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Found him very interesting to listen to, as well as his SEAL colleague. It's good to know he's doing well in civilian life and what they're doing sounds very interesting. Has anyone read, or is reading the book Team of Teams? At a quick glance it seems a bit too "corporate leadership" for me at this point. Meaning I'd hear great ideas but would be able to do fuck-all in my current organisation.

One nugget I got from him was the importance of sending liaisons to work with organizations you are tied to, and when you pick the person to send, "If it doesn't hurt to lose them you are sending the wrong person."

Too bad Ferriss is incapable of not interjecting his own 'wisdom.'

Kind of embarrassing that he either doesn't know "hooch" and "Quonset hut" or thinks his listeners are such shut-ins that they don't.

I have been listening to more Ferriss recently simply because of the quality of interviewees he's had though haven't been able to get through this yet. Does he ask the General who he wants to punch in the face?

The older I get the more effort I consciously put into sifting through material to find the gems; it's sort of an effort to invert the guilt by association fallacy. I can learn some thing form almost anyone.


But T. Ferris....? Oi..


The singular redeeming value of Tim Ferris is as a touchstone to remind us of the darkest aspect of the Neu Internet Economy....empty self promoting shitbaggery. We should all be grateful to have him a guidepost reminding us to let the work speak for itself.

Blaidd Drwg wrote:The older I get the more effort I consciously put into sifting through material to find the gems; it's sort of an effort to invert the guilt by association fallacy. I can learn some thing form almost anyone.

I have struggled with this for years though can sit through Ferris now because, like I said, he has had some fairly fantastic guests recently. He is a terrible interviewer though and at least three times in each episode I want to call him up and tell him to ask a follow up question to something really interesting that was said or to STFU with your "observations...name dropping...product promotion".

The incredible thing about him is he's played the same gig for ten years and is still going using the same promotion model.

Cheers, nafod.

TF's very douchey and BD summed it all up perfectly. I agree with all about the guests he's had; keeps me listening. I get that it makes him money - and that's all you need I suppose - but the obsession with life-hacking and "optimising rituals" I find peculiar and lame. Perhaps the antithesis of living a life? Either way, there's something in my DNA or my upbringing that sets off alarm bells. Is he a scammer? A puss? Both? Of all the badass spec ops shit he could've been asking, he was hung up on talking admin in the military.

Off-topic: R. Lee Ermey on Carolla's "Take a Knee" podcast was great. Fight in Vietnam then open bars and brothels across Asia before thinking he'd take a crack at Hollywood.

I'm not sure what's worse, that you goofballs waste life listening to losers like Ferris talk

Or that military generals like McChrystal are relegated to "podcasts."

Protobot wrote:I'm not sure what's worse, that you goofballs waste life listening to losers like Ferris talk

Or that military generals like McChrystal are relegated to "podcasts."

I don't know who Ferriss is and I haven't read Stanley's book. Got my tidbit from the horse's mouth. Curious to see if it is in the book.

Protobot wrote:I'm not sure what's worse, that you goofballs waste life listening to losers like Ferris talk

Or that military generals like McChrystal are relegated to "podcasts."

The latter is pimping a book. He has a lot of insight on how to lead teams. For instance, he only eats one meal a day, outside of snacking. He also doesn't like to open doors for himself.

The former has an audience who will buy anything he suggests.

Protobuilder wrote:

Protobot wrote:I'm not sure what's worse, that you goofballs waste life listening to losers like Ferris talk

Or that military generals like McChrystal are relegated to "podcasts."

The latter is pimping a book. He has a lot of insight on how to lead teams. For instance, he only eats one meal a day, outside of snacking. He also doesn't like to open doors for himself.

The former has an audience who will buy anything he suggests.

That's basically what I said.

I was going to say something derogatory, but forgot what it was by the time I read all the simpering protocollective comments.

Oh yeah, life hacking?

At most is descriptive best practices.."life hacking" anymore refers to the type of insufferable cunts like Dave Asprey and Ferrisssss himself.

I did like the Rick Rubin interview, mostly because I would listen to Rick Rubin talk for hours. I did not know Phil Maffetone lived with Mr. Rubin for a few years.

The Rubin interview was awesome because Rubin is awesome and Ferriss let him talk.

If you hate Ferriss you should listen to his interview with the general, a person who is such a cunt that he makes Timmy look like an old fashioned, hard-working introspective chap.

Shafpocalypse Now wrote:I was going to say something derogatory, but forgot what it was by the time I read all the simpering protocollective comments.

Oh yeah, life hacking?

At most is descriptive best practices.."life hacking" anymore refers to the type of insufferable cunts like Dave Asprey and Ferrisssss himself.

Best Practice is one of my favorite terms.

I've checked into this thread 3X, and all I've gotten is some shit about a "liaison." Spill, fuckers. Give me the essence so I don't have to listen to 55 minutes of blather.

Tried Ferris's diet. Didn't work for me. His other ideas were gimmicky. Whatever, it sells books, people buy them and maybe a few get something out of it.

McChrystal is a gun control nut. Aside that he has some decent ideas on Leadership.

johno wrote:I've checked into this thread 3X, and all I've gotten is some shit about a "liaison." Spill, fuckers. Give me the essence so I don't have to listen to 55 minutes of blather.

Unless they dropped some bombs in the last 10 minutes, there wasn't much to blow your mind. McChrystal eats one meal a day... because that's most comfortable for his metabolism. He works out every day and when Ferriss tried to press him for details, the Super Secret 80/20 General's Fitness Plan he was like "uh, I used to run 10+ miles a day but my body started breaking down so now it's some bodyweight shit and some yoga and then I go to the gym and lift weights." I strongly suspect that the "weight lifting" is 45 minutes on whatever machines are open when he gets there and that this lack of a rigorous percentage-based scheme has not hurt him.

Then it was shit about how to send people out to work with different teams and report back or something. I don't work in Corporate America so I didn't really give a shit.

I'd guess that McChrystal's book has whatever valuable insights he might have, though Ferriss might be appalled at the need to read for five or six hours on one topic rather than getting the highlights in a podcast.

milosz wrote:though Ferriss might be appalled at the need to read for five or six hours on one topic rather than getting the highlights in a podcast.

I thought Ferriss made great points when he hit first the scene... But then seemed to lose the point that that the point is to not fritter away time so that you can use it on a few important things... The guy seems to fritter away time just as much now as before but just calls all the crazy little things efficient?

Cool shit is made in isolation and through extended concentration.

That is why I think the group mind is a failure. It quickly extracts and distributes the extant knowledge of the group but pretty much ends there... It's all wheel spinning and superficial refinement after that... Rarely do any members of the group retreat and do the hard work of research etc that creates new knowledge... It is a mining and extraction tool and people think it is more.

milosz wrote:

johno wrote:I've checked into this thread 3X, and all I've gotten is some shit about a "liaison." Spill, fuckers. Give me the essence so I don't have to listen to 55 minutes of blather.

Then it was shit about how to send people out to work with different teams and report back or something. I don't work in Corporate America so I didn't really give a shit.

He didn't either. He's just following the money now.

milosz wrote:

johno wrote:I've checked into this thread 3X, and all I've gotten is some shit about a "liaison." Spill, fuckers. Give me the essence so I don't have to listen to 55 minutes of blather.

Unless they dropped some bombs in the last 10 minutes, there wasn't much to blow your mind. McChrystal eats one meal a day... because that's most comfortable for his metabolism. He works out every day and when Ferriss tried to press him for details, the Super Secret 80/20 General's Fitness Plan he was like "uh, I used to run 10+ miles a day but my body started breaking down so now it's some bodyweight shit and some yoga and then I go to the gym and lift weights." I strongly suspect that the "weight lifting" is 45 minutes on whatever machines are open when he gets there and that this lack of a rigorous percentage-based scheme has not hurt him.

Then it was shit about how to send people out to work with different teams and report back or something. I don't work in Corporate America so I didn't really give a shit.

I'd guess that McChrystal's book has whatever valuable insights he might have, though Ferriss might be appalled at the need to read for five or six hours on one topic rather than getting the highlights in a podcast.

I can some up McChrystal's leadership style in one sentence- Suck up all available resources and fuck over everyone else. Great if you're on his team, sucks if you're not. Also, if you work for him, you are expendable.