Timothy Ferriss's Blog, page 128

Soon 33 years young. I'll be back on the playa in August for Burning Man.

33. I'll turn a glorious 33 this weekend.

It's going to be a great natal year–I can already feel it. Repeating numbers (born in '77) are good luck. Perhaps it will be good luck for you, too: in this post, I'm giving away a round-trip ticket anywhere in the world and more.

But back to that strange birthday gift…

Much to the chagrin of my momma-san, I've become quite difficult to buy presents for. Some friends even...

DODOcase, one of more than 1,000 businesses created in the last six months, has sold more than 10,000 units at $60 each.

From today's New York Times coverage of the Shopify/4-Hour Workweek build-a-business competition that just ended:

To encourage early, positive buzz among Apple iPad buyers, Mr. Dalton [of DODOcase:] hired street teams via Craigslist to "hang out with Apple fanboys, while they waited on line for hours, maybe even days, outside of Apple retail stores for a chance to buy the...

DODOcase, one of more than 1,000 businesses created in the last six months, has sold more than 10,000 units at $60 each.

From today's New York Times coverage of the Shopify/4-Hour Workweek build-a-business competition that just ended:

To encourage early, positive buzz among Apple iPad buyers, Mr. Dalton [of DODOcase:] hired street teams via Craigslist to "hang out with Apple fanboys, while they waited on line for hours, maybe even days, outside of Apple retail stores for a chance to buy the...

Brainstorming in Boulder, CO with a class of founders from TechStars, where I've been a mentor. After this particular trip, I ended up advising Graphic.ly. (Photo: Andrew Hyde)

Disclaimer: nothing on this site is legal advice, and I am not an investing expert.



This post is continued from Part I.

Part I explained how, instead of getting an MBA, I invested the tuition dollars into angel investing. To recap, my current stats for the two-year "Tim Ferriss Fund" look like this:

15 or so total...

(Photo: DavidDMuir)

It's fun to think about getting an MBA.

They're attractive for many reasons: developing new business skills, developing a better business network, or — most often — taking what is effectively a two-year vacation that looks good on a resume.

In 2001, and again in 2004, I wanted to do all three things.

This post is the first of two that will share my experience with MBA programs and how I created my own…

In the process, it's my hope that these writings will make you think...

"It's impossible not to constantly wonder if there's something better, someone better."



My good female friend picked up her third glass of Syrah-Merlot and continued: "If I could only choose between three decent guys, it'd be a done deal. I'd be married already."

I nodded. Having options–perceived infinite choice–isn't all it's cracked up to be. How, then, do you tame indecision, particularly in relationships?

The following guest post, written by Claire Williams, explores some of the more...

This is a truly random episode of Random. What has Kevin learned in his new role as CEO of Digg? Which new books, people, and websites are we finding interesting? From management lessons to language learning (and a critique of Rosetta Stone), this episode meanders all over the place.

This is also our first sponsored episode — Sonos! It's quite cool that we're now sponsored by a company whose products made a cameo as early as episode 2.

Elsewhere on the web:
5 Alternatives to Traditional...

Brute force seldom works with haters. Redirection does. (Photo: Deadstar 2.0)

I recently spent a week in Amsterdam enjoying bicycles, canals, Queensday, and… ahem… coffee shops. For real. Honest. The best coffee I've had in Europe has to be De Koffie Salon.

I also gave a short keynote at The NextWeb about how to deal with haters, protect yourself from (some) media, respond to FlipCams, and other personal branding self-defense 101.

Think you have crazy people contacting you or commenting on ...

(Credit: h.koppdelaney)

"From all your herds, a cup or two of milk,

From all your granaries, a loaf of bread,

In all your palace, only half a bed:

Can man use more? And do you own the rest?"

– Ancient Sanskrit poem

Total post read time: 5 minutes.

Living well is quite different from "doing well."

In the quest to get ahead — destination often unknown — it's easy to have life pass you by while you're focused on other things. This post is intended as a reminder and a manifesto: keep it simple.

T...

Photo: Andres Rueda

The following post is a guest post by John Hargrave, whom I met in 2007 at SXSW.

If you find large-scale pranks (Super Bowl, anyone?), impersonating celebrities, and other clever mischief amusing, he's the king of the domain. His book Prank the Monkey is a guide to unleashing your inner Loki.

Given my interest in outsourcing and pushing the envelope with concierge services, he suggested the following post, which looks at just how far VISA will go to keep you happy. I've r...