So I just want to go on the record saying that I think that the new cool neighborhood in Seattle is becoming "Blakeley Alley" (that's my name for it). This is the area just north of University Village Mall and East of the U-District. Here is a map

It's hard to describe what makes it cool, but here goes: It is a collection of funky, independent shops like the phenomenally good University Zoka coffee shop. It is close enough to U-Village to get the benefits of having the chain retails stores, but without having to participate in the homogenization of the outdoor mall culture. There isn't a ton there yet, but there is space to grow. But on top of that, these really cool software start-ups are emerging in the area, like Omni which makes OmniGraffle and makes Visio look like old-school WordPerfect software. Another start-up is Delicious Monster, a company with a ton of buzz because of their software, "Delicious Library". To be honest, I don't get what is so cool about Delicious Library, but I won't ask or else people will think that I don't get it. Finally there is All for kids, a kids bookstore that is funky, independent and loosely affiliated to a part-time advisor of mine. The Burke-Gilman trail runs right by it and TiCycles is right there also.

Today I launch a new category on my blog: Crazy Bumper Stickers. These are photographs I have taken of bumper stickers that promote bizarre ideas or combinations of ideas that are definitely outside of the mainstream. These are ideas which really need to be discussed somewhere other than on a bumper, but which nonetheless show up on someone's car. Generally I'm not looking for *funny* sayings, but rather complicated stances on policy or unusual issue advocacy. Hence our first example: "I Brake For Nigerian Dwarf Goats".

The bumper has become everyone's little billboard to promote anything that comes to mind for (sortof) free.

Update: I was at the Woodland Park Zoo this weekend (in Seattle) and snapped a photo of some Nigerian dwarf goats. No bumper stickers on them though.

This is so hilarious. I was rolling on the floor laughing. It is a spoof of "Baby's got Back", that seminal work by Sir-Mix-A-Lot, but instead of talking about girls with big butts, it's talking about girls with big books (and in particular big Bibles). I'm still laughing...

"I like big Bibles I can not lie,
You Christian brothers can't deny,
When a girl walks in with a KJV
And a bookmark in proverbs, You get stoked."

Original-original in many formats here

• Sailworks
• Rivendell Bicycle Works
• Chipolte (McDonald's please don't destroy them)
• ING (good privacy policies)
• Honda (they don't want to pave the world)
• Starbuck's (they do good things, and have consistent coffee (not good, just consistent))
• Google (they're not evil yet)

• Best Buy (does any company suck more?)
• Safeway (we also sell groceries)
• U.S. (extra fee) Bank
• All airlines
• All gas stations