this post was submitted on 25 Aug 2025
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The semester is starting back up and i'm terrible at speaking words.

This doesn't have to be aimed at college students, just conversation starters anywhere would be very much appreciated.

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[–] parpol@programming.dev 3 points 2 weeks ago

Show them your white crystal

[–] thespcicifcocean@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Ask them if they knew that g is roughly pi^2, and ask them if they knew it's not a coincidence

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

How would it not be a coincidence?

[–] thespcicifcocean@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

okay, so.

the meter used to be how long a line had to be on a pendulum for it to have a periodicity of one second. This got re-evaluated and standardized to what it is now, which is 1/10,000,000 the length between the equator and the north pole. but that number itself was chosen because it's pretty close to what the meter was before it was set to that value. So the length of the line to get that period on a pendulum is about a meter, and gravity also has an effect on the speed a pendulum swings.

https://medium.com/@roitman.io/a-wonderful-coincidence-or-an-expected-connection-why-%CF%80%C2%B2-g-6e2f9a04e30e

I read something about it on stack exchange, but couldn't find that link anymore, but the one above has the same info

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

That has nothing to do with either g or pi. Also this definition is long outdated.

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The one thing that people like to talk about, more than any other thing, is themselves. Ask the right questions and ask follow-up questions. You'll find that if you do that and and you're polite about it, people warm up to you pretty quickly without you having to say a whole lot.

Stuff like the most (and/or least) interesting things they did this summer are good places to start.

[–] GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

charlie kirk is right.

women shouldn't have a choice.

voting should be restricted to men and property owners.

you didn't say what you wanted the outcome of the conversations to be, nor the volume they should be had at.

I can guarantee you will have a reaction to the above.

[–] baltakatei@sopuli.xyz 3 points 2 weeks ago

“Hey, I'm kinda lost [and you look a bit lost too]. Do you mind if we band together until we figure things out?”

[–] Padit@feddit.org 2 points 2 weeks ago

Hey! I am new here, and I would like to get my fellow students. My name is u/pineapple lover, who are you?

By the way, the English language needs a word for fellow student. In german that's Kommilitone. It's a good word.

[–] Twig@sopuli.xyz 2 points 2 weeks ago
[–] nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

have you ever killed a man?

[–] sunzu2@thebrainbin.org 2 points 2 weeks ago

In Reno and I watched him die

[–] nialv7@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

No.....? Have you?

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[–] LogicalDrivel@sopuli.xyz 2 points 2 weeks ago

Im terrible with small talk. I recently just got a customer facing job, which I had been trying to avoid, and it has honestly helped me a lot. I think like some others have said, conversation is a skill. The more you do it, the better you get. Here is an actual tip though - if you just let people yap about themselves, they will love you for it. I get tons of compliments on my customer service because people love talking about themselves and I don't interrupt.

[–] FenderStratocaster@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

"Did you see that guy on a horse go by? Yeah, it was just a guy riding by on a horse."

[–] ArseAssassin@sopuli.xyz 2 points 2 weeks ago

I'm not much for small talk. Instead of following a formula, I try to find a way to be genuinely interested in the other person, then ask questions without making them uncomfortable. For me this has been the best way to get to know people I get along with.

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Hey, what major are you interested in?

[–] Nikls94@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

Some classics™ include

  • do you have a moment to talk about Jesus Christ?
  • do you wanna get paid to see the world? Just sign here!

But as someone who went to high school and, until the final year, did not know the names of all classmates, it’s fair to say that I didn’t really care about that at all. Maybe I’m just autistic lol

Just talk about the subject you’re getting a Bachelor‘s degree in and go on from there.

[–] AceFuzzLord@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

This might work on anyone who is a They Might Be Giants fan or it'll just catch people off guard and possibly make them think you're weird, but some lyrics to recite:

They call me Dr. Worm. Good morning, how are you? I'm Dr. Worm. I'm interested in things. I'm not a real doctor, but I am a real worm.

If it does work, IDK because I don't really know how to start conversations all that well without being pretty awkward.

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