AUTOLOGUE

Cart!

IKEA Portland will need all of these carts this Labor Day weekend - they are offering free breakfasts as well as continuing to give everyone who pays with a debit card 3% off their next purchase. They continue to find ways to improve customer experience and encourage repeat customers. The 3% back has definitely influenced some of our housewares spending decisions in the last few weeks as we moved into a new place. And as one of the few states with no sales tax, the additional "gimme" gives nearby Washingtonians additional reasons to spend here in Oregon.

Not that I necessarily agree with that. Our neighbors to the north pay no state income tax, can cross the Oregon border without paying a toll, and pay no sales tax once they get here. Granted, they spend tons of money in Oregon but it mostly goes to chain stores and not into the local economy. We need a toll to cross the Columbia and a sales tax to get rich off of all the tourists and Washingtonians that shop here! </rant>

Is Blue Tape Somehow Less Serious Than Duct Tape?

Earlier this year I posted about the elimination of the duct tape reservation system for the annual Portland Rose Parade. These people took the warnings of commisioner Randy Leonard to heart and used blue painter's tape instead. I guess they thought the argument was about the permanence of duct tape rather than the undemocratic gesture of reserving a piece of public land and calling it your own.

Milk and Cereal

This is work by Ryan Alexiev. Remember that name cuz he's going to be famous. Yes it's made entirely of cereal. And if you have five minutes to kill check out the videos revealed with a search for 'milk and cereal.'

If Only They Gave Out Stock Shares to Everyone Named "Zara"

Zara Overtakes Gap as World's Largest Retailer

(Thanks Rebekah!)

When Something Designed as an Affirmation Becomes a Warning Instead

Oregon has these nice, new "Share the Road" license plates available. One of the guys in my building is an avid competitive cyclist and affixed one to his car as soon as they were available. I think they're quite nice, graphically at least. It's the premise that has me worried.

When I first noticed it on his car, I joked that it would be extra bad for him to get into any sort of negative mix with cyclists from now on (especially considering some recent press-worthy car/bike interactions in the northwest). With this thing attached to your car, you're affirming that you support cyclists sharing the road with cars and that you'll do your part to look out for them. But what if you're one of those people who rides your bike so much that you forget how to drive?

I didn't have to wait long to see my first negative interaction between a plate-holder and bicyclist. As I rounded corner of my building today (on foot), I noticed a bicyclist approaching and saw him start to slow for the 4-way stop. At the same time, a woman in a wagon with bike racks and one of these license plates came sliding through the stop sign on his right. She didn't stop, just continued on her way. Did the two collide? No. Did she get the finger? Yes. Even with her special license plate.