Timothy Ferriss's Blog, page 128
August 9, 2010
Random Episode 12 – Favorite Design Sites, Skydiving, New Books, and More
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This long-overdue episode of Random, filmed at Samovar Tea, includes…
- Book updates and new book recommendations (including Omnivore's Dilemma and If This Is A Man : The Truce)
- Favorite sites, including design-focused sites
- The new Kindle vs. the iPad — pros and cons.
- Book title hijinks and red herrings
- iFly indoor skydiving video (special thanks to Kent and Travis!)
Find...
July 27, 2010
From CEOs to Opera Singers – How to Harness the "Superstar Effect"
Sumo stable in Tokyo, Japan: you don't need to be a superstar to use the Superstar Effect.
The following is a guest post by Cal Newport, MIT Ph.D and all-around whiz on competing against the odds.
His discussion — and suggested uses — of the "superstar effect" and corollary are mirrored in what I tell first-time start-up founders:
Most of the time, it's not enough to be better. You need to be different.
Enter Cal Newport…
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Earlier this year, just 2,300 of 32,000 applicants to Stanford...
July 22, 2010
My Unusual $100,000 Birthday Present (Plus: Free Round-Trip Anywhere in the World)
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...
July 19, 2010
The Way of the Dodo — How to Sell 10,000 iPad Cases at $60 Each (and Other Lessons Learned)
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...
The Way of the Dodo — How to Sell 10,000 iPad Cases at $60 Each (and Others Lessons Learned)
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...
July 5, 2010
How to Create Your Own Real-World MBA – II
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...
June 28, 2010
How to Create Your Own Real-World MBA
(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...
June 9, 2010
Why Are You Single? Perhaps It's The Choice Effect
"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...
June 7, 2010
Random Episode 11: The Future of Digg, New Favorites, and 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...
May 18, 2010
Tim Ferriss Scam! Practical Tactics for Dealing with Haters
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 ...
