Things I Learned From The...

Here' s one of my strange ideas for a new book, or series of books. Basically, each chapter in the book would contain a bunch of things I learned from a source we don't often view as particularly edifying. To illustrate the idea, here are a couple examples:

Things I learned from the...

1. Office printer--people often forget items they printed, and you sometimes see them as you're sorting through the printed items to find yours. For instance, you might see resumes, job postings, internet shopping confirmations, confidential e-mails, etc.
2. Restroom--It may sound sterotypical, but it seems that there is more to learn in the women's restroom than the men's, though I clearly don't speak from first hand knowledge on this one. Sometimes, for example, a trainer or facilitator can find out how their session is going by hanging out in one of the stalls and waiting for participants to chat with one another. Sure, another approach would be to just ask people directly, but the "Things I learned from asking people directly" chapter just didn't sound as interesting.
3. Hotel lobby phone--Sure, this may be a rare occurrance, but I have heard some interesting conversations taking place at hotel phones as I've sat in the lobbies waiting for an acquaintance to join me. In one particular instance, a female using the phone to talk to her boyfriend began speaking in pig latin when she noticed my presence. I did not let on that I knew pig latin (did she think that language was unique to her and her boyfriend?), so I heard about strange medical issues the woman was experiencing.
4. Smoke break--Well, it seems that all (or at least most) bets are off during smoke breaks. I don't smoke, but people who do seem to possess an automatic bond resulting in instant trust during a smoke break, sometimes breaking through the barriers of organizational level or status. All kinds of things that wouldn't be discussed within the confines of the office building are discussed casually 2 feet from the entrance.
5. Calendars--Some individuals use the office's electronic calendar (e.g., Lotus Notes, Outlook) to list everything they have to do during their week and weekend, even if it has no relationship to work whatsoever. You can basically get a complete understanding of these individuals' lives by perusing their calendars.

I have several specific examples that fall into the above categories, but at this point I'm interested in other categories that you would like to add, and any specific examples you have that fit within one of the aforementioned categories.

My Infinity Squared Counterpart--Update

Some of Kevin Kniffin's research was recently highlighted in a feature article entitled "The Goods on Gossip" in the April 2006 edition of the American Psychological Association's Monitor magazine. The full study, entitled Utilities of gossip across organizational levels: Multilevel selection, free-riders and teams, appears in the journal Human Nature (Volume 16, No. 3. pp. 278-292). Hey Kevin, where's my free autographed reprint?