[lucumo]

> But, I don't know anyone (outside of very vocal online posters) who would be offended if we were standing in line and I casually brought up the weather.

I agree, BTW. It's the kind of thing I meant with "short remarks".

But while I'm not annoyed at such conversations, I won't miss them. They're a cheap sacrifice to make for not having to deal with proselytising and the like.

> Reddit/HN/"Chronically Online" asocial attitude

While remarks about the weather don't offend me, it does offend me when I'm being called "asocial" for refusing to be religiously converted. Please don't.

Interestingly, the 'Reddit/HN/"Chronically Online"' monickers are also anachronystic. I've not just been referring to books as a way to deflect the knee-jerk response smartphones usually get, though there was some of that. But for the most part, that is the implement people used "in my time" to avoid cumbersome people on trains. It works less well than headphones though, so I'm not surprised those gained in popularity.