Customer Reviews

1002 Ways to Waste Your Working Time

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I bought this book intending it to be a joke "gag" gift for my boss. The synopsis makes it sound benign enough with suggestions like dialing your own phone # or getting your calculator to spell words. Even "xeroxing various body parts" sounds harmless. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that one of the ways to waste time is to imagine various sexual positions. This suggestion is accompanied by several fully illustrated pictures of a couple in sexual positions. Am I offended? No. But am I going to give this to my boss? I don't think so! I learned a lesson. If you want a book as a gift, & you aren't absolutely sure of the content, you're better off buying from a book store where you can actually touch the book (& look through it) before you buy.

I liked a lot of the funny pictures and diagrams that really look like old text book illustrations. I think they need to do an updated edition with some better ideas though. There are also some "ways to waste your working time" that are repeated a few times although worded diffently. I know one of the things to do is to count things that have been repeated in the book, but still, thats cheating! :)

I received this book as a gift and found the Victorian-style illustrations charming. While I've seen some of the ideas before, others are new fun ideas. Also this doesn't apply only to work. Many of the ideas could be used as conversation starters at casual parties, the kind of parties that don't discuss the Philosophies of Immanuel Kant.

Let's be clear that this is a joke book but it is not something that I'd give to a boss or display at work. It just isn't professional. That said, you might want to be aware of suggestions like Wink at Someone across the room or Show sexy photos to someone. I guess those are the objectionable sexual content that offended a previous reviewer?

All-in-all, this is a fine joke book but not for prudish types. If you're a normal person who understands that this is joke, buy it. Preferably used and for more than the low prices listed here.