Thanks for the photos. It's adequate to meet our needs. It looks a little dark inside. Maybe we should have gone with white instead of blue.

I hope some work is being done on Rice Stadium. It needs a good pressure wash, if nothing else.

(07-16-2020 12:00 PM)Ourland Wrote:  It looks a little dark inside.

That's 100% with natural light... since it will be used after dark at times or during inclement weather, I'm convinced that there will be portable lights as well.

(07-16-2020 01:17 PM)Hambone10 Wrote:  

(07-16-2020 12:00 PM)Ourland Wrote:  It looks a little dark inside.

That's 100% with natural light... since it will be used after dark at times or during inclement weather, I'm convinced that there will be portable lights as well.

These were taken at 8pm, so the sun was pretty low in the sky.

This is "The Bubble" at UT.
Ours will undoubtedly have lights inside, and might look like this.

(07-16-2020 01:30 PM)Grungy Wrote:  

(07-16-2020 01:17 PM)Hambone10 Wrote:  

(07-16-2020 12:00 PM)Ourland Wrote:  It looks a little dark inside.

That's 100% with natural light... since it will be used after dark at times or during inclement weather, I'm convinced that there will be portable lights as well.

These were taken at 8pm, so the sun was pretty low in the sky.

This is "The Bubble" at UT.
Ours will undoubtedly have lights inside, and might look like this.

Nah, I don't like the burnt orange.

(07-17-2020 06:31 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  Nah, I don't like the burnt orange.

That's where players go to 'relieve themselves' after gassers

(07-17-2020 07:03 PM)Hambone10 Wrote:  

(07-17-2020 06:31 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  Nah, I don't like the burnt orange.

That's where players go to 'relieve themselves' after gassers

Quick update on the bubble. Seems that the designers did not realize (um wow?) that AC units generate water and as such there was a giant puddle in the parking lot north of the bubble. Was "fixed" via a plastic pipe system going from the AC across the beer bike track to the closest drain. Fine example of a Kluge. Horrible news for bikers. Great look....

(07-24-2020 10:37 AM)texowl2 Wrote:  Quick update on the bubble. Seems that the designers did not realize (um wow?) that AC units generate water and as such there was a giant puddle in the parking lot north of the bubble. Was "fixed" via a plastic pipe system going from the AC across the beer bike track to the closest drain. Fine example of a Kluge. Horrible news for bikers. Great look....

When I was a student, we handled that problem by not having AC.

(07-24-2020 10:57 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(07-24-2020 10:37 AM)texowl2 Wrote:  Quick update on the bubble. Seems that the designers did not realize (um wow?) that AC units generate water and as such there was a giant puddle in the parking lot north of the bubble. Was "fixed" via a plastic pipe system going from the AC across the beer bike track to the closest drain. Fine example of a Kluge. Horrible news for bikers. Great look....

When I was a student, we handled that problem by not having AC.

I too remember un-air conditioned Rice. Open windows created all kinds of opportunities for unwanted things to enter rooms - mosquitos, water balloons, bottle rockets, etc.

(07-24-2020 10:37 AM)texowl2 Wrote:  Quick update on the bubble. Seems that the designers did not realize (um wow?) that AC units generate water and as such there was a giant puddle in the parking lot north of the bubble. Was "fixed" via a plastic pipe system going from the AC across the beer bike track to the closest drain. Fine example of a Kluge. Horrible news for bikers. Great look....

Actually, I'm surprised that it could pass municipal inspection with that setup. Shows the quality of the inspectors for Harris County.

I'll try to remember to bounce the scenario off a friend of mine this weekend. He works as a commercial building inspector for a local county - the stories he tells about what builders and contractors try to get away with, and what he makes them to do to meet code, are sad yet funny.

(07-24-2020 02:21 PM)gsloth Wrote:  

(07-24-2020 10:37 AM)texowl2 Wrote:  Quick update on the bubble. Seems that the designers did not realize (um wow?) that AC units generate water and as such there was a giant puddle in the parking lot north of the bubble. Was "fixed" via a plastic pipe system going from the AC across the beer bike track to the closest drain. Fine example of a Kluge. Horrible news for bikers. Great look....

Actually, I'm surprised that it could pass municipal inspection with that setup. Shows the quality of the inspectors for Harris County.

I'll try to remember to bounce the scenario off a friend of mine this weekend. He works as a commercial building inspector for a local county - the stories he tells about what builders and contractors try to get away with, and what he makes them to do to meet code, are sad yet funny.

I seem to recall that Rice has a rep as an engineering school? One would think....

Beer Bike's days in the parking lot appear to be over. It deserves better anyway.

(07-24-2020 10:37 AM)texowl2 Wrote:  Quick update on the bubble. Seems that the designers did not realize (um wow?) that AC units generate water and as such there was a giant puddle in the parking lot north of the bubble. Was "fixed" via a plastic pipe system going from the AC across the beer bike track to the closest drain. Fine example of a Kluge. Horrible news for bikers. Great look....

They planned drain lines.
I'm curious what didn't work out.

(07-25-2020 10:41 PM)Ourland Wrote:  Beer Bike's days in the parking lot appear to be over. It deserves better anyway.

unless they go back to the academic quad oval (way way back and the west section was just past the RMC-i heard there were a lot of crashes, not sure where else to put it. And if you did that where would the pits be?

(07-26-2020 12:23 PM)texowl2 Wrote:  

(07-25-2020 10:41 PM)Ourland Wrote:  Beer Bike's days in the parking lot appear to be over. It deserves better anyway.

unless they go back to the academic quad oval (way way back and the west section was just past the RMC-i heard there were a lot of crashes, not sure where else to put it. And if you did that where would the pits be?

The quad oval was in my day. The crashes were at the turn by old Wiess and the then tennis courts. There was a car wash station right there, and the soapy water drained right into the road. Even when it was dry, it was a very slippery surface.

(07-24-2020 11:45 AM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(07-24-2020 10:57 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  When I was a student, we handled that problem by not having AC.

I too remember un-air conditioned Rice. Open windows created all kinds of opportunities for unwanted things to enter rooms - mosquitos, water balloons, bottle rockets, etc.

I remember the un-airconditioned Racquetball courts in old Autry Gym, and the rusty weights in the chain-link fenced-in "weight area". But the thing that drove me craziest was trying to sleep in the dorm with the mosquitos buzzing around right next to your face!

(07-25-2020 10:41 PM)Ourland Wrote:  Beer Bike's days in the parking lot appear to be over. It deserves better anyway.

So, will they go to the inner loop road?

Edit: reminds me of this great annual event:

(07-25-2020 10:41 PM)Ourland Wrote:  Beer Bike's days in the parking lot appear to be over. It deserves better anyway.

That's not what has been said so far.
Is there something new?
There is room for pits.
Athletics agreed to deflate the dome for Beer-Bike, so that the fans could see the back straight.

Thresher 2/20/19:
"The dome would be moved or deflated sometime before Beer Bike each year, with the time to be determined based on feedback from the student body, Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman said. Bikers could still practice on the track while the dome is inflated, according to Mello."

The Student Association passed two resolutions against building the bubble at all.

There were several more articles about the dome, but nothing appeared to get resolved, and then there was March 2020.

There's no reason to bother with deflating the bubble. It isn't necessary. Move Beer-Bike to the track and field stadium. Build up the event. It's a nice, modern venue with concessions and seating. What reasons are there to prevent it from happening?

(07-27-2020 01:11 AM)Ourland Wrote:  There's no reason to bother with deflating the bubble. It isn't necessary. Move Beer-Bike to the track and field stadium. Build up the event. It's a nice, modern venue with concessions and seating. What reasons are there to prevent it from happening?

I agree with this. What I understand from Rick Mello is that deflation of the bubble is extremely costly, and would not be justified for simply one event, even one as important to the University as Beer-Bike.