QooCam? ViewCam?
As previously mentioned in the comments of a post I’d made about earthquakes, I’ve gone and set up a webcam. You can check it out by clicking that new link at the far right of the title frame. It’s pretty basic – no bells or whistles or any such niceties – and is really just a “beta” more than anything else at this point.
But you can see what’s going on on my sleepy little street.
The page is set up to display the last five images taken, with the most recent one at the top. There’s a link at the bottom to open a window with the current image in it. The page is static, but the cam window will auto-refresh every five minutes, which is how often a new image is uploaded. It’s being run off the new iMac (one of the reasons I got that machine, actually), and I’m using a program called ImageCaster. Great little app, and very easy on the processor, which is good considering that the iMac doesn’t have a whole lot of muscle. I’m using my camcorder, a Canon ZR60, but will probably pick up a USB webcam, as I don’t want my DV cam tied up for something this simple. (Not that I’ve been shooting a lot of video, but I want it free to travel. Plus, a webcam would take up a lot less space in the kitchen.)If you’ve got a web-enabled mobile phone, you can use the following link to check it out:http://www.wheresdrew.com/drewcam/mobilecam.jpgThat image is only uploaded every 10 minutes, because I can’t imagine anybody burning through a whole lot of packets (and associated fees) just to look out my window. (The mobile image is about 4k, in case you’re curious.)
Now, a few details.
1. The cam is never going to point inside my apartment. Ever. If you want to know what I’m up to, email me and ask. No peeping Toms – or Tomasinas.
2. I am not a camwhore. Hell, I don’t even have an amazon.com wishlist.
3. I’m intending to have this thing running 24/7, given that I know people all over the world. It just makes sense to have it constantly updating whenever anybody’s awake, not just me.
4. This is being done more as a goof than anything else. If I get bored with the idea, it’ll go away. Unlikely, but it may happen.
5. Yes, I know Qoo is hard to see. That’s a hazard of him being in shadow while it’s light outside. That may or may not improve at night, depending on what the streetlights are like.
6. Any questions, comments and/or suggestions are welcome. They may be ignored, but they’re certainly welcome. Good ideas for any improvements are especially welcome.I guess that’s about it, really.
Enjoy the voyeurism! ^.^