i've actually been following Chris's blog for a few years now. Interesting guy. Actually i met him last week while he was in town promoting his new book. While the book doesn't teach me anything new, it does have an interesting approach.
regarding the travel hacking cartel, I had read about it from his blog, but i didn't realize that it was a monthly subscription! I just thought it was another one of his books. I agree that the price is a bit steep if it's truly just a site for deals.