Flushing seniors use webcam to socialize (www.yournabe.com)
Six homebound city seniors have begun to use innovative video-conferencing technologies to connect with the world beyond their windows, thanks to a program being offered through a public-private partnership between a Flushing senior center, Microsoft and the city Department for the Aging.
Microsoft provided each senior with a desktop computer, large monitor, webcam, software and other items needed to take part in the program, based at the Benjamin Rosenthal Senior Center, which the software company equipped to offer interactive broadcasts of its activities.? more... 3/18/2010
US/Mexico border patrol via webcam (bbc.co.uk)
The authorities in Texas have launched a website which allows just about anyone to monitor the US/Mexico border.
Webcams have been installed in certain strategic sites and people from all over the country are being encouraged to log-on, watch live streaming of the border area and report any suspicious activity to the US border patrol.
Those who sign up are known as "Virtual Texas Deputies".
Les Stout is one of them. Why does he do it? more... 3/16/2010
Peregrine falcons soar into homes on streaming video (pittsburghlive.com)
Not that these moms are keeping track, but Dorothy has beaten Tasha2 for the first time ever by laying an egg in her nest atop the University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning.
"It's pretty exciting," said Todd Katzner, director of Conservation and Field Research at the National Aviary in the North Side.
Tasha2's nest is on Downtown's Gulf Tower.
In another first, people can watch the birds on continuously streaming video, Katzner said. Online ads on those sites enable the aviary to raise money for conservation efforts and research every time someone clicks on the addresses, he said.
Katzner expects Dorothy to lay up to four eggs during the next week. Chicks hatch about 30 days after eggs are laid. more... 3/15/2010
The eerie allure of watching random strangers (news.cincinnati.com)
The new Web site ChatRoulette has something for everyone - risk, danger, what some might call fun, and plenty of research potential for current-day psychologists and future anthropologists. The premise is simple: Using a computer with a Webcam, you sign onto a Web site and are immediately hooked up to a random stranger, who stares back from your screen.
The two of you have two options. You can chat, by typing or speaking. Or either of you can click "Next," moving you on to another stranger. more... 3/12/2010
Farmers to access crop insurance via mobile phones (businessdailyafrica.com)
An insurance product that caters for farmers’ inputs like fertilizers and certified seeds is being delivered through the use of mobile phone.
In a bid to entice more farmers to invest in insurance products, the new partnership between UAP Insurance and Safaricom aims to ease the process of buying insurance products.
Farmers can now buy their insurance covers from agro dealers; the same point where they buy other vital inputs such as fertilizers or seeds. more... 3/10/2010
Forecasters relied on webcams for storm information (thespec.com/)
A new report says Environment Canada weather forecasters were reduced to checking traffic webcam images after they were caught off guard by a vicious snowstorm in Nova Scotia.
About 1,500 vehicles were stranded for 24 hours along the Trans-Canada Highway in the fall of 2008.
No storm warnings had been issued, leaving motorists blind to the heavy snowfall that shut down the four-lane Cobequid Pass. more... 3/8/2010
Watch Mystic Aquarium's Baby Penguins by Webcam While at Work (zandavisitor.com)
Mystic Aquarium’s African penguin chick Web cam is back, and this year, it’s interactive. Last year, thousands of people from around the world watched Blue-Blue, a male African penguin, grow into a full fledgling via the live Web cam at mysticaquarium.org. Starting today, people can watch two new chicks grow, as well as get weekly video updates and submit questions to penguin trainers.
“This Web cam was hugely popular when it launched last year, as it provides the public the unique opportunity to witness chicks’ fascinating developmental process,” said Dr. Tracy Romano, senior vice president of research and zoological operations at Mystic Aquarium, a division of Sea Research Foundation, Inc. “A lot of viewers wanted to know more, so we have added interactive components this year that give them a true behind-the-scenes look at the Roger Tory Peterson Penguin Exhibit. They will meet our trainers, get up-close views of the chicks and hear firsthand about their progress.” more... 3/2/2010
