Could Chinese Traffic-Straddling 'Bus' Be the Future of Muni?

I mean, probably not, but Inhabitat has a cool bunch of concept art up right here. Can you imagine trying to navigate under one of these things on a ten-speed? Or a Suburban?

I just hope they hurry up and build these things so Jackie Chan will be inspired to get off his ass and do one last epic stunt before he really retires.

A Child's Plea to Hipsters

The art supplies in the bottom corner make this particularly sad.

S. Pigeon has the scoop.

'Free KKKatie' Graffiti in France

I’m pretty sure this picture was taken in France. A lot of the other pictures on thesaddestofhappypeople seem to come from France. It’s always nice to see San Franciscans getting love abroad, right?

Previously:

The Next KKKatie?

KKKatie Upppdate

Little Otsu Calls It Quits

Little Otsu is done with Valencia Street. They’re closing up shop to make room for a new McSweeney’s project, but they’ll stay open online:

The decision to close the storefront now, Crown says, is also connected to the rising cost of retail space on Valencia. Small spaces are so in demand that finding a comparable space would be a difficult proposition.

Mission Local has a whole feature on the closure right here.

[Thanks, Al!]

Photo by gemma correll.

"Get Off My Sidewalk, You Damn Kids"

Nobody has lawns in the Mission, so if you’re cranky and old, you’ll have to settle for defending your sidewalks. As Cranky Old Mission Guy reminds us:

People think I’m lying when I tell them that all this stuff is illegal. I guess I can’t blame them, because the police mostly ignore these infractions. The biggest reaction I’ve ever seen was a cop turning his head, briefly, to tell one #####, ####-###### ####### to get off the sidewalk. Then they both pretended it never happened and went on their ways undisturbed.

What do you think is behind the ### marks? My guess is “goddamned, mother-fucking asshole”

Seriously, though. Don’t ride on sidewalks. (Okay, okay… maybe if you accidentally turn down a one-way street and gotta ride it out until the next block. But even then, wear a defeated “I just fucked up” look and apologize profusely to every pedestrian you pass.)

[via C.O.M.G.'s Flickr]

Responsible Pet Ownership in the Mission

Happy Monday, readership! I forgot to post our weekly SPCA update on Friday, so I’ll do it now, and I’ll also preface it with a comment from the previous week’s post, from our buddy Cranky Old Mission Guy:

I’m a big fan of these SFSPCA posts that Houghie has been doing every Friday, and it’s because I adopted an animal from our local pound on 16th St., and it was way easier than I thought it would be, and even more rewarding than I ever imagined.

I knew that my building was supposed to be “no pets”, but I had been living there for a few years, so I had a talk with the building manager about making an exception. I emphasized the point that it wouldn’t be some huge, noisy beast, and he knew that I don’t spend 18 out of 24 hours in a day elsewhere. In the end, he not only allowed the pet, but allowed several more for other tenants. A victory for responsible animal companionship.

Aside from that, I also have to say that my adopted pet, who had some trust issues, has been a total joy and an almost constant furry companion — even on vacations. My life and hers have both been improved.

So that’s what I have to say about it; if you don’t want to do it, that’s fine. But if you think you might want to, and you’re not sure you’ll be allowed, give it some more thought. It might work out.

Think it over! And then give these guys a gander:

Jackpot

Jackpot hit it big when he caught a ride to SF from Madera and now he is looking to really it the jackpot by finding a new, forever home. He is big, but gentle, and walks well on leash. When excited he will do cute play bows to try to engage you in playing with him. He has also tried really hard to wait until someone can take him outside to take care of his business, so housetraining in a home with a regular schedule should be a snap.

Hot Cookie

Hot Cookie is an energetic little guy. He has a really macho stature- there is something about him that is reminiscent of a beefy wrestler. Hot Cookie loves meeting new people, sitting on laps, playing fetch and treats, all of which will make him highly trainable. He is still in the energetic puppy phase at 1yr 7mos so we recommend that Hot Cookie and his new guardians attend some of the excellent training classes here at the SFSPCA.

All pets adopted from SFSPCA have received a pre-adoption veterinary exam and behavior assessment, vaccinations, spay/neuter surgery and a microchip.

Where: The San Francisco SPCA’s Maddie’s Adoption Center
Address: 250 Florida Street (at 16th – Street)
Hours: Open Tues – Friday 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday/Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Closed Mondays and major holidays.
Contact: 415-522-3500, www.sfspca.org
Follow SFSPCA at facebook.com/sfspca and twitter.com/sfspca.

Previously:

Irresponsible Pet Ownership in the Mission by Tomi Laine Clark

(Possible) GIANT FORECLOSURE

Looks like Medjool’s Gus Murard has been falling behind on payments for the dilapidated New Mission Theater and GIANT VALUE building and is possibly facing foreclosure from the City College of San Francisco Board of Trustees.

According to the article, Murard planned to eventually convert the site to “affordable housing”. If this is true, he’ll totally save money on signage by just slapping “APARTMENTS” under “GIANT VALUE”.

Get the full scoop at the über-1337 M!$$!0n L0c@l.

Your Neighborhood Is Turning Into Someone's Private Police State

Something curious has unfolded on our Introduce Yourself page. First came a comment from Elle, a few weeks back:

hi, i’m elle. i walk around the hood in wings.

guess what? starting yesterday evening and throughout the summer, there is a security guard on duty 24-7 on the block of Valencia between 16th and 17th. this is private ‘police’ monitoring your activity in public space. they don’t stop people from being robbed or killed, they are just there to watch the stuff.

is hiring private security for public space even legal?

your neighbourhood is turning into someone’s private police state.

Today, reader Dave replies:

Elle Ko. I was talking with the security guard recently on my way home, and he told me that he’s there because you keep spray painting the building next to frjtz. He also said that you promised to continue vandalizing the building the moment he’s not there, so as a result, he simply has to be there. My guess is that if you weren’t committing crimes in the neighborhood, or at least telling people you were, he wouldn’t be there at all. My guess is you’ll get caught soon enough – but it seems like (according to the security guy anyway) that’s exactly what you’re trying to do. Personally, I’m glad he’s there. If what he says is true, I applaud the day you get bagged with a felony. Is hiring private security legal? I guess it’s at least a little more legal than tagging local businesses.

The image up top is a still from a video from Elle’s Flickr account, from a photo set which I think we’re supposed to believe depicts her stealing a Burberry coat from Bloomingdales. What do we think folks, is Elle the next KKKatie?

More importantly, how much do we all love the complex societal quandary this exchange puts forth? What is public? What is private? Why should Transformers 3 get to shut down downtown Chicago for a week and prevent me from getting to a coffee date on time? Why are college kids plagiarizing more? Why shouldn’t they be? Are you telling me this blog isn’t an original work? That as curators, we’re not working just as hard as bloggers that produce exclusively “original” content? Why is it okay that all the waterfront parks in Grosse Pointe are closed to non-residents? I just want to sit by the lake and read my book! On the other hand, the other night I was at a friend’s house and some teenager crept up next to an open window and yelled an obscenity at us and ran away laughing, and I swelled up with rage and started muttering about “private property” and thought about chasing the culprit and beating him with a U-lock. Complex!

I Lock, U-Lock, We All Lock

Dude, someone with a set of wrenches could take off those wheels in 45 seconds flat. I would have run that cable lock through the casters at the very least.

[via reader Clem]

This guy has the right idea, though.

[via Ohio to SF]

Previously:

Cart Security

Safety Sign Security

Fire Dancing Practice

Wait for it.