Man, oh, man. I was going to wait until tomorrow to publish this follow-up to the last post, but it kicked up some dust, so I wanted to own up. Yessir, it’s an April Fool’s Day joke. Sorry for any confusion! It would have been too obvious on April 1st in the US, so I used the alternate time zone. The hardest part was creating realistic names. Here’s where I got “Van”‘s name:
I do indeed write all the posts (minus attributed guest posts) myself. As _Jon put it in the comments: “a personal blog shouldn’t be work, it should be a passion. If you need to outsource it, you have the wrong motivation.”
I couldn’t agree more. That’s why I’m here writing the posts, including the stupid ones (man crush anyone?). I love hanging out–virtually or in-person–with you guys.
This little prank has been in my head since Jan. 10th, when the infamous Tucker Max suggested a much better version that I was unable to pull off due to this London trip… Read More
In the meantime, a virtual pair–Vanhishikha “Van” Mehra and Roger Espinosa–have taken my blog to the Technorati-1000 (around 600 at best) and had their content featured, under my name, in media from The New York Times to CNBC.
I’ve suggested topics and asked explicitly for some when I had photos or video to post, but Van and Roger are the short answer to the common question: how can you work four hours a week if you spend so much time on the blog?
The answer is: I don’t.
The impetus was an on-stage challenge at the 2007 SXSW two weeks earlier, and I resolved to demonstrate just how well the concepts in 4HWW could work. This is one of several pending year-long examples… Read More
I once used chopsticks like Papua New Guinea tribesman spear fish. Then I developed a vice-like power technique that often ended with wet seafood catapulting across the table. Both experiences left me with a strong dislike for chopsticks — seriously, why on earth would someone not use a fork?
Then I spent a year abroad in Japan during 1992 and 1993. It was a revelation.
The 90-second video above provides all the basics you need to become a chopstick pro and never drop food again. Several finer points… Read More
Here are some excellent tenets of self-interested (not self-centered) lifestyle design from The Notebooks of Lazarus Long by the inimitable Robert Heinlein:
Do not confuse “duty” with what other people expect of you; they are utterly different. Duty is a debt you owe to yourself to fulfill obligations you have assumed voluntarily. Paying that debt can entail anything from years of patient work to instant willingness to die. Difficult it may be, but the reward is self-respect.
But there is no reward at all for doing what other people expect of you, and to do so is not merely difficult, but impossible. It is easier to deal with a footpad [a thief] than it is to deal with a leech who wants “just a few minutes of your time, please – this won’t take long”… Read More
In Sonoma: Kevin Rose and my attempt at an artsy wine photo.
Thick legs, full body, good structure. Sounds to me like a bad Match.com description. But no, it’s a cabernet sauvignon. Huh?
Alas, maybe wine just isn’t for a lad who grew up on Long Island with a rat tail.
Then again, as the soon-to-be wine demigod Gary Vaynerchuk sayeth: “Most people in the wine business are douche bags.”
Sad but true. So how do you appreciate wine without turning up your polo collar and becoming someone worthy of a slap in the face? I just came back from a weekend in Sonoma, and here are 7 tips I learned to follow after bumbling through wine for a few years in Nor-Cal… Read More
The 4-Hour Workweek launches in the UK next week on April 3rd, and I’ll be in London to bring it to the Motherland with a bang.
For all you readers and friends in Europe, come have a pint with me!
From the UK publisher: order before April 3rd with “ESCAPE” as a promo code at checkout and you get 30% off and free shipping in the UK (maybe Europe?). This is cheaper than in the US. Learn more here.
Party and Reader Meetup in London on April 2nd at 6pm:
I invite all blog readers, book readers, and friends to come to London on Wednesday, April 2nd from 6pm – 9pm GST to have a drink with me at the reserved room at the Pitcher and Piano in Trafalgar Square.
Pitcher and Piano (reserved room)
40-42 William IV St, Trafalgar Square, WC2N 4D
Colette Bacalhau / Andy Seach
T: 020 7240 6180
It’s a good idea to follow me on Twitter for any last-minute changes or other parties and mischief.
The location might change, so please refer back to this post before heading over, but there will be a get together in London with lots of laughs and joie de vivre… and no little amount of alcohol. If you have recommendations for a cooler place that can hold 100+ people, please let me know in the comments. This is a BYOB (buy your own beer) event, but I’ll sponsor the next one when we’re dealing with pesos
See you all in the land of funny cars, funnier policemen, and ridiculously expensive sandwiches!
The 2,000-year old cocktail: it tastes as bad as it looks… but it works.
My back hurts. So does my throat, and I feel like a sumo wrestler is sitting on my head trying to pop my eyes out.
Alas, the common cold has got me. Fortunately, I expect to be rid of it in 48-72 hours.
Like millions this time of year, I have the bug. But, thanks to Chinese and German friends and several helpful doctors, I’ve found a few effective treatments — the closest to cures I’ve experimented with — that can get you back on your feet faster. I suggest you test them in stages, from oldest to newest, as the side-effects tend to increase as we include modern drugs. Read More
Lifehacker was one of the first blogs I ever read. Its tag line echoes the sentiments of most digital workers:
“Computers make us more productive. Yeah, right. Lifehacker recommends the software downloads and web sites that actually save time. Don’t live to geek; geek to live.”
Gina Trapani, the founding editor at Lifehacker and author of the brand-new book, Upgrade Your Life, which comes out today, is largely responsible for the popularity of the term “lifehacks.” I figured I’d ask her to share a few of her favorites. From morning routine to top downloads and more, we were able to cover a lot of topics in just 8 questions.
According to University of Utah researchers, using a larger monitor could save you 2.5 hours per day.
Specifically, test subjects completed everyday tasks like editing documents and massaging spreadsheets 52% faster when using a 24-inch monitor than they did with an 18-incher.
Not sure who uses 18-inch screens (17″ and 19″ are more typical), but I’d be curious to see how productivity with a 24-inch screen without Expose compares to a 17″ Mac with Expose activated.
If they are referring to docs and spreadsheets, it would seem to be a mostly scrolling-based discrepancy, n’est-ce pas? I suspect that if we use double-finger dragging on a scratch pad to scroll vs. a mouse, this gap would narrow.
Any theories to explain the difference, and how to make a smaller screen behave like a larger screen? Top picks for afforable 20-24″ monitors? I’m planning on a 22″ Acer LCD in black and hope to quantify the difference over a 4-week period.
Lose the wallet to enter the fast lane? Strange but true. (Photo: Dam)
In the world of orange alerts and terrorism, how do you fly without ID? Is it even possible?
I learned last week that–not only is it possible–it’s faster.
My wallet was stolen at ETech in San Diego 3 hours before my flight was scheduled to leave for Austin, TX. Panic set in, as I had to be on a panel the following afternoon, but I learned of a few work-arounds.
Here’s what I did, first from the hotel:
1. I took the clever Brady Forrest‘s advice and printed out a little-known (outside of techies) letter from the TSA, written to Senator John Warner, that outlines protocol for flying without ID. If the airport check-in staff or security stop you, this letter and requesting a supervisor is often enough to get you onboard. Read More
