News from London

[Cole Parker]

Perhaps this is why Bruin's been mostly MIA lately. Been otherwise occupied, getting his car fixed.

http://news.yahoo.com/glare-london-skyscraper-melted-jaguar-133036022.html

I watch reruns of MI-5. This really sounds like one of their plots.

C

[Merkin]

It's what happens when you build cars from cheap plastic parts. The construction company have wisely removed three parking spaces from use. Pedestrians are on their own. Don't dally.

[Nick Deverill]

It was on the local news (I live in the London TV area). Silly shaped building has caused a shop doormat to smoulder and paint to blister on another.

Air temperature recorded by the reporter today reached 50 C (122F) and was 42 C (108) at the time they did their piece to camera. Forecast for London at breakfast time was 24 C (75F).

As hideous things go, it is one.

[Bruin Fisher]

Well, Jaguar is now owned by Ford, since when they've started using plastic components.... (I jest - anyone stupid enough to design and then build a skyscraper with a glass wall and a shape to emulate a parabolic mirror deserves to pay the consequent damages.)

MIA - missing in action? Well, yes... but I'm still checking in here every so often. Might even have a short story or two to contribute before too long. I still love this place.

[Nick Deverill]

Jaguar and Landrover were owned by Ford, but were sold to Tata Motors of India in 2008 if you believe Wikipedia, although I thought it was 2009. Ford got rid of their specialist car divisions to concentrate on the main brand at a time when they were in severe financial straits.

A little bit odd to me as the specialist divisions were mostly doing quite well and returning profits.

From what I remember, the car with the melted bits was black and you would not believe how hot a black car gets even in regular, non building enhanced sunlight.

[TalonRider]

Recently, I watched an episode of Ask This Old House where they dealt with this type issue.Vinyl side was melting on the side of a house. The solution was to velcro a screen to the window, so that it window could be opened and removed for cleaning.

[The Pecman]

The (hideously ugly, in my opinion) Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA also had problems where harsh reflections from its metal surface were heating up cars in the area. They had to slightly alter the materials to lessen the effect. But the building is still damned ugly:

[Cole Parker]

Besides the building being ugly, the seats in the upper sections where they should also provide free oxygen are too small and cramped.

C

[The Pecman]

I haven't been to the Disney Concert Hall, so I honestly don't know about the seats. I have been to the Hollywood Bowl, the Greek Theater, and to the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion several times, but that's about it for me.