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editor

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  1. Here's a question for you amateur (and professional?) HVAC engineers out there: In my personal situation, which uses less electricity: Running the central air conditioning, or using a ceiling fan? No matter how humid it gets, I don't like turning the thermostat below 75°. So if it feels a bit warm, I turn on a ceiling fan i what ever room I'm in to make up the difference. But recently I've started wonder if that's the most economical solution. The conventional wisdom my whole life has been that ceiling fans are cheaper than central air conditioning. But there's a complication: I'm on Houston's downtown central chilling system. I pay a flat fee for access to the chilling system, so my variable expense is to the electric company based on how much the central air fan runs to spread the system's cold air around my home. When it gets hot, the central air fan will run for a few minutes until it brings the temperature back into range, and then turn off. Whereas, if I run the ceiling fan, it's on and using electricity the whole time I'm in the room. Is a central air fan more efficient than a ceiling fan? Especially if I only use the ceiling fan in the room I'm inhabiting at the time, while running the chiller fan lowers the temperature across the entire 1,100-square-foot apartment?
  2. Metro has put together a section of its web site to explain urban design principles, presumably to people who think it's possible for Houston to build its way out of pollution and traffic jams. Linky My favorite part is the GIF on the front:
  3. From Metro: New METRO Bus Shelters Pay Tribute to Independence Heights’ Rich History On June 30, METRO helped unveil the first four of dozens of new bus shelters designed in collaboration with the Independence Heights neighborhood. METRO partnered with Houston City Council Member Karla Cisneros, community leaders, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and residents to celebrate the vibrant community and its rich history. Independence Heights is a historically Black neighborhood located north of Loop 610 and west of I-45. In the early 1900s, it became the first city incorporated by African Americans in Texas. "At METRO, we strive to invest in communities that we serve," said METRO Board Chair Sanjay Ramabhadran at the ribbon cutting event. "We are honored to make this investment, but also help share these special stories of perseverance and of the pioneers of Independence Heights." Each bus shelter shares a piece of history and a QR code to encourage riders and pedestrians to visit the neighborhood’s website. At Airline and 34th, riders learn about Washington Stokes, an entrepreneur residents referred to as “the fruit man.” The Fruit Man: The METRO bus shelter at Airline and 34th highlights Washington Stokes, an entrepreneur known as “the fruit man.” The story of the three African American mayors of Independence Heights--George O. Burgess, O.L. Hubbard, and Arthur McCullough--are displayed at Main and 43rd Streets. Other shelters share information about the establishment of the community and the first school for African Americans in Houston, a two-room building that was moved to the community from neighboring Sunset Heights in 1928. "It is a project that has been a labor of love. When people are riding, they will see pictures of the first mayors, pictures of young people in the schools, pictures of the early businesses," said Tanya Debose, executive director of the Independence Heights Redevelopment Council. The four shelters are located at: N. Main Street and 32nd Street N. Main Street and 43rd Street Airline and 34th Street Yale Street and Cockerel Street METRO will continue to partner with the community for more designs, which will be installed over time. Lasting Legacy: “When people are riding, they will see pictures of the first mayors, pictures of young people in the schools, pictures of the early businesses,” said Tanya Debose.
  4. For some reason, Metro has started sending me press releases. So here's this: METRO Rededicates Art Installation by Renowned Artist Floyd Newsum On Wednesday, METRO leadership, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, former State Rep. Garnet Coleman, State Rep. Jolanda Jones and Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis along with community members celebrated the rededication of an art installation by renowned artist Floyd Newsum. "The Tower" was originally installed in 2014 at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Griggs Road along the METRORail Purple Line. After receiving feedback from Coleman and the Third Ward community, the sculpture was relocated to a more prominent area near that intersection and additional lighting was added to ensure the public can enjoy the piece at any time of day. "METRO's commissioning of 'The Tower' is an example of how public art can enhance the overall experience of public transportation, contribute to the identity of the transit system and the community that it serves," said METRO Board Chair Sanjay Ramabhadran. The installation is part of The Authority's commitment to urban design which focuses on the look, feel and function of public spaces to shape quality of life in the region. METRO's Arts in Transit Program aims to bring character into transit spaces with imagery that reflects community identity and the region's unique diversity. "Art deals with the human condition and public art makes sure that people know that their community is something they can embrace," said Coleman. "This enhances our city and it enhances our quality of life." A plaque was added to the platform of the piece, which reads: "This sculpture was created and installed as part of METRO's Arts in Transit program for the METRORail Purple Line. It embodies the spirit of rebirth and heritage. Pyramids are used to reflect a sense of revival and growth in the community." Along with commissioned sculptures near METRORail lines, METRO also built art into the structure of rail platforms and continually collaborates with the community to create a vision for new and existing transit surroundings.
  5. I'd just be happy if Houston had a classical station. An actual classical station, not an internet feed from Minnesota on an HD2 channel.
  6. There was a ceremonial groundbreaking for Metro's $5,000,000 Missouri City Park and Ride facility. Here's the press release: METRO, Community Leaders Celebrate Park & Ride Funding Secured by U.S. Rep. Al Green On Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023, METRO Board Members and executive leadership gathered with U.S. Rep. Al Green, Missouri City officials, and NewQuest Properties to celebrate the $5 million in federal funding secured by the congressman and awarded to the Authority for its Missouri City Park & Ride. During the event, Green presented a $5 million check symbolizing the community project funding that METRO will receive. METRO Board Chair Sanjay Ramabhadran praised the congressman's efforts to procure transit funding and added that public-private partnerships are a win-win for everyone. "This is a great example of ‘Together, we can do more’ — to bring about safe and effective connections and mobility solutions for a growing population," said Ramabhadran. “Thanks to the efforts of the congressman to secure this grant, the Park & Ride in Missouri City will also bring transit to ongoing development." "This is a signifgicant step towards better transportation options in northeastern Fort Bend County," said Congressman Green. "What we are doing today will benefit future generations." Representatives from NewQuest Properties also attended the event. “We are thrilled to share this significant development that has come to fruition through the extensive collaboration between NewQuest Properties, METRO, the city of Missouri City, and Fort Bend County," said NewQuest Properties Partner Kyle Lippman. "It is our third partnership with METRO, and we are grateful to Congressman Al Green for his efforts to secure federal funding to support this initiative.” The state-of-the-art transit facility will serve as an anchor in Phase 3 of NewQuest Properties' Fort Bend Town Center, a mixed-use lifestyle center that will include housing, retail, and entertainment venues. Missouri City and Fort Bend area residents will enjoy greater access to public transportation including: a covered parking facility with 1,750 spaces a covered waiting area ticket vending machines real-time digital transit information restrooms Commuter services will run between the Texas Medical Center and Missouri City, while also providing connections to downtown Houston. The facility will also provide connections to the Authority's existing on-demand curb2curb service. METRO's new Missouri City Park & Ride will give Missouri City and Fort Bend County area residents greater access to transit. It will provide parking for up to 1,750 vehicles, a covered waiting area, ticket vending machines, real-time transit informations, restrooms and more.
  7. While it's far improved over what it was 20 years ago, the whole area is uninviting. It's like a bedroom suburb inside the Loop. The vast stretches of baking asphalt just make the whole place seem like a wasteland, unless you're inside one of the nice apartment complexes. If someone has to get in their car to drive to retail, they'd might as well drive a few minutes to an established retail zone.
  8. I had my car rummaged through three times in Las Vegas. The last time, they took my dashboard hula girl, and my sunglasses. While I miss the hula girl, the joke's on them because the sunglasses were prescription. Always lock your car doors. Crime of the type you describe is a "crime of opportunity." Some bored person or teen-ager walking by tests all the door handles, and if one is open — they look around to see what's inside. Like you, I never keep anything in my car more valuable than a first aid kit. The Red Line can look scary, but of the few hundred times I've used it, only once have I ever thought it was a problem. There was a guy flipping out shouting at invisible people. I think Metro could improve safety simply by putting more fare inspectors on the trains. People behave themselves more when they're on board, and they can get in touch with a real cop almost immediately by radio. I've seen them call for a cop of their radio, and there's officers waiting at the next station. If an ordinary person like me calls the Metro police number, by the time you get in touch with someone, you're six stops farther on, and probably done with your ride. The Red Line suffers from the same perception problem as downtown Houston — people think it's gross and unsafe because of the ratio of drug addicts to regular people. If you use it during shift changes at the Medical Center, it looks perfectly normal like any other train. But once the medical people get where they're going, the ratio changes, and it feels worse. Too bad Metro can't give the Jehova's Witnesses permission to carry out their positive loitering on Metro trains. Whenever they set up on a street corner, the druggies and vagrants go elsewhere. On a related note — I've started riding Metro's buses a little bit. They're absolutely fine. Perfectly normal people so far. Better than the trains, even.
  9. Is it better to share a lane with pedestrians, or with cars?
  10. Yes. How awful that a person who volunteers their free time to keep HAIF tidy for no pay should make a mistake. This is truly one of history's great injustices. Another option is to be tactful and bring it to my attention in a PM, rather than airing dirty laundry in public.
  11. It's happened before. When New Comiskey Park (now Guaranteed Rate Field) was built, the entire neighborhood of bars, restaurants, and mixed-income housing that surrounded it was plowed under for massive surface parking lots. A decade later, people started wondering why the are was a dead zone, while Wrigley Field remained a vibrant, desirable neighborhood even with a hundred-year-old stadium. About a decade ago there was a push to turn the Comiskey parking lots back into a neighborhood, but that got derailed by the 2008 crisis, and everything that has followed since. Since the stadium and the parking lots are owned by the State, and not real estate billionaires, it could still happen.
  12. This kind of MOTUS, or something different?
  13. New restaurant in the basement of 1000 Main, next to the Whataburger.
  14. I think it's part of an ongoing pressure campaign from the city against a group called Food Not Bombs that feeds the homeless outside the library. There's been a bunch of articles about it in the newspaper over the last couple of years. The city is happy to have FNB relocate to a different place on the other side of the bayou where other charities do the same, and the city has social services people available, but FNB won't move, and has been given dozens of tickets. They just don't care, and pay the fine. It's a very weird situation. Not having the library as a cooling center reduces FNB's client base. But I don't think that will bother them.
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    San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site Do you know where General Santa Anna set up his camp during the Battle of San Jacinto or where General Houston was shot? How about where the Surrender Tree was located? Discover the San Jacinto Battleground like you've never seen it before on a staff-led van tour of the battlefield. Tours start shortly after the showing of Texas Forever!! When: Tours start at 12:45 p.m., 1:45 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. and last about an hour. Where: Tours leave from the San Jacinto Monument. Ask at the front desk if you are interested. Age Range: All Cost: Free with purchase of a ticket to the San Jacinto Museum. Note: Our van can accommodate 14 passengers and is open to all on a first-come basis. The van is not handicap accessible. The program will be cancelled if there are no participants 15 minutes after the start time. For more information, email san-jacinto-battleground@thc.texas.gov or call 281-479-2431.
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    San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site Do you know where General Santa Anna set up his camp during the Battle of San Jacinto or where General Houston was shot? How about where the Surrender Tree was located? Discover the San Jacinto Battleground like you've never seen it before on a staff-led van tour of the battlefield. Tours start shortly after the showing of Texas Forever!! When: Tours start at 12:45 p.m., 1:45 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. and last about an hour. Where: Tours leave from the San Jacinto Monument. Ask at the front desk if you are interested. Age Range: All Cost: Free with purchase of a ticket to the San Jacinto Museum. Note: Our van can accommodate 14 passengers and is open to all on a first-come basis. The van is not handicap accessible. The program will be cancelled if there are no participants 15 minutes after the start time. For more information, email san-jacinto-battleground@thc.texas.gov or call 281-479-2431.
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    San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site Do you know where General Santa Anna set up his camp during the Battle of San Jacinto or where General Houston was shot? How about where the Surrender Tree was located? Discover the San Jacinto Battleground like you've never seen it before on a staff-led van tour of the battlefield. Tours start shortly after the showing of Texas Forever!! When: Tours start at 12:45 p.m., 1:45 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. and last about an hour. Where: Tours leave from the San Jacinto Monument. Ask at the front desk if you are interested. Age Range: All Cost: Free with purchase of a ticket to the San Jacinto Museum. Note: Our van can accommodate 14 passengers and is open to all on a first-come basis. The van is not handicap accessible. The program will be cancelled if there are no participants 15 minutes after the start time. For more information, email san-jacinto-battleground@thc.texas.gov or call 281-479-2431.
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    San Jacinto Family Day: Texas Revolution Hats Sep 2 2023 - 11:00am to 3:00pm San Jacinto Museum Everyone in 1830s Texas would have put on a hat before leaving the house. Rugged frontiersmen wore coonskin caps. Farmers wore homemade straw hats fashioned from palmetto or oat straw to protect themselves from the fierce Texas sun, while in town, men bought broad-brimmed, round-crowned wool hats from local stores. Women would have also made sure to cover their hair with a bonnet before stepping outside. During the Battle of San Jacinto, General Houston ordered his Tejano soldiers to tuck a piece of cardboard into their hatbands so the rest of the Texas Army could distinguish them from the Mexican soldados. Join us for September’s Family Day and make your own hat from the Texas Revolution! When: Saturday, September 2; drop in between 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Where: San Jacinto Museum Age Range: Kids 5+; younger children are welcome, but will need to have an adult to help. Cost: Free Note: The San Jacinto Museum and Battlefield Association and San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site are excited to announce the San Jacinto Family Day program. Every first Saturday of the month, we are offering a hands-on, interactive program from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. designed to be enjoyed as a family. Additionally, child entry is FREE all day with the purchase of an adult ticket, so bring the kids or grandkids and experience Texas history as a family! While groups are welcome to participate in the Family Day activity, free child admission only applies to families. Learn more about upcoming Family Day programs. For more information, email san-jacinto-battleground@thc.texas.gov or call 281-479-2431.
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    San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site Stretch your legs and honor the memory of the Texas Revolution with a bike ride at the battleground. Join us every second Saturday for guided bike tours of the Birthplace of Texas. When: Saturday, September 9; 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Where: Meet by the entrance to the San Jacinto Monument; between the reflection pool and the Monument Activity Level: Easy. Most of the route is flat with two small hills, all on paved roads. Age Range & Experience: All. Bicycling experience is a plus but not required. Beginners are welcome. Cost: Free Things to Bring: Your bike, water, sunblock and bug spray. Dress for the weather. Note: The program will be cancelled in case of bad weather or if there are no participants 15 minutes after the start time. For more information, email san-jacinto-battleground@thc.texas.gov or call 281-479-2431.
  20. The cooling centers are few and far between. For example, there are zero cooling centers in downtown Houston. The nearest one is a 40-minute walk, mostly in full sun, in 100+° heat, and heat indicies over 110°. Many of the people who live on the street have problems which require them to take various medicines. A lot of medicines exacerbate any exposure to heat and sun. As an example, many high blood pressure medications make people very sensitive to heat and direct sun. Moreover, many of the people living on the streets congregate downtown because that's where they can get help. Either from the Beacon, or from the city-designated places where charities are permitted to hand out food, or from other municipal and social services, or from the suburban churches that drive vans into downtown and hand meals and hygiene packs out through the barely-cracked windows of their vans because they're afraid of the homeless, but have to keep up their charitable appearance so they can drive back to their McMansions in Spring and The Woodlands and tell their friends what good Christians they are for braving the scary, dark, crime-infested streets of the big city for their pastor and hey, I ordered a double-foam doppio oat milk frap, and this is a single-foam doppio oat milk frap, I demand you get your manager while I rant about this injustice on FaceTube. I don't like that sometimes there's a guy who sleeps in the planter in front of my building during the day. But I can also understand why he might not want to walk an hour in the hot sun just so he can sit in an air conditioned room for a few hours, and then get kicked out on the street again. The cooling centers are only open 9am to 5pm. The same hours that most social services are available. So, the choice has to be made — sit in a cooled room, or find food Sit in a cooled room, or try to get your stolen ID replaced so you can get a mailbox and eventually a job. Sit in a cooled room, or sweep the gas station parking lots in Midtown for a few bucks so you can eat tonight. Sit in a cooled room, or direct tourists into the parking lots for Astros games so you can earn a few bucks to buy some bandages to cover the sores on your feet you got from being shuffled from neighborhood to neighborhood. When I lived in the desert, it was well-known that 5pm is the hottest time of the day. I don't know if that's true in Houston, as well, but it always seemed strange to me to kick people out of cooling centers at 5pm. It's like saying, "Wow, it's really hot out. Like life-threateningly hot out. But my shift is over, so out you go. Good luck. Try not to die."
  21. Only if the sun suddenly appears directly overhead. Generally, in urban environments — including downtown Houston — one side of the street ends up in full sun in the morning, they both bake in the mid-day, and the other side gets full sun in the afternoon.
  22. Easy to say when you have an inside in which to seek refuge.
  23. I think they're probably legal. The older portion of what is now The Star has one. In downtown Chicago, they're encouraged. If your building has an arcade, you can get an extra floor or two on your permitted height. Same if you allow the public to use your lobby to traverse from one side of the block to the other. Obviously, that don't work in Houston, since there is no zoning. No zoning = No way to encourage good design.
  24. Looking forward to it. That strip mall has been so forlorn for so long. I guess that's why there's been a dumpster out front for the last few weeks.
  25. Good idea. I'll make a mint selling bike locks on Fannin Street!
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