1. Instead of taking a clear-eyed view of your recent behavior, base your apology on how angry someone else is. The more upset they are, the more wrong you were. Conversely, if the person you're trying to apologize to insists that it's "not a big deal" or it "happens all the time," you can't have done something wrong. Remember, the goal of apologizing is to keep someone from being angry, because you're responsible for how…

1. It has to be a stranger. It has to be. This is no time for settling old scores. This cannot be traced back to you in any way. You can't see them during your daily routine; you can't have mutual friends; you can't live in the same county. You cannot research them online before you do it. Do you know how many killers get convicted who might have otherwise walked free because their goddamn browser…