Ok this is a bit off topic but I have to share this with everyone. About three weeks ago a local fair trade coffee company named Bridgehead opened a coffee shop in the neighborhood where three-quarters of the Jaded Pixel guys live in Ottawa.

Since I had been to other Bridgeheads before I wanted to check it out, mostly because I like the coffee and it’s all fair trade. When I finally got around to stopping in for a cup I was blow away by how wired this place is. Having spent the better part of the last 10 years lugging a laptop to coffee shops all over Canada and the United States, I thought I had pretty much seen it all when it comes to creating a friendly computing environment in a coffee shop.

At Bridgehead, there is free high-speed wireless connectivity, pretty standard for alot of places except for the fact that its FREE! In addition, there are electrical outlets at every table in the entire place. No more watching your battery go down to zero percent because the guy reading the New York Times won’t move from the one spot with the electrical outlet. Lastly, if your sitting with a laptop, you can stay as long as you want as long as you buy something when you come in. Heaven!!!

A few days later, I asked Tracey Clark (one of the owners) about the store and she told me that the plan was to make an environment as friendly as possible to the mobile computing crowd and did they ever succeed.

This new Bridgehead makes going to the office a bit tedious since I mostly want to go work at Bridgehead instead. The connection is faster, the coffee is better and it’s closer to my house. Tobi and I have started having as many meetings as possible there and I find myself working there several nights a week.

We have even been joking lately that our new motto is:

Jaded Pixel powered by Bridgehead.

If anyone knows of other computer friendly coffee shops around the US and Canada please submit them and I will start keeping a list.