growing pains

June 25, 2015 6:32 AM , Leave a Comment ,

A couple of years ago I was in New York.  I had a stereotypical and unfair view of the city as a lawless mess but this was a totally unfounded view.  Instead I found a living breathing city that was dynamic and made room for the inhabitants to live and create and add more unique content to the city. The city is a thriving hotbed of arts, business, entertainment, creativity, and multicultural exchange.

Of course did not happen overnight or easily.  The city has had hundreds of years of slums, corrupt government, crime, and of course some of these problems still persist.

However the city has grown despite these problems and has in fact flourished.  It is in many ways the unofficial capital of the world and does not seem to show any signs of slowing its growth or decaying.

So how did it get this way?  What is the secret to not just growing a city out but to cultivate all those factors that you want to flourish while minimizing all those factors that you don’t want to permeate your city?

Is the answer, well-reasoned and guided growth?  I don’t think so.  Although having sensible city planning is certainly a help, I’ve been in communities and cities that had very close and well-coordinated growth and for the most part they are sterile environments.  These type of communities tackle growth problems by methodically adding to the population base while adding rules and regulations to cover any eventualities that might arise.  This makes for a very clean and safe environment but stifles creativity and self-expression.  The result is a very generic and featureless expanse of buildings.  This in turn can stifle growth.

Is the opposite any better?  Of course not.  Unchecked growth is an invitation to crime, disease, poverty, and chaos.  You just have to look at any of the boom towns of the old west or any part of the world where people suddenly migrate to, trying to find their fortunes.

A good example in Houston are the Montrose district and the Washington Avenue area.  Back in the 70s and 80s, these parts of Houston were full of empty dilapidated buildings, and infested with crime.  They were not places to be after dark.  Some brave souls and some investors however disagreed and put some money, time, and effort into these areas.  Artists came for the cheap property values and persisted in the area.  Over time the city took an interest and opened police substations and little by little these areas have become the crown jewels of Houston.

Now of course some national retailers, chain restaurants, and big box stores have taken an interest and the city is moving to over-regulate and gentrify the area and the balance is turning to over-regulation and over-control which threatens to rob the areas of their diversity and flavor.

The real fact of the matter is that growth is a painful and awkward experience, just as it is for living organisms.  Just as parents give children the chance to expand their world and step in to guide that growth, so should city governments learn to only step in when needed.  Otherwise allow the city to develop its own distinct character.

Allow districts to find what they are good at and embrace it.  Don’t force the city to do something it doesn’t want to do, yet don’t neglect it to the point that it begins to wither under its own inertia.

A light touch will facilitate the rise of a great city.  A heavy or an absent hand will stifle or even kill a city.

Posted in: cities

The friendship net

June 23, 2015 6:33 AM , Leave a Comment ,

Being a shy introvert I don’t tend to make friends easily. I tend to run alone in both the literal and figurative sense. Most of the time I will make plans on the fly and not even think about inviting other people to come along.  A bad habit I know. Things can get a little lonely at times.

But at times it does have some advantages.  The other day my social media page suggested I might like to do a yoga event for the Summer solstice at the Rothko Chapel at sunrise.  It was too late to organize anything (late Saturday night) so I just hopped in the car the next morning, parked the car in the neighborhood, took a quick 5 mile jog, and got back with a couple of minutes to spare just before sunrise.

When I do have time to properly plan things out I try to reach out to those that might share an interest in what I plan to do.  I think it’s important to share these things with people and give them the opportunity to enjoy these things as I do.  Of course sometimes that doesn’t pan out.

I used to take it personally when plans wouldn’t work out.  But I soon realized that we all live such busy lives that we can’t be expected to drop everything and change plans.  Still, it is nice when things come together.

I’ve learned to enjoy life for it’s own sake and make the best of what life hands me.  I will continue trying to make room for other people in my life but I will also learn to live life on my own terms.

Posted in: activities, friends, life in general

Turbulence

June 21, 2015 6:07 AM , Leave a Comment ,

The weather news reports for Texas have been unabashedly positive these last few months.  The local newspaper report that all our reservoirs, once empty and bleak holes in the ground, have now replenished and we can declare the drought over.

Of course it’s a totally different story out west.  California faces the prospect of another dust bowl summer and perhaps the destruction of tens of thousands of acres of farmland.  The rest of the nation faces higher food prices as a consequence.

Four years ago it was the exact opposite.  A neat little online tool can help you visualize it

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/MapsAndData/ComparisonSlider.aspx

While I’m glad that our condition has improved, I worry that the overall picture is slowly but surely deteriorating.  California will recover in time.  Of that I’m sure.  But these see-saw changes in the weather are leaving deep scars in nature’s ability to heal itself and to withstand the abuse that we throw at it.

Nature can put up with a lot and given time it can come back stronger than before but with the increased demands that we are putting on the planet I am not sure that the damage in some of the more marginal areas will heal this time.  As these marginal areas fail to heal and become wastelands other areas that were fruitful become marginal and we stress them even more as our material needs increase.

It’s a vicious downward spiral that has the potential of eventually becoming self-sustaining and unstoppable.  It to be arrested or even reversed and given time and conscious effort it can be.  But the time and the ability of our species to affect a positive change is rapidly dwindling.

These harsh flood and drought patterns in our weather cycle are just the beginning of what could be catastrophic times to come.  if we do nothing then this could become our normal way of life.

 

Posted in: science, speculation, weather

Game review – Civilization II

June 19, 2015 6:10 AM , Leave a Comment ,

Once upon a time I had all sorts of time for computer games.  Back in the 1990s I could easily while away a Sunday afternoon on a good video game as easily as others would on a baseball game or reading a good book.

One of my favorites was Civilization II (Civ II).  This turn based strategy game allowed players to build up a civilization from the stone age and take it to the space age.  A single player could be pitted against 7 computer opponents or multiple human players could take turns playing against each other.

The game made use of what was then cutting edge CD multimedia technology and had several videos that played during the course of the game to flesh out the game play.

Leonardo’s workshop.  One of the world wonders that give players a special advantage

A player would start with a small village and as time passed he could learn new technologies, build city improvements, plant farms, harvest resources, make money, equip armies, and conquer new territory.  The end of the game would be set for the year 2000 and the most advanced civilization with the most points would win.

Game scores were kept based on the population size, wealth, size of the area conquered and world wonders that were built.

With variable geography and random events during the game (such as earthquakes or barbarian invasions), the experience was ever-changing and endlessly challenging.  For me the real attraction was to compete against myself and try out new strategies and tactics to try to build up my civilization.

Although newer versions of Civilization have come out in the last 20 years I still think of Civ II as the best in the series.  The added multimedia material added so much to the game play and the computer Artificial Intelligence (AI) was one of the first that was not as predictable as most computer AI’s had been up to that time.

If you like strategic games and want to find a game that will challenge you intellectually I would highly recommend any of the Civilization games.

Posted in: computers, games, review

keep in touch

June 17, 2015 6:36 AM , Leave a Comment ,

Business is an ever-changing and an increasingly difficult endeavor.  What were good and preferable business practices 20 years ago either no longer apply or are actually detrimental.  All of us have to keep our eyes open and try to notice the latest trends and keep up with the new opportunities presented by modern technology.

The fundamentals however still apply.  Some business practices will always be there no matter how much the world changes.  One of these practices is maintaining the lines of communications with your client not only open but fresh.

By open I mean that before, during, and after a project your client should be able to get a hold of the sales team, the production team, and the management.

Before the project begins when the sales team is the point of contact the client should feel comfortable to ask all relevant questions and get answers if not instantaneously then extremely quickly.  This is achieved by having a sales staff that is fully conversant with the products and services being offered and if they cannot answer a question then the production team should be available to answer these questions.

During the project the client needs to be able to maintain a constant flow of communication with the production team.  The management staff needs to be in the conversation in case problems arise or if the client wants to alter the parameters of the project.

After the project the sales team resumes communications with the client.  Firstly they need to assess if the client’s experience with the process was satisfactory or whether some aspects need improvement.  Next the sales team needs to begin broaching the subject of future or follow on projects.  This is the best time to do this with a satisfied client.

Keeping these lines of communications open and making sure that the client has the best possible experience possible will go a long way in turning a new client into an old and repeat customer.  This will help expand and solidify your core business base.

Posted in: business, communication, sales

Living a life the best way possible

June 15, 2015 6:25 AM , Leave a Comment ,

It’s easy to quit and despair.  It’s easy to say “well I gave it my best shot but it didn’t work” and just give up on trying to move ahead.  It’s quite another thing to see a failure or a difficulty and to shift gears out of one venture and go into another.

This last week the world lost Sir Christopher Lee.  While most of the world knew him as a long time actor, very few people knew about his other exploits before becoming an actor or his other ventures and honors that he accumulated over a lifetime.  I could do a list of all of these things but I think there are plenty of websites and articles out there that do a fine job of this.

Looking at his life in a totality however it is worth noting that he never had an easy or obvious path to success.  This was an individual that faced setbacks and failures quite a few times over the course of his life yet he never allowed this to slow him down or stop his progress.

What’s more he was an individual that actively went out seeking new opportunities and interests on his own.  You would think that someone who had difficulties in his life might be content just to “break even” or just be a little better off but in his case he did not wait for these new ventures to present themselves.  He either went looking for these new ventures or he created them himself.

Like I said above, it’s easy to despair. Despair is easy to do.  It’s comfortable, it can be done at a moment’s notice, and requires little to no investment.  Despair can be such a hard temptation to resist sometimes.

But lifting yourself up, having the presence of mind to look around and plot your next move, getting on with your life as it stands after a setback, that’s hard.

I think that’s something that a man like Christopher Lee can teach all of us.

Posted in: activities, advice, attitude, life in general, opportunities, thought

Perspectives

June 13, 2015 6:30 AM , Leave a Comment ,

If you open your eyes, and I mean really open your eyes you will find that life can amaze, astound, appall, and leave you speechless on a nearly daily basis.

We have so many things that we fail to appreciate when we look at them that we will never be able to fully consider let alone understand in this life that I can’t even begin to enumerate them.

One thing that I have learned to appreciate however is how a subject can change meanings and become a totally different thing if you let yourself take a slightly altered perspective on the matter.

We can come upon a situation from one viewpoint and direction and if we fail to look at it objectively it can take on particular meaning and it is often difficult to change that perspective unless you alter the way you perceive that subject and then an almost magical thing can occur.

That thing that you were so sure about, that you thought you knew changes almost immediately to something else.

Houston is a great place to find these changes in perspectives.  Because we have no zoning laws the neighborhoods here are a mishmash of urban and suburban and country.  All right next to each other.  Poor neighborhoods alternate with rich.  High rises sit right next to ranch style houses and those next to poor apartment complexes.

It’s something that I see on an almost daily basis and I have to wonder if people living in these neighborhoods ever stop to wonder and think to themselves how their neighbors from different socio-economic backgrounds perceive the world.  Do their viewpoints agree with my own or are they so set into their situation that they can’t step back and see the overall situation from a different perspective?

Posted in: activities, aging, life in general, speculation

Foodie city

June 11, 2015 6:22 AM , Leave a Comment ,

Reading through the local newspaper and Houston websites I see that I’ve probably picked the worst time to get in shape and lose weight.  I read through websites like the Houston Press or magazines like Houstonia and there are always announcements about new restaurants and how up and coming chefs are migrating here.

Back in my twenties when I was just starting out we did have a bit of a food scene if you knew where to look for it.  Areas like the west side Chinatown offered up a variety of Asian dishes.  The Tex-Mex restaurant has always been a staple of Houston cuisine and we had some of the best.  Of course we also had the traditional steak restaurant.

But back then if you were to name cities to visit to experience haute cuisine or just a wider variety of dishes then Houston never even came up in the conversation.

Something happened back in the late-late nineties or early 00’s.  Here and there a chef would escape the rat races in other food towns and set up little bistros in Houston.  Not in the downtown area but near downtown where the rent was cheaper.  Chefs that might have otherwise left stayed and honed their skills.  Certainly Hurricane Katrina injected a dose of New Orleans talent into the mix.

By trial and error, by enthusiastic practice this city began building a reputation one dish at a time.

So here we are and I see that the wave is beginning to crest.  I have to admit that sometimes the temptation is overwhelming.  Just looking at the variety and quantity of places to explore makes me want to take a week or two off my diet.

Thankfully (I suppose) living out in the suburbs I don’t have ready access to these culinary wonders.  I’m not hours away from any of these places of course (I could in fact reach most of these in twenty minutes) but just far enough to put them in the slightly impractical column.

I console myself with the thought that I am working towards a worthwhile goal and that one day I will treat myself to a mini restaurant vacation.

Posted in: diet, food and drink, habits, health, Houston, restaurants

Discussions that we should have but we’re not having

June 9, 2015 6:46 AM , Leave a Comment ,

I rarely watch TV anymore.  I don’t find all that much that excites my intellect or that is thought provoking or that I can respect.  I find the opposite to be true.  I feel that most television programming is an insult to the viewing public.

I find most programming to be a waste of time.  Most programs pander to the lowest common denominator, sex and violence.  They rehash or rework tired old ideas and concepts and expect the viewing public to not notice that the plot lines are painfully and ridiculously predictable.  But what I find most disturbing about television is how it serves as an electronic anesthetic and distraction for the public when real issues come up that need to be discussed.

The viewing public would much prefer to pay attention to the most vapid and banal television shows rather than to become informed and or take action on matters which direct or indirectly affect them.  Matters which they very much need to voice their opinions, yet they don’t.

So it’s worth noting when a program comes on that at the very least brings some of these topics up and captures the public imagination in an entertaining yet informative format.  The program that I am thinking about is Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

Episode dealing with Net Neutrality

For those that don’t know, John Oliver is a British comedian that emigrated to the states and began writing material for comedy shows like The Daily Show with John Stewart. After a successful run at the Daily Show he decided to try his hand at his own news oriented comedy show on HBO.

The results have been significant.  Not only is the show extremely popular but several of the topics that he has covered have been given closer scrutiny by mainline news organizations and his efforts have gone viral on social media and have arguably helped promote some changes in some contemporary topics.

Oliver has covered topics such as the above mentioned Net Neutrality, FIFA, the wealth gap in America, police militarization, and the prevalence of Sugar in the American diet.

Now, I don’t happen to agree with everything he does.  I don’t agree with all his view points, as a comedian he tends to frame the debates in humorous ways, and he doesn’t cover all the topics that I wish he would but I have to give him high marks and praise for bringing these topics to light and giving them the attention that they are due.

I think that in an age where too often television executives don’t want to bother with sophisticated or thought-provoking television shows and would rather just distract the public, that we need to give praise and promote shows that at least encourage the public to think and start important conversations about topics that affect us all.

Posted in: communication, culture, current events, life in general, politics, review, television, thought

Adapting to Houston’s weather

June 7, 2015 4:29 PM , Leave a Comment ,

I was at a fair and standing under a tent on an early June evening with a fan blasting right behind me and it still felt ridiculously hot.

Yup. Houston’s Summer had arrived.

Summertime in Houston isn’t so much a season as it is an ordeal by fire.  It is often the last barrier to recent emigres considering whether or not to make the city into their new home.

You may come here in November and be charmed by all the restaurants and parks.  You may come here in March and be thrilled by all the culture and sunny weather.  Then again, you may come here in August and turn right back around and refuse to get out of the plane.

It’s not a gentle land and definitely not one to wander about without some sort of air conditioner or fan on during the long Summer days.

This evening we were discussing the recent rain storms that had plagued the city for a couple of weeks and relating what we were doing when “the big one struck” on Tuesday night.

Most of the stories centered on underwater roads and monstrous hail stones that pelted anything and everything in sight and of all the downed fences and broken tree limbs that still have to be collected by the garbage collectors.

But here we are a week later and we were sweltering in the stifling heat and humidity.  I reflected that life in Houston was often like that.  Things were apt to change quickly in this town and if you didn’t adapt you would at best be left behind.

We’ve little to no experience with the bitter Winters that others experience up north but when these storms do make it to Houston we wisely stay in and don’t even try to brave the cold.

Of course we have a lot of experience with Hurricanes and we are often prepared days or even weeks in advance of the large storms.  Here’s hoping that we have none of that this year.

In the meantime we are adapting to our Houston Summer and preparing to host this familiar pattern of weather.  Hot and sunny for the next 5 or 6 months.

I’m already missing the rain.

 

Posted in: Houston, life in general, weather