What's up with the new look? What was wrong with the old one????

So I was working quietly in my office (actually a small conference room dedicated to my work) when I heard a real quick "tchk tchk BANG!" A glance over at today's transportation showed this:



I had actually heard the tire bead moving on the rim a split second before it blew. Later in the afternoon I started to replace the tube and discovered the spare I'd brought had a Schrader valve. Aaarrrgh! A co-worker kindly offered to drive me over to REI just 10 minutes away. Eventually I got it all fixed up and rode home.