tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186721132024-03-14T03:14:50.523-05:00Mean Green Cougar RedThe irregular and disjointed rantings and ramblings of a lifelong inside-the-loop Houstonian, dedicated urbanist, enthusiastic traveler and loyal University of Houston Cougar fan, who also roots for the University of North Texas Mean Green.Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.comBlogger1423125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-68666249357841044032024-02-21T23:40:00.011-06:002024-02-22T01:41:38.114-06:00Monarch butterfly update: things are getting worseNot good news:The 2023-2024 census of monarch butterfly numbers found one of the smallest annual populations of the insects at the overwintering sites in Central Mexico.The World Wildlife Fund-Mexico and its partners released the data last Wednesday, which highlighted that the presence of eastern monarch butterflies decreased from 2.2 to 0.9 hectares. According to the news release, this is the Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-8260427124174372282024-02-21T23:00:00.030-06:002024-02-22T01:39:42.729-06:00Americans don't trust self-driving carsI've always felt that one of the biggest obstacles to the viability of autonomous vehicles would be public acceptance. To that point, this recent survey finding that 93% of Americans have concerns "about some aspect of self-driving cars" is illuminating:Safety is the number one consumer fear when it comes to vehicles that drive themselves, with 36% of Americans indicating they do not trust Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-76948085029118064462024-02-04T23:56:00.008-06:002024-02-05T03:10:03.153-06:00College football's viewership imbalanceThis graphic has been making the rounds on X (I will never stop calling it Twitter) over the past couple of weeks, and it is equal parts fascinating and concerning:Over the past eight college football seasons, fully half of the sport's television viewership has been generated by just 18 teams. And all of those teams, with the exception of Clemson, Notre Dame and Florida State, either are, orThomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-17551181129582333532024-02-04T22:44:00.000-06:002024-02-05T03:10:15.487-06:00Stupid mistakes and shitty utility companiesRight before Thanksgiving, I made a stupid mistake. I was paying bills online through my bank's website, and for some reason I accidentally clicked the wrong button and sent a payment to the wrong company. I don't know why I made such a careless error; perhaps I was in a hurry or distracted (I really don't remember). But the end result is that a $2,700 payment intended for my Chase credit card Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-47968023126449352752024-02-04T21:48:00.002-06:002024-02-05T14:44:03.709-06:00Houston to host seven 2026 World Cup matchesThe 2026 FIFA World Cup match schedule is set, and Houston is hosting seven games at NRG Stadium: five group stage matches, and two knockout round games.Houston, we have our @FIFAWorldCup 26™ matches! 🚀 📆 Mark your calendars! 5️⃣ Group Stage matches 1️⃣ Round of 32 match1️⃣ Round of 16 match #FIFAWorldCup #WeAre26 #WeAreHouston pic.twitter.com/igStlvHeBm— FIFA World Cup 26 Houston™ (@Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-56331603721931873612024-02-01T22:07:00.002-06:002024-02-05T03:06:50.283-06:002024 Houston Cougar football schedule released Earlier this week, the Big 12 announced the fall 2024 football schedules for all the teams in the conference, including Houston (we already knew who all of Houston's opponents were going to be, but until this announcement did not know the dates): Sat Aug 31 UNLV Sat Sep 07 at Oklahoma Sat Sep 14 &Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-30334873575985537982024-01-24T23:15:00.039-06:002024-02-05T03:06:39.113-06:00The Texans don't suck anymoreLast Saturday the Houston Texans were thoroughly defeated by the Baltimore Ravens, 10-31, in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs. The Texans didn''t even score an offensive touchdown.And I am not upset about it. Not in the least.If you had told me last August that the Texans - with an 11-38-1 record over the previous three seasons, a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback - would win tenThomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-13506128135568875042023-12-30T19:38:00.023-06:002023-12-30T19:38:00.128-06:00An airplane-free 20232023 is coming to an end, and it's been a bit of an anomalous year for me in that I went the entire year without stepping foot on an airplane. This is the first time since 1992 - over 30 years ago! - that I did not fly for any purpose.Sure, it's a bit weird for an aviation geek like me to go an entire calendar year without flying, but that's just how things worked out: the only big, long-distanceThomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-16853754056504996312023-12-28T23:49:00.013-06:002023-12-29T03:48:59.133-06:00Ralph Anthony "Tony" Trainello 1950-2023"Uncle Tony" was Corinne's uncle; I first met him not too long after I began dating her. I only had the pleasure of knowing Tony for a few years, but I will always remember him for his hospitality and generosity. Whenever we went up to "the farm" - Uncle Tony and Aunt Lori's ranch halfway between Teague and Mexia - he would always be waiting for me with a warm hug and a cold beer. The last Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-834845475198556912023-12-28T23:14:00.004-06:002023-12-29T03:47:33.033-06:00Hyperloop shuts downIt was a dumb idea, championed by a guy who thinks he's a lot smarter than he really is:HYPERLOOP ONE, A futuristic transportation startup highly touted by Elon Musk, is shuttering its airless tubes.The company is laying off employees, selling remaining assets (which include a test track and machinery), and closing its offices, Bloomberg reports. After hiring more than 200 people in 2022, Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-56261065805525383312023-12-21T23:47:00.060-06:002023-12-22T01:05:40.733-06:00Top Ten Worst Christmas SongsChristmas is just a few days away, which means that by now Christmas music is pretty much the ambient musical norm wherever you go: on the radio, in the store, at the restaurant, Christmas tunes are ubiquitous. While most of these holiday-oriented songs are perfectly fine, some are truly awful. When it comes to lists of horrible Christmas songs, there is no shortage of opinions as to which Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-6742485819083548672023-12-05T23:46:00.085-06:002023-12-22T00:54:17.418-06:00UH football: Attendance for 2023 and a New Head Coach for 2024The Cougars averaged 36,020 fans per game this season, which is 11,227 fans/game higher than last season and the program's highest average attendance since the 2016 season. It is the second-highest year-over-year increase in average attendance since my attendance tracker begins in 1965 (Houston's first year in the Astrodome) and is a direct result of excitement surrounding Houston joining the BigThomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-85711676915657236952023-11-28T23:44:00.146-06:002023-11-29T02:35:18.599-06:00Dana Holgorsen fired after Cougars lose to UCF, 13-27The Houston Cougars ended their 2023 campaign with a trip to Orlando to face the University of Central Florida Knights. The Coogs scored a touchdown on their opening possession and led 10-6 at the end of the first quarter, but were outscored 3-21 the rest of the way by a UCF team fighting for bowl eligibility. I'm not going to waste keystrokes on the good, bad or ugly of this loss; Ryan does a Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-77065961581806423582023-11-21T23:22:00.004-06:002023-11-22T01:47:08.578-06:00Houston 30, #23 Oklahoma State 43The Cougars led this game 23-9 at one point in the second quarter. Could they hold on for the win?Of course they couldn't.The Good: Houston QB Donovan Smith had a touchdown trifecta: passing, receiving, and rushing for scores. In the first quarter, Isiah Hamilton picked off a pass from OSU QB Alan Bowman and ran it back 57 yards for a touchdown - Houston's first pick six of the year. Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-33093998397998034592023-11-15T23:54:00.019-06:002023-11-16T01:06:57.577-06:00Three former UH football players perish in downtown car crashShocking and sad.Six people, including three former University of Houston football players, were killed in a violent crash in downtown Houston early Saturday morning, officials confirmed.The former UH football players were identified as D.J. Hayden, who went on to play eight seasons in the NFL, Zachary McMillian and Ralph Oragwu. Family members confirmed another one of the victims was Lauren Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-78651910790957150032023-11-15T23:13:00.002-06:002023-11-16T01:00:18.500-06:00Houston 14, Cincinnati 24 You'd think that the Cougars, coming off a dramatic road win against a former Southwest Conference rival the week before, would be amped up to come back to TDECU for Homecoming and flex on a 2-7 team they haven't beaten since 2016. You'd be wrong.The Ugly: The entire game. The UH offense could only manage 12 first downs and a meager 241 yards of total offense for the entire game. Of theThomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-55024415771841455032023-11-07T22:49:00.034-06:002023-12-29T03:53:17.374-06:00The Last Three GamesThings have been happening in my life over the past several weeks that have taken attention away from this blog. So I'll just provide a quick recap of the most recent three games of the 2023 University of Houston Cougar football season. Houston 24, #8 Texas 31: The overlap between the schools entering the Big 12 and the schools leaving it meant that the Houston Cougars and the Texas Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-36072001720344218142023-10-17T23:47:00.001-05:002023-12-29T03:53:34.547-06:00Hail Mary! Houston 41, West Virginia 39 Several days later, and I still don't believe that the Cougars actually won this game.The Good: Houston's first score of the game was a Matthew Golden 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. QB Donavan Smith had a breakout game, going 21 of 27 for 253 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions; he also rushed for 34 yards and a score. He completed 16 straight passes to end the game, Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-35965592689602943922023-10-03T23:35:00.053-05:002023-10-03T23:35:00.251-05:00Imagining a Manhattan-like GalvestonI came across this post on The Social Media Platform Former Known as Twitter last week, and it suggests an interesting thought experiment: Galveston was the largest city in Texas prior to the Great Hurricane of 1900. What if that storm had had never hit Galveston, and the city continued to grow? What if the Galveston Seawall was a proactive, rather than reactive, project to harden the islandThomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-72778504906985095852023-10-03T23:09:00.001-05:002023-10-03T23:27:40.936-05:00Houston 28, Texas Tech 49Before last Saturday, Houston was 1-10 against Texas Tech in their last eleven meetings (the amazing 2009 game being the Cougars' lone win). After last Saturday, the record is 1-11.The Good: The UH offense in the first half, which scored four touchdowns.The Bad: The UH's offense in the second half, which didn't score anything.The Worse: The UH defense, which surrendered a total of 400 yards Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-47685844636684270482023-09-26T23:48:00.028-05:002023-09-27T00:15:01.804-05:00Houston 38, Sam Houston State 7The Sam Houston State Bearkats are playing their first season as a member of the FBS. After putting up tough fights against BYU and Air Force, they certainly had plans for a big upset on their minds as they made the short trip from Huntsville to face the struggling Cougars. Alas, it didn't happen for them.The Good: Freshman RB Parker Jenkins rushed for 105 yards and three touchdowns, which was Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-57691507775616956712023-09-20T23:49:00.000-05:002023-09-20T23:49:28.352-05:00Robotaxi gridlock!Coming to a city near you:Over the weekend, photos and videos of yet another Cruise-induced robotaxi traffic jam spread across X (formerly Twitter). However, unlike the past incidents that have occurred largely in San Francisco, this one wasn't in California. Instead, it was in another of the country's tech hubs and in Tesla's backyard: Austin, Texas.About 20 Cruise-operated Chevrolet Bolts were Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-17952611272618062952023-09-20T22:36:00.001-05:002023-09-20T23:49:17.906-05:00Houston 13, TCU 36The Cougars' first conference game in the Big XII was entertaining for little while; Houston only trailed by a touchdown at halftime (and it could have been closer if head coach Dana Hologrsen had elected to kick some field goals instead of going for it and failing on fourth downs). But TCU, aided by an inept UH offense, put things away in the second half.The Good: Matthew Golden returned a TCU Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-85936664754301092742023-09-12T23:49:00.001-05:002023-09-13T01:52:09.130-05:00Houston 41, Rice 43 (2 OT)I guess it can't be a rivalry if one team wins all the time, so congratulations to Rice for winning the Bayou Bucket for the first time since 2010. But honestly: the Owls were greatly helped by the fact that the Cougars didn't even bother to show up.The Good: To the extent that coming back from a 28-point deficit to tie a game with fifteen seconds left - and scoring the first touchdown of Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18672113.post-45402510065475405022023-09-07T00:16:00.000-05:002023-09-07T00:16:23.503-05:00Houston 17, Texas-San Antonio 14The Cougars opened the season - their first in the Big 12 Conference - with a win at home against the Texas - San Antonio Roadrunners. It was low-scoring affair; the Roadrunners pulled within three with 5:42 left in the fourth quarter but the Coogs sealed the victory with a clock-chewing, game-ending drive (that may have been aided by a favorable after-review spot from the refs). The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14269150385889753471noreply@blogger.com0