Space Needle: Also a cool noise rock band!

Folks who have never been to Seattle may not realize that Microsoft looms larger than life there. In fact, the Microkingdom is so huge now -- larger than many small nation-states -- that it has money to throw after social problems like mass transportation. Microsoft owns and operates its own bus service for employees, and it even runs a special bicycle shuttle over the bikeless 520 bridge, to complement the city's new regional buses.

The coaches on the new regional bus service will have their own spaces for bikes, so it's not clear how long the specialized bike shuttles will continue.

Did you catch that? Intersting that Microsoft employees appear to be exclusive riders of Specialized bikes. Undoubtedly they all ride the new Langster with the Starbuck's trim.