Author: /u/RealConfirmologist

I know traffic-related posts here get removed promptly because they’re considered in violation of rule 5, prohibiting low-quality posts.

I’ve searched around a bit and don’t see a place for Houston-specific videos or dashcam videos.

I’m aware of /r/dashcamvideos but that’s cluttered with stuff from all over the world.

Thanks for input/feedback.

63.9 outside my house in the great northwest this morning. I can’t remember the last time I went out in the morning and felt the air so crisp and cool! I LIKE it.

We still have plenty of days we’ll need the A/C, but it sure won’t have to work as much at night. How long before we have to turn on our heaters?

Finally, Houston, let’s celebrate that a powerful hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico will NOT directly affect us! Seeing those evacuations in Florida brings back memories, right?

Dashcam video of a vehicle fire scene.

Couldn’t tell if there had been an accident or if the other vehicles were gawkers who chose to stop at odd locations.

Have checked the news, have not seen anything.

Strange thing about this is that for the fire to be so involved, it MUST have been going for at least 8 to 10 minutes, and I’d have expected at LEAST a wrecker or two to be on location.

No wreckers, no first responders, nothing. Didn’t hear sirens or see any emergency vehicles for the rest of my drive home, up Hollister, either.

Conditions appear favorable for a clear sky, so the flyover this evening should be spectacular. If you’ve watched it before, you know. If you have not, you really should set a reminder and go watch it.

It’ll be appearing in the west-southwest sky and will track across, going nearly directly overhead, until it disappears in the northeast sky. 8:48:34 PM is the exact time it will first catch the sun. ISS Detector says 6 minutes, 34 seconds of visibility, although Spot the Station says 7 minutes.

You can get an idea of how it’ll look via Google Street View if you use this web site and let it have your location.

Keep in mind that there are HUMANS on that space station, and they’re moving along at FIVE MILES a SECOND, which adds up to 17,500 miles per hour.

There’s a “stationary bike” up there and the astronauts that ride it are going faster than any cyclist on earth could ever dream of.

The ISS looks like a jet or bright star, only when you lock your eyes on it, it’s much brighter and then you see… it is much FASTER than any jet or anything else you’ll see in the sky.

A fun thing to do is to call someone across town and have them watch it at the same time, with you on the phone. Get grandma and the kids outside with you. It’ll blow everyone’s mind.

Bear in mind, this isn’t something that happens nightly, weekly, or even monthly. For the ISS to be visible, it has to be flying over precisely when it can be lit up by the sun, but while it’s pretty dark on earth – ie: just before sunrise or just after sunset.

So it only happens periodically that it’ll fly over where we can watch it, and the viewing opportunities are always less than 9 minutes long because of the way everything works.

You can get notifications of upcoming viewing opportunities by signing up on Spot The Station.

There are also some cool smart phone apps to help you see where to watch. One is the ISS Detector. Android link. Link for IOS. Get it & check it out! It’s free.

Again, if you have not seen this before, I assure you, you’ll find it worth the time you invest in it.

Enjoy, and… you’re welcome.

Conditions appear favorable for a clear sky, so the flyover this evening should be spectacular. If you’ve watched it before, you know. If you have not, you really should set a reminder and go watch it.

It’ll be appearing in the west-southwest sky and will track across, going nearly directly overhead, until it disappears in the northeast sky.

You can get an idea of how it’ll look via Google Street View if you use this web site and let it have your location.

Keep in mind that there are HUMANS on that space station, and they’re moving along at FIVE MILES a SECOND, which adds up to 17,500 miles per hour.

There’s a “stationary bike” up there and the astronauts that ride it are going faster than any cyclist on earth could ever dream of.

The ISS looks like a jet or bright star, only when you lock your eyes on it, it’s much brighter and then you see… it is much FASTER than any jet or anything else you’ll see in the sky.

A fun thing to do is to call someone across town and have them watch it at the same time, with you on the phone. Get grandma and the kids outside with you. It’ll blow everyone’s mind.

Bear in mind, this isn’t something that happens nightly, weekly, or even monthly. For the ISS to be visible, it has to be flying over precisely when it can be lit up by the sun, but while it’s pretty dark on earth – ie: just before sunrise or just after sunset.

So it only happens periodically that it’ll fly over where we can watch it, and the viewing opportunities are always less than 9 minutes long because of the way everything works.

You can get notifications of upcoming viewing opportunities by signing up on Spot The Station.

There are also some cool smart phone apps to help you see where to watch. One is the ISS Detector. Link for IOS. Get it & check it out! It’s free.

Again, if you have not seen this before, I assure you, you’ll find it worth the time you invest in it.

Enjoy, and… you’re welcome.

Odd thing. I rode the MS-150 bike ride from Houston to La Grange on Saturday 4/30, and La Grange to College Station on Sunday 05/01.

I lost count, but CERTAINLY saw at least 8 Houston Police patrol vehicles over the weekend, maybe a dozen. They were along the route at various points, but especially visible at the lunch stops and the end of the rides.

I know several HPD officers were on bikes doing the ride, so I speculate maybe the patrol cars were sent along for support.

Hey, I’m all for the cops and the more, the merrier. I liked seeing “POLICE” on a fair number of jerseys through the ride.

But it sure seems odd to see more police cars more than 100 miles away from Houston in a weekend than I’ve seen on the actual streets of Houston over the last six months!

Maybe the officers and those patrol cars got paid for by the MS Society? Or maybe someone donated the funds needed? Call me skeptical.

If City of Houston tax dollars were used for assigning a dozen or more uniformed officers and patrol cars to this assignment, on overtime, it seems almost criminally irresponsible. How about having those officers patrol the city of Houston?

Since the cops on bikes were obviously representing themselves as officers (granted, without wearing guns or badges), were they paid for riding the MS-150?

Just curious. Thoughts?

Odd thing. I rode the MS-150 bike ride from Houston to La Grange on Saturday 4/30, and La Grange to College Station on Sunday 05/01.

I lost count, but CERTAINLY saw at least 8 Houston Police patrol vehicles over the weekend, maybe a dozen. They were along the route at various points, but especially visible at the lunch stops and the end of the rides.

I know several HPD officers were on bikes doing the ride, so I speculate maybe the patrol cars were sent along for support.

Hey, I’m all for the cops and the more, the merrier. I liked seeing “POLICE” on a fair number of jerseys through the ride.

But it sure seems odd to see more police cars more than 100 miles away from Houston in a weekend than I’ve seen on the actual streets of Houston over the last six months!

Maybe the officers and those patrol cars got paid for by the MS Society? Or maybe someone donated the funds needed? Call me skeptical.

If City of Houston tax dollars were used for assigning a dozen or more uniformed officers and patrol cars to this assignment, on overtime, it seems almost criminally irresponsible. How about having those officers patrol the city of Houston?

Since the cops on bikes were obviously representing themselves as officers (granted, without wearing guns or badges), were they paid for riding the MS-150?

Just curious. Thoughts?