Harper's birthday - part 4

The camera can move 360, and zoom pretty far, also.

I still haven't been able to get the Africam to work. The screen stays black, and it jumps to "stopped" almost immediately. Can't figure out what I'm doing wrong!

Boy, I don't know what to say - it works for me. I use FireFox. Maybe it's a firewall or something?

The link works fine for me, too. All quiet on the plains right now.

Sue and Sherrie - thanks, so much, for the Africam. I've had it on all morning and seen warthogs, a zebra rolling in the dust, and a large group of big animals but they were behind tree trunks and I couldn't make out what they were. Just the sounds of nature are so nice to hear.

Yes, it's pretty cool - thanks! I'm hoping the sounds I'm hearing are real and not a recording! Or some guys who do good impressions.

I'm wondering about the sounds myself, Victor. I hear all this growling but see nice calm zebras. No animal yet has visited the watering hole. I do enjoy the panning that the camera does and the close ups.

Yes I'm seeing animals now - birds, zebras and others, but nothing at the watering hole.

Funny - I hear lots of splashing from time to time but even when the camera was trained on the watering hole - nothing.

Same here. It's making me suspicious about the sounds.

Last night there was white birds in the water. I know one thing - I would not go camping there unless I was in a cage.

I am pretty sure now that a soundtrack is used. Maybe it is described somewhere on the site. The pics are cool though.

I was just about to write to you about the same thing, Victor. I've been tracking the sounds and it's more and more doubtful that the sounds go with the views.

I watched it 8 mins. this morning. It was doing the 360 panning and there is a tree close by. I saw a wire going up the tree and something screwed to it. Probably an antenna or something? Not one animal in site and no watering hole!

Yes, I saw the wiring and I'm guessing it's where the camera is located.

I think a lot of the noise is the wind on the microphone - sounds like thunder sometimes. And when the birds hang out in the tree that the camera is on, it gets pretty noisy!

On their sister site, the Elephant Plains, which is about 8 miles away, you can always hear baboons in the camera tree first thing in the morning (around 11 - 12 p.m. est). They're loud! There's not as much action on this camera, but I check it out from time to time.

At night, our time, I like to turn either one just to listen to the crickets - find it rather soothing, while I play solitaire!

I think it is creepy sounding. Especially when you hear a cricket burp.

Crickets burp?!?!

The africam is great - has anyone else gone to their home page? They have quite a few camera locations...I went to "elephant plains" - no elephants but quite a few water buffalo laying around.......

also "pyramid" ...but its dark there...could see the outline, I can't imagine there is that much activity coming from a pyramid though!

edited to say..I was typing too slow....obviously!

This message was edited Feb 7, 2008 9:22 AM

Sue, I think the problem may be my WildBlue browser. I need to have my techy niece come show me how to change to a different browser. What browser do the rest of you have? Firefox?? I really want to check out Africam!

Firefox and it's great.

I'm trying firefox - but don't see much difference from ie? What am I missing?

I see no difference in firefox or ie............we are both missing something.

I alo have IE so I'd like to know how you find Firefox is better, Victor.

It never has any issues, unlike IE (or any MS product for that matter). Also has many built-in features that IE does not.

Please tell us about the built-in features.

Better security and many more add-on options to personalize it. They (the Netscape people) were the first to have tabs.

Firefox has skins - I like skins (I'm artsy-fartsy anyways).

What does that mean - the skins part, not the artsy-fartsy?

Ya know how on your internet screen you (usually) have a blue band running across the top, and one on the bottom? Well, Firefox can give you "skins" or borders that might be a different color, or design. Right now, I have the N.E. Patriots skin on. In a few months, I'll change to the Red Sox!

ok, security.
IE has tabs now...
what else? inquiring minds want to know...

If you're happy with IE, stay with it.

What!?
i thought i was asking a legit question - i didn't mean to be dissing your browser.

actually i mostly use AOL (believe it or not). i'm just kinda used to it.
though i just opened a gmail account. everyone loves gmail. i don't really think i love gmail. maybe i will.

I did not take it as dissing, Amy!

You will love gmail when you see how many spam messages go into your filter and how many get through. I have had gmail for over a year now and have received, maybe a dozen spam pieces - total! I use the documents feature to store files that I might want to get into from a remote location - like my checking account register and address book. I can update and save them inside gmail.

I use gmail as a backup for all in and out emails.

i find the "conversations" feature awkward, especially if i send an email to multiple recipients. maybe i'll get used to it.
i really was curious about the other features of Firefox. i hear people sing its praises often, but i never really hear why, except, "It's better than IE."
Remember, i'm from MO, the "Show Me" state. (oops - wrong thread!)

Amy, when we were running IE, we had to run ad-aware every day or two to get rid of mal-ware. Since we've been using Firefox, it's just not there anymore! (The malware. That's when companies you've never heard of attach cookies that somehow live in your computer. Yucky-poo.) Also, it's share-ware, Microsoft doesn't get any % of your using it. (Unlike IE.)

(I know you already probably OWN IE; it's on your computers, but still give Firefox a try, if only because we're supporting the notion that the www is for everyone, not just microsoft and apple.)

Just my $00.02.

x, carrie

I'll start using it more - just have to redo all my favs.

Boy, Carrie, I use Firefox and still got a Malware virus on my computer the other day. (I'm using my dd's until mine can get fixed.)