Last week I found myself answering some routine questions around the usual "why Silicon Valley and not [insert locale here]?"

And I gave all the usual answers:  great universities, great people who come and stick around, high housing prices that make one desperate to build equity, cluster effects, and a positive (or vicious, depending on how you look at it) cycle feeding all of the above.

But I neglected to mention San Francisco.  Shame on me.  Yes, I think San Francisco, with all of its entrenched looniness and bohemian iconoclasm, is like a little innovation gallbladder injecting creative bile down into the capitalist digestive tract that is Silicon Valley.  Call it trickle down innovation, or a spark plug effect, but I truly believe that all the free thinking (and doing — lots of doing) up there makes a difference down here in the ‘burbs.

In case you doubt me, please turn your gaze to Exhibit A:

7TH ANNUAL’BYOBW‘
BIG WHEEL RACE
FREE OUTDOOR EVENT
EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 8th 2007
4 PM
TOP OF LOMBARD ST, SF
BIG PEOPLE ON KID’S TOYS
NO RUBBER WHEELS
HAND-MADE PRIZES
FUN!