Didn't a guy already do something like this in the 1980's?

Dude don't let the rednecks get a hold of this. You may have just launched high altitude duck hunting!

First, even had I wondered, it only takes one balloon if it's the right size.
Second, this has been done before, on more than one occasion.
Third, it is a completely pointless exercise and a waste of good helium which, a little research will tell you, is a limited and rapidly diminishing resource.

90 VERY BIG balloons, NOT the standard party balloon. The writer somehow left that important little bit out. I wonder why.

Bruce - yes someone did and was arrested by the FAA because he flew in controlled commercial air space.

Daniel Bruce: I remember someone doing the same in the 80's and getting in deep with the FAA over it. Thinking about it, it made sense being that a lounge chair just a floatin into the air space above without anyone knowing I'm sure would tick off any pilot ripping by at 300mph. I'm not sure how high that guy rose. But I do remember he just took a BB gun and shot the balloons one by one to return to earth.

Flying cluster balloons is not a new thing. The helium calculations are fairly simple. I find it interesting that it got as much press as it did, must be the word "extreme".
As a balloonist I do not find anything "extreme" about what Eric did. For more about cluster balloons you can visit this website. http://www.clusterballoon.org/
Still fun to watch. http://www.skydrifters.com

Of course, in the movie "UP", the old man lifted an entire house.

mythbusters did it, the guy in the 80s did it. . . definitely a waste of helium, of which we have a very limited supply. also polluting the sky with the balloons just left rising. . . and the chair which tumbled down uncontrolled. . . so much irresponsibility in this one.

Totally dumb not to have that "descent mechanism" tethered! Aside from possibly dropping it while parachuting, what if he lost it during ascent? Just what was the burst altitude of the balloons? And how many could he lose and still be climbing?