I dragged my introverted ass to 10 houses on my street in an attempt to find a shred of US political solidarity in a red state. I got 7 no answer, left 1 Ring Camera message, 1 polite declination, and 1 prison guard who "doesn't really watch the news". I felt awkward as hell but I remain excited about talking to enough people to find 1 or 2 who are like "You think this is all insanity too?!" This isn't the "topic" OP solicited but as an introvert it feels valuable to share here that I felt good after forcing myself to break that ice.

I am easily spun up talking about myself. Getting me talking isn't too hard, but I start to feel introvert exhaustion once I think maybe I'm talking too much or I find reason to doubt the person wants to talk any further.

Movies/shows have been good topics for me. Enough people have seen Spaceballs, Interstellar, The Pitt, Marvel that people's inner nerd pops out like a Jack in the Box when their fandom comes up. A coworker and I once had nothing in common, but I brought up Mystery Science Theater 3000 offhand and she cut me off to shout "I LOVE EMMESSTEE THREE KAY!!"

I have brainworms from getting so heavily involved in local political organizing over the last two years so probably that. Talk about their life and if there are issues troubling them and then maybe how those issues are probably downstream of capitalism and how the only way out is hand in hand, arm in arm with your fellow man fighting for a future that is for everyone.

Anyway like I said brainworms.

Soulslikes.

I want to know about music that gives you the chills, and why you think it has that effect on you.

My most recent meaningful conversations at the bus stop in the past year were:

• Maslow's hierarchy of needs with a middle aged gentlemen who struck up a conversation having seen my work badge
• a guy who'd had his phone stolen reflecting on the ways it had allowed him to be more mindful of his own thoughts and disengage from toxic people
• a homeless woman who lived at the bus stop for a while with her husband discussing her personal safety as a homeless woman (her husband needed to go do something that wouldn't take long, and he had waited for me to come out and wait for the bus to go do it, and came back before the bus arrived).

And I made friends with the homeless guys outside my last apartment by stopping to pet their dog (and later stealing wound care supplies from work for it).

I find other people interesting for the most part, and have a large enough breadth of knowledge to at least ask interesting questions about most things. Tradespeople in particular know some fascinating things

I once asked a man in a work vest who was marking the road what the colors were for and he said the different colors were different utility lines (water, power, etc). My follow-up question was how he knew where they were and it turned out the pole with the paint sprayer also had a special metal detector that could pick up on each line's unique type of tag.

And the guy who fixed my dryer had an utterly wild list of things that he's pulled out of vents and explained that the little vent covers on the outside of the building were specifically designed to safely prevent endangered birds from nesting in them since they like the warmth but can get injured or damage the vent in doing so.

I generally find that tradespeople like being asked questions about what they do. I don't think a lot of people ask. And if they don't I apologize and keep it moving.

Depends on the subject. I do actually like to hear someone's passion in something. I typically don't like myself dominating a conversation all of the time, so I'm almost always tossing the chance to the other person to speak their mind. People always told me that they're sorry for rambling but I'm encouraging it because I like to listen.

I get more tired of hearing myself talk than I do others.

Olive oil.

I just read Extra Virginity and it turns out there is a whole world of food oil counterfeiting and I really need help stopping it, because suddenly this is the topic I am 3rd most passionate about.

the weather/state of the roads. please make this easy for me, I am scared of you.

I want to talk to him about that briefcase full of cash that he brings me.

Constructed languages. It’s a profoundly lonely hobby. I would love to randomly meet another conlanger IRL

Recently went to a company wide meeting, so I had to speak to loads of strangers. Usually I tell them about Linux and they leave me alone.

Do you fuck on the first date?

Depending on whether they are allowed to leave.

Water on Mars

I'd like to talk about the awesome employment opportunity they have for me that pays decently, has good benefits, and is doing something beneficial for the world, hopefully nonprofit.

If that's not an option, I guess cats.

Self-hosting, Linux, video games, building guitar pedals, what books people are reading, AI philosophy, digital privacy and advocacy, songwriting, how meshtastic works, how to set up Openwrt router and if they want to use an antenna with me, and OS hardening.

I'm 45 / F and recently moved to a small town in the Southern US. No tech folks here.

Video games

The British have this down to a science;

1. Start with pleasantries "you good?" Essential, always say "I'm good" if asked this or similar regardless of your mood, use tone to convey the actuality if you wanna be unguarded
2. Talk about the weather
3. End with the pleasantries, something that implies you will see em again, even if you know you won't

food! food is such a great communicator of who you are and what you've experienced

Linux for sure. There isn't much else I could talk about for a while.

Travel. Where are you going next, what's your favourite country, all that. Met someone yesterday who's going to Vegas, and has booked a helicopter trip to the Grand Canyon and tickets to a Barry Manilow show. She hasn't been there since the 80s and is pretty excited. She and her husband usually holiday in Turkey.

Anything really as long as it's an actual back and forth conversation and not an expectation that I carry the conversation on my back.

Places. Where people grew up, where they have traveled, where they have lived. Maybe even where they would want to go. This leads to other topics and lets you talk about something not too personal to start.

I like talking to people, I'm a social weirdo. But if you talk about french poetry rules or cats, I'm unstoppable. It's easier to have a conversation about cats.

Lizards. Alternatively, fish and other sea creatures, hypothetical space megastructures, or nuclear rocketry.

I'm definitely an introvert, but you could get me to talk for ages about my personal hobbies and interests.

Just ask me about space or rockets or airplanes or building trebuchets.

40k.

A quick goodbye.