Seth Roberts has written a book called the Shangri-La Diet. It's theory? Flavorless calories from sugar-water or oil, taken an hour before a meal, kill hunger to the point where you don't eat and thus lose weight. Who knows whether it works. But it's an against the grain theory that could/ought be tested by the medical establishment. People in the Western World are getting fat. And whatever the usual recommendations, nothing much is getting people noticeably thinner. Especially here in the US.

More interesting. Roberts has written about the ecology of ideas on his blog. Open Access sites, blogs, forums have built momentum for his idea. They gave him enough platform, and gained him enough prominence, for an column in the New York Times by FreakEconomics guy, Steve Dubner.

That lead to his book, which is a slim easy read, (yesterday in Borders!) published April 25. Now the bologsphere is amplifying the hubbub about the book. Roberts is tracking the growth in members of his forum and number of posts. The book is in the top 600 Amazon standings. Things are moving.

So here's a guy with an unusual theory that's actually made it to be published. Maybe he can now convert the book to best sellerdom. Maybe.

But five years ago this idea was a guaranteed washout. A nutty footnote. Ideas are currency in today's market. The key to make that currency worth a great deal is the determination and application to spreading them. We shall see how Seth Roberts pans out.