Hint, hint

I read too many advice columns. That is just true, and I'm OK with it, basically.

For those of you not in the know, "Hints from Heloise" is a column of household hints. On average, one a day involves a new use for vinegar. For me, it contains a mix of:

• useful tips
• tips that fill a need I don't currently have — often regarding opening jars with arthritis or handling pet issues
• tips that are so obvious it's hard to see why anyone would need to ask an advice columnist about them.

We're going to talk about that third category today.

Yesterday morning, the first letter to Heloise was as follows:

Dear Heloise: 

Could you please reprint your hint on how to create NEW FOLDERS ON YOUR COMPUTER for those of us who need a little extra help? 

-- A Reader in Illinois

Is that possibly real, that someone would want to do such a thing and not know anyone, socially, familially, or professionally who could help them in real life, to the point that Heloise is who they would ask?

Never mind that Heloise's specific advice would absolutely not work on my computer. Turns out, the 63-year-old vinegar queen is not an IT guru. Who knew?