Tag Archives: Bay Area

Priced Out Of SF, Thought You Could Move To Mars? Think Again.

Bay Area rents are soaring, and so it’s no wonder that some residents would look to the skies for housing options. With gas prices falling, and commutes becoming more affordable, living on Mars and working in San Francisco is considered a viable choice for some.

While considered a hot destination, an expert tells us otherwise. “Mars is a harsh, cold world. It is much colder than Earth; but then, it is also farther from the sun. The small, barren planet also has a thin atmosphere that is 95 percent carbon dioxide.”

We should also mention the costs, which may be considered astronomical. “After discussions with potential suppliers for each component and close examination, Mars One estimates the cost of putting the first four people on Mars at six billion US$,” says one Mars travel resource. “The six billion figure is the cost of all the hardware combined, plus the operational expenditures, plus margins. For every next manned mission, Mars One estimates the costs at four billion US$.”

Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, which some are calling the Brooklyn to Mars’ Manhattan. Looking further still, Jupiter has at least 63 known moons, which could be considered the next Oakland.

New Uber Service ‘U-Boats’ Attracts Controversy

With the recent rise of floodwaters in the San Francisco Bay Area, it was inevitable that the entrepreneurial spirit of the city would find a way to get involved. Uber, no stranger to controversy, has drawn fire for their latest offering, a ride sharing service they’ve dubbed “U-Boats”. Marketed towards the affluent and stranded, Uber’s boat service has been plagued with problems since its launch. “My shoes got wet!” tweeted one user hailing from the Marina. Another posted to Yelp, “I got seasick and my driver used salty language.”

Uber’s response has been measured. “While we understand that there may be a few bad apples out there, we’re confident that our service will overcome these setbacks.” In fact, their offering has already proven more successful than their competitors. Lyft’s floodwater ride sharing services involved little more than driving cars with giant eyeptaches over one headlight, and was met with both flooded engines and legal woes. Sidecar’s rubber rafts and inner tubes fared little better. “Uber does seem to be coming out on top with this one,” noted one tech industry analyst, “but women should think twice before boarding an Uber boat. Because of the implication.”

Is Local Business Woodever Closing For Good?

Add another local shop to the growing list of businesses forced to close because of rising rents. Woodever, San Francisco’s first and only reclaimed reclaimed wood shop, may be closing its doors for good.

“It’s sad, but that’s life. Turns out there wasn’t that much demand for railroad ties made from planter boxes.” says co-founder Kevin Bryan. “The railroad company wouldn’t take my calls. I never got past the secretary.”

Price points may have been an issue. Though their wood is locally sourced and impeccably curated, their hand-crafted wooden loading pallets have not been popular with Bay Area grocery stores. “At one point there was a deal in the works to build a barn using bar surfaces and countertops from urban coffee shops,” Bryan explains. “But that fell through too.”

“We’re not giving up yet,” he adds. “Woodever.”

The Must-See Pants at This Year’s Treasure Island Festival

It’s October, and that means two things for San Francisco. One is that its time to start thinking about your costume for Halloween – and the other is that it’s time to start thinking about your outfit for Treasure Island. This year’s jeans festival features Washed Out, Bleached, and White Denim. What will YOU wear?

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Washed Out – a classic look, washed-out jeans are having a moment with the emergence of ‘normcore’. Get your Seinfeld on!

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Bleached – this throwback will remind you of some of your favorite pants from the ’80s and ’90s.

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White Denim – while white denim may have had its heyday a decade ago with pants such as the White Stripes and Andrew WK, many continue to still rock it. But at Treasure Island, a word to the wise – beware of grass stains.