Love and laptops

An excerpt from an NYT piece on netbooks for travelers:

“Carrying a nifty-looking laptop isn’t just vanity. It can prove life-changing, as Ms. Poole, the flight attendant, well knows. Once, during a flight, she flirted with a passenger just because he was using a cool computer. Seven years later, he’s her husband.” - read the article here.

Comments

[Till]

It's an old trick but it's only human. We (humans) usually love to connect with other people but social norms and education sometimes impede our natural drive. So if you have a particular piece of equipment or clothing that can be used to break the ice and strike up the conversation, that's always great to get to know people, especially while traveling.

The other advantage of this technique is that it is somewhat selective. Say you carry around an exotic camera or lens, or a vintage Burberry trench, or a particularly striking bag, only those people that recognize these things or at least like these things, will strike up a conversation. This means you have established a connection without even doing anything actively. They come to you and you can then decide whether you want to continue to chat or make it clear that you are not interested without the other person losing face.

For me, it's usually my glasses, a particular piece of clothing or a watch or even a cigar. Works like a charm. Just stand out a little bit without looking like Liberace on stage. ;)

[Paula S]

I have a pair of shoes that did that for me. Nothing unusual about them except they're a lovely vivid colour and look extremely comfy. I walked on the plane and was immediately questioned by the stewardess as to where I bought them and how much they were. After being seated, several other stewardesses came up to look at my feet. My husband thought it was hilarious.