Internet Web Cams
The Internet, which is still in its infancy, has been described as a frontier with few rules, filled more with indulgent ramblings of young self absorbed techno-philes than with hard facts or useful real world information. Unfortunately, while this is changing, it is an accurate description of a large number of web sites currently viewed on today's Internet.
In that spirit, I'm going to take a look at some particular Internet sites that can best be described as light-hearted and fun. I'm talking about the Internet phenomenon known as web cams, the popularity of which appears to be taking off as more computer systems come bundled with cameras for video conferencing and video capture. These small cameras, which come in black & white and color models, can also be added to existing computer systems for around $200.
With this small bit of hardware, a dial-up Internet account with web space, and one of several small shareware programs designed to automatically upload pictures to your web server, Internet users are putting up web pages with current pictures of whatever or whomever may be in front of the camera.
To begin our tour of web cam sites, I'll start with what is probably the most well known of live camera sites; the Jennicam. The voyeuristic Jennicam displays the goings-on inside the bedroom of Jennifer R., a 21year old web designer in the Washington D.C. area twenty-four hours a day. She began her site while she was a university student on the east coast, and for the first year her pictures were beamed directly from her dorm room. Her web site has risen to the status of Internet legend and has propelled its subject into the ranks of people who have become famous through Internet exposure. Jenni's site is not about sex or nudity but about real life. Of course from time to time Jenni's real life includes some sex and nudity, which she doesn't hide from the camera. The majority of time, however, viewers are greeted with boring shots of Jenni working in front of her computer, or sleeping. You can find the Jennicam at http://www.jennicam.org.
One local Olympia web cam site that has garnered a menion in the national news (USA Today - March 18, 1998), is "OinkerNet" available on the web at http://www.olywa.net/jandrews. This site, run by Mixx96 FM radio personality Smilin' Jay Andrews, features "almost-live" shots of his guinea pigs in their well equipped "condo". Get to know his friendly and well-known pets Flora, Fauna, Bella, and visit the memorial for Mr. Chubbers.
Other local interest webcams include the Space Needle cam site, which captures a magnificent view of the Seattle Center and the monorail, with the Space Needle in the background. You can view the weather firsthand at the UW, check to see how the skyline looks over downtown Seattle, or check the beach from the ClamCam at Longbeach. All of these regional webcams as well as many others can be found at the Washington State webcam link archive at http://www.dcn.com/us/Washington.html.
So you ask, is everyone with web cam sites buying expensive computer systems with cameras to put a picture of their bedroom, or the view from their window on the Internet? As it turns out, there are currently useful applications for this technology as well. Some daycare centers have employed web based live pictures to give parents the ability to check on their kids firsthand while they are at work. It is also possible to get a live view of Puget Sound area freeway traffic courtesy of the Washington Department of Transportation. DOT has dozens of camera available at strategic spots in order to monitor traffic flows in congested areas. The DOT camera site can be viewed at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/regions/northwest/NWFLOW/camera.
Perhaps the mania to put live images on the Internet will cause many people to wonder just how much of our privacy will be compromised by the Internet. After looking at hundreds of the many web cams available on the Internet today, one thing is certain. If you are in public place, you better think twice before doing something that you wouldn’t want the world to see, as you just might be the subject of someone’s web page.