memebag

Just stay away from people. Filthy, virus-laden people. And wear Kleenex boxes on your feet.

I used to work at a major retail transaction processing firm. We spent much of the year making sure our system could support the volume between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The rest of the year we paid for that surplus capacity with no return. There are so many systems in our world that could be run more efficiently if it wasn't for Santa Claus. While we're at it, I want to stagger everyone's working days so that we aren't all on the road at the same damn time.

Are you trying to insult me or my employer with these remarks? Have I offended you in some way? That's easy. Putting people next to each other provides benefit for some industries, and a central location spreads transportation costs more evenly among employees. Putting racks of servers on land that could be used more profitably for people when those servers could provide just as much benefit on cheaper land makes no sense. Then we add in disaster tolerance factors and it makes even less sense. Why put your servers closer to possible terrorism targets than you need to?

I have no idea what you mean, but skipping rope while smoking dope is incredibly difficult. I don't know any "riff raff" capable of that, but they get points in my book for gumption and coordination.

Probably not. I'll try to resolve any confusion if you tell me what you don't understand. Here's a Wikipedia article about it: Data Center

Good for you. Why do your people have to spend so much time at the data center? What are they doing there?

If your techs are at the data center all the time then you're doing something wrong. Ours went to the data center to set up our first set of servers. After that, everything is remotely administered. Why?

My employer locates all of its servers off-site. I think there are 2 people who have been to the server farm and another 2 who know where it is. No one else cares, and there's no reason they should. Why would anyone pay downtown real estate prices to house gear that can be anywhere within reach of fiber optic? It sounds like a very dumb idea to me.

Spec's annex.

There's a statue of Oliver Twist at Miller Theater. From Miller Theater's Historical Highlights:

Pipe organ?

Rule #925: Don't buy anything from stores with fictitious origin stories.

It's not a movie theater, it's for plays. "A. D. Players" is a Christian theater group.

I see no struggle or crisis. Houstonians have a good grasp of their city's identity: a hot, humid, city spread thin across a coastal plain with lots of oil refineries, a big port, lots of freeways, cars and traffic and a low cost of living. Really, who's struggling to come up with identities?

I remember my dad taking me down there in the mid 70s and telling me they were about to build all kinds of retail and pedestrian space around it.

Did you bring enough for the whole class? Study of Toxins in Houston Air...

Then go outside. Let the rest of us stay in. When I was a kid, my folks tried to make me play T-ball. I hated it. It took place outside in the summer, when I would much rather be inside watching Speed Racer on channel 39. Eventually they stopped trying to make me go outside during the summer and everyone was happier. As I age, I enjoy the heat more. A swimming pool helps a lot. But I will never hold it against someone for wanting to stay in the AC, especially downtown during the summer, especially wearing office attire. I love the tunnels. Yesterday I had some free time and just wandered around in them for a while. I know I shouldn't love them, but I can't help it. The only improvement I can think of would be everyone shaving their heads and wearing white jumpsuits.

That worked. Someone at "edginc" says the sidewalks will remain public space.

Oh my god! You mean, the other cities are ... laughing at us??? Quick! Stop spreading out! Build bike paths! More sidewalks cafes! We have to change everything that attracted people for the last 50 years! We have to become VIBRANT!!! Everyone, start vibrating! Won't someone think of the setbacks? We finally have a reason to densify: peer pressure!

That is weird. Fishnet uniforms, anyone?

It is if they become part of a shopping mall. Is there any way to find out for sure?

Right, because unlike the homeless, the homed need more liveable places.

Why wouldn't they?

Looks like a cheese grater from that angle.

I can't find anything on the web about that, but Wikipedia says he was born in Vietnam and fled "emigrated to the United States with his family to leave the communist government of Vietnam". A Daily Texan article says he emigrated as a teenager, so if he was born in 1956 he had to leave before 1967. I know a lot of the people emigrating at that time were wealthy Vietnamese, so maybe his family was rich?