> Going into an Apple store and asking for (and buying) the computer that comes in the smallest box, which I had a good reason to want at the time I think that

> Going into an Apple store and asking for (and buying) the computer that comes in the smallest box, which I had a good reason to want at the time I think that's a case where the Apple store employees err on the side of caution. I would bet that they have more clients asking for the smallest box while wanting the smallest computer compared to clients asking for the smallest box while needing the smallest box. I think that's an instance of the XY problem https://xyproblem.info/ https://xyproblem.info/, and people being trained to recognise it and having a false positive. > Air filtration: I did a bit of looking into the impact of air quality on health and bought air filters for my apartment in 2012 To take the "opposite view" (as in, don't be afraid of talking to people who look stupid) from this, I love talking to people about these kind of things (if they are willing to talk about them, of course). In many circumstances, I learned a lot by being charitable, open and ready to hear the thoughts of someone about something, even when they're unconventional/look stupid. I think I have that position because I deal more with "look stupid but are smart"-type people, while the Apple employee store or the stackoverflow user seem to deal more with the "look stupid so I have to protect them from themselves"-type people.