The week began with a warning that blogging can kill you.

Although initially ridiculed, the story's thesis started to sound more plausible watching the heart-stopping twists in the Microsoft-Yahoo saga — twists that several hundred tech bloggers dissected minutely for hours on end.

Indeed, the pace of transformation across the business world — from the internet to the recording industry to the media business — is approaching warp speed. Throw in the mortgage meltdown, a historic presidential race, a handful of violent global conflicts and, well, let's just say everyone's busy.

Now, a well-known public relations executive has come out with a book urging people to slow down, sleep more, and lose the cynicism. And for God's sake, chill out on the obsession with the newest and latest technological flavor on the week — be it a social network or a smart phone.

Tilting at windmills? Perhaps, but Richard Laermer, C.E.O. of RLM PR and the author of Punk Marketing and Full Frontal PR, is making the case anyway. In his new book, 2011: Trendspotting for the Next Decade, published on Friday by McGraw Hill, Laermer makes the following prediction.

"Cynicism does not go over in the near future. Stop your bitching. No one cares and the air is polluted enough without something negative. Be a mensch."

The book, like Laermer himself, is one part crystal ball, one part Cassandra, and one part tongue-in-cheek satire. And it succeeds because you're never quite sure which mode Laermer is in — and that's the point: it doesn't really matter.

In that way, Laermer is something like a modern day Oracle of Delphi — some of his cryptic pronouncements appear hilariously illogical at first, and it's up to the reader to decipher them

Laermer's past and current clients include HBO, ETRADE, Barnes & Noble, and a raft of other companies.

While not exactly a Luddite, Laermer does bemoan how technology has infiltrated every aspect of our lives, shortened our attention spans, and depersonalized our relationships.

Laermer's book arrives, appropriately, on the day when news emerged that IBM has invented a new microchip that will allow an iPod to hold 500,000 songs, or almost two terabytes worth of music — as if anyone needs that much capacity.

"You know the latest technology you think you need? Ignore it," Laermer said in an interview with Portfolio.com. He calls for a return to quaint activities like writing with a pen and paper, sending letters by mail, and actually networking with people socially — like, in person.

"Social networking is anything but social," Laermer said. "People need to stop searching for others on the internet to make themselves happy and go out a little. We need to put the 'social' back in 'social networking.'"

And its not just websites like MySpace and Facebook which are increasingly depersonalizing our relationships — it's the way we actually communicate with each other.

"Let's talk about email and the scourge that it is," Laermer said. "We need return to real, thoughtful communications. In this era of text messaging, blogging, and email, we've become lazy in the way we communicate. We tend to dash off notes without proofreading them. We tend to use generic catch phrases that don't really mean anything."

"There's going to be a backlash against today's generic, rushed communications and it's coming soon," Laermer warns. "Pick up the phone. Enough emails. That person you've been batting back and forth with will be shocked you did it."

And that's not all. Laermer says that we all need to get more sleep — which isn't a problem, because in the future, we'll be able to work while we sleep.

"Volumes have been written about how sleep deprived we are, but so far the news doesn't seem to be getting us to bed any earlier," Laermer said. "That's going to change. Sales professionals — the business world in general — are going to realize they are more insightful, more creative, and more productive when they are well rested."

"We all will work while we're sleeping," Laermer added cryptically, but when pressed for elaboration, he closed his eyes, assumed a Zen pose, and began to "Om."

Other predictions from the singular mind of Laermer:

• Self-involvement evolves into an art form. What used to be gross and looked down upon — self-aggrandizement — becomes in no uncertain terms beloved and coveted. Everyone wants to be like David Geffen.
• Slow attention span takes precedence. Attention Deficit Disorder peaks. We begin to take a backseat to speed, and the sudden craze is, "Why rush? We have all the time in the world."
• Customer service finally becomes law. That's enough of being put on hold. After years of thinking silently, a new movement is afoot: it's an adhered-to policy to take care of the paying folk!

by Sam Gustin