Gyroscopic Investing

MediumTex wrote: Perhaps you could have a drop bear ride shotgun for an additional layer of security.

Drop bear! I learned a new term today.

I guess a prudent precaution is also to tattoo KILLER on your forehead in large irregular letters in mirror writing. That helps to instill a degree of circumspection in any would be assailants.

psycho works just as well.. 

I find that carrying a clipboard also helps disrupt the thinking of people who might otherwise target me.

There are many subtle ways of carrying yourself that help reduce your appeal as a potential target.

Pretending that you are a police detective sincerely hoping that no one will see through his cover is a mental game you can plan with yourself that triggers interesting responses in others.

Being able to effectively adapt yourself to your environment is an endlessly stimulating challenge.

Understanding what people are ready to believe is also a good skill to hone.  Different people are ready to believe very different things.  Context is enormously important in shaping perceptions.  Understanding the limit of a given context is a necessity.  Don't ask people to believe something that is out of synch with their perceptions of a situation.

And I would say, in general, it is best to engage in this sort of thing just to ease your path through life, as opposed to using it to take advantage of others.

Never underestimate the power of a clip board.

Apparently someone turned up at an IKEA warehouse every week with a clip board and asked for a signature. The clip board was signed and that went on for many months. It turned out IKEA was just signing money over and the clip board guy wasn't doing or providing anything, just turning up with a request for money . Apparently no crime was being commited.