41 PM

You should do a blog on this.....

8/3/2009 4:44:57 PM

Quote :

"sadly i imagine you're going to get a lot of evangelicals preaching to you. "

This was my first thought too. Post up how many, if any evangelicals decide to teach you how to be saved or whatever.

8/3/2009 4:46:15 PM

I think this is one of those ideas where you think 'oh neat that would be interesting'

and then you get down into it and its just not very interesting.

8/3/2009 4:46:20 PM

Man, I wanna do this.

8/3/2009 4:47:46 PM

"Let the great experiment begin!"

8/3/2009 5:12:22 PM

Quote :

""

8/3/2009 5:31:11 PM

Quote :

"^what do you need to be at state for? That has zero to do with this."

excellent point! however it's because in school I had lots of free time and good coffee shops around ... right now I have niether.

8/3/2009 6:32:07 PM

^ Gotcha. It doesn't hurt that the college culture is open to this kind of thing either.

8/3/2009 6:38:04 PM

This is why I'm doing this:

Quote :

"I'm 56 and had many life experiences. I've split my own shingles with a froe for roofing and siding, hooked up a gravity water pressure system and wood fired water heater in the remote Snake River Country, plowed snow in Fairbanks, Flown in the bush. I play guitar and keyboard (easy rock and blues) and do woodworking in my shop. Presently I'm involved with making native american wood flutes with a neighbor, who teached primitve skills such as flintknapping arrowheads and spearpoints and is a woodcarver. I've done historic preservation carpentry all over Salem. I've built 4 of my own houses and just bought a property and will be doing another in the next year. I do my own framing, wiring, plumbing and design. I'm a heavy equipment operator by trade. You don't have to buy me coffee, though I sure do love it. If any of this sounds like anything you would be interested in, let me know. Sorry you got flagged, don't know why. I replied to your last post but the files I sent of my flutes were too large and it was returned. I'm working nights this week and am leaving the state for three weeks Aug 17 for my job but check my emails frequently."

Quote :

" I can teach you how to make tamales if you dont already know how. But no one makes them like me. "

Quote :

"are you looking for anything special? I know a lot of things and feel life is about sharing. I think every person we meet in life teaches us something or we teach them or both. Thats how we grow wise. "

Quote :

"Ill teach u to juggle. Or to ride a skatepark I ride bmx. How to shoot good pictures, how to do bike repair, how to do some yo yo tricks, ill give u my life story. Lol I don't know I don't drink coffee but it kinda sounds like a really cool thing you are doing."

[Edited on August 3, 2009 at 7:03 PM. Reason : .]

8/3/2009 7:03:08 PM

interesting idea

8/3/2009 7:09:49 PM

Awesome idea. If you get enough people to sign up you should write a book about it, I'd definitely read it.

8/3/2009 7:36:04 PM

^

8/3/2009 8:08:46 PM

What a decidedly refreshing and original concept. I'm interested to hear the results too.

8/3/2009 9:13:53 PM

^^^^^i wonder how many of those people plan to rape you

8/3/2009 9:19:19 PM

awesome idea, have you thought about taking along a tape recorder? you could make a neat podcast like This American Life. I would subscribe.

Also, be prepared for lots of Amway sales pitches.

8/3/2009 9:50:11 PM

Maybe get a picture at the end of the talk

You should totally get either a website/blog going for this

would also subscribe/ purchase book/etc

8/3/2009 10:01:10 PM

If you do have a desire to compile them in any sort of publicly accessible way, better do them first and then share the results. You don't want people to do it just to get mentioned on your blog/whatever. Really cool idea, though.

8/3/2009 10:09:07 PM

i've done things of this nature before. i'd screen the ppl to make sure i'd be learning about something i at least found somewhat interesting.

8/3/2009 10:12:12 PM

^ yeah, but if you're gonna write a book about it you need a few weirdos sprinkled in for comedic effect

8/3/2009 10:36:38 PM

Quote :

"You should totally get either a website/blog going for this "

for sure. make that shit now and post the link


^ holy shit a loudryan spotting. this might be a first for me!

8/4/2009 12:38:48 AM

i think its best if you dont screen anyone, its more raw that way. then you have no idea what you all will talk about, and it will be very interesting and span a wide spectrum of things

8/4/2009 7:49:19 AM

this really is very cool...and i agree, don't screen people...at least in the sense of saying "i want you to teach me about [whatever] from your list"...just let them pick something

definitely blog about it or write a book...or both

i gotta say, i really like this 1985 fellow...his posts are usually relevant to my interests

[Edited on August 4, 2009 at 7:57 AM. Reason : .]

8/4/2009 7:56:56 AM

A buddy of mine in the Charlotte area does something vaguely like this as a real estate agent. He started out at different coffee shops but has now settled into one in a ritzy area. He is a very personable guy and approaches what he thinks are rich housewife women mostly but also men as well and tells them he'll buy them their drink and breakfast if they'll chat with them awhile and before they leave if they'll listen to a 30 second sales pitch about his real estate firm. Most people are fine with it and he chats with them awhile and then when they are done he tells them he is an agent and gives them a card and sends them on their way.

He made pretty spectacular money back in 05/06 with this, culminating with the sale of a 5+ million home right before the bubble really started setting in. All by getting clients at the coffee shop.

8/4/2009 8:01:19 AM

Quote :

"i gotta say, i really like this 1985 fellow...his posts are usually relevant to my interests"

Yeah, this and the hitchhiking thread

YOU STEAL ALL THE GOOD IDEAS ASSHOLE

8/4/2009 8:10:47 AM

Quote :

"Awesome idea. If you get enough people to sign up you should write a book about it, I'd definitely read it."

also,

8/4/2009 9:16:27 AM

^^ and the bioreactor

i don't know, i don't think i've met too many people on tww that i say to myself, "i'd really like to meet this person IRL," but 1985 is one of them...not to say the others aren't worth meeting, i just happen to really like his ideas and i suspect he'd be a cool person to get to know

*shrug*

8/4/2009 9:30:10 AM

If you do ever get any of the religious nuts, before they start just ask them what religion they are then be like "Whoa! Me too! What a coincidence!"

8/4/2009 12:04:00 PM

this is a good idea. but yeah, you're gonna get some crazies.
even if you think you're screening well enough.

"i'm passionate about STAMP COLLECTING!"

8/4/2009 1:31:02 PM

wire me the money for the coffee and I'll teach you something through Skype video conferencing.

8/4/2009 3:44:09 PM

i wish you were in raleigh. i'd tell you all about the joys of inshore saltwater fishing.

but fuck coffee

8/4/2009 3:51:51 PM

I signed up for this one experiment in 9/7/2004, offered these people my attention, and now i have 460 people teaching me about 50 new things right this minute. And i dont even have to buy them a coffee

8/4/2009 5:00:08 PM

sounds liek a good way to get gutted

8/4/2009 5:39:23 PM

Dumb question, does the social atmosphere of a work environment not allow these same opportunities?

8/4/2009 7:30:38 PM

I had a friend in college that spent a weekend homeless on Hillsborough St. as an experiment, mainly just to see how much money he could get pan handling. He ended up writing an article that got published in the Technician about it. I forget how much he got, but I know it was pretty impressive. Oh, and he donated all the money to Goodwill.

And you should do another one offering to buy someone a beer. It would be interesting to see the contrast between the coffee crowd and the beer crowd.

[Edited on August 4, 2009 at 7:43 PM. Reason : a]

8/4/2009 7:39:48 PM

Are you doing this in Raleigh?

8/4/2009 8:20:03 PM