Posthuman Blues

William Gibson speaks the truth:

"Aside from making it possible to readily ingest really pretty damn good coffee just about anywhere, Starbuck's also deserves some credit for having inadvertently birthed a back-market of Anti-Starbuck's, everything from hole-in-wall-with-thrift-shop-sofa operations to the indie-coffee equivalents of The Tattered Cover. If Starbuck's wasn't there, these guys wouldn't be either. (And a lot of them don't make as good drinks as Starbuck's, if you get right down to it.)"

(cribbed from www.williamgibsonbooks.com)

While Gibson is essentially accurate, he fails to mention the impossibly long lines and spotty service that seem to plague Starbuck's franchises. Or at least the one down the street from me.