Are you a miserable, depressed, self-centered malcontent? Then this book is for you!

I just read the dumbest book. So dumb that I’m almost embarrassed to tell you about it. A colleague gave me “The 4-Hour Work Week.” He purchased it out of curiosity after reading of it on Steve Rubel’s blog. Steve gave 4HWW a decent review, which puzzles me. But it was the book’s promotion campaign that prompted PR’s top blogger to write about it.

You see, 4HWW was marketed exclusively through social media. And the campaign worked, turning Tim Ferriss’ first book into a best-selling self-help/get-rich-quick manual. The book presents a nifty little fantasy the author claims to be living. Ferriss then entices you to jettison your miserable, meaningless, 9-to-5 existence to join what he calls the “New Rich.” Some may see it as a sirens’ song for the 21st Century, but don’t bother lashing yourself to the mast. And if you want a fantasy, read Harry Potter.

Why even mention 4HWW if I hated it so? Because even the dumbest book will offer a few lessons. Here the sum of what I took from 4HWW.

Getting the words outta my face, and other musings…

Since launching this site last September, I’ve had type on my face — you know — in the blog header. The basic WordPress template won’t let me off-center the name and tag, and I’m too cheap to buy the upgrade.

Thanks to my son Todd, a graphic designer at a NE Ohio ad agency, the type has moved right and turned a forest green to match those Minnesota hardwoods behind my head. A geek would have figured how to do this alone. But hey, I have an artist in the family. Thanks, bud!

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Staying on the family theme, my younger son, Chris, and the 6-man TransArctic Expedition team, has crossed the Arctic Circle 6 weeks after departing Great Slave Lake. They celebrated by paddling backward across the imaginary line. Ain’t GPS amazing? Not to mention satellite phones!

The men are on the Back River less than 50 miles from Chantrey Inlet on the Arctic Ocean, and journey’s end. Last week, Chris landed a 40-lb. lake trout, which I suspect fed the troops for several days. Can’t wait to see the photos. If he puts them on Flickr, I’ll send you the link.

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