The Houston Posts

Streaming weather forecasts on HAIF

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:40:51 -0400

Tonight, the latest chapter in the expansion of HAIF launched:

Now Houston's largest internet community is getting free streaming audio forecasts from the meteorologists of the CW39 Weather Center.

More information on the streaming Houston weather forecasts here.

Go spy on yourself

Fri, 23 May 2008 12:04:50 -0400

It looks like Google has updated its aerial imagery of the Houston area again.

Check out this thread to see what's new and then go see what your home looks like from the air.

New HAIF Features

Sat, 03 May 2008 13:36:20 -0400

If you've been on HAIF for more than a couple of months, then you probably know that we're constantly adding and tweaking the site. New features are added all the time, and several have gone live in the last couple of days.

Google Search

It's no secret that the search function built in to the forum software isn't always the best tool for the job. It can be frustrating when it doesn't find any results for something you know is on HAIF. So, now when you click on the Search button your search will be handled by Google, instead. Type in your search terms and click "Google Search" and you're on your way. If you want to search the whole internet, instead of just HAIF, then click the "web" button. Or if you want to use the old search tool (useful for searching for posts by a particular user), then click "More search options."

More profile options while reading threads

When you're reading a thread, you can learn more about the people whose writing you are reading. Hover your mouse over the user's name and click the down arrow to unfold a menu of options. This has been here for a while, but new options were added a couple of days ago:

View Member Blog - to view their blog, if they have one.
View Member Albums - to view the photos they've uploaded to the HAIF photo gallery.
Find Member Topics/Posts - one of these options is new; I forget which one.

This is also an illustration of why you should not only upload an avatar, but also a personal photo. You don't have to show yourself, I know a lot of people are worried about privacy. But maybe your cat or dog or turtle or something else that can help identify you in a personal way to others who are interested in you.

More profile information

A lot of people have gotten a lot of use out of the user profiles, especially the ability to rate other users. Now there are new options.

About Me lets you tell people about yourself and your background.

Gallery lets people see your pictures, right from your profile page.

Blog lets people read your blog entries, right from your profile page.

Comments lets you see what other people have said about you.

Settings lets you change all sorts of things related to you, your profile page, and how others see you.

There are lots of other smaller changes, but these are the big ones that I can remember right now.

Many of the changes made to HAIF (like the Google search) are user suggestions, so if you think of a way to improve the forum, send me a PM and if I can do it, chances are I will.

HAIF is now on Twitter

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:43:06 -0400

For those of you who are Twitter addicts, HAIF is there for you.

Just follow this link to join the HAIF Twitter group.

At this point it will be mostly used for site updates, and other important news. But if you think of anything we should use it for, let me know. I'm new to this whole "social networking" thing, and learning as I go.

What you want from HAIF?

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:20:34 -0400

A new thread has been started which asks you to finish this sentence:

I wish HAIF...

But only one sentence. Tell us what you want from HAIF. What you think it should be doing better. What you think it should do in the future. What you think should be corrected, fixed, added, removed, changed. But... you've got to do it in one sentence.

Gerald Hines gets Harvard award

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:39:05 -0400

Houston real estate legend Gerald D. Hines (think "Williams Tower" and the "University of Houston School of Architecture" has been given an award by the Harvard School of Design.
Read more about it here.

Hmns May Open A Museum In The Woodlands

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 08:45:13 -0500

The tug-of-war between the city and the suburbs continues. The latest volley in the changing character of Houston comes from the Houston Museum of Natural Science which wants to build a branch museum in The Woodlands.

There are very interesting arguments on both sides of the issue in the thread above. It's well worth a read.

A New Haify Welcome

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:49:21 -0500

Starting this week, I'm going to personally send out e-mails to all newly registered HAIF members to welcome them on board and let them know about all the different features HAIF has to offer.

I'm posting a copy of the letter here so that everyone can see, because I think even veteran HAIFers (myself included) don't realize all that HAIF has to offer.

-------------

As the editor of HAIF, I want to welcome you to the forum.

No, this isn't some automated piece of robo-mail. This is an actual letter I send out to new users to let them know a little about the community they've just joined. There's a real person on the other side of this mail, so if you have any questions about HAIF, please feel free to reply.

ALL ABOUT HAIF

Most people visit HAIF just to read what other people have to say and to update themselves on what's going on in their neighborhood. While we do encourage people to post messages, you are more than welcome to simply read HAIF. A number of our star message writers have started out spending a year or two or even three simply reading what other people have to say. Once they start two-way communication, HAIF becomes a whole different experience for them.

In addition to the message forum which you are already familiar with, we have a number of other HAIF features that you may find of interest. Please take a minute to glance over these.

HAIF BLOGS

If you are not yet comfortable with sharing your thoughts on the issues of the day in the wider forum, you can have a blog all to yourself. It's an area where you can spill your guts in what amounts to you your own public diary. You can talk about things that are important to you like motorcycle racing, or politics, or shopping. Venting your rage or waxing poetic, it's your space to write about what you want. Just click on the "Blogs" link near the top of most HAIF pages to get started. It's free.

HAIF GALLERY

The HAIF Gallery is a place where you can share your photographs. Whether it's some cameraphone shots of your dog in the backyard, or panoramic scenes of the Houston skyline, you can upload your pictures and share them with others. You can even send them as e-mail picture postcards to your friends and family. This is a free service.

HAIF CALENDAR

This is a place where you can publicize your community group's upcoming event. Things like lectures, public hearings, theater performances, and other events can be added to the calendar so that your fellow HAIFers can see what's going on in your world. Items added to the calendar also appear at the bottom of the main HAIF page as they draw near so people planning a couple of days ahead can see your event. You may also want to place an announcement in our "Community Announcements" section. Both of these are free services.

HAIF:NOW

There are people find HAIF to be something of an addiction, especially once you get used to the characters and issues being discussed. For those people who can't get enough HAIF, there's HAIF:NOW which presents a streaming list of the most recently updated threads on HAIF. Just click on the "HAIF:Now" button and a new window will open up showing the threads with the newest posts, and it updates automatically. It was originally intended for people who HAIF from work, so there's a "Here comes the boss!" button you can click if you think someone's looking over your shoulder. It was also designed with mobile devices in mind. It is low-bandwidth for cellular connections and formatted to fit Blackberries, iPhones, and other mobile devices. And yes, like just about everything else of HAIF, it's free.

HAIF CARDS

Once you've decided you like HAIF you will want to tell your friends. That's why we have HAIF cards available. These are high-quality business card-sized cards that you can hand to someone you think will enjoy HAIF. Since having someone write down a web address is awkward at best, you can simply hand them one of our fancy schmancy cards. To get a pack, simple e-mail or PM your mailing address to me and I'll get them in the mail within a couple of days.

RADIOHAIF

radioHAIF is something new we've just started to help promote Houston, foster communication between Houstonians, and create a greater sense of community. Right now, much of the music you hear on Radio HAIF is from mainstream bands that everybody knows. But the goal of the station is to give emerging artists from Houston and the rest of Texas the exposure they have been sorely lacking. For every ZZ Top and Beyonce to come out of the Bayou City there are dozens of equally talented bands and singers who for one reason or another simply don't get the airplay they deserve. radioHAIF plays in iTunes, Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, and other streaming media programs on Macintosh, Windows, and Linux machines. Go to http://www.radiohaif.com to listen.

HAIF-TV

HAIF-TV is another recent project of ours. Right now it scours YouTube for videos pertaining to Houston, real estate, home improvement, and other popular HAIF topics. In the future we will feature our own original content created by HAIF members for the HAIF community. To see what's on today, click http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/HAI/HAIF-TV.php

DIET HAIF

If you find yourself on a low-bandwidth connection like dialup or cellular, click the "Lo-fi version" link at the bottom of any HAIF page for Diet HAIF. This is an ad-free, text-only version of HAIF that works great over slower connections. The direct link is http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/l...rsion/index.php

RSS

If your web browser or e-mail client supports RSS feed syndication, it's a great way to keep up with what's going on at HAIF at your own pace. Just point your feed reader to feed://feed.houstonarchitecture.info/HAIF

THE HOUSTON POSTS

There is a section of HAIF called The Houston Posts where we spotlight the best messages and threads from HAIF. This is available as a separate RSS feed: feed://feed.houstonarchitecture.info/TheHoustonPosts

AD-FREE HAIF

For die-hard HAIF fans there is no substitute for ad-free HAIF. It gives you the ability to surf the forum without seeing any banner advertising. Rates start at just $5/month. Click "Remove Ads" near the top of the forum pages for more information. This is the only HAIF service that currently has a fee.

THE HISTORY OF HAIF

HAIF was started in 2001 as a small discussion area for the Houston Architecture Info web site. Since then it has grown tremendously and is considered by some the largest, most influential internet form dealing with Houston and its issues. It seems like bad luck to track and obsess over the competition, but we've been told that HAIF is the largest internet forum in Houston. Larger than any of the TV stations or even the Houston Chronicle forum. We have taken no steps to verify this, but here are our numbers from January, 2008:

Average number of unique visitors per day: 16,000
Average number of page views per day: 85,000
Average number of unique visitors per month: 476,000
Average number of page views per month: 2.6 million

Again, thanks so much for joining HAIF. I hope you will return again and again to check up on what's going on in Houston, to voice your opinion on the issues important to you, and to let everyone know what's going on in your neighborhood.

If you have any questions, just ask.

Wayne Lorentz
Editor
HAIF
http://www.TheHAIF.com

A Way For You To Help Spread Haif

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:13:43 -0500

Over the last five years or so we've had a number of requests from people who want some kind of "official" way to help them spread the gospel of HAIF. We understand that "www -dot- houston architecture -dot- info -slash- haif" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue easily in casual conversation. And "www.TheHAIF.com" isn't all that much better. That's why we've come up with a visual way to help you let people know about HAIF. They're HAIF cards:

The cards are the size of regular business cards so they're easy to carry with you, but they're all glossy and pretty to attract attention. To get your hands on some HAIF cards, just send a PM to Editor with your mailing address and you'll get some for free to give to your friends, family, strangers, doctor, barber, alderman, or whomever.

Texas At War Slideshows

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:07:07 -0500

The HAIF gallery now has two slide shows related to World War II.

Texas at War: Fort Worth and Texas at War: Corpus Christi show two sides of the war effort in those two cities.

The Fort Worth images show civilians who gave up their day jobs as homemakers, sculptors, and even students to help make aircraft in the factories of North Texas.

The Corpus Christi images show the men and women of the Navy preparing, deploying, and repairing their equipment.

The Past In The Panhandle

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:01:04 -0500

A number of new photographs have been posted in the HAIF image gallery.

Among them, a collection of photographs from the past. Some of the earliest color photographs in the Library of Congress' collection are from Texas. The thread 1940's Amarillo Pictures shows the city back when it wasn't much more than a railroad town.

We have several HAIFers from Amarillo. They might just see something familiar in the scenes.

A Look Back At Houston's First Independent Tv Station

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 05:06:42 -0500

Many Houstonians these days appreciate the no-nonsense less-hype news that's on channel 39 each night. But for many people, their affection for what started out as KHTV, became KHWB, then KHCW goes back to their childhood.

Here's a look back at the first 40 years of Houston's 39.

See The Ghosts Of Houston's Future Past

Sat, 08 Dec 2007 17:10:49 -0500

In Texas lots of large plans are made. Not all of them work out. A few good examples are seen in this thread which discusses subdivisions that never came to be. Sure, they have named roads, entry signs, even streetlamps that come on at night -- but no houses and no people. There's links to Google Maps pages showing aerial photos some of the neighborhoods that someone once thought were good ideas, but never came to fruition.

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...showtopic=14098

What The Woodlands Looks Like

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 18:35:38 -0500

There's another great photo thread from Boris. This time he's trained his lens on The Woodlands, and if you haven't been up to the master of master planned communities in a while, it's worth a look.

Memories of Bacliff

Sun, 28 Oct 2007 18:14:24 -0400

Several new and old members of HAIF are catching up on what's been happening in Bacliff. For those of you who don't get to visit one of Galveston Bay's more overlooked communities, this may inspire a day trip for you.

Public park? That's a dollar, please.

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 12:26:51 -0400

There's outrage in HAIFland. As noted in this thread, it now cost a dollar for parking to see the San Jacinto monument. Also, the state park has been NASCARed with sponsorships from Toyota and Bank of America.

If you haven't been to San Jac in a while, better go now before it's gone. Other posters noted that the Texas parks system is a terrible shape.

But there is hope. The legislature may be finally giving the TP&R the money it deserves to protect the Lone Star State's heritage.

Discovering Columbus (Texas, that is)

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 17:14:46 -0400

If you're a fan of Texas' many small towns, there's a great new thread on HAIF for you.

Boris has posted a number of pictures of Columbus, Texas including a quirky lawyer's office, and the local eatery.

HAIF members ready for Hurricane Dean

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 11:38:10 -0400

With the passing of tropical storm Erin, we've taken down the HAIF TS banner:

and now that the National Hurricane Center has put Houston at the edge of the Hurricane Dean five-day cone, we're hoisting the Hurricane banner:

On a more serious note, this also means that the Breaking News section remains open.

Long-term HAIFers will remember how the community came together in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and used HAIF to trade stories, pictures, information, advice, and helped each other locate loved ones. With Dean approaching, HAIF is once again becoming a central place for people to discuss the storm and how to prepare should it make a right turn up the coast.

Also, we have a Breaking News subsection called Official Dean NHC Advisories. This is automatically updated every time the National Hurricane Center puts out a new advisory about the storm.

How green is your personal valley?

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 17:46:47 -0400

In this thread, The Niche turns us on to a link that lets you type in a city and state and get a list of LEED-certified green buildings in that city.

It turns out that Houston is doing pretty well. It has 70 buildings listed. That's more than San Francisco, which talks about being environmentally responsible, but apparently doesn't walk the walk.

The many names of redevelopment

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 17:03:53 -0400

There's been a fair bit of confusion among observers of what's going on along Westheimer just inside the loop.

There are two projects being developed that are next to each other and both have been called by multiple names by people who watch these things.

In this thread, helpful HAIFers sort out the mess with the help of the good ol' Houston Business Journal.

As summarized by The Niche, "Westcreek = Oaks District = River Oaks District, and is owned by OliverMcMillan. Central Ford = High Street, and is owned by Trademark."

Another piece of Houston history meets the wrecking ball

Sat, 04 Aug 2007 18:49:50 -0400

After months of railing against the possibility, the good folks of HAIF finally have no choice but to accept the reality: The Art Moderne 1930's River Oaks Shopping Center is about to be bulldozed. Outrage yielded to frustration and now it's just fatigue.

In the words of Native Montrosian, "Yes, the River Oaks Center is Weingarten Realty's property. They can tear everything down and line West Gray on both sides with a faux Miami stucco-plopped strip mall open 24/7. They can build condos that try to reach God like the Tower of Babel because in this issue, they essentially are God. I realize it. I give up."

Sixth Ward protection riles rights watchdogs

Sat, 04 Aug 2007 18:16:28 -0400

As long as there has been a HAIF there has been the debate over zoning in Houston. The Bayou City inched a little closer to joining the Z club by passing a measure protecting hundreds of homes in the historic Sixth Ward from being torn down. The immediate effect will be to block the construction of a home described as the "Garage Mahal." HAIF members are busy discussing the long-term impact of what some see as the government ripping their rights out of their cold, home-owning hands.

Allen House about to bite the dust

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 22:25:53 -0400

The bulldozers are poised to rumble once again. This time it's the Allen House about to get Caterpillered. HAIF members have been sharing their memories of the old place and speculating about its replacement.

A flashback to 80's Houston

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 16:04:52 -0400

Back when radio mattered...
Back when teens who dressed in black were "mods", not "goths"...
Back when gas was 74 cents a gallon... the super-huge-eurotrash-megastar Morrissey visited a record store in Houston. HAIFers with fond memories of parachute pants and Atari elbow are reminiscing about the visit, complete with video.

Live like a furniture mogul

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 16:01:51 -0400

Now you, too, can live like a furniture mogul. Mattress Mack is selling his pad in Northgate Forest. Comes with a five-car garage, but no furniture.

No, it can't be delivered "TODAY."

New hotel may be coming to downtown

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 16:00:10 -0400

Both the Houston Business Journal and the Houston Chronicle are making noises about a new downtown Hotel. The HBJ says there's a $130k deal in the works, while the Chron talks about how desperately the convention business needs it.

It's a cycle of prosperity -- when you build more hotel rooms, you attract more conventions. When you attract more conventions, you need more hotel rooms. The convention industry isn't so New York-Chicago-Boston fixated as they used to be. Major meetings are defecting to the sunny skies and union-free cost benefits of Orlando and Las Vegas. Houston is salivating for a piece of the action.

A Houston Mod Locke down

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 15:54:41 -0400

Houston has lost another one of its precious mid-century modern homes. The one at 3448 Locke generated a lot of interest, but was ultimately lost to bulldozers, and will probably become another McMansion.

Some HAIFers are sharing their stories of their efforts to keep the city's mod heritage alive, in spite of everything going against them.

What music looks like - Houston in the 1930's-1950's

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 22:06:33 -0400

Don Julio, one of our newest members has a FANTASTIC hobby: He collects photographs of old bands in Texas. He's been nice enough to share a few with the folks on HAIF. You can read the thread here. And don't forget to check out his Flickr collection of more than a hundred pictures.

Looking into Galveston's past

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 22:02:53 -0400

Some HAIFers have been swapping stories and photos of Texas' favorite seaside getaway. Naturally, there are pictures of the Great Storm of 1900, but there are other pictures which provide a glimpse into life along the sea in a previous generation.

See for yourself here.

Everything's bigger in... Houston

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 21:25:50 -0400

It's said that "everything is bigger in Texas" and that was certainly the case for the joy of HAIFers when they learned that the world's tallest skyscraper may be built in Houston. The Bayou City is on a short list of places an L.A. billionaire wants to blow his money beating the pants off of Dubai.

Of course, not everyone still has their pioneering Texas can-do spirit working, so click on over and give those naysayers the what for.

Staying up-to-date on Houston's new projects

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 17:53:56 -0400

If you haven't noticed, HAIF has started a Great Big List Of Houston Projects over at the Towrs wiki. It's a great way to get a quick glance at what's going up in Houston and what's still to come.

It started a few weeks ago with just a handful of entries, and now thanks to alert HAIFers, it's expanded to what looks like a hundred projects or more.

It's a link worth bookmarking as a quick reference guide to what's under construction and planned. And, as always, since it's a wiki anyone can edit it -- even you, if you have information to share.

The memory of Houston lasts longer than the flavor

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:54:15 -0400

Just about everyone has a favorite restaurant. And just about everyone has had a favorite restaurant close. So far, 21,000 people have viewed the Defunct Houston Restaurants thread, and hundreds have posted their memories of the flavors of the past. Some are even sharing their pictures.

The new flavor of downtown: Hines 47

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 00:01:31 -0400

It's been a while since Houston's skyscraper fans have had something new to cheer about. This one looks legit. HAIFers were quick to jump on the news that Hines is planning to build a 47-story building in downtown Houston. They even gave the unnamed tower their own name: Hines 47.

In just a few days the topic has earned 7,000 views and more than 200 replies. Everything from "way to go" to some questioning the demolition of yet another historic Houston building.

Jump into the fray here.

Marvin Zindler dies at 85

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 22:06:25 -0400

A broadcaster who lived a life as large as the Lone Star State has passed away. KTRK's Marvin Zindler died today of pancreatic cancer.

Many HAIFers have been following his illness in this thread, which they are now using to express their condolences.

Welcome to The Houston Posts

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 21:38:00 -0400

After six years and 180,000 messages it can be hard to keep up with what's going on at the Houston Architecture Info Forum.

That's why we've created The Houston Posts. Here you'll be able to see the very best HAIF has to offer, updated regularly.

So sit back, and click away. We've got a lot of HAIF to share.