An interesting quote from Gnat at the O’Reilly Radar forums:

Having Nigerians tell us about unclaimed money in bank accounts is the price we pay for being able to tell our family what the kids are doing today.

John Battelle rightly asks “Why isn’t this part of DoubleClick?”

Thanks to Mary for the heads-up.

Link to Spreadshirt announcement.

[Disclaimer: I have zero first-hand information to provide and minimal second-hand information to form a proper opinion... So I'm totally guessing at circumstances surrounding this.]

Update: I just got an email from one of my peers who does have first-hand information. As soon as I get notified that they have a statement or comment on their blog I’ll post the link here. At that point – I’ll defer the topic to them.

FINAL UPDATE: As promised, here’s a link to Nitsupak’s blog regarding the issue. Since this artist is directly involved in the matter (and clearly affected by it) I will let them describe, define, and update on the subject, as they see fit.

My original post, prior to updates above:

I’ve had only two conversations now (hardly makes for a comprehensive review of the topic, I agree) but here’s what came from them.

The first person gave the impression Zazzle was trying to encourage more “adult” level designs by wanting PG-13 or stronger material.
The second person gave the opposite impression that the contact was to encourage friendlier, milder material… mostly G-Rated.

Truth be told – I am having a hard time not seeing this as anything other than a non-issue. I don’t work for Zazzle. It’s not my company. It’s not my place to tell them what to do. I’m not saying that others might not have an interest in the issue (if there is one) either way, but I don’t.

There’s a benefit to a company desiring to promote family-friendly products on their publicly viewable marketplace (or wherever). However, there’s certainly nothing wrong with a company deciding they want to appeal to a demographic that appreciates adult humor or themes.

From my perspective (again, having very little to go on) I’d say it’s a good thing when a company decides to delineate, one way or the other, how they want to present themselves to customers when it comes to the subject of family-friendly versus mature products.

So (and I’m making a guess here), Zazzle may (may) simply be fine-tuning their publicly viewable presentation (what shoppers might see who are not logged-in). Zazzle, from what I’ve ever seen, doesn’t lean strongly either way. They’re not the Disney Store but they’re also not TShirtHell.

In the end I haven’t seen anything to indicate this has a strong impact either way for the average Zazzle shopkeeper.

It would appear that, unless someone demonstrates otherwise, the Z is just working on their shopper-experience like any company would.

I suppose it must be that Spring is settling in? I don’t know, either way my wife, a couple of friends, and myself all seem to be shopping for new computers – most notably portables.

Therefor, in the interest of anyone else doing the same I thought I’d post a few links we’ve come across for, what appear to be, really excellent cases and bags. I haven’t decided on one yet because I’m still deciding on exactly what portable I’ll be getting. It was only a few days ago that I decided, with 90% certainty, that I’ll be getting a Mac (have been a PC user for years). I suspect I’ll be grabbing a 17″ Macbook Pro as I really need a robust portable and don’t want to buy a new machine for as long as possible.

So, if you’re shopping for cases or bags for your portable – may I help you with the following (no, none are affiliate links… this is purely a handy list):

BooqBags

Brenthaven

SFBags

Tom Bihn

Axio (I’ve seen several recommendations of this company but they appear to be unveiling a new site at this time… so it’s just a promo page. Kinda’ silly to dump a site for a promo).

For me, I’ve traditionally been a guy that prefers to pack a bag similar to something between what James Bond and a Navy Seal would carry… except with even more pockets, if you can believe that? However, in looking at some of these seriously stylish offerings I’m tempted to go down a different road. I’m not sure. My whole switch to a Mac portable from a gigantic PC tower system that could launch a Space Shuttle is a big change for me. I’m entertaining new ways of working, new tools and manners in which to do things. So, I might be doing early shopping for a carrying bag but it represents a major change for me.

Good luck to you, if you’re doing the same, and wish me luck.