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

One of the Avon River bridges:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Footbridge_over_the_Avon_River,_damaged_in_the_2010_Canterbury_earthquake.jpg

That bridge is a bit of a mess, isn't it.
that twist -
Did you get the story, here, of the London millenium bridge? Where it swayed a bit, just enough to encourage people to roll-walk... more sway... more roll, getting in step... and in the 21stC too!
http://www2.eng.cam.ac.uk/~den/ICSV9_06.htm


Not so much the architects I fear, more the bean counters putting planners under pressure.

A self-exciting bridge

We did get that in the news here. I think that's the bridge that the spooks meet on in Spooks quite a bit.

>> Chch as was: the garden city, with character.
Chch to be ... just another city? <<

Yes, from the picture at the weathernetwork link I posted earlier:

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/storm_watch_stories3&stormfile=new_zealands_christchurch_h_261210?ref=ccbox_weather_topstories

It is obviously a wonderfully eclectic grab-bag of assorted building
styles. Not unlike some of the older sections of downtown Halifax,NS
where quite often developers are required to maintain the old Victorian
stone facades when they gut the interiors and create new offices and
shopping plazas.

There's a few examples in this page of google image results:
http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&source=imghp&biw=1280&bih=623&q=Halifax+Nova+Scotia+old+buildings+facades&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2&aq=o&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

One of those I find quite charming:
http://www.chriskern.net/pix_files/Media/narrowBuildingOnArgyleStreet/narrowBuildingOnArgyleStreet.jpg


~jwf~

>>... obviously a wonderfully eclectic grab-bag of assorted building styles...<<

Yes, pretty much that. Not on the scale of Halifax of course, but many satisfying views and sometimes a sense of wonder at how & why, here (& not only Chch).

The days of knock 'em down shove 'em up are over though, - sorry, were over - not too long before we first visited. Public outrage finally saw to that, I believe.

But this is different.

With the best will in the world, buildings like that are gone, forever.
The best we/I can hope for is slabs small rather than slabs large, and textures maybe.
The building regs will have rather a lot to say, methinks.

Came across this site by a local graphic designer who seems to
share the notion that heritage properties must be preserved. The
first photo from 1935 has an area marked in red that has since
been wiped away and replaced by high density high rise development.

http://www.meredithannbrooks.com/index.php/archives/168

The second last photo is another angle on that streetscape with
the skinny building I featured above. Oh, and don't be misled by
the final photo; it is an example from London, England. Old Halifax
seldom went much above four stories, usually only three.


~jwf~

Doesn't she put it well. Cities are about people after all - all about people.

The Albert Docks, Liverpool (UK) is a prime example of what can be done, given the will. It's now a world heritage site.
Last time I was in Liverpool, work was being planned on 'the largest [brick] warehouse in the world' (tobacco, would you believe?) on Stanley Dock.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Dock_Tobacco_Warehouse

Parts of Glasgow too.
There are a good few places around though not enough as yet.

This is interesting, from Lake Queensland. The NZ ECQ office in Brisbane, situated there in case there is a catastrophic earthquake in NZ, is being evacuated ahead of the expected flood tomorrow:

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/nz-earthquake-commission-shaken-brisbane-floods-3996976

Indeed interesting. Somewhat ironic, too.

It'd not occurred there'd be such an office but it's obvious good sense, once pointed out.

We have friends in that area - between Brisbane & Bundaberg - & their last, yesterday, said there was 5 metres to go before the house was affected...

(I wonder what's happening to my favourite ginger beer?)
[that's Bundaberg, for unbelievers]

I like Mac's ginger beer myself

Haven't heard the news today, has the flood peaked?

You'll have seen it by now... Brisbane didn't get it as badly as they though they would.


Mac's?
I'll keep an eye out for it - as a substitute, you understand, damn brits get everywhere.

Still haven't seen the news, but glad to hear Brisbane got a bit lucky.

Mac's used to be a small brewery in Nelson. They make a range of beers. It's drinkable but there's better small breweries now producing boutique beers. I think Mac's has been bought out by one of the big players.

I'm not much of a beer drinker - tend to get it at the supermarket, the odd half dozen bottles & enjoy it when we have guests.

I was surprised to find Kaiapoi distillery, a year or so ago

They issued a malt whisky that they claimed was on a par with the best from Scotland. I thought it was very good indeed - but not that good.
I bought two bottles, one of which awaits No1 Son's retirement fund auction.
http://www.southerngrainspirits.co.nz/

Back to the original subject - earthquake.

Yisdir noticed an oddity the other day:

At the North side of the house, at the (West) front, we have a gate. (are you with me so far? Good.)

Let&#39;s say there&#39;s the garden fence then a short cross fence (at right-angles) to a gatepost, then the gate, then the other gatepost and another short fence to the house.

There&#39;s no visible damage. The short fence by the house and its gatepost are whole and in good order.
The garden fence is whole and in good order, as is its short fence - well, it&#39;s whole, undamaged and correctly connected except for being 3mmish further away (at the top only) from the gatepost (the gate space has absorbed that movement).

That gatepost is leaning southish at a small, barely noticeable angle. However, towards the west, it is now leaning at an angle of some 5degrees (along with that end of its short fence).

It wasn&#39;t on installation and is firmly concreted in - immovable by manual means.

No visible movement elsewhere.

2011/02/22/Tue/11:50 local, 2250 GMT

6.3 in Chch. Here, i felt as big as the main one.
We're OK, Dorty & kids OK, No1 Son, don't know. He was/is at Telecomm in Chch... damage reported in that area.
Chch hospital being evacuated (don't know which hosp of the 3 I know of.


Will report again when things settle - internet useless, mostly - hope this gets through

Glad you are ok Rod, and hope you hear from your son soon I have friends living and working in the city centre, will try emailing I think given that CD won't want the cell phone network being used.

This is much worse than the original one last year.

The Herald is saying that police have confirmed multiple deaths, don't know how many.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10707997

The airport has been evacuated. Buildings in town are getting flooded.

National Radio is giving some good coverage.

People here felt it, I didn't, I think I was driving at the time.

May the gods keep you all safe.

Must say I am quite enchanted with the idea that Rod's
post of three days ago about his fence posts was his
way of saying, oops here comes another one. At some
level he was aware of something going on. It sounds
like it may have moved a bit more this time. Keep us
posted, eh.


~jwf~

No word on No1 Son as yet. The Cathedral is badly damaged & he was , we think, in his office around the corner -or two- from there.
Yes, quite a few fatalities apparently and, no doubt many trapped. It's a bloody mess.

The gatepost is still the same! Not a premonition - doglet gave us a few seconds warning on each of the several occasions (and is wanting lots of reassurance - as is Ms Stress).

I've noted (approx local times):
11:50 the main jobbie (notes later)
13:00 smaller
13:05 ditto
14:50 strong, halfway back to the main.

more later, Deo Volente.

I think you are an hour out Rod. Wasn't the first one at 12.50?

Amazing that the Cathedral lost it's spire to the square that was full of people and no-one died.

You know, I thought I'd successfully posted a couple of shorties... Godot Clause - to the front. Posted 'em anyway. Still, comms are all shaken up too.

Yes, kea, 12:50 (not my hands shaking, honest!) - that's what I have written down!
also 13:00, 13:05 reducing
14:50 halfway back
16:05 reduced
... and several more, noticeable from the window blinds (more below)

No1 Son is home. Walked to Belfast then did the proper thing, hitch hiked home. Got out of the office quick - falling masonry. Left his mobile behind, no pubic call boxes working (not many of 'em around anyway).
Son-in-law is home, his hospital non-functional pro-tem.

This quake was different from the Sept one, this was not so much a shakeabout as shake back-&-forth for 30 secs or so. If anything this felt stronger.
Nothing fell off shelves but the drawers in our bedroom (along the long axis of the house) were at various states of openness.
When that faded, there was a gentle(?) rocking across the house for more than 30 secs, maybe 60. It seemed to be at a frequency of approximately that of 2m high venetian & vertical blinds.
It seems as if the rocking was at right-angles (or closeish) to the main shake - those venetians moved to-&-fro the windows while the vertical (at right angles) looked to be pretty much all along it.

Another smallish one just then, 19:43. and again, smaller. Isn't this fun, children?

Again I noted that I was slightly nervous but not frightened.


Neighbours: Next door, had a l-o-n-g drive home from S of Chch. No word on one child (adult).
Over the road, one sister, one (adult) child not yet heard from.


Chch damage is substantially worse than Sept. More beautiful buildings gone, including the iconic Cathedral spire.
Lyttelton, the port, a historic place, is a mess - also much petrol is stored there.

Not to mention people gone & missing.


Rod