Disqus - Latest Comments for quikboy

Re: Restaurants Are Googling You

quikboy — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 15:19:27 -0000

I'd prefer to be Binged, thank you very much.

Re: These Are the Saddest Amtrak Stations in America

quikboy — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 11:36:27 -0000

Houston does have a higher percentage of jobs in the downtown area. Virtually all of METRO's commuter buses make some stops and go directly to downtown. The Texas Medical Center (top destination for many travelers) is just a light rail away from Downtown.

Downtown Houston isn't a couple of half-occupied or empty office buildings and hotels. They are heavily occupied office buildings with more being built. Lots of cranes are constructing or remodeling buildings in downtown.

Re: Texas Built a Confederate Memorial on a Street Named for Martin Luther King Jr.

quikboy — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 22:39:27 -0000

"In Orange, Texas, the Texas Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans just built a large Confederate memorial park..."

Am I surprised the headline seems to suggest otherwise? Nope.

Re: Where Should We Build Jurassic Park?

quikboy — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 18:13:55 -0000

I'm glad the article comes to the same conclusion I had reading the headline. Texas is known for the dinosaur discoveries.

However, as flattered as I am to hear Houston specifically, it'd realistically be in an area beyond the exurbs. Perhaps near the fairgrounds for the Texas Renaissance Festival? (50 miles outside downtown Houston in Todd Mission, TX).

Not to mention developers are already trying to wrangle up enough investors to build a Jurassic Park-like theme park focused on dinosaurs and sustainability called EarthQuest Adventures. It's also situated far out NE of Houston (probably also at least a 50 mile drive) with a focus on dinosaurs and sustainability. It's pretty cool and I hope it comes to fruition sooner. Though the dinosaurs at this park won't be real...yet.

http://www.earthquestadvent...

Re: America's Egg Shortage Threatens Austin's Breakfast Taco Supply

quikboy — Sun, 14 Jun 2015 12:22:45 -0000

I guess Houston and Dallas don't have popular breakfast eateries affected by the egg supply shortage?

Re: The Dark Side of McKinney, the 'Best Place to Live in America'

quikboy — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 11:42:56 -0000

"Starting this year, Money wrote, every high-school freshman in McKinney would be issued a Macbook Air to aid in his or her studies."

What a waste of money. Is there something so special to education that the MacBook Air offers that cheaper laptops/tablets don't already offer? An actual tablet notebook that supports proper inking capabilities for taking notes digitally (such as a Surface 3 with OneNote) can do a lot more for the money than a MacBook Air. Pretty sad that so-called techies with decision-making abilities in these school districts like to expensively play with form over function.

Re: The Great Lie of Apple Music

quikboy — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 11:37:25 -0000

Unless it's available for Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, and other platforms, I don't see it taking off given it will likely be exclusive to Apple hardware. May become another Ping...

There are already many great services out there. Spotify is nice, but I prefer Xbox Music. It's $9.99 a month and comes with offline listening, supports lot of platforms, and includes streaming music videos as well.

Funny how articles that talk about Spotify or Apple Music never mention the previous leaders in subscription music: Zune or URGE (collaboration between MTV and Microsoft).

Re: A 24/7 Mailbox Keeps Your Packages Safe While You're Out

quikboy — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 11:43:57 -0000

That's why it's nice to rent at a building or complex that have a front desk office for receiving and securing tenants' packages until they are ready to pick them up.

Even homeowners have to worry about packages on doorsteps disappearing during the work day.

Re: A High-Tech Helmet That Helps You Navigate the City

quikboy — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 09:49:59 -0000

With Microsoft HoloLens, this could be a reality even sooner. Would love to see a developer create the features shown in the video for HoloLens.

Re: 6 of the worst restaurant meals in the county

quikboy — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 04:10:13 -0000

Tell them to keep the chicken fries longer. Love them!

Re: France passes new law forbidding food waste

quikboy — Mon, 01 Jun 2015 18:27:03 -0000

What do Texans have to do with this article?

Re: The Underappreciated Architecture of Waffle House

quikboy — Sun, 31 May 2015 20:15:10 -0000

Houston is a great city on its own, thank you very much. Maybe New Orleans could use more Houston attributes...

Re: Apple expands green initiative in China, aims to run manufacturing on clean energy, protect 1 million acres of forest

quikboy — Tue, 12 May 2015 15:05:44 -0000

The criticisms are a bit too light in this article. This comes off as a puff piece.

I'm sure other tech companies also have strong environmental initiatives, but because they don't have the brand power as Apple does, they're not highlighted here on Treehugger.

Re: Houston's Urban Interstate Debate: Transform, or Tear Down?

quikboy — Fri, 08 May 2015 09:50:43 -0000

The Skypark or Elevated Park both sound like good ideas, but as Jesse pointed out, the plan is a bit unfortunate for the emerging East Downtown neighborhood (EaDo). Having to cross yet another freeway underpass between the two areas is unpleasant and creates a psychological barrier.

It would be better if they just pushed I-45 underground and of course adjust for flood control.

Re: 8 Critical Rail Projects That Amtrak Can't Afford

quikboy — Sat, 02 May 2015 00:52:02 -0000

Gee, with poor Amtrak service, routes, stations, etc., I am shocked that Texans don't use Amtrak! It couldn't be that the NEC is a HSR-like route with decent service, stations, and more compared to Amtrak's Texas routes, right?

Maybe if you have actually used Amtrak in Texas (assumption based on your comment) you might see why Amtrak isn't very popular here. But because we're Texans, we must be singled out and told that a national train service shouldn't bother with us when there are probably other routes in the nation that may be even less profitable/used.

Re: Has Steelcase designed the answer to the "problem" of the open office?

quikboy — Sat, 25 Apr 2015 23:31:52 -0000

"But I still think that the nicest office I ever worked in was the lobby of the Ace Hotel in New York, where everyone was comfy and working away in the privacy of their own Mac."

Did everyone literally use a "Mac" in that lobby? Seems a bit pretentious to regard everyone was using a "Mac" if that wasn't the case. It's not like "Mac" has replaced the term "computers" or "laptops". It's not like the "Kleenex" of computers; far from it.

Re: METRORail starts handing out citations for jumping fences

quikboy — Sat, 25 Apr 2015 14:24:43 -0000

Just so students know, who don't currently use METRO, you can already get around town cheap by using the existing bus system right on campus. It's not necessarily fast (unless you're on the commuter buses) but it's cheap. 42 will take you through Midtown and Montrose, 88 will take you to Downtown or Hobby airport area, 68 will take you to the Medical Center/Rice, etc. Don't have to deal with traffic, parking, etc.

METRO Q Cards for students give students half off all fares. So the rail and local bus systems are just about $0.63 per ride in one direction with free transfers within two hours. Just tap and go. Fill up the Q card on the local bus or at rail/transit stations.

"Once the rail is ready, though, students will a fast, cheap way of getting around town."

I think you're missing a word.

Re: Meet the Opposition to Texas High-Speed Rail

quikboy — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 02:33:19 -0000

I agree that many Texas cities are too sprawling. It's sad that TXDOT prioritizes roads and freeways over all else, spending very little on "mobility improvements".

I don't agree that every solution has been "build/expand a road". There are people that vocally disapprove of building/expanding roads in regards to quality of life issues (traffic, pollution, safety, etc.). Houston has been rolling out more bike lanes, working on creating a strong bike trail system along its bayous, and has grown their bikeshare program. METRO's system reimagining will also hopefully give riders the frequency and better routes they need.

I can't say much for Dallas, but Houston's traffic isn't nearly congested as many other cities in the country. Outside of rush hour and major accidents/construction, it's very easy to zip in/out/around Houston through the freeway and road system. Car ownership is too popular here because it's just way more faster and convenient to have your own car.

Slowly, civil engineers are getting better at developing more sustainable transportation systems, but it will take awhile.

Re: Meet the Opposition to Texas High-Speed Rail

quikboy — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 02:51:41 -0000

Not surprised to see comments from non-Texans (who have either never stepped a foot in Texas or spent a quick day or two) blanket-labeling every Texan to be "backwards" because of some vocal rural folks and politicians showing opposition. It's not like California has any opposition to their HSR, right?

Most people living in Houston and Dallas want HSR and would love to see Texas Central Railway succeed. Whether it gives them an option to take the train and try to go car-free in the other city or reduces congestion along I-45, most urban citizens want it.

Outside of conservative ideology, it's somewhat understanding why rural people aren't a fan of HSR. They honestly view it as the glass half empty where they find little to no benefits in HSR running through/near towns. A lot of towns and villages between the two cities depend on motorists going between the two big cities for tourism dollars and business. High speed rail would definitely make them 'rail-over' areas that urban people would be less likely to visit. Plus another railroad crossing to deal with is an oh-so inconvenience to their busy lifestyles.

Anyway, I hope it succeeds and would love to see more intelligent discussion on CityLab articles regarding Texas without the usual ridiculous political banter.

Re: Meet the Opposition to Texas High-Speed Rail

quikboy — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 02:40:42 -0000

Please do not speak for all Houstonians. You just happen to live in a less educated area with idiotic neighbors.

In fact, most people in both Houston and Dallas want Texas Central Railway to succeed because it gives people options in a heavily trafficked corridor. People living in rural areas in between the two cities are probably opposed because they don't see any benefits and will find an additional railroad to be a nuisance to their lifestyle.

If Houstonians are backwards, why would they have voted to have light rail? Thousands of commuters use the park and ride system buses and your neighbor is a tiny percent of the population that are stupid to realize how important the park & ride system is to the region.

Sorry if you feel like suffering here but millions of people choose to live in Houston and it's still yet the fastest growing city by census data despite the energy downturn.

Re: Google Image's Definition of 'CEO': Mostly White Guys and Barbie

quikboy — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 10:16:28 -0000

Interestingly, Bing has somewhat similar results. Though Bing does have related image search suggestions like "Female Construction Worker" or "Female CEO".

Re: Los Angeles Just Solved the Street Parking Sign

quikboy — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 10:24:55 -0000

No. But neither are existing parking signs. The symbols should ideally be universal. There are several camera translation apps too like Microsoft Translator or Google Translator.

Re: A Designer's War on Misleading Parking Signs

quikboy — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 10:16:42 -0000

"Google Calendar"? You mean any calendar, right? Not everyone uses Google Calendar lol.

Re: The Palm Oil Scorecard ranks companies on their commitment to sourcing deforestation-free palm oil

quikboy — Sun, 05 Apr 2015 00:29:00 -0000

Why not put more pressure on the Malaysian and Indonesian governments to stop the destruction of their national rainforests?

Re: Take a Gorgeous Deep Sea Dive in Microsoft's Breathless New Future Fantasy

quikboy — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 20:27:32 -0000

The ad was great. The article is a little biased though.

The concepts in the video weren't just from Microsoft but also the other partners they mention in the "special thanks" towards the end of the video.

A BSOD joke/reference? Seriously? Every version of Windows since Windows 7 have been very stable and BSODs are basically an anachronism at this point.

IE11 works great as a plain vanilla browser and still has perks other browsers don't have.

I do agree that Microsoft's Future House is pretty tacky, but it was honestly developed years ago in collaboration with HP and Disney. Microsoft's vision has significantly changed since then to make tech more seamless with life rather than in-your-face.