h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

That's up towards Amy's end of the state?

Hey! We've got those in Texas now.

But we've been thoroughly assured fracking is NOT responsible.

Now the former Mrs Gosho lives in Dallas she's become used to the Wedgwood and the chandelier rattling from time to time.

We did break the record on Wednesday, by 2°F (81°). Yesterday wasn't far behind either - 79. I was working outside for a few hours yesterday afternoon in the sunshine, pressure-washing some mud off a forecourt. I mentioned to one of my co-workers that I might have got a bit of sunburn in the process and he asked if I had any sunblock. I had to remind him that, despite having lived here for 15 years, I'm British and I don't expect August-type weather in January. Also, I wasn't expecting to to work outside.

In the meantime, we've got a wet weekend in the forecast. And a chilly night or two next week.

The wet weekend was a bit of a damp squib, literally, in that there was nine or ten hours of steady drizzle on Saturday, but it was pleasantly mild. This time yesterday, Sunday morning, it was so mild - 61F/16C - that I didn't even need to put on the heat when I took a shower. This morning though - 34/1.1 And it's a relatively cool, wet week until Friday, then a nice mid-70s weekend.

At least, for now.

Our predictions for rain this weekend were belied by sunny skies until last night. We finally had some heavy, but brief rain when the weekend was practically over. Then the temps dropped rapidly bottoming out at around 40°F.

I need to take a walk this morning. There's a building at JSC that has 4 "eggbeater" style wind turbines on top. I've never seen them turn. Thursday I checked the on-site "web poll" and one question concerned these turbines. It was an odd question and asked participants to pick the "true" statement from 5 choices. I suspect that all 5 choices might have been "true", but two were mutually exclusive. One answer suggested that 37% of that building's power needs could be supplied by these turbines. Another answer stated that the turbines only operate at wind speeds between 20 and 42 MPH. Considering that just don't often, or consistently get winds above 20 MPH, that's just not compatible with providing 37% of the buildings power supply. Maybe they can for the brief periods of time that they turn, but that's misleading at best. Anyway, it's windy today, but I doubt they'll be turning as I think only short gusts are above the bottom limit for activation.

Hmmm. Turbine-looking constructions that don't seem to work, on top of a gubmint building...

It's a "green" building renovation. The building also has a "green" roof, with vegetation.

I like the idea, but obviously not every application works as well has expected.


They have made some significant improvements recently with new LED lighting for the walkways and a recirculation system for the turtle/duck ponds. Until recently, public water was pumped in the first pond constantly, flowing into the next two downstream and then any overflow went into the storm drain system. That was happening since the Apollo era.

But then again, there was more life in those ponds before the recirc system was put in. They left it turned off along with the aerating fountains for a few weeks and killed almost all the koi. Then this year a small alligator took up residence in pond 1 and ate most of the remaining koi, many of the red eared slider turtles and chased off most of the mallards. There's not much left now. I think the gator moved out on his own after food got scarce.

We have gators in Texas?

I'm sure you must have mentioned that before, about the ponds, but if you did it's slipped my mind. And my mind is very slippery these days.

Here's the little one that was in our ponds.

http://plus.google.com/u/0/116559249234072182902/posts/8SWnS9MU5S3?pid=6111276801956350034&oid=116559249234072182902


Here's one at Armand Bayou Park not 5 miles from here. (And possibly where that little one came from).

http://www.getoutherehouston.org/activities/gator-night-armand-bayou-nature-center

Eek.

So that's alligators to add to poisonous spiders, scorpions, snakes, killer bees, tornadoes, flash floods and fracking quakes

Alligators are mostly harmless. They're not very aggressive towards humans. They're mostly a threat to household pets.

That's a relief. There aren't too many ponds around here anyway, and I don't think there are any in the local creeks. Leastways, no dogs or small children have been reported eaten over there in the Green Belt.

Nah, you shouldn't find any in the hill country. They live in our bayous along the coast mostly. The upper gulf coast is very similar in ecology to Louisiana swamp land. Houston goes by the moniker Bayou City.

You're right - the scorpions, snakes and spiders saw off all the Hill Country gators

This is turning into one hell of a British winter. Another cold, wet, grey, Accrington kind of day. C'mon, we endure scorchio for four months of the year so we don't have to put up with this. For too long.

Aww
We have had two little bits of snow so far in in Sarf Nodnol.
Today was the first day I have left the heating on this winter.

I'm back in t'moorlands, there has been snow lying since it fell here last week. It's icy cold, but very pretty to look at through the windows.

We're finally getting some heavy rain. Not enough to lift the drought, but a welcome soaking nonetheless.

What a very pleasant weekend it was... not that I really got to participate. I've managed to blag the schedulers at work to assign me long shifts - in the region of 10 to 12 hours a day - on Saturday and Sunday, so that I can have three days off during the week

The forecasters predicted 80 for Sunday; we actually made 78. Not bad at all, and more to come for the next three days until a cold front comes in Thursday morning, and even then it's still 60s right through until next Sunday. I think I heard them say on the radio there's a rain chance this time next week.