When I tell people that I intend to run for mayor of Seattle, they either laugh or just look at me like I’m crazy. I don’t suppose I really blame them. If they told me that they intended to do the same, I might laugh or look at them like they were crazy as well. Here’s the thing about my impending mayoral run, though … I’m fully cognizant of the fact that I will...

I sure am glad that I have a nice view from my window. It makes the fact that I haven’t left my nerd cave in 3 days a little less … claustrophobic. It also makes the fact that I may not leave for the next 3 a little less pathetic. Being cooped up in front of a monitor for hours on end isn’t so bad when you can take breaks here and there to watch the sailboats swarm Lake Union...

Yesterday, I took Boeing’s new flagship airplane out for a spin. I hopped in the cockpit of a 787, took off from SeaTac, flew down to Olympia, cut back over Vashon Island, and came in low over Downtown Seattle before sticking a VFR landing at Boeing Field. Now I know what you’re thinking … Rex is on another meth bender, but you’re wrong. That shit wore off hours ago, and...

I spent most of yesterday in Westlake Park, hanging out, observing, and talking with people. For the most part, it was actually quite enjoyable. Say what you will about the Occupy folks, but 99% of the people I encounter at their gatherings are really nice, intelligent people. I don’t necessarily agree with everything written on their signs, but the corporate greed and government...

It appears that my small claims action against Apple has reached its logical conclusion. I went down to check the mail last night, and when I did, low-and-behold, Apple had mailed me a check for the full judgement amount. I’ve read a lot of horror stories in the past couple of weeks about people winning judgments and then being stiffed, and I was worried that the same would happen to me,...

My memories of elementary school are not fond ones. For a few reasons, I had trouble relating to other kids my age. I still remember a comment from one of my report cards which read “Gets along well with adults, but does not get along with other children.” After a particularly unpleasant semester, a semester that saw my grades and attendance compete with each other for atrocity, the...

Remember this article? http://www.seattlerex.com/the-reddest-of-states/ Well, I just learned that the “Rob the Poor to Feed The Rich” film initiative has passed. Christine Gregoire, the woman who is slashing assistance to the working poor and just-plain-poor across the state, just handed the wealthy film industry a 30% rebate of our hard-earned tax money. She actually signed it into...

The Seattle Waterfront is a place where I spend a great deal of time. As a matter of fact, I’ve walked down to the waterfront on four of the last five days. Ivar’s, Crab Pot, the Aquarium, Waterfront Park, Olympic Sculpture Park, Miner’s Landing, the Ferries … even though it’s not on most resident’s list of places to recreate, The Waterfront is certainly near...

After being called upon to investigate abuses by the Seattle Police Department, four months ago, the Department of Justice released a report which excoriated the SPD over its civil rights violations. This week, Mayor Mike McGinn finally issued his response — a response which consists of a 20-point plan designed to address the DOJ’s concerns. Those 20 points are: Protecting...

Earlier today, after leaving Emmett Watson’s Oyster Bar, I heard a commotion at the north end of Pike Place, so I walked up to investigate. When I got there, I noticed that the “Going To Hell Preacher”, who had his young daughter in tow, had drawn a crowd, and the crowd was not happy. The Preacher had told these people that they were going to hell (hence the nickname, see...

“Would you like to buy a house in the next 5 years?”, the interviewer asked her. One of my very best friends in the world, a woman I’ll call Amy (not her real name), was very excited when, after weeks of searching for a job, an Internet company finally contacted her for a pre-employment phone interview. Amy is a sufferer of IBS, she is very tech savvy, and she’s one of the...

On Tuesday, my 10.1″ Galaxy Tab arrived. I’ve only had a few days to play with it, but I can already see that it’s going to be yet another life-changing device. As someone whose life literally revolves around technology, especially mobile technology, incremental updates such as this literally change the way I do everything, from blogging, to working, to coding, to sketching, to...

“This 7″ Tablet is great!”, I told the Samsung rep, “I really like it. But …” I paused, feeling a little embarrassed by what I was about to say. I realized that it needed to be said, though. After all, honesty is always the best policy. “I feel a little odd blogging on a screen that’s shorter than my member”, I continued, “It’s...

Today, while walking up 5th Avenue, I encountered a woman with a very special friend. That friend was a rat. As one who has lived in large cities for the majority of my life, I have a strong bias against rats, as I’ve never encountered them in anything other than gross situations. Trash bins, sewers, subway tunnels, carcasses, etc. Just thinking about my past experiences with the...

Once, there was the blues. Then, there was rock and roll. This gave way to psychedelic music, which begat rock music, which led to punk, hardcore punk, new wave, alternative music, noise, “grunge”, hip-hop, and electronica. America has always been at the forefront of cultural movements, and this is one of the reasons we have enjoyed such massive mindshare and international...

“Don’t get off the bus ’cause there ain’t nothin’ for you here!” As I pulled into Tacoma at 7 o’clock this morning, those immortal words kept going through my head. I did get off the bus, though … figuratively speaking … and all I have to show for it are these lousy Tacoma photographs. Oh well, you get what you pay for. On my way back home,...

Even though Rick Santorum and 98% of Texans claims that it’s un-American to do so, in my opinion, when a man is wrong, he should apologize. With that in mind, I would like to take this opportunity to formally and publicly apologize to the people of Las Vegas. You see, once upon a time, I bestowed the title of “Worst Drivers in America” upon the people of that city, and...

Washington State. A blue state if ever there were one. At least that’s what we’re repeatedly told. What does it mean, though? What does it mean to be a blue state? Were you to ask most Americans, they would tell you that blue means that a state is liberal. That a state disproportionately taxes the rich, distributes that money to the poor, and of course, votes for the Democratic...

Remember when you could park your car in Seattle and come back to find that some passive-aggressive estroman had NOT left a note on your windshield because you parked 2 millimeters over the white line? Remember when Seattle bands didn’t have tambourines or violins? Remember when King 5 news anchor Jean Enersen still had her menses? Those days are long gone, my friends, but I still remember...

Well, I did everything I could to avoid it. I called phone support, I went to the store, I contacted the BBB, I wrote a letter to corporate, I spoke on the phone with the company numerous times, I sent another letter to corporate. All to no avail. The last straw was a final email, sent to me by an executive relations employee. This was a person with whom I had already spoken with on the phone 3...

Just before a vote on the downtown tunnel was taken, I informed everyone that the tunnel was a terrible idea. I informed everyone that, instead of alleviating downtown traffic, the tunnel would result in far worse traffic. Mere days after I laid out my arguments, however, the multi-billion dollar tunnel was approved by a voter margin of 60% to 40%. Why? I’ll tell you … the tunnel...

Today’s news conference has come and gone, and according to the players in the Seattle arena drama, taxpayers will not have to pay for the arena directly. “Stressing that no taxpayer money would go into the project, McGinn and Constantine said up to $200 million of public funds could be used to finance construction. That money, which would involve a city-county bond issue, would be...

2:00pm today. This is when Seattleites are going to learn about a new proposed stadium designed to lure an NBA team and/or NHL team back to Seattle. While we’re not privy to all of the details yet, preliminary reports are that the new stadium will be built in SoDo, not far from Seahawks Stadium, and that taxpayer money will be used to match private contributions. This being the case, I...

Lost your job, can’t find another one, you can’t see a doctor and your home is being taken away? Well, fear not, my friend, for after months of lobbying, the governor of the great state of Washington has just selflessly made herself a media darling by signing a bill that will … change the definition of “domestic partners” to that of “married...

Well, my friends, the posebag bloggers and their tragically hip followers are out in full force this week. I mean, look at them go. See all the anger? See all the rage? It certainly looks real, doesn’t it? You buying any of it? Some years ago, I had a quite popular website. It’s hard to believe, but it’s true. I had my share of traffic, my share of hits, my share of...