Highway6

Nimby tormenting is fun. We should go replace all the yellow signs with "If you build it, They will come"

So, That time of year again for us 401K and IRA market timers. 2010 - S&P high was April 23rd. Low came early July 2nd then dipped again Aug 27th before the rally started in earnest. 2011 - S&P High was April 29th. Low was Aug 19th and nearly reached again Sept 30th before the rally began in earnest. Anyone that went by the old "sell in May" adage made a pretty penny. 2007-2009 didn't follow the pattern as we were in freefall. 2004-2005 somewhat followed the pattern, 2006 followed the pattern though the downturn was compressed.I know trying to time the markets considered not the way to go and counter to long-term investing. It certainly can backfire as the brief history above shows,. But I also firmly believe riding every up and down of the seasonal roller coaster is pretty insane. Being the google excel dork that I am, Iv'e been keeping track of "what would have been". Had I not actively managed my IRA last May, left every fund as-is and just rode the coaster down then back up, I would have caught back up to myself just yesterday with the big market rally. That would have been 10 months of 0% net gains. Moving up the ladder 2 months of every year ? How the hell is that a viable strategy for long term growth ? Instead - "Selling in May" and getting back in early Oct put me squarely in the "Made a pretty penny" group. Of course, those are currently unrealized, which brings us back to my opening statement - It's that time of year again for the market timers. Several indications, the stalling Russell 2000 index, the lagging DJ Transportation Index, under-performing small-caps show we might be reaching a market high. According to lots of analysts, 2012 will probably be another one that follows the seasonal cycle with perhaps May even coming early. I'm hardly a market expert, I just try to read as many articles as I can on the matter. Thoughts on market timing in general? Thoughts on this year's possible cycle? Thoughts on the election cycle possibly trumping the seasonal cycle? Would also like to get thoughts from others that follow this strategy on good sectors to put money duing the summer doldrums besides on the sidelines.

I know when Shane Battier sold his house near Rice.. his HAR listing showed it had a basement. The HAR page is no longer available.. but the Swamplot article is.

It constantly smelled of rotten eggs and dumpsters. We are all better off.

He may have been cut for financial and directional reasons, but that does not mean there aren't still medical questions surrounding him and his neck. He might have 0 good years left in him. Get rid of Johnson to afford Manning.???.. and just how enticing do you think that would make the Texans to Manning? We need to be adding another star receiver, not getting rid of the only one we have. Hell no Manning. Stick with the Schaub.

So the RDA HomeTour was this past weekend. Didn't get a single mention on HAIF. I'm on RDA's email list.. didn't get a mention there either. Their marketing sucks. I'm pretty ticked that I missed this one. Was anyone here aware that it was this weekend? Anyone go? Bollocks

Ricco.. you wanna share what Montrose location got you that skyline angle by any chance ???

http://timescapes.org/ Has a great forum and lots of user submissions if you're interested in Timelapse photography. Lots of sticky threads for beginnners as well.

Be the noob, that's what forums are for... I got my first semi-real camera after consulting with fellow Haifers Jax and WesternGulf

Since we're talkin about exposure.. I'll give a quick HDR summary. See here for examples of one of the leading HDR photographers. The idea is that you need multiple photos at differenxt exposure then you combine them with either photomatrix or PS and it essentially grabs the low tones, middle tones, and high tones out of the indivual photos and combines it into one photo to increase the dynamic range beyond what is possible in only 1 photo. The farther the range, the better the end result. Some cameras like my own will autobracket at +/-1. Better ones will autobracket even farther. So.. if I determined from above that the ideal solution was F16, 1/125, ISO 100. It will also take photos at F16, 1/60, ISO 100 and F16, f/250, ISO 100. If you have the time ( non moving target ) and a tripod... You can do this all manually and get 3 or more exposures to work with.. and you can do a much greater range. For instance, -4, -2, 0, +2, +4, to get the whitests whites and the blackest blacks. One key thing to remember is, if you're doing manually, that eventhough after rebalancing, the exposure might be equal, not all 0 solutions are equal. You do not want to be rebalancing by switching the aperature. You do not want multiple photos with different DOF. Typically you'll want to change the shutter speed to get your other exposures.

I would say Samagon's explantion is spot on... but for those that need visual aids.... It's all a balancing act. For any given light situation you may encounter, there is one ideal solution, 0. Once you determine what that ideal solution is (with your in-camera metering).. you can change any one of the variables as long as you then balance it by going the opposite direction with one of the other 2. For most cameras, ISO is the most limiting becasue nobody like noise in their photos, So you can set it as low as possible in extreme light situations, and as high as your camera will allow you to get away with(before the noise is unbearable) in dark situations, then you just do the balancing act with the other two variables since DOF and shutter speed affect the your photo more so visually.

I give it a 10. Great new perspective on the city. Bravo.

I'm guessing the speed of the train is based on the number of cross streets and other interferences between stations. It is pretty desolate as you approach Fannin South. Trains wheels contact the steel track the same way whether they are mounted on top of rail ties or embedded in concrete ( top and inside of the rail ).

Interesting thoughts and realities of suburban alleyways - Nice lesson in Theory vs Reality. Perhaps my thoughts on them here in Houston are skewed by the fact that they are only found in urban and already walkable pleasant neighborhoods minus the ginormous lots. I guess Houston knew what they were doing afterall - though i still think its sad that so few of our urban, walkable neighborhoods take advantage of them. I still see them as an asset for the few neighborhoods I previously mentioned. Ya know.. it's funny. I cited King of the Hill and yet all the activity with the beer cooler takes place in the alley - exactly the opposite of what I assumed. Live and learn.

It seems you are correct. I missed the 3500 SF figure. That's nothing and close to useless. Oh well.

http://swamplot.com/...day/2012-02-10/

I still think this is silly to even contemplate new routes at this point - especially anything involving going through Aton Oaks, but I'll play along. I can be a dreamer too. I will throw out one possibilitiy that perhaps might be feasible due to a recent metro development - they purchased the traingular piece of land bordered by 610, Hildalgo, and Post Oak. So one ammended route that doesn't effect Afton Oaks and adds a minimum length of new track would be the following. Thoughts behind this proposal: Segment A track gets moved from the Uptown line to the Univsities Line as far as schedulding and financing is concerned. Segment B track is not a new length since it is moved from the same span along Westpark. Segment C is .65 miles of new track. Currently drawn up - Hilcroft TC is a 0 stop transfer to the Redline while Uptown and the NWTC are a 1 stop transfer to the Redline. I beleive this should be flipped. It can be argued that Uptown and the NWTC should take priority over the Hilcroft TC as far as less-transfer connectibility is concerned to the rest of the system. Therefore, once Uptown line is funded and built it is actually considered an extension of the Universities line, with the Western section (W of Post Oak) segment of the univisity line give a new "Line name" and the little sister designation. - It would curve south and directly connect to the Universities line, like currently proposed - but as far as frequency and priority is concerned, it plays 2nd fiddle. New signature station built on the newly aquired land right across from the water wall. While not offering the direct connection a Westheimer location would - it would greatly enhance the walkability and greatly reduce the distance needed to reach the galleria. Plus, once the Uptown line is built, its a moot point since it would be an extension of the U line. A word on the routing - Hidalgo is 4 lane minimum, and 1 way = Ideal for track placement while avoiding the direct Galleria and 610 entrance traffic that exists on W Alabama. S Rice is barely used street that runs parallel to Sage and would be ideal for the segment connecting Hidalgo to 610, and then Westpark.

There are certainly Urban Planning advantages to the use of alleys in that it seperates pedestrian and vehicle zones and can foster more of a community feel with smaller front yards and houses pushed closer to the pedestrian zone. One big complaint of Suburbia and Mcmansions is the celebration of the automobile - alleys help to neutralize that and I lament our lack of them here. Some of Houston's most desirable older neighborhoods - Heights, cherryhurst, NW of Rice have alleys. That doesn't answer why almost every suburban neighborhood in North Dallas has alleys. Money for double infrastructure isn't an issue up there. Picture King of the Hill - most of the northern half of the metroplex is like that. Apparently the residential consumers of Dallas are willing to lose 10' of their back yards in order to get that dual access. It's a shame we don't have that here.

You don't need to reiterate all of the arguments FOR the train going into Uptown. It does. Somewhere on haif is a a link or a image of the metro engineering schematics for the intersection of those two lines. IT shows a curve that allows the westbound trains the choice of either continuing west or going north. It has also been stated by Metro that trains would indeed do that, that they would most likely alternate. Here.. I drew you a picture.

By all means then.. You and Chris should team up this Saturday and go pass out pamphlets in Afton Oaks about the merit of rail on Richmond. Have fun with that.

Just becasue the two lines are diffent colors on the map does NOT mean trains can't go from one to the other. We aren't talking H vs HO scale here. It has been known for years that the transtion between the two lines will not be a T intersection but a T intersection with a curve from Uptown to University. - Translation: Every other train on the University Line will be going to north to Uptown and beyond. Again with the 3 yr old conversations. And yes... as a Montrosian, I never dare wander more than a mile from the intersection of Westheimer and montrose.. so this Uptown business wouldn't mean jack diddly to me. Really ??

This thread was started 6 years ago today. Three thousand, Four hundred, and thirty-eight posts later and this conversation is still in the same place for some people. Amazing. Who cares what you would want. Who cares what the people of Afton Oaks want or wanted. The "deciding where tracks should go" part of this discussion stopped years ago. Metro won't and shouldn't be having this conversation again.... and neither should we.

Looks like this is gonna be a bust. Less and less interest around here for contests. C'est la vie.

Bye Bye Pieeeee