Web Standards, Accessibility & More

So I’ve been in the Bay area (south of San Francisco, California, a.k.a. Silicon Valley) for almost two weeks now. It’s pretty awesome, and I’m discovering some interesting things about the difference between living here and in the midwest–some bad, some good.

• Motorcycles can legally ride between lanes/cars in California. Personally, I think this is pretty stupid.
• To rent a house in this area, move fast! Use Craig’s List. And be ready to get a cashier’s check. And it’s very expensive of course.
• Garbage/recycling pickup is treated as an extra utility, you pay monthly to the city. This is pretty silly; it should just be included with property taxes like other places.
• Wireless internet at Starbucks in Mountain View is free–because wireless internet is free in the whole city! Thanks to Google.
• The cost of living is obviously higher here than most American cities, but gasoline prices are relatively not too bad.
• The weather’s real nice as expected. Temperatures are not too hot in the day; pretty cool at night. But the sun is much stronger than I thought. I’ll have to get my car windows tinted, man.
• There’s no White Castle!
• Cruising along the coast is as fun and beautiful as I’d hoped. Santa Cruz is especially cool.