Subdude

But the design is supposed to be Mayan influenced. I hardly see Middle Eastern design elements. That very much surprises me. What did they like about it? I always thought it was mediocre at best. One architecture review compared it to a big box store.

Yep, I have the CD. But I really don't think background music is usually there to conceal noise. I think it is just to fill up silence, because when more and more of the world has muzak, places without it begin to sound empty. Retailers must fret that customers will find lack of music disconcerting.

I'm going to try to go see it this weekend.

Actually a tv show - Trilogy of Terror with Karen Black.

I had posted on one of the skyscraper forums, and someone (Sunstar maybe?) sent a PM that a 100% Houston board was being started, and that was that. I think I was one of the first members on the first HAIF.

Point taken, but in all fairness, nobody's talking about dictating how you spend your money. As I said, I understand that people like to show off wealth in various ways, but by the same token part of the price they pay is that others may find their choices vulgar or inappropriate. Vulgar and inappropriate car:

I would forgive them that as long as they serve the spinach calzone.

I can't log on from work, which is probably just as well.

Jeeps, for that little it seems like a bit of a publicity stunt. Which it probably is. Nothing against solar power, but it isn't economically efficient at the moment.

I agree completely. If someone wants a bigger house and they have the money for it, then have at it. It's not a matter of personal virtue. Likewise, when I posted pictures of bloated furniture and cars, the point was about fashion in design, not that one style is inherently better. It may not be to my personal taste, but as I've said before I think we are wired somehow with the desire to get big things to impress the neighbors.

I had a non-bloated couch almost identical to the one in the picture. Room and Board has a great selection of non-bloated furniture at prices that are less non-bloated than you might see elsewhere.

I think you sir are absolutely correct. I think as a rule of thumb, humans who can afford more space will buy it. As for furniture, I personally hate the fat bloated style that is so prevalent now. It may in part be due to bigger houses that need filling, or bigger people that are sitting, but it might also just be a cultural preference toward bloated design in general. You see the same thing in cars - they get bigger and bigger, and compared to 20 years ago they are more curvaceous and bloated. Maybe some day the fashion will return to lighter designs. Bloated couch: Non-bloated couch: Bloated car: Non-bloated car: Bloated chair: Non-bloated chair:

There's always going to be a certain fringe of whack-jobs around, but it seems a bit of a stretch to paint it as a result of the economy. Must have been a slow news day...

There was also a Cathay House Chinese restaurant at 6638 South Main.

I did see it today. Very interesting. Definitely not your typical Hollywood movie. The guy who made it was living with full time bodyguards, but he ended up having to leave Italy because of the threats.

Is this the building across from Pennzoil that once had Sharper Image on the ground floor?

I didn't realize they had both been torn down. Sad. You are right that area is a bit of a dead zone.

There is a photo posted in Traffic & Transportation that shows the Grand Prize billboard on the Gulf Freeway. I remember this because I had to look up what Grand Prize was. The thing is I can't remember which topic it was.

I like it better from the inside than the outside view. And I can see where it would be a good choice for hurricane prone areas, or if you were planning on starting a cult, but they are probably not to many people's taste. I wonder how the cost /sq ft compares to conventional buildings. I can't look at that floor plan without thinking of Mickey Mouse.

The sister of one of my co-workers moved there a few months ago, and the daughter of one of our contractors also does. Both girls are very happy there. There are an amazing number of 100+ story skyscrapers in the planning stages.

Oh, it's not the economy. The people who do this are jerks no matter how the economy is. They are convinced that people will be entranced into buying more if only they see Christmas decorations.

El Chico?

There's a new movie out about the Mafia in Naples. The title is Gomorrah - a play on Camorra. I hope to see it this weekend.

A block on Main north of Calhoun was cleared in preparation for the Campeau skyscraper which was never built. There was a rendering of it posted a while back.

There have been a couple of complaints about the tone and posters in this thread. 1) Keep it civil and make the effort to behave like gentlemen. 2) Don't respond to trolls - it only encourages them.