Rex and I are off to the West Coast of the USA this weekend...
I'll be attending User Experience Week in San Francisco and Rex SIGGRAPH in Los Angeles.
It might come as a surprise to our American friends, but the biggest concern we have about visiting the US is not the startling fact that people carry guns... but the US interpretation of "espresso".
In New Zealand cona-coffee (drip-fed) has effectively been banned from any urban centre with a population less than 10,000. Drinkers of instant coffee are frowned upon and coffee cartels such as Mojo and Havana roam the streets of Wellington "de-bucking" anyone carrying Starbucks.
The coffee subject is so hot in New Zealand that it has frequently spilled over into social commentary and local celebrity blogs.
Fortunately for me it's the internet to the rescue once again!
Coffee Ratings is simple yet effective website based on the book 'San Francisco Espresso: A Pocket Guide'. There's a simple map then a click-through to ratings for each neighbourhood.
While this website could have been created using the latest and greatest Web 2.0 mash-up technology (with Google maps, social networking and animation) - sometimes I think we can learn a lesson from old-school Web 1.0 websites such as this. What I like about this site is that it delivers "just enough" content. It answered my question in about five seconds flat.
So based on CoffeeRatings.com I'm hoping to find time to sample some fine coffee houses while visiting San Fran next week. Perhaps I might even debunk the urban legend that "coffee is crap" anywhere outside of New Zealand and Cuba?
Photo: © 2006 dubh
