Jump to content

Specwriter

Full Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,032

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    3

 Content Type 

Everything posted by Specwriter

  1. Specwriter
    That would explain the very serious cooling apparatus located to the left of the building in the aerial photo. Big rooms full of servers, etc. generate considerable heat which is bad for the equipment. Most have dedicated cooling systems apart from the rest of the building. I can imagine those mainframes from 45+ years ago created even more heat than modern equipment. I had a secretary back in the early 1990's who would apply nail polish to her finger nails then speed the drying by holding her fingers near the fan exhaust on her desktop computer. She did other unusual but practical things like placing her car keys in the break room refrigerator on top of the container with her lunch leftovers so she would not forget to take them home.
  2. Specwriter
    A direct trip from any one floor to the ground level would not take long at all even in a 40 story building but if the elevator had to make several stops along the way the time would increase dramatically. This is most likely in an office building at the start or end of the work day or during lunch time. It is probably not an issue in a residential tower since the coming-and-going would be more spread out. Residents "trickle" in or out of their apartments over an extended period of time whereas office workers have a generally shorter arrival and departure window. Consider the similarity of a residential parking garage versus an office parking garage to the elevators in those buildings. One other thing, the super fast elevators are usually intended for those that make the jump directly from the ground floor to a much higher floor like the 40th. Their higher speed capability would be wasted on an elevator that starts on the ground floor and may make stops on the first 20 floors for example. I am in awe of our elevator consultants who can figure out how many cars are needed for a certain size building and how they should be deployed within the building. Of course, now there are now algorithms to help with the programming. My current office building has 48 floors and three banks of five elevators each. Each bank of five serves a set group of floors.
  3. Specwriter
    Not really. That distance is about 500 feet and 500 ft./min. was the norm for that type of elevator in that building at that time. The building opened in 1983. Things have improved though with elevator speed. Currently the Schindler 7000 high-rise has a range from 500 to 1600 feet per minute. Believe me (I'm an architect and I've been in a lot of elevators) you will certainly get a sensation of acceleration and speed going from zero to 1600 feet per minute.
  4. Specwriter
    Just the inconvenience of a 40 floor elevator ride (down and back up) to take the dog out to pee at night might squelch my desire to live in a high-rise. I once worked on the 37th floor of a building. The elevator trip from the ground floor to the 37th took 65 seconds if there were no stops. That doesn't sound like much but include maybe 6-8 stops per trip and consider how much time that might involve over a week. I wouldn't be too worried about getting out of a burning high-rise (modern codes in the US ensure the egress routes are very safe) except that my knees would make descending 39 flights of stairs a slow and painful event.
  5. Specwriter
    Palace Lanes and now Magic Island. Life is becoming great again. Really, people need something to do be sides being mesmerized (pardon the pun) by their I-pads. My late uncle was a self-made success and former country boy from Lee County in central Texas. One of his great pleasures as an adult was an evening at Magic Island.
  6. Specwriter
    Wasn't there speculation on another thread that KHOU was considering scrapping its current format for one similar to NewsFix?
  7. Specwriter
  8. Specwriter
    This is so true. I've begun the down-sizing process. Two years ago we moved from a 4 bedroom suburban house to a 2 bedroom townhouse. Even though the square footage of the townhouse is generous for a 2 bedroom it still would not hold all our crap stuff. I rented storage space for 6 months until I could find appropriate homes for the things we no longer wanted. Writing that rent check every month kept me motivated to get rid of stuff.
  9. Specwriter
    But will there still be bowling lanes? Please say yes. I have missed those since Palace Lanes closed in 2016.
  10. Specwriter
    The Fairmount Hotel in San Antonio was moved several blocks about 30 years ago. It can be done but it cannot be cheap. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oNEeULPs_Q
  11. Specwriter
    Like.
  12. Specwriter
    Brooklyn, you and trymahjong have certainly taken me to school about the mayoral residence in New York (I'm not usually so sloppy in my "research"). My ignorance is now cured. Yes, Ed Koch was never married even during the time he lived in the Gracie Mansion. I guess I got that right by default.
  13. Specwriter
    Best people
  14. Specwriter
    and commercials touting New Orleans and San Antonio in the Houston market. Perhaps with the steady influx of new residence it makes sense to promote the city within the city. I've always felt one great thing about Houston is it is only a few hours' drive from San Antonio or New Orleans.
  15. Specwriter
    That was pretty cool of John Mecom. He was a real car guy and a class act for sure.
  16. Specwriter
    Thanks for the clarification. I guess my recollection is not very good. When the mansion was built in 1799 by Archibald Gracie it was five miles from "town."
  17. Specwriter
    I agree, like the Gracie Mansion in New York City, the Kirby Mansion could serve as the "official residence" of the mayor. That doesn't mean he or she has to sleep there but it would be wonderful for official receptions, special ceremonies, and visiting dignitaries' overnight visits. IIRC, former New York mayor, Ed Koch (a bachelor at the time) was the only NYC mayor in modern times to actually reside in the Gracie Mansion. I doubt Michael Bloomberg, Rudy Giuliani, or Bill de Blasio even considered living there.
  18. Specwriter
    I've often wondered if Houston, "the powers that be" that is, never felt the need to promote itself. People will come here to live or do business because they know what the city has to offer. If you want to work in jobs related to NASA, the petro-chemical industry, or medicine you are most likely already aware of the opportunities here and "advertising" in places outside the city may seem superfluous. I've noticed while watching a particular morning "news" program there is a commercial featuring local celebrities like Lyle Lovett, Jose Altuve, etc. that promotes Houston as a place to live, work, and play but it is being broadcast on local television! What's up with that? FWIW, If I lived some where else and was coming to Houston as a tourist, I would probably not stay in the Greenway Plaza area as nice as it is. I would look to accommodations in downtown, in mid-town, the Galleria area, or even toward the coast or Galveston Bay.
  19. Specwriter
    Classy Chassis wasn't as extensive as Keels & Wheels and, of course, the yacht club was a great venue even if rather warm sometimes (K&W is usually held the first weekend in May). That said, the quality of the cars shown at Classy Chassis was comparable to K&W. There seemed to be themes for each year's event. One year it was competition cars and included everything from a 1920's Bugatti to Jim Hall's Chaparral J2 (the notorious "fan" or "sucker" car) from the early 1970's. Being in air conditioning was a huge plus and, like I already mentioned, the diffuse lighting was great for taking photographs.
  20. Specwriter
    In fact, in 1969, 1970, and 1972 the 'dome was home to the "Astro Grand Prix" indoor midget car race (there was no race in '71). It was a big deal, and the best open wheel drivers from across the country competed. The track was a 1/4 mile dirt oval. Initially, it was successful with strong attendance but it sort of faded away. The folks who ran the 'dome said the dirt and dust damaged the huge air conditioning system and, by the 3rd edition, it was not making money. The winners of the three races were, Tom Bigelow in 1969, A.J. Foyt in 1970, and Gary Bettenhausen in 1972. I attended the 1970 race with my father. Recall by 1970 Foyt had already won the Indianapolis 500 three times - 1961, 1964, and 1967. At the end of the race my eyes and throat burned from the fumes and there was a large yellowish brown "cloud" at the ceiling of the 'dome. Still, it was a great time with Dad; one I will always remember. I visited my father today and we did recall some of the other great times we've had. You know how it is when you get older - it's easier to remember what happened fifty years ago than what happened yesterday. Classy Chassis was discontinued a few years ago. I e-mailed the organizers and thanked them for holding the event and let them know how much I enjoyed it. They told me they were pleased to be able to organize it and, while it had been successful, it was just too much effort to maintain.
  21. Specwriter
    That is an excellent idea. For a few years there was a classic car show each year at NRG stadium. The diffuse light from the translucent roof was great for showcasing the automobiles and, of course, the weather outside didn't matter
  22. Specwriter
    Remember too that Austin has a large university very close to its "downtown" which I am sure has much to do with the nature of the night life in the district. I don't believe that the night scene in Austin would be sustainable if not for the steady influx of new patrons from the University of Texas.
  23. Specwriter
    This certainly looks like Alief or Greenspoint area circa 1976. I can only suppose the developer believes this is all the market will support for the next 20 years then will sell it or redevelop it for more density. At least it may provide some more reasonably priced, and better quality housing for those who want or need to be near downtown but cannot afford $2-3/sq. ft./month rents. My big regret is that I've seen complexes such as this become "shooting galleries" many time over once the economy starts on a downward trend and management starts letting maintenance slide, e.g. Greenspoint circa 1987.
  24. Specwriter
    "Skyscraper" is definitely a subjective term. Certainly the Wainwright building scraped the sky when it was new and by far the tallest structure in the area. In the past (and maybe still) a building was defined as "high-rise" for purposes of the building codes if it was 75 feet or more above the ground on which it sat. This determination was made in part because that was the limit of fire department ladder trucks IIRC.
  25. Specwriter
    Ray Miller's "The Eyes of Texas" episodes are classics. I like Bob Phillips' "Texas Country Reporter" but I think it would be wonderful to see "The Eyes of Texas" again.
×
×
  • Create New...