I bought one shortly after they came out. I think they are a great idea. You can carry around the lid and reuse it at coffeehouses that have self-serve lids. I always try to reuse paper cups as many times as possible, but I dislike having to throw away so many lids. I am extremely pleases with the tumblers and not at all surprised that they are selling out.

I think you may very well be right, though I'm not as sure as when they first made the announcement.

Thanks for reading and for the thoughtful reply. I'd like to take this opportunity to invite Alterra and/or Mars Drinks or their representatives to contact me with information and I will publish it without editing. Until then, we're left to piece together what we know. AFAIK there wasn't an existing Alterra single-serve business at the time of the sale; Mars Drinks bought the global rights to the brand because they wanted it for their Flavia platform. I don't think the single-serve coffee is roasted by Alterra or handled by them at all, but I may be wrong. Patronizing Alterra--as I did gladly in Bay View this evening--increases the value of the brand and thus further enriches Mars Drinks. For all I know, the Mars family may be the world's foremost philanthropists. All I've read is that they're intensely private and have lobbied against the estate tax.

Hi John, one of my favorite parts of growing older is being able to idolize my parents less and love them more. I understand and respect your background. At the same time, I feel that my parents had the means to truly spoil us, but wisely opted not to. Lynne, Ken and I are each great kids in our own way, and after a year of counseling, I know more than ever that I too am a great guy, an extremely hard worker, and person with immense talents that my parents wisely invested in. I'm so proud to be showing them the results now--just as you, Lynne, Haley and Connor are :-) Love, Mike

Download speeds consistently top out at 50-60 KB/s at Starbucks stores, in my recent experience. Right now I'm getting 140 at an indie coffeehouse, where I've gotten 300+ in the past. I think Jeff Tom's assessment is correct. The only question is what the enduring attraction will be if Starbucks continues to serve espresso machine drinks that are on a par with the Tassimo and other home single-serve coffee machines.

What a great comment! To my mind, the challenge posed by single-serve coffee is two-fold: firstly, coffeehouses have to move (or return to) a customer-centric experience, and secondly, average or above-average drinks will no longer cut it. Coffeehouses will need to take into account the fact that wary consumers can have a $1 or cheaper latte, cappuccino or what have you that approaches lower Starbucks level, without requiring them to pay a premium for the cafe's overhead (20-year-olds standing around talking to their friends and giving them free drinks, barely acknowledging the customer, and the like).

Hi Rob, Glad to have you back! I was drinking a pourover, which I still consider quite good. I think when I return to talking more about coffee--which will be soon, I promise--a good place to start will be my reevaluation of Starbucks. I've actually been pleasantly surprised by them on a regular basis lately. (This might also have something to do with my getting closer to being one of those 50- to 60-year-olds!)

As in "Dear Dr. Rockefeller: Please help me get laid soon so I can stop unwittingly adding possible double entendre to everything I write." Some major editing is required. Sheesh!

Hi Rob, Thanks for the reminder about the Milwaukee-to-Madison leg! To me, the answer as to who would ride it is obvious: precisely those people who are demographically and ideologically most likely to be into the idea of rail. It seems like far, far more of a no-brainer than Milwaukee to Chicago. Think about it: students at two large universities, particularly international students without access to cars; academic and university staff; and government workers and officials. The students may well be looking to have a drink or twenty at one or both ends of the trip. Many currently ride the Badger Bus, and could surely be won over if the price and speed were right. This is a rock-solid base on which to attract more casual riders. Heck, Id bet the Milwaukee-to-Madison leg could end up subsidizing the Milwaukee-to-Chicago leg, at least in part.

Hi Rob, I had a chance to look at a couple more of the links. The one I found most interesting was the one from the Cato Institute. While I disagree strongly with its conclusions, I could not agree more with these sentences from Randal O'Toole's Gridlock: "The benefits of mobility are huge and undeniable. The most tangible benefit is to our personal incomes. Increased travel speeds allow people to reach more potential jobs in a given commute time." Given that a large portion of jobs and income in the City of Milwaukee are now located on the East Side (between UWM and Columbia St. Mary's), neither of which has convenient freeway access, I wonder how well this is being implemented within City limits. Not well at all, I would argue. Though I actually advocate remedying this problem by building freeways to link the East Side, a likelier solution is light rail. This past summer's floods demonstrated the inherent mess of East Side traffic.

Hi Rob, Thanks for the update about Anodyne! Let me know if you hear that it has come in, and I will have to check it out. As you'll see, I've set up a separate page for discussion of rail and other transit issues. And, yes, that's exactly how it works :-)

Hi Rob, thanks for the comment. I have class tonight, so Ill have to answer at length tomorrow. Have you been to Fiddleheads roasting facility and cafe? I guess that is the big coffee news this fall. Believe it or not, I am a thoroughly convinced capitalist with a libertarian streak. As the owner of the blog and the LLC, I enjoy wide latitude (luckily) to determine the frequency of posting and the subject matter, as well as how much or little documentation I provide. This is an ebtertainment and discussion forum, and I dont have the kind of obligations a newspaper or TV station does. That being said, I will engage in detailed discussion as time allows, but Ron Johnson and I have one thing in common: 12-hour workdays (especially if you include class time)! Bye for now, Mike Sent from my iPhone

Oh, and I think its actually the short-range trips for which rail is most needed. Lower East Side to Upper East Side of Milwaukee seems like the most obvious example. Maybe that will be Phase 2 of the system mentioned in the Milwaukee magazine article. Sent from my iPhone

Hi Rob, I had a chance to read the Milwaukee Magazine article. I guess what struck me most is the lack of urgency in light of the fact that in coming decades, oil will either run out entirely or be prohibitively expensive. The way I see it, we can put down the infrastructure for whatever comes next now, or we can wait and panic-build later, at a premium cost, in response to an oil crisis. Also remember that any of a number of geopolitical scenarios could trigger it. Not have a backup plan? Wouldnt be prudent. Sent from my iPhone

Thanks, guys, for your comments--and for helping me breathe some life back into this thing! It was good to be inspired again.