Poseurs love to talk about the things they love much more than they actually love them. In contrast, someone who’s truly passionate about a hobby, a skill or a specific community usually lets their passion do the talking. Someone who’s thoroughly passionate about something will talk about it at length if asked, whereas a poser will shove it in just about anyone’s face. Depending on your area of passion, there are a few specific behaviors that will make a poseur stand out. Compare their behaviors to other people you know aren’t poseurs and you should see some glaring differences. It might take some time to actually pick out these behaviors, so pay close attention to suspected poseurs. For example, a poseur pretending to be a surfer may have a really nice board, but won’t properly wax or take care of it. Not properly handling the tools of the trade is a classic sign of a poser. While the best way to deal with a poser is to simply ignore them, there might be situations where you decide to confront them. If you want to be sure they’re a poseur, simply test them on what they claim to know so much about.  Poseurs are so focused on the way they come across to people that they don’t usually know what they’re talking about. They’ll repeat things that are common knowledge, but dig a bit deeper and you should be able to expose them. For instance, some poseurs might act like they’re really into cars. If you want to test them, just get them to pop the hood and tell you about what their car’s got. If they stumble, or try to get out of it, you might have found a poser.

Summary: Check how loud they are about the thing they love. Look for fake behavior. Test their knowledge.


You can’t buy a money order with a credit card. Instead, you’ll need to buy a PIN-enabled gift card using your credit card. Visa offers a PIN-enabled gift card that works for this method. You can’t buy just any old gift card. Instead, the card must say “debit” on it. There’s usually a limit you can load. For example, you can only load up to $1,000 a day on the card. There is also a $5,000 a month limit on these cards. Money orders are sold at many banks, grocery stores, and large retailers. You’ll have to find one that accepts debit cards. Not all of them do. For example, CVS has refused to sell money orders to people using debit cards.  However, the U.S. Postal Service accepts debit cards for money orders, so that is a good option.  When you pay, don’t wave around your gift card or tell the cashier that you’re using a “gift card.” Just pretend it is an ordinary debit card tied to a bank account and use it to buy your money order. Send the money order to your mortgage servicer. If the servicer is a large bank, then you can hand deliver your payment to the nearest branch. Make sure it has been received and the payment credited to your account. If you loaded $1,000 onto your debit card, you now have $1,000 owing on your credit card. If you don’t pay it off before the grace period ends, then you’ll end up owing more money. Pay your credit card off, in full, each month.

Summary: Buy a PIN-enabled gift card. Load money onto the card. Use the gift card to buy a money order. Pay your mortgage with the money order. Pay off your credit card.


For the best results, bypass the analog connection entirely and connect your guitar digitally to your computer. You can connect your guitar digitally to your computer through a pre-amp with a USB or Firewire outport. Before you purchase a pre-amp with one of these out ports, check to see if the guitar accessories you already own will work. These accessories may include amp-modelers, pedals, drum machines, and direct boxes. Place your standard guitar cable into your guitar. Plug the opposite end of the guitar cable into the pre-amp’s input port. Insert a USB, Firewire, or Optical cable into your pre-amp’s USB or Firewire out port. Plug the other end of this cable into your laptop’s USB or Firewire in port. When your guitar is properly connected, you will be able to assess the strength and quality of your guitar’s signal. Listen to the instrument through your computer’s speakers, a set of external speakers, or a pair of headphones. If you’re using external speakers or headphones, insert their respective cables into your laptop’s audio-out port. Play a few chords on your guitar to test the signal.  This method will produce the crispest and clearest recordings.  You may need to download and/or open recording software in order to hear your instrument. If your guitar’s sound is not coming through, make sure the instrument’s volume is turned all the way up. Open your computer’s sound settings and double check that your volume is not muted and that the correct port or device is selected (audio-in, audio-out, headphone, microphone, etc.). For specific instructions, consult your computer or device’s manual.

Summary: Purchase or find a pre-amp device with a USB or Firewire out port. Connect your guitar and pre-amp to your laptop. Test the signal.


Pay attention to where your angle the middle of your body. If your belly button is pointed at your date, you're indicating to the other person that you're interested. On the other hand, angling your body away tells your date that you're not interested. Raising your eyebrows shows interest or delight, so if you like your date, you can use it as a sign. That is, give your date a few gentle touches in the first 15 minutes. A handshake is a good place to start, but you can also pat your date on the arm or give his or her elbow a gentle squeeze. You'll probably do this action naturally if you're interested in the other person. It just means that you'd like to be closer to the other person, but since you can't, you're touching your face instead. If you stand or sit up straight, you'll automatically boost your own confidence. Your date will notice and likely find that confidence attractive. Also, be sure to look your date in the eye. It shows you have confidence, as well.
Summary: Take some time to navel gaze. Raise your eyebrows. Be hands-on. Touch your face. Stand up straight.