This guy is a tool - yes, let's all live our lives in the most bland utilitarian manner. Friends are just an investment, so if your current ones enjoy drinking at all, just get rid of them and invest in new ones

I also enjoyed his 'art of talking to strangers', which was solely about picking up chicks

My mental image of him is something like: http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/ellis.jpg

Is this hacker news? I think people hack better with a little bubbly.