Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with eccentric

Wierd secret messages on the radio.

debord — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 03:44:52 -0800

When I was a child there used to be cryptic messages on BBC Radio Four between the news and weather etc. that were weird and cryptic (as in they shouldn't have been on mainstream radio), but dull - stuff like "Mrs. Smith from Doncaster needs to contact her family in Hull". I have been told they were used for spies to communicate - does anyone know any more about this? I think it's something like those code words on the Tube that get announced if there's something going on. And numbers stations of course!

I need to be less odd. How?

Anonymous — Thu, 21 May 2009 11:47:35 -0800

I want to stop being seen as odd or eccentric. What can I do? All my life, I've felt like the odd man out. I seem to have trouble connecting with people and picking up on social cues. I'll often say things that are taken as offensive and not understand why.

Recently, I've become aware that most people at my work think of me as being extremely odd. I do have some odd behaviors. For example:
- I have a habit of answering my phone in a different way each time.
- Sometimes I speak in an overly formal way (i.e. I won't say "Yeah", I'll say "Why yes")
- Strange questions will come to mind (i.e. Someone says that a special prosecutor was appointed in a case and I ask "Was he wearing a black cowboy hat?")

I want to be more normal, for lack of a better word. It's tough being the odd man out all the time. Everyone around seems to get along and interact, but when I say something, it's as if the room has stopped.

I am currently in therapy for this, but my question is whether any of you know of any other resources and techniques I could employ to curb my oddness and eccentricity.

If it matters, I'm a man. I've also set up a throwaway e-mail at weirdodude1@gmail.com

Magic, incarcerated

MrVisible — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:34:17 -0800

Help me find real-world magic items. I'm looking for real-life items that have strange histories, weird reputations, or just plain creep people out. One example is the pair of pistols made of meteoric iron that made the news recently. Any object which can be viewed as having a magical nature will do, the weirder the better.

Historical curiosities, medical oddities, anything that incites a sense of weirded-out wonder will be considered. Extra special bonus points if the objects existed in North America in 1914.

I realize that this is a very broad question, but I wanted to tap into the vast reservoir of odd and arcane knowledge that MeFites seem to have.

(This is for a role-playing campaign. Do not be alarmed. The premise is that these items are charged with a magical energy, which can be harvested. Quests ensue.)

I'm weird.

Anonymous — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 12:14:54 -0800

I have the opposite of this problem. I'm quite eccentric, and I would like your help. I'm weird. For as long as I can remember, I have been unlike any of my coworkers or peers, especially with regards to dress, conversation, and behavior. For example, I have strong urges to wear bright mismatched clothes with words written on them in marker. I would prefer to have random, free-associating conversations incorporating childhood memory, crappy music videos, objects in the room, and biology. I don't think linearly. I would like to dance in the lobbies of movie theaters. It's not that I don't understand how to fit in, it's just that fitting in is so simultaneously stressful and boring for me. I don't think that I'm exceptional or special, and I'm not seeking attention. If anything, I would prefer to dress oddly so that people know what they're getting into: it is a relief.

The problem is that I honestly don't want to be one of "those people," and I really do want to contribute to society. I value being a part of the social world. I enjoy relating to and connecting with people and being helpful and kind. Consequently, I feel a lot of tension between fitting in and flipping out. Sometimes I feel like I am two steps away from becoming Sun Ra or that homeless guy in the subway reading an upside-down newspaper outloud. The former is somewhat appealing, but the latter is terrifying.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Any Psych101 suggestions (yes, I'm in therapy, but I wonder about its normative aspects)? Is this just "being gifted" or "creative"? What are some strategies for reconciling these impulses with the real world? Should I just stop caring about being different, or will this finally push me over some anti-social edge?

Suggest eccentricities for me to adopt

primer_dimer — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 05:43:11 -0800

In my quest to become more distinctive, I'm looking for suggestions of harmless eccentricities to adopt. Who better than the MeFi hive mind to provide them? Anecdotes of eccentric folk you've known in the past welcome.

Yes, I do know that I'm crazy

ancamp — Sun, 12 Feb 2006 16:59:48 -0800

How to run a tournament? I'm thinking of organising a tournament for Rock Paper Scissors. I'm hoping to attract at least 100 people (although preferably more), and to include sponsorship, prizes, referees, a pre-tournament entry process, and other tournamenty requirements. It would take place somewhere around June or July depending on how much planning was involved.

I've never done such a thing before.

Is there anyone who has run a tournament of any kind and can give tips on what's involved and how to do it?