Tuesday, January 03, 2012

GOES and Other Tech Toys

Oooh, lookit this. GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites) weather data overlaid on a MODIS imagery base from the Terra and Aqua satellites. GOES West and GOES East. We're not actually seeing anything available to the eye, it's digital magic; on offer 24/7, day and night and winter and summer, and clear as clear can be. Thanks to MSNBC for the explanation, shoutout to @stevesilberman for the find. I love it madly.

GOES/MODIS imagery mashup. See GOES West and GOES East for current, and be sure to click to full size when you do... (Click for larger image.)

Sure enough the dam cams are offering entertainment. A full portrait of the barge at Glines Canyon Dam flitted by yesterday evening as it changed position.

... (Click for larger image.)

The First Beach Cam was down all weekend, but boy is it ever back. According to the Ocean Prediction Center this is only a 12-foot swell, but such a lively one. Why am I here and not there?

... (Click for larger image.)

My new camera, by the way, is a Canon Powershot S100. JL took me all the way to a camera store in N. Seattle so I could try out cameras in the hand before choosing. It should be absolutely idiot-proof, but doesn't seem to be. Even in AUTO mode strange things happen on the little screen. I am not learning very fast, because not trying very hard. I meant it to be easy.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The new camera may not be idiot proof but I do see a slight difference in the clarity and precision of focus in your photos. More detail is obvious. Perhaps the colors are truer also but only you would know that.

Sometimes it's good to have a new toy.

Anonymous said...

I have found all the new digital cameras are more complicated than I anticipated. They do produce some fantastic photos though. Love the dam shot.

mb said...

I had the idea that AUTO would be adequate until I could face the learning curve of what the camera could do better with. But no, alas