The computer has lost its "umbilical cord" to the Internet. It is either a hardware communications problem, or the computer's clock battery may be dead.
I've been working with the museum manager, but progress has been slow. He is expecting someone will be in this afternoon to look at it.
Looks like "this afternoon" has passed without any help.
...any "zoners" in, or heading to, Lone Pine with a little XP techie experience?
I might could take a little look at it this weekend Steve... if you want to send me the stats on the system I could do a little research before heading up so I can have some possible solutions on hand...
With wazzu and wagga's help, we were able to check the Whitney webcam computer at the museum in Lone Pine. It turns out the power supply has died. Wazzu is taking the computer home, and we'll get it repaired and back running.
There might be an opportunity for someone heading up from So. Cal to Lone Pine, to deliver and reconnect the computer.
The computer has been repaired and is ready to hook up. Is anyone on this forum heading up in the next week or two, and willing to take it to the museum?
I'll be there in late Sept or early October, doing a few runs around the west and east side before hitting the trail. If you can't find anyone by then, I'll do it
The computer has been repaired and is ready to hook up. Is anyone on this forum heading up in the next week or two, and willing to take it to the museum?
I was in Lone Pine most of last week. I could have taken it there, but I'm guessing it was still in the shop at that point. Bad timing, oh, well....
If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracle of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.
- Lyndon Johnson, on signing the Wilderness Act into law (1964)
If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracle of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.
- Lyndon Johnson, on signing the Wilderness Act into law (1964)
> well, you'd think that once focused on the mountain, at that distance and then switched to manual, it should be perfect.
Yes, I thought that too. But the program driving the camera has a focus setting, and setting it to infinity does not achieve the best focus. Go figure.
I am guessing that is why Olympus stopped making the camera with computer-driven capabilities. There currently isn't a reasonably priced camera on the market that provides these features:
- Zoom level appropriate for the Lone Pine to Whitney distance - Can be controlled by computer software. - Reasonably priced
Current reasonably priced point-and-shoot cameras will zoom and take better quality pictures. But none can be controlled by computer.
I fantasize about a computer-controlled robotic setup that could be built to run a camera. It would need to be able to mechanically operate the camera, PLUS connect and disconnect the camera-to-computer USB connection, since the current cameras (at least the Panasonic I have) won't take a picture when connected to the computer.
I fantasize about a computer-controlled robotic setup that could be built to run a camera. It would need to be able to mechanically operate the camera, PLUS connect and disconnect the camera-to-computer USB connection, since the current cameras (at least the Panasonic I have) won't take a picture when connected to the computer.
If I find some time I'll take a look at what camera may take images while connected to a computer. I always thought that you can do that with any decent DSLR, bypassing the internal storage while doing studio work. Gonna have to see what I can find out. Once you have a DSLR that can do it, manual focus glass is a dime a dozen and worlds better than anything you get these days on a point and shoot camera unless you go with something exotic like the Nex-5 or Leica.
Triggering the camera may require a little more, but I know I can run my cameras on the panorama bot fully unattended and that doesn't even take a computer, just a PDA. Just not sure if I can do that directly to computer drive. Never tried it.
wel, that didn't take more htan one google serach - my old (and dirt cheap) Nikon D40 has this setup option:
Quote:
USB Menu
This selects how the camera behaves when plugged into a computer via USB.
I leave it at mass storage, which means my D40 appears as an external hard drive between which you can drag and drop images and folders in Mac OSX Finder or Windows Explorer.
PTP is used if you want to control the D40 as an external device, for instance, via Nikon Camera Control Pro for remote camera control. PTP makes the D40 look like a device instead of like a drive.
Use whichever works best with your computer and workflow.
Nikon and many others have created software for it. Have not really looked for the right solution but here's a youtube clip showing the basics:
'
From what I can gather, the software used in the video is free
I'm sure if I had a real goal, I could probably build my own webcam app using these tools. In fact, I bet there's a lot of people out there reselling stuff based on these libraries.
Fish, I really appreciate your looking into it. But beware of the price of the DSLR. Of course, we don't need new -- used cameras are ok.
A used D40 like mine is worth about $120-150, and then add a 55-200mm lens (can turn AF off) and you're set. $120-150 max for the lens and it rocks for the money, giving you 300mm equivalent range)
Interesting links, thanks. Looks like the gphoto site lists the Olympus SP500 among the many supported cameras. The drawback for gphoto is that it doesn't run on a Windows platform. We'd have to completely redo our host computers.
In the discussion, they lament that most cameras will no longer support remote control -- the ability to take a picture and upload it to a computer automatically.
That is why I was fantasizing about using robotics: Mechanical robotic controls, driven by the computer, to take the picture. Then a control to switch over to connect to the camera via USB, and transfer the picture off the camera's memory card into the computer, and erase the memory card file.
yeah, the unix platform is a bummer, but it's about the only way to control cameras that aren't high end. Seems like even expensive dedicated windows software like Nikon Camera Control Pro may be limited in the capabilities useful to set up a web cam.
They have a free trial - I'll grab it later this year when I get some time and play with it. Thing is - software, camera, lens, and you're suddenly spending $500 on stuff.
The Williamson webcam computer is on-line, but not the camera. That camera is an older camera model, Olympus C740. The Whitney cam is an Olympus SP500 UZ.
Unfortunately, there was a power outage yesterday. When that occurs, the C740 needs to be shut off, and back on again. Pulling the power and plugging back in doesn't work.
I have emailed Dmatt to ask him to do that. It is on the back porch of his office, so not a huge operation.
over the last 2 years I saved about 30 shots I liked - they keep cycling randomly as backgrounds on my laptop. One day I'll get around to making a small gallery. Everything from sunsets to blowing snow.
over the last 2 years I saved about 30 shots I liked - they keep cycling randomly as backgrounds on my laptop. One day I'll get around to making a small gallery. Everything from sunsets to blowing snow.
I have been saving both Whitney and Williamson webcam shots if they are very nice. Within each webcam's separate folder on my hard drive, I simply name each successive pic 1.jpg, 2.jpg, 3.jpg, etc. After saving the two beautiful Whitney pics posted just above, I am now up to 102.jpg in my Whitney webcam folder (considerably less in the Williamson folder).
CaT
If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracle of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.
- Lyndon Johnson, on signing the Wilderness Act into law (1964)
I guess that my idea to save webcam shots was not so original...
Mine are listed by date, however, they are just sitting in a big mass of pictures from hikes that I don't bother to look at (all of my pictures just sit in one random collecton -- no grouping whatsoever....how unscientific of me!)
The Whitney pics are one of the few pictures that I have actually looked at several times; I like the idea of making a slide show screen saver with them.
The body betrays and the weather conspires, hopefully, not on the same day.
Williamson webcam finally came back on-line today!
Originally Posted By: Steve C
Well, someone is paying attention!
The Williamson webcam computer is on-line, but not the camera. That camera is an older camera model, Olympus C740. The Whitney cam is an Olympus SP500 UZ.
Unfortunately, there was a power outage yesterday. When that occurs, the C740 needs to be shut off, and back on again. Pulling the power and plugging back in doesn't work.
I have emailed Dmatt to ask him to do that. It is on the back porch of his office, so not a huge operation.
Thanks for the heads up, wazzu. It appears that the internet service at the Film History Museum has flaked out. I can connect to the webcam computer, but it cannot connect to any internet pages -- so it can't post the pictures it is taking.
I'm asking the museum staff look into that.
Edit: Called museum staff at 2 PM, found that they could not reach any Internet websites. Suggested they call their Internet service provider. Webcam came back online at 2:17!
This morning the webcam was aimed too high, with only the Whitney crest visible. Something has shifted the camera's aim -- a big bird or strong wind gust, or ???.
I zoomed it back out, so now we can see more of Mt Whitney ...and more of the Sierra crest, too.
There was a 4.1 quake down around Inyokern around 8:30 in the morning of November 1. How long has the webcame been out of alignment?
CaT
If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracle of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.
- Lyndon Johnson, on signing the Wilderness Act into law (1964)
It shifted last night or this morning -- yesterday's pictures are all ok, even to the last one at 6:30. Here's the 6:05 PM view:
Note... these pics will switch to new ones Saturday morning (they do every morning). You can review the pictures on this page: Webcam picture sequence page
This morning the webcam was aimed too high, with only the Whitney crest visible. Something has shifted the camera's aim -- a big bird or strong wind gust, or ???.
I zoomed it back out, so now we can see more of Mt Whitney ...and more of the Sierra crest, too.
We'll need to adjust it back down eventually.
SteveC will be out at Lone Pine today, so keep an eye out for a change in the picture.
Verum audaces non gerunt indusia alba. - Ipsi dixit MCMLXXII
Focus fixed. That camera model's software has problems with manual focus when run from the computer software. Have to zoom out just a little and adjust the focus.
On auto-focus, it works well, even zoomed all the way to 10x, but then when it is cloudy, the focus completely fails, with terribly fuzzy pictures.
So what we have is a compromise: zoomed out a little, with manual focus.
I zoomed out the Whitney webcam, since today's weather appears to be dumping on Mt. Whitney, and all we could see was a big gray cloud. I was hoping the Alabama Hills would have some snow, but no luck.
I see the clouds parting now, and lots of snow is appearing just beyond the Alabama Hills.
Both webcams were down, so was the one at the hostel. I called the Film History museum, and they said there is power, but all cellular and internet connections are dead in the Owens Valley.
From the last time on the webcam pictures, it looks like things failed about 6:40 this morning. And now the first pictures are coming in at 12:25.
Nice and clean. No mice, so nice. So we took a picture. Now THAT's a tower.
More pictures:
Installing a new USB-controlled power strip.
On the roof
Old camera and new.
Inside the museum:
The new "Halcyon" on display. Never heard a wagon called that, and can't find it on the Internet.
A view of Mt Whitney from the roof. Wagga noticed the moon setting over Mt Whitney just as we started to work on the roof.
As for the camera, the old one got a "Zoom Fault" on power-up. Once here at home, a few taps, and turning it on in a different mode, then back, and now it seems to work again. But it has taken some 50k pictures, so maybe it should be given a big rest.
You bet it helped. It is only a subtle difference, and it shows up mostly in the afternoon when the sunlight isn't the best on Whitney. But cleaning off the dirt improves all the pictures.
Hey Steve, can you post the address as to where the full size collection of these pix are? I want to grab some of them for my collection (I have been collecting web pix since 2009)
The body betrays and the weather conspires, hopefully, not on the same day.
With smugmug pictures, if you take the main part of the URL of any image, drop off the ending stuff with the big numbers, it takes you to the album where the pictures are located.
Here's one from Sunday morning -- first one taken for the day, showing the moon slipping behind clouds over Whitney. (It's in the same album.)
Looks like our Whitney webcam computer died last night.
The Lone Pine Film History Museum has Internet service, but I can't connect to the computer running the webcam. Looks like it's going to take at least one trip over to figure this one out.
Looks like our Whitney webcam computer died last night.
The Lone Pine Film History Museum has Internet service, but I can't connect to the computer running the webcam. Looks like it's going to take at least one trip over to figure this one out.
Have you had the staff reboot the computer? Running Windows for more than 2 years is amazing (and foolhardy!).
Verum audaces non gerunt indusia alba. - Ipsi dixit MCMLXXII
Ha! I called about cutting the power, and they remembered that workers were messing around with wiring related to hooking up security cameras. Wires were unplugged, etc. etc.
So while I was on the phone they tried plugging one of the wires back into the router. Turns out THAT was the problem.
Steve, do you need to order another power supply for Williamson?
The Williamson computer is down, now. I suspect it is the power supply. Dennis is checking it out.
Edit: Well, at 12:20 PM today, the webcam magically came back online. Ok, not so magically. Dennis has an ace hardware person, who just happened to have a power supply on hand. That was it!
Similar, other than size, to the B25 strain we have in Darwin and the Arnhem land. Legend has it that during World War 2 a lineman refueled one without noticing that it wasn't a B25 Mitchell bomber.
Verum audaces non gerunt indusia alba. - Ipsi dixit MCMLXXII
