I work in the same team as James (we’re both in the Mobile team), and needless to say, I’m worried as all hell. If anybody has ANY NEWS at all about his or his family’s whereabouts, please contact the SFPD. The following is from the official investigation of the SFPD:

Missing Family Includes: James, Kati, Penelope (age 4.5) and Sabine (6 months). Last name is Kim

Overview: The Kim Family left San Francisco on November 17th on a road trip to the Pacific Northwest. They had thanksgiving in Seattle with family and then drove to Portland. They were last seen by their friends in Portland who they had brunch with on Saturday, November 25. According to their friends, their plans were to drive out to the town of Gold Beach on the Oregon Coast and then make their way back to San Francisco. James was expected back at work on Tuesday, November 28th. When no one had heard from him by Wednesday morning employees at the Kims’ two stores and his colleagues at CNET began to make phone calls to his family and friends to inquire of his whereabouts. Presently, the SFPD is investigating the case.

If you know anything about James’ whereabouts, you can contact the SFPD by calling 415-558-5508 during normal business hours and 415-553-1071 after hours. Here’s the official SFPD missing persons report. Any help is appreciated.

Spotted this on the Montgomery BART/MUNI station. It’s one of those Kaiser Permanente ads that advise you on how to improve your health and such. But, uh, it looks like someone has gone ahead and decided to comment on the sex one. Hee hee!

The Zine Fest will be held at CELLSpace (2050 Bryant in the Mission) from 10am to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Oh, and admission is FREE!

Then again, I’m pretty sure it depends on the neighborhood. Any insight on cell phone reception in your respective hoods, readers? (Also, what carriers do those guys who use their cell phones in the MUNI tunnels use? They must have excellent coverage!)

Spotted on Persia Avenue. I was struck by its wide mournful eyes.

Some of us have heard of the Third Street light-rail project for awhile now, and it seems that MUNI is finally testing the new Muni Metro route with a few streetcars (So now if you see a Metro train down Third Street, you’ll know why). The “T-Third” line would connect Potrero Hill, Bayview, Hunters Point, and Visitacion Valley to downtown. Muni is saying that the official opening for the line will be April 7, though they hope to have a limited weekend service starting in January 2007.

The new light-rail extension runs between Bayshore Boulevard and Sunnydale Avenue in Visitacion Valley at the Daly City border, and 4th and Berry streets near the Giants ballpark in China Basin. At China Basin, the route is integrated into the existing Muni Metro operation — transporting passengers through the Market Street tunnel to Castro Street.

Prior to reading the SF Gate article, I had no idea the Third Street line was supposed to serve as a “gateway” to the city’s poorest neighborhoods, to allow them increased visibility and bring about a “neighborhood renaissance.” I am highly skeptical that a simple streetcar line will affect this kind of change, but perhaps I’m not seeing the bigger picture here. Nevertheless, it’s nice to have extra Muni routes in the city, and now I have little excuse to not visit friends in Potrero Hill.

If you’ve been anywhere downtown in recent months, you’ve seen the BNE stickers. On street lamps, on newsstands, on sidewalks, on pretty much any surface susceptible to a piece of adhesive. From what I can gather, it’s the work of a well known sticker graffiti artist, known in Japan, New York, Los Angeles, and, well, here. Some people call it art, some people call it vandalism. Gavin Newsom, he thinks it’s the latter. So he’s offering a $2500 reward to anyone that gives the City clues that’ll lead to this sticker-tagging guy.

Well kudos to you BNE, you’ve just reached street legend status. Now might be a good time to lay low.

Holy crap. There was a fire at Benders Bar & Grill last night, which is located in the Mission district around 19th street and Van Ness. Several residents lost their homes, plus, well, the bar’s burnt to the ground.

Not too much details so far, but you can read the Chron story here.

PS. And no, the irony of the Benders logo is not lost on me.