Afterword
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro..."
Hunter S. Thompson
i
The author of HOW-TO Meet Women considers himself a card-carrying
nerd, even to the extent of wearing a pocket protector. He is,
among other things, a programmer and technical writer (author
of the Software Building and Installation HOWTO for the Linux Documentation Project).
Although happily married for over a decade, he will never forget his
origins, his lonely bachelor years.
If HMW has something of the flavor of a technical "howto", this is
hardly accidental. A touch of subjectivity and humor flavor the
brew, but without diluting its emphasis on the practical. Its intended
audience is primarily shy single men, but much of the content is gender
neutral, and the author has received favorable comment on it from women.
ii
In the olden days, hard-won wisdom gained from painful experience passed
from father to son, or from master to apprentice. Specialized knowledge
remained concentrated in the hands of guilds and secretive elites.
Keeping the masses ignorant circumscribed their lives and maintained the
status quo. The invention of the printing press, and, in our own
time, the personal computer changed all that and gave access to virtually
unlimited information to any literate person. On balance, this seems
a favorable development, but it has drastically accelerated the pace of
social change and let loose the demon of unbridled technology. It has made
possible the publication of information that can cause incalculable harm.
There were ethical issues to consider before releasing HOW-TO Meet
Women upon an unsuspecting public. Certain of the techniques contained
therein could certainly be used by unscrupulous men to seduce and
exploit women. Yet, it must be assumed that predators and manipulators
already have the requisite knowledge for plying their sinister trade,
as they have been with such devastating effect for all of recorded
history and beyond. And the need is there, it is painfully obvious,
to put shy men on something of an equal footing with their more socially
accomplished fellows.
iii
So, where do we go from here? The author will continue to put words
on paper, or, as it were, onto his Web site. You, the reader, will
continue your quest, somewhat wiser, hopefully, to fully realize your
human potential. Men will continue to seek women, and women men... and
the world will go on with business as usual.
The author wishes to bestow his admittedly limited blessings on the
readers of HMW. You deserve your shot at happiness.
May you have passionate and fulfilling relationships with women!
Never eat at a place called Mom's.
Never play cards with a man named Doc.
And never lie down with a woman who's got more troubles than you.
Nelson Algren, "What Every Young Man Should Know"
Comments
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