ricco67 Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 That doesn't sound like a bad idea. How about a "pizza" and "T-Dancer" buttons. I can think of times those two buttons would come in handy. Don't feel bad, my coding abilities are almost nonexistant. I've been thinking about opening up a board like this one, but a totally different (cough) subject. Ricco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 The more I think about it, the more I think it would be a neat idea. Obviously midtown_resident and dbigtex are interested in being official bloggers. Anyone else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 I think it would be a neat idea, but I would think carefully as to the format of it. I think that it they should "add" to their diary on a single page and then go to a seperate "forum" to discuss the latest entries. Let's toss it around for a week or so. But of course, it IS your board, Ed. I'm but a humble poster that likes to have an oral case of the runs from time to time. Ricco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 I appreciate all of your comments. Good idea though -- let's kick it around for a week and see what other ideas pop up.I we decide to have the blogs in one place and the discussions of those entries in another, it only makes things easier for me, so I'm all for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 If my observations are welcome, of course I'll be happy to contribute what I can. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not an 'official' Midtown resident (I live just west of Spur 527), but I frequent Midtown on a daily basis.midtown_resident, you had mentioned on another thread that you were interested in forming or joining a Midtown neighborhood association. The blog seems like a good start. The greatest hurdle IMO is getting the word out. Surely many of our neighbors would welcome an opportunity to address the concerns of those who live in Midtown; it's a matter of reaching them. The internet has great potential to bring people together; for better or worse, it too suffers from sprawl. For all I know, there are already people having parallel discussions on other websites. A solution that comes to mind is old-fashioned and tedious, which is to blanket the neighborhood with flyers. This is the way other neighborhood associations were formed, and it's effective, expensive and a lot of hard work. An alternative is to Google our little hearts out, and 'spam' anyone who mentions Midtown concerns on other boards or usergroups.Maybe we can use Google to our own advantage. I just Googled "midtown neighborhood association" houston and came up with...nothing. If we repeat Midtown Neighborhood Association, in Houston, often enough, Google will see that we're saying Midtown Neighborhood Association and will respond to anyone who is searching for Midtown Neighborhood Association in Houston. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 Well, well I think either a "midtown" blog or any neighborhood blog would be a great deal of importance to the people involved. If it's spread out to neighbors and such, it will create a source of information that the residences can get to. There is always something going on in a neighbhood that even the nosiest of neighbors don't know about and this will help them find the relative information. Of course, that could also bring more users here, which would help Daddy, and maybe he can get more sponsors. Ricco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 Again, I'm eager to get to work on the project, but I'm going to hold off until later in the week until our ideas gel a little better.Here's another thought -- the best rantings, observations, blog entries, and comments could be put into a little PDF newsletter evey month or so and somehow distributed, or at least made available for download. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midtown_resident Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 I'm definitely interested in being a member of a group that's going to log data about midtown.I agree that we should certainly kick it around for a week or even more...to get it right the first time. Let's build some structure around this - and not shoot from the hip.I love the idea of Midtown Neighborhood Association - i think it's wise to develop an identity that revolves around the purpose - and currently that doesn't exist in any form.I talk to developers and builders in midtown all the time - i'm constantly on the prowl for information about what's happening in our hood - in the hopes that i'll dig up a detail that gets me excited about the region. A perfect example is the visit I had with the Artists Collective - that was a great opportunity to learn about a group that is developing a project that is TRULY in the spirit of community, urban interest and culture. Yet, no one in midtown knows much about it. If people were made aware of these details, I suspect there would be a tone of excitement that we've been missing for a while.Let's keep the dialog running - there is much we can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 Well, I think you have a good view on what's going on there. I may not know all that's involved about STARTING a an association, but you seem to have started with contacts and are on the right track. Ricco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 I whacked togther a quick sketch of what the front page might look like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 "WHACKED??" What are you, A soprano? Looks good. But each neighborhood or user have their own section and then a commented would be posted there? Would the comments be read in the "regular" forum in it's own section and subjection? Ricco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 The design presumes four bloggers, but I think we can get away with three. I think we need at least that many to keep it fresh. Otherwise it looks like a couple of guys posting in their underpants from their mom's basement when they feel like it.The front page shown above would show the most recent entry from each blogger.Under the picture of the author, or maybe under the article, would be links to that author's other most recent entries, which would be sorted from the newest to the oldest. Clicking on the author's picture would bring up all blog entries by that author.Clicking on the article title or subbead would bring the viewer to the full blog entry with options to view other entries on similar topics by the other bloggers, or other entries by this author. The blog entry could feature supporting pictures, video, whatever.Clicking on the comment link would take the viewer to a special section of HAIF devoted to that particular blogger's entries. I think that's a good way to handle the comments, because then it weeds out the whackos. Most won't register to post of HAIF. I've seen a few blogs get filled with spam and profanity by lunatics. But everyone can rate the article positive or negative, so people will at least have that method of feedback if they want to remain anonymous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midtown_resident Posted October 17, 2004 Share Posted October 17, 2004 Has anyone else here noticed that several intersections in midtown have these large silver tanks that are marked Nitrogen or Nitrous...off the top of my head, I've seen them at Fannin/Elgin and there is one near the Car Spa location as well. Does anyone know why these are sitting out there? I'm running some errands today...and will note the specific intersections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted October 17, 2004 Share Posted October 17, 2004 Well, there are a pair of them on Fannin @ Wheeler, been meaning to ask on here, but I kept forgetting about it. Ricco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groovehouse Posted October 17, 2004 Share Posted October 17, 2004 I've always thought that those tanks just sitting on the side of the road are a safety hazard. Have you ever seen a tank when it's nozzle is knocked off? Instant missile. Certainly there's another way to store these tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midtown_resident Posted October 17, 2004 Share Posted October 17, 2004 Is there a standard purpose for such items that I'm unaware of? I've never heard of nitrogen being needed in the 'administration' of any intersections...curious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted October 18, 2004 Share Posted October 18, 2004 Is there a standard purpose for such items that I'm unaware of? I've never heard of nitrogen being needed in the 'administration' of any intersections...curious<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Yeah...there's one on W Dallas behind the American General complex, then another one at like uhmmm Gray and Waugh I think...The ones I've noticed are always beside telephone poles, and there's some plumbing going from the tank up the pole....it may be used for cooling equipment up there, or it may provide positive pressure for something, or who knows.These tanks may or may not contain enough pressure to be a missile. I suspect that since they're so large, they have a lower pessure than the sort of tanks you're thinking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midtown_resident Posted October 18, 2004 Share Posted October 18, 2004 I'd give the benefit of the doubt to the engineers that deem it safe to have them out there. However, I'm gonna have to whine about the midtown management districts inability to enforce a more sightly means of deploying these tanks. It just looks like CRAP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted October 18, 2004 Share Posted October 18, 2004 I'd have to agree with you. You'd think they would hide them in a more discrete way. I'm STILL curious to know what they're used for, though. Maybe we have secret unerground armies from the U.N. that are preparing their invasion of Houston and other cities with the same setup? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midtown_resident Posted October 18, 2004 Share Posted October 18, 2004 what makes me even more concerned is the fact that the city would allow such tanks on the corners with markings that seem to imply 'danger'...it's just all together odd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestGrayGuy Posted October 18, 2004 Share Posted October 18, 2004 As a chemical engineer who works for an industrial gas company, I feel I should respond.The tanks located at intersections are filled with nitrogen not nitrous oxide. If those tanks were filled with nitrous oxide (laughing gas), they would have been stolen by all the drug users in town. The purpose of the nitrogen is to act as blanket gas providing an inert environment for the sensitive electronics inside the cabinet. The nitrogen also cools the cabinet during the summertime. The reason the tanks are not marked dangerous is because nitrogen is not a dangerous gas. It should be noted that air is made up of 79% nitrogen. So in conclusion, the gas is perfectly safe though possibly unsightly. This concludes our science lesson for today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midtown_resident Posted October 18, 2004 Share Posted October 18, 2004 that was informative...thanks.so i guess the only concern is directed at the unsightly factor of having these tanks sitting on the side of an intersection...thanks for the science lesson! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted October 18, 2004 Share Posted October 18, 2004 Mr. Science Guy, Any info about what pressure is maintained in these tanks? I know that oxygen tanks are up to 2000 psi, but assume that nitrogen is considerably less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestGrayGuy Posted October 18, 2004 Share Posted October 18, 2004 Cylinders generally come in two varieties, high or low pressure. It should be noted that the pressure is not gas specific, meaning either nitrogen or oxygen could come in high pressure cylinders. It depends on what the gas is being used for. High pressure aluminum cylinders exceed 2000 psi. You are correct. However, I think for this purpose they would use low pressure cylinders. Low pressure cylinders range from 200-400 psi; considerably less. The gas is delivered slowly to the instrument cabinet with a regulator that is set slightly above atmospheric pressure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themidtownguy Posted October 18, 2004 Share Posted October 18, 2004 when are we getting a video store? i'm sick of going down west grey to rent a dvd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
111486 Posted October 18, 2004 Share Posted October 18, 2004 A video store and a movie theater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midtown 4.2 Posted October 18, 2004 Share Posted October 18, 2004 No video stores please. Even Blockbuster sees the writing on the wall, and are modifying their services to compete with Netflix. Netflix is the way to go, you pick the movies online, and they mail it to your doorsteps.I'd say that we Midtowners bring our business to Angelica. The only way for theaters to compete, is to build a Megaplex . . . and Megaplexes are the last thing we want in Midtown. A small "arthouse" theater like the Aurora Picture Show is the way to go for Midtown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbanLandscape Posted October 18, 2004 Share Posted October 18, 2004 Netflix is the way to go, you pick the movies online, and they mail it to your doorsteps.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Agreed, though I can't afford it right now, which doesn't matter because I don't have time for movies anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midtown_resident Posted October 18, 2004 Share Posted October 18, 2004 At $20 a month - NETFLIX is the absolute way to go. Blockbuster and the like are simply awaiting demise. Brick and mortar is no longer needed to substantiate a video rental business. I've been a member for about 10 months now and I absolutely can't live without it! It goes beyond just getting the dvds mailed to you...it's about the rating/recommendation system that they've got in place for users. The interface is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAguy Posted October 18, 2004 Share Posted October 18, 2004 At $20 a month - NETFLIX is the absolute way to go. Blockbuster and the like are simply awaiting demise. Brick and mortar is no longer needed to substantiate a video rental business. I've been a member for about 10 months now and I absolutely can't live without it! It goes beyond just getting the dvds mailed to you...it's about the rating/recommendation system that they've got in place for users. The interface is great.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>^not likely, Blockbuster just entered the field and undecut Netflix by about two dollars. with BBV's connections with the studios and pull I'd say they'll end up on top- even though they did not pioneer the service Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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