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Bonaire WebCams: Questions
Bonaire Talk: Bonaire WebCams: Questions
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carolyn Boxmeyer (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Friday, February 18, 2011 - 2:21 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Are there any archived web images of the wreck cam that is gone?
Also, what happened to the three Yellow Submarine cams?
To the operators: If I someday come to Bonaire for holiday, may I volunteer to clean the cameras?
I see that it needs doing often.
I appreciate being able to see them all on the internet1
Thank you!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Roy - 'Rayman' (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3996) on Saturday, February 19, 2011 - 6:09 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi Carolyn,

welcome to Bonaire Talk.

Yes there is an archive of the images from the Wreck Cam, but you have to be a member of the webcam site to view any archives that are older than 1 hour

click HERE to see membership options

for example here's a few captures .... :):) to whet your appetite ;) from the last period it was working from 13th June to 31 July 2010 when it was taken offline permanently, due to damage caused on the $5000 coax cable :(



0638

0733

0821

0830

1009

1024

1021

As far as Yellow Sub Cams go, we'll just have to hope someone on island can pop in and ask them to check if the cleaners has unplugged the Cam Power supply again whilst they were doing the hoovering!! :):)

or if anyone has their e-mail address (Yellow-Sub) to ping them and ask to check the connections

regarding Cleaning the webcams, this was discussed in 2009 just after my first trip :) :(

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carolyn Boxmeyer (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Saturday, February 19, 2011 - 10:53 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks for the info. Actually, I'm a gold member and have been using postcard and download functions but the wreckcam keeps being unavailable. I tried different old dates but ....
Anyway, I enjoyed your pics! Thanks!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Roy - 'Rayman' (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #3998) on Saturday, February 19, 2011 - 12:04 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thank you for your support of the Webcams Carolyn

Hmmm yes it took me a bit of time to find out when the WreckCam was online at those dates. I wonder if a table of the dates that archives are available for the Cams could be easily made up from the archives database? I suppose a table of the dates when they are not available would be easier.

even if it is just for the WreckCam as that was the one that was most vulnerable to breakdowns, purely by the nature of its location.

methinks we need to give Jake a shout on this one, the only source of info I can think of is the WeCam Project history link

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jake Richter - Richter Art Gallery (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6626) on Saturday, February 19, 2011 - 5:59 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi guys,

Everyone is welcome to clean any of the WebCams they can easily get to, especially as I travel so much I am rarely home (like now - I'm in Cincinnati for a bit).

I'm in touch with the folks at Yellow Submarine and have suggested some things they can check out to see if they can get the cameras back on-line. I suspect it's either a power or Internet problem. If not, it may have to wait until April when someone knowledgeable about our hardware will be back on Bonaire.

Regarding making a list of times in the archives that are valid for a particular camera, that's an interesting thought. There is no such list at present. Basically the archive code simply looks for files that meet the requested criteria of camera, start time, end time, and date and returns what it finds (which, for the now deceased Wreck ReefCam, would be nada).

Basically, it would involved writing a cataloging program which would inventory the dates and times available for a given camera. A few problems I see with that is that there may be captures even when the camera is not functioning properly, so this cataloging would return false positives (which, for the Wreck ReefCam would potentially be many). The other is that the list generated could be massive, and I'm not sure if there's a good way to represent that data in an easy to use fashion.

This never came up as an issue before when people used to post dozens of images from the Bonaire WebCams here on BT each day, but with the reduction in that activity for a variety of reasons, there no longer is human filtering of the WebCam images going on...

And that brings me to another thing...

I wonder based on the above, do most people actually even still care about the WebCams? The lack of posts suggests that the WebCams are no longer considered relevant or important.

I ask because our accountant just provided us with our annual K-1 forms, and yet again it's been confirmed that during 2010 that Dan and I had to dig deep into our pockets to keep the WebCams operational. Memberships certainly help (and thank you to all the members who have stuck with us), but those have dropped off appreciably in the last couple of years too, and I have to wonder a bit if this personal expense to us is still worthwhile. Bonaire's tourism community certainly doesn't seem to care much about the WebCams. The folks that have cared the most (other than ourselves) are Eden Beach and Dive Friends Bonaire, for which we are truly grateful.

However, that doesn't change the basic question: Are the Bonaire WebCams still relevant? Or would anyone notice if they all just slowly dropped away (as the Bonaire WindsurfCam appears to have, since we can't seem to get the Internet connection provided at Windsurf Place to work reliably).

I would be interested in the input of both those who are still active (but perhaps silent) users of the WebCams as well as those who stopped looking at them some time ago.

Jake

PS Carolyn - are you the person that left us a voice mail yesterday?

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carolyn Boxmeyer (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #4) on Saturday, February 19, 2011 - 6:22 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Yup, that was me. Sorry, I didn't ident.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Smits (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #962) on Sunday, February 20, 2011 - 5:41 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

With the webcam(s), you were great pioneers.
The first year of being a follower of BT I watched the cams on a regular basis.

But my interest faded away slowly. I have not watched them a lot, the last couple of years.

Maybe because many members of BT post magnificent pictures and video’s. Also on youtube great video’s are published.

If it costs you and Dan a lot of money I would suggest you spend it otherwise.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Donna Moore (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #9) on Monday, February 21, 2011 - 9:50 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I absolutely LOVE the cams and would miss them terribly! I check in every day! Just joined as a gold member:)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cecil* (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #8704) on Monday, February 21, 2011 - 11:45 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Well Jake, I'm in the watch every day category and would mourn the loss terribly. I do understand the issues and would do more if I could. There is also the possibility that interest is cyclic and as new people discovery Bonaire so would go the web cams.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chris Roerig (BonaireTalker - Post #16) on Monday, February 21, 2011 - 11:49 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Love the webcams...

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carolyn Boxmeyer (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #5) on Monday, February 21, 2011 - 3:29 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Please, please don't take away the webcams! I love being able to check in and see real-time stuff. Do you have any merchandise that can support the webcams with every purchase?
I am gold member, but will consider sending support from time to time or buy a tee shirt..

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jake Richter - Richter Art Gallery (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6627) on Monday, February 21, 2011 - 8:49 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks for your feedback so far, guys.

I'd say what you can do to help is continue to spread the word about the Bonaire WebCams, and if you find yourself on Bonaire, posing on them, and cleaning the ReefCam.

We don't have any other merchandise which really supports the WebCams effort, Carolyn, and making some would only cost more money.

I will note that Bonaire has the highest per-capita publicly viewable WebCams of any island the Caribbean.

Jake

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carl (*) (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2065) on Tuesday, February 22, 2011 - 3:17 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jake -
You have done so much - I know I'm not alone in saying thank you - and for asking to keep the cams going - it is a wonderful respite when I'm seeing the thermometer at -10c and looking at over a meter of snow on the ground...but i also know that finances come to play - so I for one would love to keep seeing them, and will continue to re-up my memberships, but you have to have the final say. I support it either way!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Roy - 'Rayman' (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #4002) on Wednesday, February 23, 2011 - 10:24 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Well it goes without saying what my answer is!! ;)

All those electronics n pixels n stuff are in my blood, I need a fix even when I am on holiday. :)

I reckon you should include the Donkey Cam as one of the better maintained ones, if the other ones were cleaned more often then I would post more captures.

Funny how the 'other' cam at Windsurf place is online all the time!!

I reckon without any Cams to watch I will forget how good Bonaire looks and may never return!!! :(

PLEASE don't switch them off!!

so how many 'Gold' members would it take to keep them going?

(Message edited by kilroy on February 23, 2011)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kristi_in_SA (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #148) on Wednesday, February 23, 2011 - 11:29 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I'll cast my vote for keeping the cams! I would miss them if they went away. I don't post much but I do visit often. Thanks!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Rog & Karen (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #701) on Wednesday, February 23, 2011 - 12:38 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

We watch the webcams all the time...we don't post pictures of the webcams but enjoy looking at the ones that others post.

 


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