mattyt36 Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 Houston will be the third city in the City Cast series (after Chicago and Denver), with a daily podcast hosted by Lisa Gray of the Chronicle. City Cast Houston — Daily podcast and newsletter From that link: Why launch City Cast in Houston? Houston is the United States’ least-understood big city, with an economy and a climate both prone to catastrophe. We’re a port city 50 miles inland. Most of us weren’t born here. We plant tomatoes in February. We drive northeast on the Southwest Freeway. There is literally no bedrock: Our skyscrapers somehow float on top of the clay. This crazy place sneaks up on you. You begin to understand it, and you start to care. Other places seem boring — homogenous, clichéd, set in their smug ways. “Houston gets in your blood,” the old joke goes. “Like malaria.” City Cast Houston’s goal is to speed up those infections, and to amuse and inform everyone who already shares our affliction. This city needs people to love it, and to laugh at it, and to make it better. From City Cast's "About Us" page: Like you, we’ve spent a lot of time listening to podcasts that help us make sense of the bigger world— podcasts about politics, sports, fiction, fantasy, technology, and national news. But we’ve longed for a daily podcast that helps us connect with our own communities— the beautiful, complicated cities where we spend our dollars and days. So we decided to make one (or, technically, several!). The new company's CEO is David Plotz, who you may know from the Slate Political Gabfest podcast. 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted September 30, 2021 Share Posted September 30, 2021 The foundation repair folks I called said the bedrock is 22 feet below my house. I'm quite sure they dig down at least that far before putting up skyscrapers here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted September 30, 2021 Share Posted September 30, 2021 19 hours ago, august948 said: The foundation repair folks I called said the bedrock is 22 feet below my house. I'm quite sure they dig down at least that far before putting up skyscrapers here. The foundation people lied to you. There is no bedrock in Houston until you get down to about 30,000 feet. There may be a layer of gravel at 22 feet, but no bedrock. 1 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specwriter Posted October 1, 2021 Share Posted October 1, 2021 Foundations for tall buildings in Houston are thick (like eight feet or so) slabs of concrete which "float" on our gumbo soil and act something like a keel on a sail boat for the rest of the building. It is amazing to think about. If Houston ever experienced and earthquake (not to worry the chances are infinitesimal) the buildings would sink into the ground like a marble on top of a bowl of sand that was being vibrated. 1 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted October 1, 2021 Share Posted October 1, 2021 5 hours ago, Specwriter said: Foundations for tall buildings in Houston are thick (like eight feet or so) slabs of concrete which "float" on our gumbo soil and act something like a keel on a sail boat for the rest of the building. It is amazing to think about. If Houston ever experienced and earthquake (not to worry the chances are infinitesimal) the buildings would sink into the ground like a marble on top of a bowl of sand that was being vibrated. FWIW, Texas Tower's mat was reported as being 12 feet thick 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted October 1, 2021 Share Posted October 1, 2021 21 hours ago, Ross said: The foundation people lied to you. There is no bedrock in Houston until you get down to about 30,000 feet. There may be a layer of gravel at 22 feet, but no bedrock. While I agree the foundation people were lying, I'm not finding anything to source the 30,000 feet. There's likely limestone/sedimentary rock not too far down. Although after reading a few PDFs I'm not seeing any confirmations. Anyway, suppose that's another topic. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyt36 Posted October 1, 2021 Author Share Posted October 1, 2021 This sounds like an excellent topic for an initial City Cast episode. Who knows Lisa Gray?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted October 1, 2021 Share Posted October 1, 2021 56 minutes ago, mattyt36 said: This sounds like an excellent topic for an initial City Cast episode. Who knows Lisa Gray?! She's on Facebook, and is always open to new ideas. Lisa and I met several years ago and have kept in touch (albeit through social media). She's a lovely person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted October 1, 2021 Share Posted October 1, 2021 10 hours ago, Specwriter said: Foundations for tall buildings in Houston are thick (like eight feet or so) slabs of concrete which "float" on our gumbo soil and act something like a keel on a sail boat for the rest of the building. It is amazing to think about. If Houston ever experienced and earthquake (not to worry the chances are infinitesimal) the buildings would sink into the ground like a marble on top of a bowl of sand that was being vibrated. It's these nuggets of knowledge that keep me coming back to haif. Thanks to everyone for the illumination on this tangent I spun us off on.😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyt36 Posted October 2, 2021 Author Share Posted October 2, 2021 9 hours ago, dbigtex56 said: She's on Facebook, and is always open to new ideas. Lisa and I met several years ago and have kept in touch (albeit through social media). She's a lovely person. Please forward idea! I am one of those without Facebook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 8 hours ago, mattyt36 said: 18 hours ago, dbigtex56 said: Please forward idea! I am one of those without Facebook. Done! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted October 3, 2021 Share Posted October 3, 2021 On 10/2/2021 at 3:52 AM, mattyt36 said: On 10/1/2021 at 5:53 PM, dbigtex56 said: Please forward idea! I am one of those without Facebook. Here's her reply: "Oh, that is interesting! Thanks, [my name]!" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specwriter Posted October 4, 2021 Share Posted October 4, 2021 On 10/1/2021 at 1:19 PM, Houston19514 said: FWIW, Texas Tower's mat was reported as being 12 feet thick Taller building, thicker mat. That's a lot of concrete! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyt36 Posted October 4, 2021 Author Share Posted October 4, 2021 (edited) The newsletter starts tomorrow with podcast "shortly thereafter." You can sign up with your e-mail at City Cast Houston — Daily podcast and newsletter. I'm Lisa Gray, your fellow Houstonian. I'm so excited to bring you City Cast Houston. Here's a bit about what it is, in listicle form, because why not? It's a newsletter to start. It’ll be a podcast too, as soon as my crew and I figure out how to make one. The main thing -- the core of the enterprise -- is this: We’re having a conversation about Houston. “We” means you. And me. And the smartest, funniest people we can get to talk about this fabulous mess of a city. Because Houston needs talking about. It’s the United States’ least understood place -- not just by outsiders (who have no idea), but even by people who live here. It’s hard to get your head around. First there’s our ginormity. Ever see those maps of Beltway 8 superimposed over London or San Francisco? Harris County alone has more people than all of Louisiana. If the Houston metro area seceded from Texas, we’d be the 15th most populous state. Layer on top of that our dizzying diversity -- the boba shops that sell mangonadas, the sausage kolaches spiked with jalapeños, the barbecue joints’ banh mi. Plus there’s the whiplash speed at which the place changes -- the way that we all drive around, lost on streets we know, asking, “What used to be there?” It’s a thrill ride, living here. Sometimes you’re not sure whether to be terrified or exhilarated. Let’s be exhilarated. Email me: lisa.gray@citycast.fm. Let me know what we should talk about, who you want to hear from, or the best thing you’ve eaten lately. Invite your friends. Get them to sign up for the newsletter here. Let’s figure out this place together. Let’s make it better. And let’s have a good time. Edited October 4, 2021 by mattyt36 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.