Sunday Speedlinks 12-23-07
Sunday, December 23rd, 2007 at 10:24 pm 
By Ryan BrownHappy Holidays to all! Here are some links for those who have finished their shopping and aren’t occupied with relatives, cooking, opening gifts, etc.
Austin
- First, an update on the possibility of a Northcross Walmart – Statesman: Judge says Wal-Mart can be built at Northcross Mall
- The McMansion ordinance may become more restrictive for small lots in Austin. See details – Statesman: Tighter development rules for small East Austin lots get support and further coverage at The Austinist
- In public transit news, we may see a proposal for more rail to serve central Austin – Austin Business Journal: CAMPO meets over future rail system
- This will come as no suprise, but our city was recently listed as one of the Top 10 Greenest based on CO2 output – Austinist: Practically Verdant: Austin Named in Top 10 Greenest Cities List. Perhaps the aforementioned rail system can help us climb the list.
- The Statesman notices the homes being built at I-35 & Riverside. Statesman: Modern homes rise above I-35 and Riverside Drive
- An interesting article about the limits of Wind Power for our city – Statesman: Wind power has its limits, Austin official says
Green
- An new business venture in Austin, Green Banking – Statesman: New bank aims to make green even greener
- The President signed a new energy bill that will take traditional lightbulbs off the market in 2012. See details here – That Other Paper: Say goodbye to your light bulbs
- Here’s a neat list of the Top 10 Green Campuses, unfortunately no Texas schools made the list – SierraClub: 10 That Get It
- In solar technology news, Austin will be the home for HelioVolt’s new solar panel plant – Austin Business Journal: HelioVolt picks Austin for first plant. Hopefully they can help drive down prices, like another solar startup targeting $1/Watt – CNET News: Nanosolar ‘prints’ first flexible solar cells
Architecture
- From the ‘Problems I wish I had’ file – FastCompany: Brains behind billionaire homes
- Big News for Lautner Fans – Archinect: Lautner Retrospective @ the Hammer
- I linked above to the top 10 green campuses, here is a list of the top 20 ugliest campuses. As an Aggie I’m chagrined to report that we made the list – Campus Squeeze: The 20 Ugliest Colleges in the USA
- Here is a neat link for those considering a construction project. A team in Philidelphia is attempting to build a modern, green home for $100k. This boils down to a a 1000 sqft 2/1 for $100/sqft – 100kHouse.com
Misc
- This is somewhat Real Estate related (I wish I lived on this street): Some Douglas Adams fans in Portland want to rename a street after the author. Which street you ask? 42nd of course – Rename42nd.org
- Finally, Popular Mechanics has a thorough story about a newcomer to the electric/hybrid vehicle market. Aptera’s Super-MPG Electric Typ-1 e: Exclusive Video Test Drive
Finally, I’d like to wish my clients, friends, and readers a very Happy and safe holidays. In lieu of a personal holiday video, here is some great holiday music over A Charlie Brown Christmas:
