jwcolby
jwcolby at colbyconsulting.com
Fri Feb 6 11:41:09 CST 2009
What you find is that people use the building materials that are available to them. When the US was growing up wood was everywhere and so it was cheap and available. That is now changing as we have logged our forests to death (literally). Often times places like Gb and Ireland had lots of stone, but little wood. Thus they built stone buildings. Many places in the US do not have much stone. Those that did, like the northeast, did build a lot of stone buildings. The great planes have very deep topsoil and flood planes from the rivers but little stone. They did not have forests either, so they built sod houses, which is simply digging square bricks of soil and stacking them up around the resulting pit that you dug the sod out of. Brick requires a specific clay type of soil and so brick houses tended to be built where clay is available, but brick also requires baking so you usually find brick buildings where there is clay and ample fuel to fire the bricks. It is a little easier in modern times to build with what you want rather than what is available because transportation is so cheap. However Americans are (by and large) familiar with wood, and it is very easy to build with so they still use it. We tend to throw up entire square mile developments of housing and wood facilitates that. Try and throw up a square mile of stone houses, in a place like Florida (pure sand), not a trivial task. John W. Colby www.ColbyConsulting.com Max Wanadoo wrote: > Hmm. Probably accounts for the fact I didn't see many landmarks when I was > last over. > > What I did see was tons of friendly faces - great people - great country - > shit buildings! > > Maxx > > > -----Original Message----- > From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com > [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Hewson, Jim > Sent: 06 February 2009 17:08 > To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving > Subject: Re: [AccessD] Is it cold enough for ya? Haha... > > Maxx, > You don't understand, here any building that lasts longer than 50 years > is a landmark. > When I visited over there, I was told that if it's less than 300 years > old it was new. > > Jim > > -----Original Message----- > From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com > [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Max Wanadoo > Sent: Friday, February 06, 2009 10:57 AM > To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving' > Subject: Re: [AccessD] Is it cold enough for ya? Haha... > >> house start getting blown around > > House of straw eh! > > In Britland we make ours out of bricks and mortar. > > Have you not hear of The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf? > > I am always amazed at what damage the wind causes folks in US of A and > you > often see only the chimney standing with everything else gone (via CNN > or > Fox TV reports etc). Why don't you folks use Bricks, concrete, metal, > steel > - anything more robust than wood? You even have wooden roof tiles and > then > wonder why it catches fire so easy - sheesh! > > Maxx > > > -----Original Message----- > From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com > [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Dan Waters > Sent: 06 February 2009 16:46 > To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving' > Subject: Re: [AccessD] Is it cold enough for ya? Haha... > > Indiana? C'mon . . . > > In Minnesota we only shut the windows if the wind picks up and things in > the > house start getting blown around. The temperature doesn't have anything > to > do with it. > > Have a warm day! > Dan > > > -----Original Message----- > From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com > [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Heenan, > Lambert > Sent: Friday, February 06, 2009 9:26 AM > To: 'Access-D Email (accessd at databaseadvisors.com)' > Subject: [AccessD] Is it cold enough for ya? Haha... > > 65 above zero: > > Floridians turn on the heat. > > People in Indiana plant gardens. > > > > > > 60 above zero: > > Californians shiver uncontrollably. > > People in Indiana sunbathe. > > > > > > 50 above zero: > > Italian & English cars won't start. > > People in Indiana drive with the windows down. > > > > > > 40 above zero: > > Georgians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, wool hats. > > People in Indiana throw on a flannel shirt. > > > > > > 35 above zero: > > New York landlords finally turn up the heat. > > People in Indiana have the last cookout before it gets cold. > > > > > > 20 above Zero: > > People in Miami all die. > > Hoosiers close the windows. > > > > > > Zero: > > Californians fly away to Mexico. > > People in Indiana get out their winter coats. > > > > > > 10 below zero: > > Hollywood disintegrates. > > The Girl Scouts in Indiana are selling cookies door to door. > > > > > > 20 below zero: > > Washington DC runs out of hot air. > > People in Indiana let the dogs sleep indoors. > > > > > > 30 below zero: > > Santa Claus abandons the North Pole. > > Hoosiers get upset because they can't start the Snow-mobile. > > > > > > 40 below zero: > > ALL atomic motion stops. > > People in Indiana start saying...'Cold enough fer ya?' > > > > > > 50 below zero: > > Hell freezes over. > > Public schools in Indiana will open 2 hours late > > > > > > >