I'm totally down to welcome in strangers who want to talk history or philosophy, too. Roving bands of people, seeking shelter by paying with their special interests.
Terry Pratchett kinda did this in one of his discworld sub-series.
There were teachers that would roam from town to town teaching for small amounts of money, or eggs, or carrots, or whatever. It was like tinkers only with information.
Just go hang out in the student union or in the mall of your nearest state university. You'll find plenty of people eager to talk about all sorts of topics.
There’s a couple of science-based social groups (usually ‘skeptics’ is in the name, a la Skeptics Society) where I live (SLC) so might be a very good place to start recruiting ‘sales’ people in your own areas…
I don't let anyone in my house but I would gladly setup a few chairs, picnic umbrella, folding table and a tray if frosty beverages on the front lawn. Why the front? Maybe some neighbors will join in and we can have a science block party with music, balloons, and Mr. Wizard/Bill Nye style physics demonstrations.
I have this notion that one day it would be nice to be neighborly enough to just put out a sign that says “fresh coffee”, “brunch”, “Beer on tap” or whatever as a signal that people should drop by for a chat.
But I’m not really in my neighborhood’s demographic. It’s an older neighborhood, and the only folks close to my age seem like extreme introverts.
You know how some people are really into.putting up flags? Some hang pride flags, others political flags or country flags, etc. I say you should hang a flag of your favorite hobby (assuming PG rated). Into D&D? Hang a D&D flag. Maybe one of those introverts will be curious enough to say "nice flag", and you take it from there.
I'll second what QuantumSparkles said. Mostly uninterested or feign interest so you go away. Rarely actual anger. People have an inherent politeness that kicks in here.
Not that someone inside could say it, but you tend to hope that people won't come to the door. Lots of doorbells either don't work or you can't hear them from the outside, so you learn tricks to pretend to press it.
I was raised that way and got out in my late 20’s (way too long). 7/10 doors nobody answers, most of the people who do either say “no thank you” or “thanks but I have my own religion”, a fair amount of the time you’ll get someone who feigns interest and takes the material just so you’ll leave and they don’t have to feel impolite (it’s not impolite to say no). Sometimes you’ll get someone legit interested. Sometimes you’ll get someone who a n g e r y
This sounds fascinating. I would totally invite them in.
It also reminds me of a horror story I read that had been written before heavier-than-air flight became possible, but seemed within reach. The story had been written just a few years before the Wright brothers success at Kitty Hawk.
The author imagined ferocious jellyfish-like creatures that lived in the upper atmosphere, and kept themselves aloft with gas-filled bodies. Interesting idea.
I'd tell them there is almost no water on venus, that it's like thousands of times dryer than the sahara. Until they have a scientific explanation for an alternative biology that is not water based and can survive in air, it's far more likely phosphine is created by some abiotic process.
I do find it funny because this whole hysteria about life on venus is so silly. There is no reason to assume phosphine is being created by a completely alien, non water based biology. But they want to believe and/or sell clicks.
If there's a way to make buckets of money and secure obscene amounts of power by going door to door and talking about phosphene, then I guarantee you someone will do it.
Been saying this for years. I’m supposed to be fine when someone wakes me up on a Saturday morning to shove Jesus up my orifice, or sends my preschooler home from school with bible pamphlets, but if I did that to them with atheism, they’d riot.
And yet somehow they’re being persecuted. Fuck them.
Yeah, but it's not what you think. The door to door proselytizing is for them, not for you. They get turned down, yelled at, doors slammed in their face, it makes them turn to their partner (they never do it alone) and the church more, because it's meant to be isolating.
I do this to my boss and I think it annoys him as well.
I share something cool I observed in the lab
"So how does this relate to the project goals?"
"It doesn't! I just thought it was cool and wanted to share."
It could never work. Cause dudes like me would be constantly hitting on cute science chick's that are smarter than me. Like you're telling me a quirky woman in love with the ja billion possibilities of space may knock on my door with the consistencies of jehovas witnesses'??? Yeah right but also... please?