Windows to the World

Good morning! Had to go switch keyboards, as the one in the shack I'm in today doesn't have a working !/1 key! I'm glad everyone here is fairly computer illiterate! :)

I was here at work yesterday, but it was a total bust, as it took a couple of hours to just catch up with the previous shifts' mess! I had enough time to lurk for a couple of minutes, and that was it.

After getting over three inches of rain the other night, we had some more light rain last night, with the promise of some more today. Muggy is the operative word for the current conditions!

Since I'm not on the Glitchamatic, I can't see half of the cams, so I'll just have to hope that everything's working OK! I may check in the supervisor's office later!

GG, I didn't know there was a nuclear proponent to Geonet; I thought that they were only a geological research organization. I may have to check that out!

Hi, Tony! Sorry to hear that your computer has been giving you problems, but I have faith in you that you'll figure them out! Looking forward to your return!

Thanks for keeping an eye on things, Alley! Hope you are relaxing today in the good A/C!

Pros, I'm glad the Kanzi cam gives folks stuff to look at while Kilamanjaro plays peekaboo! :)

Lots of clouds this afternoon, but no rain!

No top blowing, here or on the cams, Shore! Mellow seems to be the pervasive mood around here!

Sometimes a 2D image can throw a curve, especially a webcam, with its lesser-quality optics!

I think maybe you are trying too hard to be creative, Alley! Once you get tired and start to relax, then your mind clears and the ideas come. Ever wonder why a lot of good songs are written when the performer has been drinking or on something? That's not a suggestion, lolol!

Sandi, glad you can see fit to be lazy, and wasting away the day vegetating in front of the Tube, lol! Glad that your wrist is better!

Janet, we had a light rain last night, not enough to amount to much. At least I didn't have to water my flowers this morning! :)

Hi, cal! I think the Kanzi cam will at least be a semi-regular on the blog from here on out, except maybe during rainy season!

Hope you get some monsooooooon rain soooooon! :)

Well, that wraps it up for today! I'll be back Tuesday! Everyone take care!

Good morning! Back in the saddle, as it were! Had the day off yesterday; spent too much money, but got a lot of stuff done! Now it's back to the grind, so I can afford to do more stuff! :)

Muggy this morning, but the big news is that a strong cold front is supposed to pass through Thursday, giving us low 60s-low 80s by Friday! :)

Cams appear to be working; Popocatépetl is particularly stunning today! If I get caught up on the blogs, I may do some scouting for the next blog; no theme this time! :)

Karen, that's a nice photo of basaltic columns(I think that's what they are called!)! Who knows? the next new volcano may be in the Mammoth Lakes area(I hope not!)!

Hi, Tony! Glad you're making progress on the new blog! Can't wait to see it!

Good morning, Trauma! I'll be on nights Wed. and Thurs., so I'll see you then, if you haven't already finished your week! :)

I don't know, ycd! Could be anything, as that's no zoo out there! :)

I had a feeling Greece's tourism would be affected by the economy, Sandi! :( You'd think traveling there would be a bargain, but with prices tied to the Euro instead of the Drachma(I think), we don't get that much of a break!

A hyena chasing a zebra? I wish that cam was streaming, lol!

Good morning, Pros! I'm surprised you haven't recieved any rain lately! It's supposed to cool off A LOT Friday, so maybe by the weekend for you? One can only hope!

Good afternoon, Alley! maybe you can get a nap in this afternoon! Actually, that sounds good to me, as I also didn't get much more than four hours myself! :) Nothing bad, just a home improvement project gone awry, lol!

We're supposed to be in the low 80s this weekend! For a high, lol! Can't wait!

Quoting GardenGrrl:
Hi, was just wondering about the Roul cam, what exactly is an Institute for Geological and Nuclear Science?
Hmmmmm. Volcanic action or nuclear testing, only the tinfoil hats know for sure.

I finally got around to looking that up:

About Us
GNS Science, Te Pü Ao, is New Zealand’s leading provider of Earth, geoscience and isotope research and consultancy services. Our purpose is to understand natural Earth system processes and resources, and to translate these into economic, environmental and social benefits.

As for the "Nuclear" part, this is what I found:

Rafter Radiocarbon Laboratory

Age dating using AMS technology - applications for archaeology, antiquities, environment and others.

Cosmogenic Isotope and Radiochemistry Laboratory

Isotope analysis and dating of sedimentary deposits, glacial ice, rocks, minerals and fluids using 10Be, 137Cs, 210Pb, 226Ra, other U and Th series isotopes.

National Isotope Centre

Worlds of Discovery! The National Isotope Centre at GNS Science is New Zealand’s premier provider of isotope science expertise and associated commercial applications.

Analysis of the distinctive isotopes of a material allows us to understand it's ecological and environmental past, present and future.

Isotopes also have applications which provide significant technological opportunites.

Research expertise:

Climate change research
Global environmental change
Water quality
Nanotechnology
Geo-forensics
Air quality

Time to go home! Everybody have a good night!

Good morning! Another typical muggy August morning, weatherwise, but not so typical, as this is the first day of school for a number of locations around here! So a special caution to all motorists to look out for the kids waiting for the bus. From experience, I've seen kids being kids and out playing in the road, so be extra careful!

Vesuvius cam is stuck at the moment; I checked the other two Hotel Aminta cams and they both work, so it's just the individual cam! With St. Helens, Kilauea, and Fuji still in darkness, that's a whole lot of dark at the beginning of the blog! :(

ycd, I think with most mountains, and particularly volcanoes, they tend to be shrouded in clouds! I've seen Kilamanjaro exactly once in the past three weeks!

Good morning, Alley! Glad you rested well last night! Do you really have that many hawks around? No young animal would be safe! Let's just hope someone kind took her home!

Pros, the SPC has backed down from their initial chance of severe weather for your area, only giving it a "slight" chance for Friday! I do hope you get a break in the heat soon!

Glad you got to see Discovery! Someday my family and I will have to go see a shuttle somewhere(but not in NYC!).

Tony, you tied my record for most deer at the feeder cam! Can someone see 10? :)

GG, according to Geonet:
Active craters and the near-vent effects of Monday night's eruption at Te M%u0101ri craters were observed this morning during an observation flight to Mount Tongariro. Current activity is weak with some steaming vents visible below the cloud level. Explosions at a new vent area below the Upper Te M%u0101ri crater have thrown blocks out more than 1.5 km. Current eruptive activity is low level but could re-commence at any time. The Aviation Colour Code is reduced to Yellow, which recognises that activity has decreased but renewed unrest is possible.
A brief period of good weather this morning allowed GNS Science and Department of Conservation scientists to make an observation flight to Mount Tongariro. Seismic activity remains at a low level with only a few small events being recorded today. These observations and current monitoring data do not change the prognosis for future eruptions. Actively steaming vents were visible at a new crater area below Upper Te M%u0101ri crater but low cloud prevented any views above this elevation.

No vents have opened in or around the Lower Te M%u0101ri crater, or at lower elevations on the mountain. There are no new vents or craters at the Ketetahi thermal area. Previously steaming ground at Ketetahi and Lower Te M%u0101ri crater appears more vigorous, but there were no obvious major changes there.
Blocks of old lava and hydrothermally altered lava up to approximately 1 metre size have been ejected by the eruption. There are extensive areas to the east and west of the new vents where falling blocks have formed impact craters in the ground. No burnt vegetation was seen. No steaming hot blocks were visible and all appeared to be angular shapes more typical of existing old rock, rather than fresh lava or scoria. Most blocks were covered by grey ash but many on the western slopes were not, which suggests that they were ejected after the main ash-producing phase of the eruption had finished. Blocks had reached 1.5 km to 2 km from the Te M%u0101ri craters area.
A flow of rock and soil debris generated by the eruption partly fills a stream valley draining north-west from Upper Te M%u0101ri crater area. The deposit has blocked some stream tributaries but most water appears to be diverted around the edges. Ash has slumped from the banks into this stream valley and in other stream valleys ash has been re-mobilised in slurry flows. No lahars were generated by the eruption.
New rock falls were visible around the walls of the new vent area and Lower Te M%u0101ri craters and in some stream valley walls near the craters. This is a sign that significant ground shaking took place during Monday night%u2019s eruption.

Busy day! Checked out most of the blogs, but only had a moment or two to reply to a few of them! :(

Vesuvius cam is back, but alas, it's still night there!

ycd, I checked out the website you left, but as for Mount Tongariro, they got their info from GEONET and another source.

Rob, you know, Macon's only a couple of hours drive to Dallas, NC! ;-) Under the right set of circumstances, you could get lucky!

Good evening! Lots of bad weather in Indiana at the moment; it may slide down here later, but so far nothing severe is coming!

Cams look good; will probably start scouting for the new blog tonight and tomorrow night, and finish it next week!

Thank you, Briar! Was that photo in one of your Mt. St. Helens blog? It does look better with snow on it, IMO! Even though there isn't one around here, I've been interested in volcanoes since I was a young child!

Hi, Reno! I'm afraid the only local volcano I can show from around here is my son's taco salad, where the sauce is the "lava"! :) I have had a Lassen cam on here before, but the image is of Mt. Diller, for some reason!

To tell you the truth, I haven't been looking for Grothar: his blog won't load on my browser. However, I believe I've seen him on the main in the past week.

Hi, Pros! All I see is a red x! :( I'm sure everyone else will appreciate your contribution! Thank you for posting it!

Alley, you had a busy and productive morning! Looking forward to seeing your African waterhole capture!

GG, do you have any drive-in movie theaters in your area? If you and hubby like movies, maybe you can see a doubleheader a night while you are off! There's a drive-in in Reo, Indiana, that's still open, and boasts five screens!


It's been an exceptionally busy night! :P I got to my blog at 9:30; it's past 12:30, and I'm just getting around to finishing answering posts on my blog!

Hi, Sandi, aka the Milton Keynes Socialite, lol! Glad you are finally thawing out!

Glad you are getting some warmth; I myself am looking forward to this cold front passing, which will give us much cooler temps!

Have fun!

That's cool, Sandi! Thanks for posting it!

Been a busy night; time to go home!

Good evening! Another busy night so far, but I think it will slow down considerably!

It has cooled down significantly tonight, so much so, I actually had to turn down the A/C in the shack! I like it! :)

Now is the best time to see the most cams here, as all but the Mexican cam are showing something!

Hi, gamma! Good to see you back around! I'll bet you're glad things are getting back to normal!

Good evevning, Alley! Thanks for the cute kitty greetings, and the Kanzi capture! I wonder if we'll be able to see the wildebeest migration through there!

Sandi, I got the usual daytime nightshift sleep of about five hours. I had to come in at 3 this afternoon(didn't get a chance to come here), so I'll probably sleep more tomorrow! Maybe! :)

I guess being near the equator reduces twilight?

LOL, bug! I forgot about that connection! I hope that doesn't damage my geek street cred! :)

Hi, Tony! I'll have to check out your new blog! I saw it listed when I came here!

ycd, I did know about Santorini, and the explosion that wiped out the Minoan civilization, but it's always good to refresh!

Hi, Pros! Hope you are doing well!