April 15, 2014: the day the new Axis 214 PTZ cam was activated. And not a moment too soon. Seemed like a long time to get funding, a little more coding and construction. The original (and still good) idea was to get the cam and a pro housing. Such a custom housing is compact, optically superior and hermetically sealed – because of good engineering therein. So, that’ll be Stage 2 (cost: $650). But in the meantime, here at Crustacean Construction, a new wooden housing (box) was made which will hopefully serve, as did the old, similar, one, despite its many faults.

Special thanks to those who financially contributed to this project. That’s the spirit. And the cam is there for all to enjoy.

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On November 20, 2013, the old AXIS 2130 PTZ network camera (well past it’s end of life) finally failed after all these years. First it’s memory, then finally it’s “eye.” It was a good run. The hope is to eventually restore the cam with a newer but similar version that still allows users to control it. Warm thanks to those who expressed interest in and appreciation for the Carmel Clam Cam over the years, and especially to those Patrons who actually understood the practical monetary aspects of maintaining a web site and donated to it. Their generosity can’t be overstated! 

The plan is to keep the Carmel Clam Cam site operating because of a number of useful “tools” therein. As time passes, we’ll see what develops. Again, thanks to all of you who cared.

Sincerely,  the Main Mollusk

To keep the Carmel Clam Cam going, I’m stuffing a lot of advertizing on the pages. That’s the bad news. The good news is that it doesn’t impact you the viewer a bit! You have to “see” the ads but the site works as it always did. If you order your items from Amazon going through the Clam Cam, you are supporting the Clam in its cosmic work. Hope you do. Thanks so much.

Have made a few changes as of late. For the moment, I’ve drop the Clam Chatter section. I like the idea of that but don’t think I have the right tools for it, yet. Certainly not many using that section. Seems clunky to me, so I can’t blame you. I guess I’m back on track with the original philosophy of the site: to try different things and see how they work. As usual, your suggestions are of great interest, though I can’t always comply. Example, viewing more of the beach. We have what we have. Still, keep the ideas flowing as they occur.

And I hope you have some exciting things planned for summer.

For those wanting to connect with other ClamCammers, the Clam is trying a Chat Room, Clam Chatter. Perhaps it’s a good place to make suggestions? Or just commentary. While there is a sign up area at the bottom of the chat box which lets you create a profile, you can click  the Chat Anonymously area to avoid having to enter any unnecessary info! Give it a try.

As hurricane season ramps up, you can get a good perspective of those rascals by going to Ocean / Satellite – Big Picture. Presumedly shot from one of those 22,000 -mile, fixed orbit satellites, the picuture often shows a series of storms developing off the coast of Africa, then moving across the Atlantic. Might be time for the bi-valves to do a deep sand dive!

The camera will often be aimed toward the Pebble Beach Golf Course this week while the US Open is on. The fairway you see, with players walking left to right, is 11. And bobbing heads and walking bodies beyond are probably on Fairway 10. The weather is what I’d call “normal”: overcast and cool! Later in the week the forecast suggests sun, something we central coasters don’t see so much of. But we’re a hardy lot!

FYI: For the past several years, the clam bed has been twittering over the iPhone, the iPod Touch, and now the iPad. These 3 cool Apple products are the only such devices that can view the CarmelClam Cam! None of Verizon’s cool smart phones will work with the CC! How about the Android or the G1? Alas, I guess not. Any others? Doubt it. If anyone knows of another cell phone that will allow viewing the streaming video of the CC, let me know.

So the good news is that if you have one of the above-mentioned Apple products, it will work with the Carmelclam Cam.

I’m a big fan of the ISS, the International Space Station. From my vantage point, I have an open sky to the west, starting at the earth’s limb (ocean) to an unobstructed sky overhead. Tonight was a good passage, starting in the SSW and moving to the ENE part of the sky at an elevation of 50°. There are currently 6 people onboard. If you’re interested, try: http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/ You’ll be able to find your own location and can observe this common experience with the rest of us. Highly recommended.

Well all you clam diggers: did you run the race? It was warm yesterday (for a change), as least at the finish line at the Crossroads. Local (regional) guy won it. For you who haven’t (and maybe never will) run the course, it’s starts in Big Sur at the 26.2 mile mark and it’s a straight run north until you hit the finish line. Plenty of hills and a cool ocean breeze to contend with. If you like running a shorter course, there’s a relay, and a 10.6 mile course which starts around Rocky Point. Looked like everyone was having a good time. Congratulations to all the participants and supporters.