FogCam

Last updated

FogCam [lower-alpha 1] is the longest-running webcam in the world, barring maintenance breaks and camera replacements. In 1994, two students Jeff Schwartz and Dan Wong set up the webcam at San Francisco State University. It was nearly shut down in 2019 as the creators said they faced difficulties in maintaining the webcam. Following public outcry, the university agreed to take over ownership and continue its maintenance.

Contents

Operation

The webcam is stationed at San Francisco State University, capturing student life and San Francisco's common fog. [1] Every 20 seconds, a low-resolution (less than 320 by 200 pixels) image is taken and uploaded to its website, with the previous image being deleted. [2] [3] The camera has been moved several times partly due to pressures from the administration. Previous locations include a student health center with a view of the road Tapia Drive, the Cafe Rosso line as a nod to the Trojan Room Coffee Pot webcam, and the ground floor of the humanities building, and the library, facing Holloway Avenue. [2] According to Schwartz, students used FogCam for practical purposes like checking queue lengths [4] and parking spaces. [2]

When camera replacements are made, the university opts for a dated model to stay true to its origins. However, the software has not been modified since its inception. [2]

History

In September 30, 1994, [5] two then–San Francisco State University students Jeff "Webdog" Schwartz and Dan "Danno" Wong, founded FogCam in the university's Department of Instructional Technologies [2] as part of their master's thesis. [6] They were studying for a Master's Degree in the Graduate College of Education. [1] Their initial setup involved a Connectix QuickCam connected to a Macintosh computer sourced from the campus's bookstore, and a custom software. [2] They were inspired by the very first live webcam, which streamed pictures of the Trojan Room Coffee Pot in the University of Cambridge. [2]

After graduation, Wong was hired for the Academic Technologies department and continued to maintain the webcam. [6] [2] FogCam was initially placed in the Burk Hall, and it has moved locations multiple times. [2] In 1995, Schwartz placed a similar webcam in his residence to keep track of his two cats. [2]

FogCam! Logo of Twitter.svg
@FogCam

After 25 years, Fogcam is shutting down forever at the end of August. Webdog & Danno thank our viewers and San Francisco State University for their support over the years.

The Internet has changed a lot since 1994, but Fogcam will always have a special place in its history.

August 18, 2019 [7]

Planned shutdown and revival

In August 2019, the creators announced the webcam would cease operating, citing a lack of scenic spots and support from the university. They explained "the university tolerates us, but they don't really endorse us and so we have to find secure locations on our own." [2] The shutdown was planned on August 30, though the website would continue to be online "for the sake of posterity." [8] The announcement was met with public outcry, as multiple news outlets reported on the news. [2] The official university Twitter account started the hashtag #SaveTheFogCam and few offered donations. On August 28, Schwartz agreed to transfer the webcam's ownership to the university. [5] The Department of Academic Technologies, which as of 2022 still is Wong's workplace, now runs the webcam. [2]

When SFGate journalist Amanda Bartlett visited FogCam in September 20, 2022, it was stationed on the second floor of a conference room within the business building. [2] The visiting journalist has commented that the webcam looked "humble" compared to the public outcry it received. She described it as a Logitech camera being held up by a "flexible plastic tripod". [2]

Reception

NPR described FogCam as one of the oldest websites still operational. [9] The New York Times noted FogCam's novelty at the time, commenting that it "didn’t do much of anything special, which was part of its quirky charm". [4] Digital Trends compared FogCam to Lou Montulli's The Amazing Fishcam, which was also established in 1994, shortly after FogCam. [10] Jenny Vogel wrote in Journal of the New Media Caucus that while FogCam was "unspectacular", the live nature of the media was "often more interesting or appealing than what the image itself presented". [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Gate Bridge</span> San Francisco Bay suspension bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the one-mile-wide (1.6 km) strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The structure links the U.S. city of San Francisco, California—the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula—to Marin County, carrying both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1 across the strait. It also carries pedestrian and bicycle traffic, and is designated as part of U.S. Bicycle Route 95. Recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the Wonders of the Modern World, the bridge is one of the most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco and California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco</span> Consolidated city-county in California, US

San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 808,988 residents as of 2023, San Francisco is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of California behind Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose. The city covers a land area of 46.9 square miles at the upper end of the San Francisco Peninsula, making it the second-most densely populated major U.S. city behind New York City and the fifth-most densely populated U.S. county, behind four of New York City's boroughs. Among the 92 U.S. cities proper with over 250,000 residents, San Francisco is ranked first by per capita income and sixth by aggregate income as of 2022.As of 2023, the San Jose–San Francisco–Oakland, CA CSA is the 5th largest in the nation, with an approximate population of over 9,001,024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Webcam</span> Video camera connected to a computer or network

A webcam is a video camera which is designed to record or stream to a computer or computer network. They are primarily used in video telephony, live streaming and social media, and security. Webcams can be built-in computer hardware or peripheral devices, and are commonly connected to a device using USB or wireless protocols.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Gate</span> Strait between the Marin and San Francisco peninsulas in California, United States

The Golden Gate is a strait on the west coast of North America that connects San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. It is defined by the headlands of the San Francisco Peninsula and the Marin Peninsula, and, since 1937, has been spanned by the Golden Gate Bridge. The entire shoreline and adjacent waters throughout the strait are managed by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco State University</span> Public university in San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University is a public research university in San Francisco. It was established in 1899 as the San Francisco State Normal School and is part of the California State University system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunset District, San Francisco</span> Neighborhood in San Francisco, California, United States

The Sunset District is a neighborhood located in the southwest quadrant of San Francisco, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of California College of the Law, San Francisco</span> Public law school in San Francisco, California

The University of California College of the Law, San Francisco is a public law school in San Francisco, California, United States. It was previously known as the University of California, Hastings College of the Law from 1878 to 2023.

A webcast is a media presentation distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology to distribute a single content source to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand. Essentially, webcasting is "broadcasting" over the Internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco University High School</span> Private school in San Francisco, California, USA

San Francisco University High School is a private college preparatory high school located in San Francisco, California. The school was opened in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marian and Vivian Brown</span> American celebrity twins

Marian B. Brown and Vivian A. Brown were American identical twin actresses who also appeared on television talk shows and television commercials. They became celebrity icons in San Francisco, known as the San Francisco Twins, renowned for their appearance in media with signature identically bright snappy outfits and hats atop meticulously coiffed hair. They were voted second as San Francisco's "Best Local Character" in 2000. They often ate dinner at one of the front tables at Uncle Vito's restaurant, just below the crest of Nob Hill, San Francisco.

Justin Kan is an American internet entrepreneur and investor. He is the co-founder of live video platforms Justin.tv and Twitch, as well as the mobile social video application Socialcam. He was also the co-founder and former CEO of law-tech company Atrium before it was shut down in March 2020. In 2021, he launched NFT marketplace Fractal, which was renamed to Stash in 2024.

The San Francisco Bay Times, the first LGBTQ newspaper founded jointly by gay men and women, launched in 1978 and remains one of the largest and oldest LGBTQ newspapers in Northern California. The business includes the 24/7 live-streaming Castro Street Cam that streams Harvey Milk Plaza and the Castro live to the world, serving as an emotional lifeline to LGBTQ people elsewhere, including internationally, who seek connection due to isolation in their regions. It also includes the LGBTQ news and events service "Betty's List," as well as "Harvey's List" and the "Bay Times List."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Webcam model</span> Livestream video performer

A webcam model is a video performer who streams on the Internet with a live webcam broadcast. A webcam model often performs erotic acts online, such as stripping, masturbation, or sex acts in exchange for money, goods, or attention. They may also sell videos of their performances. Once viewed as a small niche in the world of adult entertainment, camming became "the engine of the porn industry," according to Alec Helmy, the publisher of XBIZ, a sex-trade industry journal.

Jennifer Kaye Ringley is an Internet personality and former lifecaster. She is widely regarded as the first camgirl. She is known for creating the popular website JenniCam. Previously, live webcams transmitted static shots from cameras aimed through windows or at coffee pots. Ringley's innovation was simply to allow others to view her daily activities. She was the first web-based "lifecaster". She retired from lifecasting at the end of 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doggie Diner</span> Fast food restaurant chain

Doggie Diner was a small fast food restaurant chain serving hot dogs and hamburgers in San Francisco and Oakland, California that operated from 1948 to 1986, owned by Al Ross.

EarthCam, Inc., based in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, United States, provides webcam content, technology and services. Founded in 1996, EarthCam.com is a network of scenic webcams offering a complete searchable database of views of places around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leslie Wong</span> American academic (born 1949)

Leslie Eric Wong is an American academic, university administrator, and psychology professor. He was President of Northern Michigan University and San Francisco State University. Effective July 1st, 2023, he became the interim President of Connecticut College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Stefani</span> American attorney and politician (born 1969)

Catherine Michele Stefani is an American attorney and politician from San Francisco. Stefani has served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors since 2018, representing District 2, which includes the neighborhoods of Pacific Heights, Cow Hollow, the Marina District and Laurel Heights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Haney</span> American politician

Matthew Craig Haney is an American politician from San Francisco currently serving as a member of the California State Assembly from the 17th district, covering the eastern portion of the city. A progressive member of the Democratic Party, Haney had represented District 6 on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 2019 to 2022 and previously served as a commissioner on the San Francisco Board of Education from 2013 to 2019.

The history of San Francisco State University began in 1857, with a teacher-training program at a high school, which led to the creation of San Francisco State Normal School. It became San Francisco State Teachers College, San Francisco State College, and California State University, San Francisco before becoming San Francisco State University as it's known today.

References

  1. 1 2 Zaveri, Mihir (September 2, 2019). "California University Steps In to Save Beloved Webcam". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Bartlett, Amanda (September 30, 2022). "'A fluke': The world's oldest webcam is still watching over San Francisco". SF Gate .
  3. ↑ Lallensack, Rachael (September 3, 2019). "The Longest Running Web Cam, Set to Go Offline, Has Been Saved". Smithsonian Magazine . Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Holson, Laura M. (August 20, 2019). "FogCam Is Signing Off in San Francisco". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  5. 1 2 Smith, Caroline (August 30, 2019). "SF State Saves FogCam, Internet's Longest-Running Webcam, After it Almost Shuts Down". KQED . Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  6. 1 2 Cortes, Luis. "SF State maintains the world's oldest FogCam, a stamp of history within the university". Golden Gate Xpress. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  7. ↑ FogCam! [@FogCam] (August 18, 2019). "After 25 years, Fogcam is shutting down forever at the end of August. Webdog & Danno thank our viewers and San Francisco State University for their support over the years. The Internet has changed a lot since 1994, but Fogcam will always have a special place in its history" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ↑ Bartlett, Amanda (August 18, 2019). "SF is home to the world's oldest webcam. After 25 years, it's being switched off". SF Gate . Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  9. ↑ Dwyer, Colin (August 19, 2019). "The End Is Nigh For FogCam, Billed As The Internet's Oldest Running Webcam". NPR . Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  10. ↑ Mogg, Trevor (August 20, 2019). "FogCam: World's Longest-running Webcam Is About to Be Switched Off". Digital Trends . Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  11. ↑ Vogel, Jenny. "Images for an Unknown Public" (PDF). Journal of the New Media Caucus. Retrieved August 16, 2024.

Notes

  1. ↑ also stylized as Fogcam or FogCam!; the official website uses a header saying The San Francisco FogCam!.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.