AUSTIN News Thread

[Jdawgboy]

And Yellow Jackets, We have multiple hornet nests on our house and large ones too. Its been years since I have seen this amount of infestation.

[BevoLJ]

BRENT GRULKE 1961-2012
Created by Roland on August 14, 2012

SXSW Director Brent Grulke suddenly passed away from a heart attack yesterday morning, August 13. The SXSW family and friends are stunned and grief stricken by this loss.

Brent was a graduate of the University of Texas. He was the Records Review Editor for the Austin Chronicle, prior to a career in the music business where he was a record producer, sound engineer, tour manager and record company executive. In 1994 Brent became the Creative Director of SXSW Music and was responsible for booking the music festival. Under Brent's leadership, SXSW Music became one of the most respected and well known events in the world.

He is survived by his wife, Kristen, and son, Graham, as well as brothers Brad and Brian.


http://sxsw.com/music-film-interacti...28SXSW+News%29

[the Genral]

Originally Posted by nixcity

and don't forget about the crickets

Oh yeah...epic cricket issues at my store.

[Hill Country]

Here's a NY Times article about Austin's current downtown boom:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/15/re...cne7AERqq3uCd3

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.statesman.com/business/pe...s-2443077.html

Peddler Bike Shop looks to build on Austin's biking culture

By Brian Gaar
Updated: 6:57 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012
Published: 6:02 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012

If you work at a bicycle shop, summer is the slow season especially in Texas.

As the employees of the Peddler Bike Shop can tell you, it's too hot for lots of folks to ride.

But business was picking up last week, as college students started to return to the nearby University of Texas campus.

"Everybody's moving in. This is the big moving week right now," said Paul Crossley, as he worked on a bike.

The Peddler is the definition of a small business. With nine employees, it was started in 2005 by A.J. Camp at a small space on North Loop Boulevard. The shop, which sells and repairs all manner of bikes, moved to more spacious digs at 51st and Duval streets three years ago.

It's a good time to be in the bike business in Austin, employees say, as it's a city whose healthy-living lifestyle dovetails nicely with cycling.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.statesman.com/business/te...e-2443997.html

Fast-growing startup Mass Relevance set to move to new downtown offices

By Lori Hawkins
Published: 7:13 p.m. Monday, Aug. 27, 2012

Another Austin tech company is moving downtown.

Mass Relevance, a fast-growing social media marketing startup, has leased 12,000 square feet at 800 Brazos St. The space is more than double the size of the company's current offices at Braker Lane and North MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1). The company is planning a November move-in date.

The new headquarters will feature an open design, with ping-pong tables, darts, video consoles and a full kitchen where the company's head of health and fitness will prepare lunches five days a week. Employees will eat together daily in a large dining space, and can meet informally at lounge areas throughout the space. The offices will also have showers so employees can ride bicycles to work or take in-house exercise classes.

The company, which aggregates social media content for 170 clients including MTV Networks and CNN, has 50 employees and plans to hire up to 15 more this year in software development, marketing, sales and client operations. The new headquarters will acommodate 100 employees. Mass Relevance, which has raised $5.5 million from investors including Austin Ventures, does not release revenue figures.

[Spaceman]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

http://www.statesman.com/business/pe...s-2443077.html

Here is one example of why motorists have trouble with the biking community in Austin. A man biking on 360 died near the 360 bridge..He was not hit by a vehicle , it appears he died from a medical condition. This is tragic for his family and friends...Here is the other part of this sad event..The police closed southbound 360 for THREE hours!!! WTF! There is no reason for this long closure.

[KevinFromTexas]

That's really something people should be angry with the police about. Dead men can't close a highway.

[the Genral]

I'm pretty sure they had to secure the area and treat it as a crime scene until they were sure there was no foul play involved. I've been on scene for hours where there were fatalities (as a firefighter) while the police did their job before the body could be removed. I know it seems excessive but doing the investigation properly cannot be compromised for the sake of motorist convenience. Nor can the safety of those doing the investigation. I myself have almost been hit by jackasses who barrel through accident scene without slowing down. We don't need another fatality added to the situation, and yes, unfortunately, it happens. Trust me, they want to clear the scene as quickly as they can. In some cases the wait depends on the arrival of the JP, Coroner, or funeral home, all of whom may be busy elsewhere. Regardless, I can assure you they weren't just hanging around bs'ing for 3 hours. Please cut them some slack.

[BevoLJ]

Originally Posted by Spaceman

Here is one example of why motorists have trouble with the biking community in Austin. A man biking on 360 died near the 360 bridge..He was not hit by a vehicle , it appears he died from a medical condition. This is tragic for his family and friends...Here is the other part of this sad event..The police closed southbound 360 for THREE hours!!! WTF! There is no reason for this long closure.

Oh, right, because motorist never have health issues that cause them to crash? Earlier this year, I believe I remember a lady who had just had surgery and driving home passed out and ran into a bus stop killing an old man sitting on the bench waiting for the bus.

The difference is that when health issues come up for bikers it could cause delays in traffic. When health issues come up for drivers other people often end up dead.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/...inglePage=true

Nearly a third of $1.2 billion from recent Austin bond elections remains unspent

By Sarah Coppola
Updated: 9:36 p.m. Monday, Sept. 3, 2012
Published: 9:18 p.m. Monday, Sept. 3, 2012

The City of Austin has yet to spend nearly a third of the $1.2 billion in bond money that voters approved in four bond packages over the past 15 years.

That means dozens of projects — from swimming pool renovations to street repairs — aren't done.

City officials say most of the remaining projects are being designed, are under construction or will break ground soon, and that the city will spend most of the remaining $356 million in the next three years.

[JoninATX]

Austin, Texas, named North America's most online secure city

The Czech computer security company AVG Technologies has declared Austin, Texas as No. 1 in North America when it comes to online security.

The report, based on a survey of 15 North American cities in which nearly 4,000 respondents were interviewed, sought to determine the types of behavior Internet users engage in and how savvy they are when it comes to protecting their identities.

The U.S. grabbed the top nine spots for best practices online — New York City is No. 2 — but Montreal rounded out the top spots at No. 10. (Last year, AVG released a list of America's least secure cities.)

It's important to note, however, that the survey only included four of the biggest U.S. cities. Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Dallas, San Antonio and San Diego all fall into the top 10 most populated American cities, but are found nowhere on AVG's list.

In order, the cities included are:

1. Austin
2. New York City
3. Los Angeles
4. Denver
5. Washington, D.C.
6. Atlanta
7. Chicago
8. Seattle
9. Portland
10. Montreal

http://m.mnn.com/green-tech/computer...ne-secure-city

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/...inglePage=true

Critics see leaks in Austin's shifting summer watering schedule

By Marty Toohey
Published: 9:47 p.m. Friday, Sept. 7, 2012

When news reached Leo Dielmann in May that Austin might loosen the once-a-week lawn watering restrictions in place at the time, his off-the-cuff reaction was, "Are you crazy?"

Dielmann, chairman of the city's Resource Management Commission, was not worried that a return to twice-a-week watering would drastically drain Austin's water supplies, and saw advantages to the idea, such as helping the area's flora.

What worried Dielmann on that spring day was the possibility that promising weather forecasts could be wrong and that Austin could relax its rules only to tighten them a short time later.

That was the kind of back-and-forth scenario the city's water department had warned against, fearing it could confuse the public and undermine the willingness of Austinites to abide by the city's aggressive water conservation plan.

[KevinFromTexas]

It seems backwards that they would require buildings over 5 stories to have sound proofing since the higher up you are above the street the quieter it should be.

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/pr...-downtown.html

Sound-mitigating idea miffs downtown residential developers

Austin Business Journal by Robert Grattan, Staff Writer
Date: Friday, September 7, 2012, 5:00am CDT

Robert Grattan
Staff Writer- Austin Business Journal

A recommendation from the city’s Planning and Development Review Department on how to soundproof Austin’s new downtown high-rises and ease the growing tension between new residents and late-night revelers has developers speaking out.

Last December, the Austin City Council directed staff to look into how building materials could insulate the residential complexes due to the high number of noise complaints the city was receiving from downtown residents.

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

It seems backwards that they would require buildings over 5 stories to have sound proofing since the higher up you are above the street the quieter it should be.

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/pr...-downtown.html

I am all for more residential Downtown but it really irritates me when developers get upset about soundproofing their buildings, the entire reason there is demand for them to build Downtown is that people want to be near the music venues, bars, clubs, lounges, restaurants. Yet they build buildings that those people then complain about the noise. I say to the developer get over it, if you cant afford it then move over and let another company that can do it cause Austin is Hot territory especially downtown.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/...m-2454448.html

Travis County commissioners again considering tax on tourism

By Farzad Mashhood
Published: 7:22 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012

For the umpteenth time in a decade, the Travis County commissioners are considering a tax on tourists that would help pay for visitor-related expenses, piggybacking on to already-hefty state and city tourist taxes.

At the maximum allowed rate, which Travis County officials said they probably will stay under, the county could have collected more than $3.2 million in hotel-motel taxes during the second quarter of 2012 alone, according to data from the state comptroller's website.

[priller]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

It seems backwards that they would require buildings over 5 stories to have sound proofing since the higher up you are above the street the quieter it should be.

Oddly enough, in reality, it's more the opposite in many cases. Mainly because there's usually not much to block the sound going up. On street level, you have all kinds of buildings and people and structures to baffle the sound, but not going up.

I remember the first time I noticed this was in San Francisco on business. My hotel room was on the 27th floor, but I could easily hear a lone saxophone player on the street below. Whereas if I were just a block away on the street I probably wouldn't have noticed it as much.

The noise outside (mainly bands at Easy Tiger, for us) doesn't bother me much usually. However, if we're at home trying to watch a movie or something it can be annoying, especially if the band is loud. It used to be worse, but our building (and the Hilton next door) convinced Easy Tiger to greatly reduce their bands' volume level, so now I hardly notice it. Working together

[kingkirbythe....]

Bands usually think louder means better.

[KevinFromTexas]

Heh. Yeah, see Sixth Street.

[KevinFromTexas]

Midtown Medical Tower is a 4-story office building being built at 911 West 38th Street.

Here is the rendering and information PDF file about it. The building is 68 feet tall according to its site plan.
http://www.hthcapital.com/downloads/...dicaltower.pdf

http://www.statesman.com/business/sa...n-2455119.html

San Antonio bank firm to expand into Austin

By Brian Gaar
Published: 7:27 p.m. Monday, Sept. 10, 2012

A San Antonio-based banking firm is expanding into Austin, with several locations planned over the next five years, officials said Monday.

Broadway Bank plans on establishing its Austin headquarters at the under construction Midtown Medical Tower at 38th Street and Lamar Boulevard, which should be complete by spring, officials said. That location, which will employ 15 to 20 people, will provide a full suite of banking services, officials said.

"It's going to truly be a full-service hub location for us," said Harvey Hartenstine, the new president of the bank's Austin region.