Just thought I'd share a few stories prompted by a visit yesterday to a Micro Center near my house. There are times when it's just best not to say anything at all when overhearing a discussion nearby.

A few people were talking about portable MP3 players at a display stand in the Micro Center Apple section. They were looking at the iPods, and commenting on how 30gigs was just way too much space to have on a portable device. "The batteries would run out before you could listen to all the music". Another person nearby overheard their conversation, and inserted his opinion where it really didn't belong. "That's why I have a flash player. Besides, Apple is the only one to make a hard-drive based player, and it only works with a Mac. My flash player works with PC's".

I found out a long time ago that it's best just not to say anything. At family reunions, one relative would give another absurdly bad advice about (external hard drives/photo editing software/digital cameras). I used to try to set the record straight, but now I just let them go at it, and only give my opinion when it is asked for.

On a climbing trip to the Red River Gorge a few years ago, I was sitting on the porch of Miguel's, a popular hangout for climbers. A couple approached the porch where 6 or so people were sitting, and asked if anyone knew of places where they could set up a toprope (a way of climbing that beginners often use, requiring access to the top of a climb to set up a rope for protection). A few people (including myself) volunteered information about climbs that were topropeable, until they began to ask for details on how to set up a toprope. At this point my only comment was: "There is a guiding service on KY 15, you might want to hire a guide for tomorrow". Another climber at the table showed them how to set up a toprope and how to tie the suitable knots in tubular webbing to support your weight at the top of the climb. Clearly they were beginners, and I had no desire giving them information that they could use to hurt themselves.

On the other hand, there are times when it is okay for you to speak up.

While climbing at Seneca Rocks, there are many times when a group of 2 or 3 climbers wanders by the base of a climb where I am waiting or belaying, looking at the guidebook intently. If they look like they are lost, I'll say something to the effect of, "What climb are you looking for?" Sometimes I'll even start up a conversation with people who are just passing by, talking about what climb they just did, where they are from, etc. For the most part that is the culture of Seneca, fellow climbers are friendly to each other.

One day I was getting ready to climb up the Stairmaster (the hiking trail to the base of the climbs, which is a rock staircase with 2 foot steps and about 800' long) when I saw a group of 3 with noticably light gear. They obviously planned to toprope a climb, since they had no lead climbing gear with them. I asked them what climb they were planning on doing, and the leader replied "The Burn". I asked if they were going to toprope it, and he replied that they were. They had been told that The Burn could be toproped by a person they were camping next to, and were encouraged by that person to try it the next day. Problem was, they had a 50m rope (165') for a climb that was 100' long. If they would have set up their toprope and tried to rappel down, they would have been in for a pretty nasty surprise, since they would have been 15' short of the base.

Where have you encountered people who spew off at the mouth?