However, I also agree with JoshuaZ: inane subjects are a problem. One should not fake curiosity, and all subjects are not equally interesting. If the person only talks about something you don't give a damn, faking interest wastes time and poisons your soul.

[...]

a. learn in the meta level (observe the dynamics of the conversation, or try to figure out his/her behavior);

I recast the problem with solution 'a'.

Instead of faking interest in a boring topic, what I am doing is being genuinely interested in the person talking about that topic. From that view, every question I ask in such a conversation is not to learn about the topic itself, but the person who's talking about it. What's their mental process for examining the situation? Why do they find it interesting? How much does it affect their thoughts on other subjects? Do they have life rules that can be gleaned from 'common wisdom' in their area of interest? It's all part of my goal for such events: enjoy the person's company, and try to get them to enjoy mine, by understanding who they really are.

Over a long period of time, this has helped to normalize my social interactions. That is, I can appear normal when I want to.