Five stories that have North Texas talking: Magic proposed for the Arts District, voting early before it’s too late, John Hodgman’s Mac dreams and more.
There’s no sign of a thaw in the icy battle between the developers of Museum Tower and the folks who run the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas’ Arts District. But there are some hot new images of proposed solutions to the heat and glare problem the Nasher says is damaging its art and garden.
The Dallas Morning News has an eye-popping multimedialook at several of the options that have been discussed, and how much they’d cost:
- Computer-synched louvers that would open and close depending on time of day.
- A giant metallic sculpture between the two buildings that would change as the sun moves.
- Changes in the Nasher’s signature roof that Museum Tower is urging but the Nasher resists.
- And, finally, “magic spray” -- a type of nanotechnology being developed by the military to diffuse light that might be sprayed on the tower’s windows.
It might take magic to get this thing solved.
-- Rick Holter
Vote Today! Or Forever Hold Your Peace (’Til Tuesday, At Least)
OK, if you didn’t know, 7 p.m. today is the deadline to vote early in Texas. You need a valid ID, which could include a driver’s license, voter registration card or even a utility bill with your name and address on it.
But you're not required to have a photo ID, because the strict photo ID law that Texas legislators hoped to have in place for this election has been held up and is not in effect. So here’sthe scoop on how you can identify yourself, from the Texas Secretary of State’s office.
And you can find your early voting spot (or your polling place on Tuesday) here. The West Dallas Chamber of Commerce also has an intriguing early-voting-turnout map posted on its Facebook page (HT to D Mag’s Frontburnerblog).
-- Bill Zeeble
Escape From New York: Stranded Dallas Students Head Home
Remember those 13Bishop Lynch High School students, two teachers and one parent chaperone who were stuck in New York City for about four days because of superstorm Sandy? They landed at DFW Airport today and are headed home.
The group was one of three dozen high school teams invited to compete in the Mock Trial Association’sEmpire City Invitational last week. They were to fly home Monday, but Sandy put air travel hold, and left the group holed up in a hotel near Times Square.
While it was an adventure, it was no vacation. Officials at Bishop Lynch say the two teachers taught their classes via Skype, and students kept up with assignments online. Even Sandy couldn’t derail homework. But Bishop Kevin Farrell managed itin a Skype call to the students:
School officials say the Bishop absolved them of homework for one night.
-- BJ Austin
John Hodgman Wanted To Be The Mac
Most of America didn’t meet John Hodgman until he played the dweeby PC guy in those Apple ads that launched six years ago. These days, the Daily Show stalwart tosses out plenty of fabricated trivia inthe final volume of his faux-fact trilogy, but here’s one bit that is completely true: The actor/writer/author is really more of a Mac guy.
He told Think host Krys Boyd yesterday that he thought he’d be cast as the protagonist in the Apple ads, as he fancied himself the tech-savvy, Mac-loving eternal teenager and not the “pudgy” old PC guy.
“It’s always more fun to play the villain anyway,” he said of resigning to the role.
Don’t miss the segment, which includes Hodgman’s “so what?” stance on the decline of print publishing and a brag about calling President Obama a nerd to his face.
-- Lyndsay Knecht
Klyde Warren Weekend 2.0
The megacrowds from last week’s grand opening are gone, so there’s plenty of space, and a number of free activities, for weekend #2 at the new Klyde Warren Park in downtown Dallas.
Spokeswoman Halle Smith says the park is scheduling two to three events every day.
Tomorrow morning you can practice your metaphysical discipline with Tai Chi, rev up your heart beat with a boot-camp workout or take your toddlers to a children’s yoga class. You can find a full list of activities on theKlyde Warren Park website.
Since last Saturday’s ribbon-cutting, the park has added a food truck that specializes in burgers, fries and cookies (that you can, theoretically, work off in the park.)
Here’s something you need to know if you want to check out any of the games or sports equipment: You must turn over a driver’s license or ID to the park attendant while you are using the equipment.
Ping pong, anyone?
-- Shelley Kofler
