Houston ER.org meeting 9/26/10

[LOL!]

In order to avoid sudden turns, I've taught my kids that the turn-signal has to blink at least 3 times before any lane-change or any turn. You even have to turn it on before you take your foot off the accelerator pedal, so that folks around you are alerted BEFORE you start slowing down. It really helps to telegraph what your next move it going to be. Needless to say, there aren't many "Turn left, NOW!" possibilities with this system.

Of course, my kids now apply the same standard to my driving.

[RonBoyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords The good new is that we saw many interesting Houston neighborhoods along La Branch street. Saw a lot of Houston PD vehicles, too.

Yeah, I do miss that -- serendipity... my favorite part of travel.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords I appreciate the potential in new school, but I'm still a big fan of the old...

Let me start with directing you to a completely biased webpage:

Garmin nuvis are "best rated GPS" devices

Watch the video.

Then go to something like this Garmin nuvi 3790T Review (GPSmagazine.com) for a hands-on review by an expert in the field.

Anyway, bottom line is that I like to describe a GPS unit as "having a Native of the area sitting in the seat beside you." You know at all times when & where your next turn will be and in what lane you need to be. And, as you get closer the directions get more and more specific. On the highway, for instance, I have ours set up to say "Rest Area in two miles." And in town, "Red Light Camera in a block and a half." (Same with speed cameras.) The best, probably , is telling it to take you to the closest, cheapest gas station.

Yes, a Smart Phone can do all of that also but... they are too small and, like you noticed, they are not exactly in "real-time." Besides most State now have laws against cell phone use by the driver -- good luck trying to convince them you were not Texting.

[Purron]

Dang, we need a live camera to broadcast this event on the internet

[heyduke]

i just gor back from Houston and was considering going back down tomorrow for the gathering... but after stop and go driving and a few stray torential downpours when I got home I decided that I would not go back tomorrow... have fun without me...

[Purron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by heyduke but after stop and go driving and a few stray torential downpours

What's with the torential downpours in Texas? First Nords, now you.

[Orchidflower]

Stay out of Houston if you can't handle torrential downpours.

If Nords saw lots of Houston PD either they have beefed up or it's just extra security around Rice University.
Anyone know if HPD has actually hired more folks? In the 20+ years I was there they were always always always trying to hire as they were so understaffed.

[Texas Proud]

First... I am surprised that you have heard a lot of honking... I do it at times, but make sure of who I am honking at... if you honk at the wrong Bubba you can get shot at...


The HPD is around Rice and the museum district... and the park... He is in a place that is patrolled... I also think there is a police station on LaBranch, but a farther north...

[freebird5825]

Have fun today!

[Martha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonBoyd Yeah, I do miss that -- serendipity... my favorite part of travel. Let me start with directing you to a completely biased webpage: Garmin nuvis are "best rated GPS" devices Watch the video. Then go to something like this Garmin nuvi 3790T Review (GPSmagazine.com) for a hands-on review by an expert in the field. Anyway, bottom line is that I like to describe a GPS unit as "having a Native of the area sitting in the seat beside you." You know at all times when & where your next turn will be and in what lane you need to be. And, as you get closer the directions get more and more specific. On the highway, for instance, I have ours set up to say "Rest Area in two miles." And in town, "Red Light Camera in a block and a half." (Same with speed cameras.) The best, probably , is telling it to take you to the closest, cheapest gas station. Yes, a Smart Phone can do all of that also but... they are too small and, like you noticed, they are not exactly in "real-time." Besides most State now have laws against cell phone use by the driver -- good luck trying to convince them you were not Texting.

I have an older Nuvi. I have found it invaluable for navigating across the country alone in a motorhome. Especially taking the freeways through the big cities.

That said, sometimes it makes stupid decisions. So, I figure out the general route ahead of time and plug in way points if it doesn't want me on that route. For example, the GPS would rather take me on a non-major highway down through kansas and oklahoma to Dallas, and it is no fun to drive a motorhome through Dallas, than to just take I35 all the way through to the outside of Fort Worth, which is easy driving and faster too.

I used it last year to navigate through the LA area and it worked fine but did not necessarily chose the best route, which is so traffic dependent. But only locals know the best route.

[RonBoyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martha That said, sometimes it makes stupid decisions. So, I figure out the general route ahead of time and plug in way points if it doesn't want me on that route. For example, the GPS would rather take me on a non-major highway down through kansas and oklahoma to Dallas, and it is no fun to drive a motorhome through Dallas, than to just take I35 all the way through to the outside of Fort Worth, which is easy driving and faster too.

Stupid? Its only a machine, thinking is not in the job description... nor is mind reading. My Nuvi gives me four choices to determine which route is chosen: Faster Time, Shorter Distance, Less Fuel, or Off Road. Although they are vastly different in most cases, they still are too broad to fit my real preferences. One of the major drawbacks to a GPS device is that it is like looking at a map through a Straw but since I have found no alternative, I have, for the most part, given up arguing with it.

Nevertheless, I, too, use Way Points to manipulate the instructions -- I prefer to avoid Interstate Highways, for instance.

In writing this, I remembered what is probably the most valuable feature of a GPS unit -- the rapid recalculation if you miss your turn. This is particularly so at 65 miles per hour on a mid-city (think Dallas or Chicago) freeway... consulting a paper map doesn't quite get the job done if you are solo (or with someone who doesn't understand how a map works).

[Rustic23]

Pictures, Sure, we got picture. Who are they. Beats me, just some people that showed up ant the Armadillo. Clicking should get you to a larger picture.

[Purron]

Love the pictures!!!

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purron Love the pictures!!!

I was enjoying the decor, and it's been a loooooong time since I've seen a bar with $2 frosty beverages...

[LOL!]

What a nice bunch of folks! I'm glad I drove into Houston for the conversation and cheap beers. BTW, everybody looks much better in person that in the photos!

[Sue J]

Thanks for the pics. But you've got to tell us who everyone is, except for Nords. He's easy to ID.

[CuppaJoe]

Looks like a very good time was had by all. Nice size group. We're waiting for the transcript.

[aaronc879]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords I was enjoying the decor, and it's been a loooooong time since I've seen a bar with $2 frosty beverages...

Looks like you guys had a good time but those drinks are too expensive for me. There's a bar near me on the river(great views) with $1.25 frostys. Wisconsin has the cheapest beer in the country. Near the college you can still get $.25 tappers and $1.00 rails on tuesdays and $5 all you can drink on wednesdays. Other places it's $1 tappers and $2 rails anytime.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WlwumGkSec

[Bestwifeever]

That photo should be the official e-r.org poster, because you all look way too young to be retired in any universe other than e-r.org.