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- San Diego News Network - http://www.sdnn.com -

Coffee shops are the office away from the office

[1] Students and the self-employed seek refuge from their homeoffices at popular coffee shops, like Lestat's in Normal Heights,pictured above. (Photo by Bob Kahn)

I spent the past year-and-a-half working at Starbucks. Not working as in preparing multi-syllabic,caffeinated beverages; rather as in bringing my novel to labor over at the caf. While I thought it was my

particular idiosyncrasy to abandon a quiet environment in favor of a noisier one, I was surprised to discoverI wasnt alone.

Throughout the country, people are using coffeehouses as their office away from homeor office awayfrom the office.They are turning coffeehouses into what urban sociologist Dr. Ray Oldenburg, professoremeritus at the University of West Florida, calls the Third Place,or the most important socialenvironment after home and office.

This phenomenon is apparent in San Diego where unique socioeconomic factors - a high frequency oftelecommuting and a high rate of self-employment - contribute to a distinct population ofoffice-lessworkers.

[The City of] San Diego has 43 percent of the population in the county but 54 percent of the jobs A netgainer of population during the day, says Michael Schuerman, director of research at the San DiegoRegional Economic Development Corporation. Higher housing costs means more people moving fartheraway which would set the scenario for telecommuting.

Gas prices that are routinely among the highest in the nation create afurther incentive to avoid unnecessary, long-distance driving.

Another factor is the citys high rate of self-employment andentrepreneurship. Between 2002 and 2007 San Diego County had aconsistently higher rate of self-employed workers than the averageacross the U.S., according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.During this period, self-employment in San Diego averaged 8.97percent of the workforce as compared with the national average of6.94 percent.

Diego News Network | Community, Downtown, Attractions, Restauran... http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-05-15/lifestyle/coffee-shops

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hotspots,see below

By Bryna Kranzler

Posted Byjoseph.pena On May 18, 2009 @ 9:04 am In Arts & Entertainment, Food Toolbox, Lifestyle | 4

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scandalous history of coffee

For Lily Gharemani, literary agent and co-founder of Full Circle LiteraryAgency, the caf is a necessary substitute for her office where there is

too much opportunity for distraction.When she reads manuscripts orreviews contracts, she goes to Cream, an independent caf in theUniversity Heights neighborhood of San Diego.

When Im at my desk, theres a pile of matters to be attended to. . .At a clear caf table I can give a manuscript my undivided attention,she said.

The extent to which distraction makes the office an inefficient place towork was quantified by Dr. Gloria Mark, professor of informatics at theUniversity of California, Irvine. Her 2005 study found that employeesspent only 11 minutes on any given project before being interruptedand whisked off to do something else Each time a worker wasdistracted from a task, it would take, on average, 25 minutes to returnto that task.This accounts for the familiar yet unsatisfying feeling of

accomplishing nothing after spending a full day at work.

Yet, in spite of the very real need for productive personal space, human beings are, by nature, a socialspecies and eschew isolation. According to Bob Kahn, a photographer and creator of software forprofessional photographers, the mere presence of other people satisfies that communal craving. He enjoys,having people around, not to talk to - - just to be around. In this way, the caf-as-workplace is likeCheers, the bar made famous by the television series of the same name. Its a place where everybodyknows your namebut you dont have answer to it.

[4] More "office-less" workers are using free Wi-Fi at coffee shops toget work done. (Photo by Bob Kahn)

Many businesses dont resent these laptop-lingering customers and, in fact, they have been cultivating thispopulation. Angie Spinner, customer marketing coordinator for the West and Central regions of the PaneraBread Company, reports that caf commuters increase traffic during the hours between breakfast andlunch, and lunch and dinner and drive sales during [those] times. Its no wonder, then, that the companyoffers free refills on coffee and soda and even a telephone number for free technical support. Policies aresimilar at independent cafes, such as Urban Grind, Lestats, Peets and Pannikin, all of which are making itmore convenient for people to use their facilities for work. (See sidebar on Wi-Fi spots around the county.)

While the natural metabolism of a cafe would seem to offer the very distractions that laptop laborers seekto escape, the actual effect is counterintuitive.

The presence of others toiling in the same surroundings creates a serious and structured environment thatis conducive to work, says Mary Walshok, Ph.D., associate vice chancellor for public programs, and dean ofuniversity extension, as well as adjunct professor in the department of sociology, at the University of


Coffee shops are becoming more attractive as non-traditional work

environments because of the increasing availability of free wireless

access (WiFi) and perks such as unlimited coffee. In addition, cafcommuters consistently cite two, seemingly incompatible reasons forseeking an alternative to the home- or work-based office: The desire toavoid the inevitable interruptions in the office, while at the same timebeing part of a social environmentwithout the social obligations.

See below for a brief and

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California, San Diego. And in the current economic climate in which everyone is working for himself [i]tdoesnt matter where the work gets done.

Whether because of layoffs, cutbacks or personal choice, more people with high value-added skills areworking part-time or as independent contractors, using local cafs as their headquarters. In this trend, Dr.Walshok sees an indication of where work is going in the future. Contract workers, she believes, will play alarger role as companies purchase value-added skills, as needed. As a result, People who are comfortablewith ambiguity and isolation, and know how to navigate this kind of space will be best positioned in the neweconomy.

Article printed from San Diego News Network: http://www.sdnn.com

URL to article: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-05-15/lifestyle/coffee-shops-are-the-office-away-from-the-office

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[1] Image: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-05-15/lifestyle/coffee-shops-are-the-office-away-from-the-office/attachment/000016_img_1062

[2] here: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-05-15/lifestyle/find-a-wi-fi-hotspot-near-you

[3] here: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-05-18/lifestyle/a-brief-and-scandalous-history-of-coffee-and-coffeehouses

[4] Image: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-05-15/lifestyle/coffee-shops-are-the-office-away-from-the-office/attachment/000025_img_1071

Copyright 2009 San Diego News Network. All rights reserved.




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A brief and scandalous history of coffee and coffeehouses

Posted By joseph.pena On May 18, 2009 @ 9:04 am In Arts & Entertainment, Food Toolbox, Lifestyle | 4Comments

Since the discovery of the coffee bean by an Abyssian goatherd (who found his goatsdancing after nibbling the berries from a particular bush), the dark beverage made fromit has been both venerated and vilified. The first consumers were members of the Sufi sect(the whirling dervishes) who drank coffee to stay awake for late night prayers. But once

the beverages popularity spread and coffeehouses opened, it quickly earned its reputation atroublemaking social brew.

In 1511, upon learning that humorous rhymes about him were being composed in coffeehouses, thegovernor of Mecca proclaimed coffee forbidden under the laws of Islam and forced all coffeehouses inMecca to close. In what may be the first example of coffees addictive nature, the governor wasoverruled by the sultan of Cairo who was a coffee lover. In 1675, King Charles II of England felt threatened by False, Malicious and Scandalous Reports . . .to the Defamation of His Majesties [sic] Government and issued a proclamation banning allcoffeehouses Kingdom. The resulting uproar, however, proved a greater threat to the monarchy than

the chatter therein, and the King was forced to reverse the ban before it was effected. Political leaders werent the only ones affected by the popularity of coffeehouses. In 1674, womenin launched a protest for keeping their husbands away from them every evening. The WomensPetition Against Coffee, contending that their husbands came home from the coffeehouse withnothing stiffe [sic] but their Joints, nor standing but their Ears. The Mens Answer to the WomensPetition against Coffee, however, claimed that women should be grateful for coffee because it was anaphrodisiac. At the Palais Royal in Paris, the seeds of discontent with the French aristocracy were sown,resulting directly in the storming of the Bastille and the French revolution. Similarly, The GreenDragon Tavern (a coffeehouse) in Boston was where groups of patriots met secretly to plan TheBoston Tea Party and the American Revolution But coffeehouses also served a higher purpose as the official meeting places for scientific, literaryand commercial conversations. Sir Isaac Newton and other members of the British royal society oncedissected a dolphin in a coffeehouse, while Alexander Pope is said to have written The Rape of the

Lock based on overhead coffeehouse gossip. Doctors also saw patients in private rooms incoffeehouses as well as consulted with pharmacists who dispensed medication. Serious business was also conducted in this environment. In London, a coffeehouse opened byEdward Lloyd became a maritime meeting place where shipowners and the underwriters who insuredthem exchanged news of ships, their cargos and auctions. So many underwriters rented booths atthe coffeehouse that the business had to move to larger quarters at which time it became known asLloyds of London. The London Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange also took shape in coffeehouseswhere merchants and brokers gathered for public auctions and to negotiate deals. The building thathoused Tontines coffeehouse that gave birth to the NYSE still stands at the corner of Wall and WaterStreets. Last year the U.S. Senate began holding bi-partisan, brainstorming legislative sessions inWashington, D.C.s Caf Karma. It was a great opportunity for us to . . . start thinking outside thelegislative box, Vice President Joe Biden had said. Senators credited the cafs fresher coffee,artistic atmosphere, and youthful staff and clientele with helping them overcome old obstacles and

Diego News Network | Community, Downtown, Attractions, Restauran... http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-05-18/lifestyle/a-brief-and-

come up with, among other ideas, a new proposal for stem-cell research


and-scandalous-history-of-coffee-and-coffeehouses

URL to article: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-05-18/lifestyle/a-brief-


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Find a Wi-Fi hotspot near you

Posted By joseph.pena On May 15, 2009 @ 4:22 pm In Arts & Entertainment, Food Toolbox, Lifestyle |

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Diego News Network | Community, Downtown, Attractions, Restauran... http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-05-15/lifestyle/find-a-wi-fi-

The Living Room

-Free coffee refills for customers who purchase a Brueggers mug

-Unlimited free wireless

-11 locations in San Diego

Brueggers Bagelstweets

3

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-Two hours of free wireless service

stores in supermarkets, etc.)

-3 locations in San Diego (not including licensed

Peets

- Free coffee and soda refills



Panera Bread

purchase in the caf-24 hours of free wireless for a minimum $6


-Two consecutive free hours of wireless with use of stored-value Starbucks card

Starbucks

-Limited hours; check your local branch.

-No food or drink permitted



San Diego Public Library

-Additional outlets recently installed along walls; outlets also available in the ceiling

-Obtain free access code from cashier; no purchase required

Brueggers Bagels

-Registered card entitles users to free coffee refills

-TIP: The Starbucks on Pearl in La Jolla benefits from the free Wi-Fi signal from the adjacent

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Places you may not expect to find free Wi-Fi

-Supermarkets (Whole Foods, Vons, Ralphs)

-Bookstores (Barnes & Noble/B Dalton/Bookstar)

-Most Chain Hotels

-Mission Federal Credit Union

Diego News Network | Community, Downtown, Attractions, Restauran... http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-05-15/lifestyle/find-a-wi-fi-

-San Diego Airport Food Court

The UPS Store-

[2] wififreespot.com/ca.html: http://wififreespot.com/ca.html

[1] www.wi-fihotspotdirectory.com: http://www.wi-fihotspotdirectory.com/

URLs in this post:

near-you

URL to article: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-05-15/lifestyle/find-a-wi-fi-hotspot-


[1] [2]For other free Wi-Fi locations visit www.wi-fihotspotdirectory.com or wififreespot.com/ca.html

-EZ Lube

-Dennys


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