The annual Seattle-to-Portland bicycle ride took place this weekend, rolling 10,000 folks south through small towns along the I-5 corridor. They got sweaty, rained on, thirsty, and hungry, but did entrepreneurs line up to profit from them? No, they did not. Plenty of people would've been willing to open their fanny packets to spend $$$ on coffee on food, especially since organizers ran out. But the people of Centralia, Chehalis, and Winlock (of Giant Egg fame) did not see dollar signs in the spokes folks.

What gives?

For runners, one upside to unemployment may be the chance to set a personal best. Conventional wisdom might suggest laid-off weekend warriors, who now have 40 more hours in which to train, would improve, but personally, I didn't find that to be the case. To my great disappointment, the extra "free" time never felt free, and produced only a slight improvement in my race times-- about the same as when I'd had a job. While looking for work, I felt guilty about spending too much time running. Some others agree with me.

What do you think? Should job-seekers use the time off train harder and improve, or would they be better of focusing on the job search? 

Or maybe it should say freé. Either way, you get the meaning-- today you can get 8 ounces of gratis coffee product (7 if it's iced) from your favorite multinational fast-food corporation. Set your Outlook reminder now; You don't want to miss this. And hey, if you're out of work you could Google map participating McDonald's locations and spend a few hours riding your bike around, getting hopped up on coffee and chocolate. Just an idea. Or, as they say dans le McCafé, un ideé.

What do you think of the McCafé concept? Tell us about it in the comments section.

Kick off your weekend by scoring some free Jones Soda today from 8 to 5 at their SLU HQ, or print out a coupon if you're not in Seattle. That's right, you can be Jonesin' for breakfast.... do they have a bacon flavor?

The embattled local sody-pop co. is looking for a little more PR love by reviving (or perhaps just publicizing) their Friday-afternoon tradition and stretching it out across a whole day. Will it work? Will Jones get itself upgraded from a penny stock to a carbonated contender? 

And, more importantly, what flavor are you going to get?

You tend to think that some jobs are recession-proof. The world always needs plumbers, postal workers, and traffic cops. Well, maybe not the last one. In Fredonia, Ariz., they just throw a mannequin in the cruiser and call it good.  John Henion, job-seeker and road-tripper, caught on to the ruse. I spoke to Henion about the strange state of being out of work for an article on jobless bloggers. Good to know he's still got a sense of humor, if not a regular gig.

The federal bump in food stamp benefits has stimulated the economy by boosting consumers' buying power, the Wall Street Journal reports. Unlike tax credits, people on food stamps spend their benefits almost immediately, pumping money back into the economy. But whose money is doing the boosting? As I've reported before, food stamps are still controversial, and not everyone believes the program is administered fairly, or well.

What do you think? Should food stamps be considered economic stimulus? 

Despite being forced to listen to "The Entertainer" ad nauseum, ice cream truck driving is a hot job among the Seattle-area unemployed. However, most drivers lease the trucks and buy the ice cream, which makes it a risky business, especially when no one's buying and you are inclined to eat the product yourself. Jonesing for ice cream, now?  Ben & Jerry's is giving away a new product in Seattle and Portland and Starbucks is giving Facebook users a free ice cream coupon. No screaming required. Please.

Supertwitterer Ashton Kutcher boosted Boeing by dissing Airbus via Twitter. Kutcher, one of Twitter's most popular users, said a pilot told him not to fly in an Airbus until they prove the composite tail is safe. OMG-- fans all over the world are cancelling their Virgin flights right now!!!!!!

What do you think? Is this useful info or should Ashton shut up?

Fremont's outdoor cinema is free, (suggested donation: $5) and they'll be holding a zombie Thriller tribute Friday night before Shaun of the Dead. The theme is Red, White & Zombie in honor of our nation's birthday.

Yesterday a woman was reportedly held at gunpoint for her iPod on Capitol Hill, which reminded me of other recent reports of iPod robberies, until finally my mind came to rest on the day a few months ago when someone smashed a window of my car at Seward Park and stole my laptop and cell phone in the 26 minutes and 11 second I was gone. (They didn't get my watch.)

The good news is police recently busted a "store" full of stolen laptops and electronics so-- fingers crossed-- maybe there's a chance I'll get my laptop (and all those photos I didn't back up) back. I'm not holding my breath.

It's scary that people are whipping out guns and knives to rob people of items worth $150. Is there a song called "Economic Recovery?" For those of you who still have possession of your iPod, maybe put that one on repeat.