April 2007 Archives

29 April 2007

Linebacker, defensive tackle, so confusing!

Texans draft Louisville linebacker in first round (Gene Duffey, Austin American Statesman)

HOUSTON — The statistic that stands out the most in the already amazing odyssey of Amobi Okoye — the first-round draft pick of the Houston Texans on Saturday — is his age.

The senior defensive tackle from Louisville is 19 years old.

Too bad the headline writer didn't bother reading two sentences into the story, eh?

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/29/07 11:12 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (2)

28 April 2007

Funny story

I had lunch on the Richmond Strip earlier this week with a work colleague.

As we were leaving the Thai restaurant, we were approached by a scruffy-looking, youngish man who wanted money to help out with his bus fare.

I just shrugged. Mayor White doesn't want us encouraging panhandlers, after all.

My lunch companion, a bleeding heart liberal type, gave the dude a dollar, for which he seemed very happy.

He booked it over to Richmond, where she fully expected him to stop and wait for the bus.

He waited for about 15 seconds.

And then he proceeded to blow across the street and inside the strip club about as fast as I've seen anyone move on foot in Houston in ages. Indeed, I thought the vacuum he left in his wake might pull the door down.

I couldn't help but wonder afterwards if he hadn't said "bust fare" instead of "bus fare."

Anyway, it was pretty classic.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/28/07 12:45 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (5)

26 April 2007

Fugly

Utah Jazz 81, Houston 67

That was certainly one of the ugliest playoff games ever.

These two teams -- with their putrid offenses and styles that seem better suited for rugby -- really deserve each other.

As a Houstonian, I felt some obligation to watch the mess. But I can't imagine many viewers stuck with it. Good gawd.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/26/07 22:24 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (1)

25 April 2007

Experiments like this might have kept me in the hard sciences in college!

Beer Foam Riddle Solved (AFP, via Brothers Judd)

April 25, 2007 — There is the nagging question of whether life exists other than on Earth. The enduring mystery of who made us — and why.

And then there is this: Why does the foam on a pint of lager quickly disappear but the head on a pint of Guinness linger?

Answers to questions 1 and 2 are still being sought, but the Great Beer Riddle, at least, may soon be solved.

Writing in the prestigious British science journal Nature, an elite scientific duo say they have devised an equation to describe beer froth.

The breakthrough will not only settle the vexatious lager vs. stout debate, it will also help the quest to pour a perfect pint every time.

Beer foam is a microstructure with complex interfaces. In other words: a cellular structure comprising networks of gas-filled bubbles separated by liquid.

The walls of these bubbles move as a result of surface tension — and the speed at which they move is related to the curvature of the bubbles. As a result of this movement, the bubbles merge and the structure "coarsens," meaning that the foam settles and eventually disappears.

Three-dimensional equations to calculate the movement have been made by Robert MacPherson, a mathematician at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, and David Srolovitz, a physicist at Yeshiva University, New York.

Outstanding work, gentlemen.

I certainly hope that during the research, the beers involved in the experiment were consumed, rather than wasted.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/25/07 22:05 | Other | Technorati | Comments (4)

PGIFOC

I have a feeling as this Astros season goes on, PhilGarner.IsFullOfCrap.com is only going to get more entertaining.

And it's already a pretty fun blog.

We may have to talk Laurence into IsFullOfCrap blogs for all the local teams.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/25/07 21:57 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (0)

21 April 2007

Sunny spring day in the Big Apple

The forecast is 70 and sunny in the Big Apple today.

They haven't had weather this good all year.

Since I obviously bring good weather with me when I come to visit, maybe Mayor Bloomberg should consider adding me to the payroll as a Special Assistant for Weather. :D

UPDATE (04-23-2007): The whirlwind tour of NYC is over and I'm back in Houston. The trip was a hoot.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/21/07 09:00 | Other | Technorati | Comments (3)

18 April 2007

A little perspective

Predictably, many political bloggers have offered up their opinions on the Virginia Tech massacre, and what it means (which can often, but not always, be translated as "how it shows my views on culture and politics are superior, and the other guy's are wrong").

I was much more impressed with the simplicity (and truth ) of the observation from Houston's own Jennifer Ringwald:

I don't get these student going crazy and shooting people. I don't think they have any idea that the real world sucks a hell of a lot more than school. Or maybe they do...

Amen, sister.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/18/07 09:14 | Other | Technorati | Comments (1)

16 April 2007

Even more fun headlines

India re-assesses menstrual forms (BBC News)

The Indian government says it will review new appraisal forms requiring female civil servants to reveal details of their menstrual cycles.

The ministry of personnel says it has written to the health ministry following complaints from staff that the form was grossly insensitive.

The questions are said to have been inserted on health ministry advice.

Annual appraisals and health checks are mandatory in India's civil service, one of the country's largest employers.

The PubliusTX.net ombudsman informs me that any joke I might insert here could be perceived as insensitive, hurtful, or even misogynistic!

So we'll just leave it alone. Readers, however, should not feel constrained by the dictates of the PubliusTX.net ombudsman.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/16/07 10:31 | Other | Technorati | Comments (1)

12 April 2007

Another fun headline

Listerine Rinse Recalled For Contamination (AP)

WASHINGTON -- The maker of Listerine is recalling one of its rinses after tests showed it was contaminated with microorganisms.

A Johnson & Johnson spokeswoman said a company unit is recalling 4 million bottles of the recently launched Listerine Agent Cool Blue plaque-detecting rinse, marketed primarily for use by children.

The recall affects the Glacier Mint and Bubble Blast flavors.

It's disconcerting to see that any product with the Listerine label is contaminated with microorganisms.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/12/07 12:47 | Other | Technorati | Comments (2)

11 April 2007

Fun headline

Texans win $31.8 million award in fatal wreck (AP)

When I first saw that headline, I thought Houston's football team had found a way to get back some of the millions wasted on David Carr over the years.

But, the story's not about that at all.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/11/07 12:01 | Other | Technorati | Comments (0)

Glad CheneyRoveBushHitler solved that global warming problem

Astros-Cubs snowed out: Game to be rescheduled for later date (Carrie Muskat, MLB.com)

The Cubs and Houston Astros game Wednesday was postponed because of snow, and will be made up on a later date.

The field was covered in snow by 9:30 a.m. CT, and the forecast for the Chicago area called for more snow, turning to rain.

I caught a ridiculously cheap X fare a few weeks ago, and scheduled a morning flight to Chicago with evening return intending to catch this afternoon game at Wrigley, rack up some FF miles, and only burn one vacation day for a pretty good time.

We went to IAH today, and gave up when the flight was delayed several times (two hours) and O'Hare was running about 3 hours behind because of the snow (nice to have a smartphone at the airport). We figured the game would be canceled, and there was a good chance we'd either be stuck on the IAH runway for hours while they figured out O'Hare couldn't take us, or stuck overnight at O'Hare because of the inevitable backup.

So we'll eat the X fare and try it again. There are some nice IAH-DEN fares right now, and I've never been to Coors Field....

UPDATE: Callie called Continental and nicely asked them if we would just have to eat the fare. Apparently the return flight tonight has been canceled (saw that one coming!), and the agent informed Callie that they would issue a full credit to my account on the unused reservation. I didn't expect that on a non-refundable X fare. That's a really nice move that builds customer loyalty (and generates a little free web buzz). Thanks Continental!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/11/07 11:07 | Travel | Technorati | Comments (1)

10 April 2007

On second thought, maybe I'll just watch college baseball this weekend

Car bomb hits Colombia police HQ (BBC News)

A large car bomb has exploded in front of police headquarters in Colombia's south-west city of Cali, the first such attack in a major city for four years.

Officials said the blast, which killed one person and injured more than 30, was most likely the work of Farc, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

But drug traffickers, paramilitaries or common criminals have not been ruled out as suspects.

Hmm, that $319 r/t Continental long weekend special to Cali that came out yesterday is suddenly not looking as appealing.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/10/07 13:57 | Other | Technorati | Comments (0)

08 April 2007

What sort of technical problem would lead to this?

Sign seen in restroom of one of my favorite Indian joints:

Due to a technical problem, paper towels are no longer available. Electric hand dryer is available for your convenience. Sorry for any inconvenience.

That sign is so much fun on so many levels.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/08/07 19:14 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (4)

06 April 2007

Austin Collins at the Firehouse

A couple of my friends from the (sadly) defunct Dead End Angels are playing with Austin Collins now.

He's opening at the Firehouse tonight, so I'm planning on checking it out.

I haven't ever seen the guy live, and have only heard a few tracks off his CD (well before the revamped rhythm section). I haven't been seeing very many shows of late. I hope the smoke doesn't kill us. Blar.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/06/07 19:58 | Music | Technorati | Comments (4)

04 April 2007

Could it be?

Electric cart smashes into glass wall at Bush airport (KHOU-11 News)

A glass partition along a moving walkway at Bush Intercontinental Airport had to be fixed after an electric cart smashed into it.

The 100-foot wall was smashed.

A viewer sent 11 News a picture of the aftermath of Saturday’s incident near gate 23 in Terminal E.

No word on what caused the operator of the cart to crash into the 100-foot long wall.

Sudden Acceleration Syndrome?

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/04/07 10:23 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (3)

01 April 2007

As the city falls down around us...

I just sent six requests to the city's 311 email list for various items (potholes, graffiti, nuisance properties).

Unfortunately, three of those requests were followups to items that I've already emailed about twice before (road repairs), because there has been no action.

The 311 reporting system is a good idea in theory, but in practice in Houston, it works horribly. Responses are never timely, and it usually takes 2-3 followup emails/phone calls, sometimes to the mayor's office or to councilmembers, to get any movement at all.

This is running the City of Houston like a business, as Mayor White says.

A crappy one, too much of the time.

This is as good a time as any to attach a fun photo from the city under siege. I snapped this one earlier while driving down West Alabama in Montrose. A homeless man was pushing his cart down the reversible/turn lane, causing some traffic confusion.

As background, Houston has been overrun with homeless people and with crime, problems the Mayor and Council prefer to ignore (while addressing truly important issues, like "pocket rockets" and newspaper vending machine beautification).

UPDATE (04-03-2007): Thanks go out to Noel Freeman in Public Works, who apparently read this post and took it upon himself to help me out on some of these repeat requests. Invariably, when I finally get through the 311 gatekeepers to Public Works or Neighborhood Protection or whomever, the requests get handled nicely. It's breaking through that 311 gate that is sometimes/often a problem.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/01/07 16:09 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (12)

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