TO BEGIN TODAY'S TOPIC, please note the various big billboards in Safeco Field for Bank of America.

Then, notice how Seafirst branches have started getting new ATMs installed with painted-canvas marquees on top, apparently covering the real nameplates beneath--a sure signal of an impending name or logo change, to which anyone who's lived through all the bank and gas-station name changes in recent years can attest.

For over a decade, the Frisco banking behemoth has promised it would keep the Seafirst Bank name on its acquired Washington operations, even as it's stuck the B of A brand onto all the banks it's since bought in some 16 other states beyond its Calif. stronghold.

Is this promise about to finally be broken?

Seafirst officials aren't saying, yet.

But the writing's on the wall--or, rather, on the temporarily-covered ATM nameplates.

Soon, Seattleites will be able to go to a Frisco-owned Chevron station's convenience store, use a Frisco-owned B of A ATM card to buy a Frisco-owned Hearst newspaper, and read all about the hipper-than-thou elitists down in Frisco complaining about Seattle-owned coffee shops befouling their oh-so-precious town.

Frisco-elitists, even the "alternative"-minded ones, might not be personal fans of B of A, Chevron, or Hearst, but might not see anything out-of-place about Frisco-based corporate empires controlling big swatches of the Northwest economy. After all, that's what empire cities are supposed to do. But when Redhook or Nordstrom or especially MS dares to invade the City That Thinks It's God, then golly you're in for some serious turf-defendin' talk as those peasants from the outlands attempt to storm the castle.

Sooner or later, the Friscoids are gonna have to face one of the more unsettling revelations of the multi-way economy their own Global Business Network loves to preach about--there's no more center, no more periphery, or at least there eventually won't be.

And what goes for goods-and-money trading goes for ideas-and-dreams trading too. SF (and NY and LA) are gonna have to learn to live with being just another region, not Center of the World.

TOMORROW: As the new edition of my book Loser goes into production, I get interviewed by another Euro music magazine; while another apparently-tacky Cobain exploitation movie comes to town.

HELP ME!: The third annual Misc. World Midsummer Reading List is coming soon. Nominate your favorite warm-weather reads by email or at our luscious Misc. Talk discussion boards.

ELSEWHERE: Speaking of people who mistakenly think they're hotter-than-thou, Richard Meltzer used to be one of the more imaginative rock-writers before he started trying too hard to make himself into a brand name, essentially writing about nothing but how cool he wanted you to know he was. He makes something of a return to his older, more creative form in a long Chicago Reader memoir about about the good-old-days of vinyl records.

Recent highlights:

• Something I never expected: a new bowling alley in the heart of town.
• Fun with search-engine keywords that mistakenly bring users here.
• A few wacky/poignant items found online lately.
• Weblogs, the latest cyber-fad.
• Has the alterna-rock generation already become passe?
• Bremerton, the new art colony?
• Local artsy-types used to love to say Seattle sucked. They still do, with different backing arguments.
• Safeco Field, a palace of industrial luxury.
• The Rainforest Cafe, perhaps the easiest satire-target EVER.
• Cool webzines that are not Salon or (thank heavens) Slate.
• If we can't have fewer cars, let's at least get some smaller ones like they've got overseas.