blog
Webcam back to normal
12/28/2008
The furnace seems to be fine for now so the webcam is now back to pointing outside my window.
Labels: davecam
Webcam modification
12/21/2008
The Webcam will be modified for a few weeks to show a thermometer instead of the view outside my window. I've been having some problems with my furnace in my house and this will allow me to monitor the temperature when I'm not at the house. For fun, I also added a Big Daddy from the game Bioshock in the picture and a clock so I can tell if the webcam is frozen or not.
Labels: davecam
Website status update
12/09/2008
You may have noticed that dstanich.com has been down on and off for the past few days. The problem is being worked on and should be resolved in the next few days. More updates will be posted as more information is received.
Currently, the Pictures and Stuff sections of the website do not work. These sections will be fixed as soon as possible and will also be resolved in the next few days.
The Webcam page should now be working. For some reason the method that the page used to display the webcam has been failing recently. The webpage will no longer check to see if the webcam is running or not, it will just attempt to display it immediately. If the webcam is not currently running then the webcam image will be displayed as a broken image.
Currently, the Pictures and Stuff sections of the website do not work. These sections will be fixed as soon as possible and will also be resolved in the next few days.
The Webcam page should now be working. For some reason the method that the page used to display the webcam has been failing recently. The webpage will no longer check to see if the webcam is running or not, it will just attempt to display it immediately. If the webcam is not currently running then the webcam image will be displayed as a broken image.
Webcam problems
7/30/2008
If you've been trying to view the webcam the past few days you have probably noticed that it's been down for a good chunk of that time. The reason is pretty entertaining though. This weekend I setup my Roomba to vacuum downstairs instead of upstairs where I've had it since moving. I had all my wires and stuff cleaned up so there weren't any big obstacles any more. Well in my current setup, I have a electronics cabinet that houses my wireless router which gives my computer access to the Internet and allows you to see my webcam. Well the power strip for this cabinet is located underneath it. I thought the power strip was well protected from the Roomba, but it proved me wrong... twice. Yes, both Monday and Tuesday the Roomba managed to turn off the power strip by most likely running over the on/off switch. Yesterday, it also pulled a lamp cord out of the wall. I think it's trying to save me money on my power bill or something. As for today, I don't know why the webcam is offline. There is a good chance that my local IP for the computer controlling the webcam has changed which would make it impossible for the webcam to be seen. However, there is also a chance that the Roomba again found a way to get past my well designed obstacles to prevent it from getting to my power strip. I will check to see what's going on later today.
I am also trying to come up with a good name for the Roomba. I'm thinking it should be from a TV show or movie, since that sort of thing suits me. I thought about "Buffy Bot", but if you've seen Buffy then you know that a Roomba doesn't do the things that Buffy Bot was designed to do. If you have any suggestions, post some comments.
I am also trying to come up with a good name for the Roomba. I'm thinking it should be from a TV show or movie, since that sort of thing suits me. I thought about "Buffy Bot", but if you've seen Buffy then you know that a Roomba doesn't do the things that Buffy Bot was designed to do. If you have any suggestions, post some comments.
Webcam back up
5/22/2008
After some careful window shade engineering I think I have the webcam back up. The picture is looking out my office window down a road that goes by my place and over a farm next to me. Click here to go view the webcam.
If you see any interesting pictures while viewing the webcam, please "right click -> save as" the picture and send it to me so I can share it with everyone.
If you see any interesting pictures while viewing the webcam, please "right click -> save as" the picture and send it to me so I can share it with everyone.
Labels: davecam
New home
5/21/2008
As many of you know, I've been moving to Rochester, Minnesota over the past week for my new job. I've come to despise moving after doing it so many times over my college career for co-ops and internships in Minnesota. Thankfully, this should be the last move for a while... at least I hope so!
My townhouse is pretty cool and I'm convinced I probably got the unit with the best view. It's a corner unit (8 in each building) so I have windows facing two directions. One direction looks off into darkness where Rochester basically ends. The other direction looks out over some rolling hills of a farm. Each unit also has a small patio area outside which allows you to look out over the city. I'll have to post pictures of the views when I find all of my camera stuff in all my junk. The only downside to these views is having some pretty strong winds all the time since I'm on a hill. Since Rochester is windy all the time I guess it doesn't really matter anyway.
I'm pretty much done unpacking now and it comes at a good time since I start my job next week. I fly to New York for a few days for some orientation stuff and then come back to work in town. I don't know exactly what kind of stuff I'll be working on but judging from the previous times I've worked here I'm sure I'll enjoy it.
Normally when I move I only bring my LCD monitor which I got when I first started college, but since I was moving almost all my stuff this time I decided to bring my old CRT monitor along too. I have them setup as dual monitors right now and I think I'll really enjoy it. I don't really know what to put on the other monitor though. So far I just have my buddy list over there and if anyone messages me I'm sure I'd put that over on the second monitor as well. Two monitors almost seems unnecessary to me at home but it's funny how I can't live without two screens at work.
The way my living room is built, there is a hole cutout in the wall above the fireplace which is made for a TV. The hole is reasonably large so you can fit a decent size TV in it, but they really didn't design it for doing things other than watching TV. There is a small shelf at the top of the hole for things like cable boxes or small DVD players, but game consoles or speaker equipment just won't fit at all. I have been thinking about the situation for a long time and decided I'd try and get one HDMI cable to go through the wall in the hole down to the floor outside the wall and plug all my stuff into a receiver there. My dad is a pretty handy guy so I suggested that we try the project ourselves. I'm sure a professional could have come in with his/her fancy tools and done the job in 10 minutes but I really didn't want to pay or setup the appointment. My dad and I ended up getting the job done, but it took several days since we weren't really sure where in the hole to make the hole. It's going to look very nice once I get my receiver (this Friday) and the cabinet I ordered to put the electronic equipment in. However, currently it looks weird since there are a ton of wires coming out of the wall and they don't plug into anything.
My dad has always enjoyed using X10 stuff in our homes to automate lights so that they go on and off at certain times during the day. Now that I have my own place I think I might try and do the same sort of stuff. I'd love to replace all the light switches in the house with X10 (or Insteon, I guess it's newer?) switches so I can put things on timers. Since my place is obviously not as big as a house I really don't have that many things to automate though. I think the thing that really matters the most would be the outside lights. I never remember to turn it on so having it on a timer would be nice.
The webcam will be back eventually. I just setup the computer that it normally plugs into about an hour ago and I still need to figure out how to get the camera pointing out the window. The shades I have are sort of heavy and may be provide a challenge while trying to put the webcam in front of them. The webcam I currently have really works pretty poorly anyway, so maybe if I can think of a better solution using a new camera I'll try that. Stay tuned.
My townhouse is pretty cool and I'm convinced I probably got the unit with the best view. It's a corner unit (8 in each building) so I have windows facing two directions. One direction looks off into darkness where Rochester basically ends. The other direction looks out over some rolling hills of a farm. Each unit also has a small patio area outside which allows you to look out over the city. I'll have to post pictures of the views when I find all of my camera stuff in all my junk. The only downside to these views is having some pretty strong winds all the time since I'm on a hill. Since Rochester is windy all the time I guess it doesn't really matter anyway.
I'm pretty much done unpacking now and it comes at a good time since I start my job next week. I fly to New York for a few days for some orientation stuff and then come back to work in town. I don't know exactly what kind of stuff I'll be working on but judging from the previous times I've worked here I'm sure I'll enjoy it.
Normally when I move I only bring my LCD monitor which I got when I first started college, but since I was moving almost all my stuff this time I decided to bring my old CRT monitor along too. I have them setup as dual monitors right now and I think I'll really enjoy it. I don't really know what to put on the other monitor though. So far I just have my buddy list over there and if anyone messages me I'm sure I'd put that over on the second monitor as well. Two monitors almost seems unnecessary to me at home but it's funny how I can't live without two screens at work.
The way my living room is built, there is a hole cutout in the wall above the fireplace which is made for a TV. The hole is reasonably large so you can fit a decent size TV in it, but they really didn't design it for doing things other than watching TV. There is a small shelf at the top of the hole for things like cable boxes or small DVD players, but game consoles or speaker equipment just won't fit at all. I have been thinking about the situation for a long time and decided I'd try and get one HDMI cable to go through the wall in the hole down to the floor outside the wall and plug all my stuff into a receiver there. My dad is a pretty handy guy so I suggested that we try the project ourselves. I'm sure a professional could have come in with his/her fancy tools and done the job in 10 minutes but I really didn't want to pay or setup the appointment. My dad and I ended up getting the job done, but it took several days since we weren't really sure where in the hole to make the hole. It's going to look very nice once I get my receiver (this Friday) and the cabinet I ordered to put the electronic equipment in. However, currently it looks weird since there are a ton of wires coming out of the wall and they don't plug into anything.
My dad has always enjoyed using X10 stuff in our homes to automate lights so that they go on and off at certain times during the day. Now that I have my own place I think I might try and do the same sort of stuff. I'd love to replace all the light switches in the house with X10 (or Insteon, I guess it's newer?) switches so I can put things on timers. Since my place is obviously not as big as a house I really don't have that many things to automate though. I think the thing that really matters the most would be the outside lights. I never remember to turn it on so having it on a timer would be nice.
The webcam will be back eventually. I just setup the computer that it normally plugs into about an hour ago and I still need to figure out how to get the camera pointing out the window. The shades I have are sort of heavy and may be provide a challenge while trying to put the webcam in front of them. The webcam I currently have really works pretty poorly anyway, so maybe if I can think of a better solution using a new camera I'll try that. Stay tuned.
Labels: computers, davecam, home theater, house, insteon, job, rochester
Webcam offline
4/20/2008
The time has come to take the webcam offline for the move out of Hancock. The webcam will be offline until mid-May when I finish my move to my new place in Rochester. The view should be pretty good in Rochester. I will post about it again when the webcam is back up.
Labels: davecam
Webcam update
4/06/2008
I just wanted to post quickly and mention that the webcam is back up and fixed. I just found out today that I forgot to check to see if my IP changed after I got back from spring break -- apparently it did. Anyway, it should be good to go now. If it doesn't work, post in the comments.
Labels: davecam
MN bound
9/24/2007
The webcam is back up. The leak in my ceiling *might* be fixed but I won't be able to tell until it rains really hard again. Because I'm sick of waiting I just pulled the desk far enough away from the leak that it won't get hit by anything that comes down. Anyway, I put the webcam back up so you can enjoy the Hancock traffic.
I've officially accepted a job at the place I've been working at in Rochester these past few years. I will probably be starting sometime in late May after I pack stuff, move, and do various things like get a new license and plates for the car. It will be nice to be able to not have to worry about looking for a job this year and just focus on fun (I guess school too).
Halo 3 comes out tomorrow and should be delivered to my door around mid-day, I hope. I usually work 8-1 Tuesdays, but I might start a little earlier so that when I get the package I can play it more quickly. I guess people are loving it so far as it has a 96/100 average score when I wrote this.
The bike trainer was kind of annoying to setup. The instructions were decent but the pictures they refer to were too small to figure out what they were talking about. It was also annoying to put my bike in the trainer but I think that was more due to my bike's design in the back. It fits though and it will be nice having this when it's too cold out to go biking. I briefly tried it and it appears to give a realistic road experience. I think it might be a little easier resistance than a road, but I'll reserve judgment until I do a longer ride on it.
I've officially accepted a job at the place I've been working at in Rochester these past few years. I will probably be starting sometime in late May after I pack stuff, move, and do various things like get a new license and plates for the car. It will be nice to be able to not have to worry about looking for a job this year and just focus on fun (I guess school too).
Halo 3 comes out tomorrow and should be delivered to my door around mid-day, I hope. I usually work 8-1 Tuesdays, but I might start a little earlier so that when I get the package I can play it more quickly. I guess people are loving it so far as it has a 96/100 average score when I wrote this.
The bike trainer was kind of annoying to setup. The instructions were decent but the pictures they refer to were too small to figure out what they were talking about. It was also annoying to put my bike in the trainer but I think that was more due to my bike's design in the back. It fits though and it will be nice having this when it's too cold out to go biking. I briefly tried it and it appears to give a realistic road experience. I think it might be a little easier resistance than a road, but I'll reserve judgment until I do a longer ride on it.
225 more days
9/18/2007
Yes, 225 more days until graduation.
I ordered a bike trainer today at a local store. I was planning on buying one for this winter so I could keep biking but since it's been raining lately I decided to get one now. I guess it will be here in a few days.
The webcam is offline for a while. My ceiling is leaking near where I keep my computer and I don't want to risk having it be ruined so I moved it somewhere else but it's not currently hooked up.
I ordered a bike trainer today at a local store. I was planning on buying one for this winter so I could keep biking but since it's been raining lately I decided to get one now. I guess it will be here in a few days.
The webcam is offline for a while. My ceiling is leaking near where I keep my computer and I don't want to risk having it be ruined so I moved it somewhere else but it's not currently hooked up.
Moving..... again
8/26/2007
Tomorrow my parents will be arriving and we're going to load up the car to move my stuff back to Green Bay. On Friday I'll be headed back up to MTU for my final year. I really don't feel like leaving Rochester right now though. It's been a pretty fun summer. Hopefully the year will go by quickly at school.
The webcam will be offline for a little while since I'll be moving. If possible, I plan to aim the webcam out my window in my Hancock apartment. This means that it should be looking at downtown Hancock so it will be a little more interesting than the boring no-activity yard which it was previously pointed at.
My XBox 360 received a visit from the fabled "red ring of death" a few weeks ago. For those of you who are not familiar with this, it means that my XBox no longer works and has to be sent in for repairs. Earlier this month it happened to me and then it went away but a few weeks ago it came back with a vengeance and forced me to request a repair on Xbox.com. It looks like they will be sending me a refurbished 360. I'm hoping they send it out tomorrow so that there is a chance I can get the 360 before Friday when I leave since it is shipping to Green Bay. I really want to play Bioshock, which has been receiving all kinds of good press.
The webcam will be offline for a little while since I'll be moving. If possible, I plan to aim the webcam out my window in my Hancock apartment. This means that it should be looking at downtown Hancock so it will be a little more interesting than the boring no-activity yard which it was previously pointed at.
My XBox 360 received a visit from the fabled "red ring of death" a few weeks ago. For those of you who are not familiar with this, it means that my XBox no longer works and has to be sent in for repairs. Earlier this month it happened to me and then it went away but a few weeks ago it came back with a vengeance and forced me to request a repair on Xbox.com. It looks like they will be sending me a refurbished 360. I'm hoping they send it out tomorrow so that there is a chance I can get the 360 before Friday when I leave since it is shipping to Green Bay. I really want to play Bioshock, which has been receiving all kinds of good press.
Webcam is back
6/21/2007
I have no idea what went wrong, but the Apache server on my computer that hosts the webcam images just decided to stop working at all. I've changed to another method and it's now working again.
DaveCam
DaveCam
Labels: davecam
Webcam down
6/15/2007
You may have noticed the webcam is currently down. I looked to see what the problem is but it's not extremely obvious to me. It seems like the port is possibly being blocked. I'm going to Green Bay for the weekend to see Mike, my older brother, so I won't have time to fix it until next week.
I'll post when it's back up.
I'll post when it's back up.
Labels: davecam
DaveCam
5/24/2007
I decided to put my webcam back up and post it on the site. I used to call it DaveCam so I think I'll keep the same name. It will be pointed out my window almost all the time so you can take a look at the weather here or any weird activity behind my apartment building. It is also a pet walking area so maybe you'll see a dog or two. The DaveCam images are actually hosted on my computer at my apartment so if my computer is off, the webcam is off, or some similar situation then the webcam page will display a message saying that the webcam is unavailable right now. When loading the webcam page it will take about 10 seconds before showing you this error message.
Click here to see the webcam or click the link on the sidebar.
I tried to get this up yesterday but had some issues which I'll go into later. Here is a picture from DaveCam yesterday evening:
It was a pretty bad storm yesterday and all day today it's been raining.
So now on to why I couldn't get DaveCam working. I tried for hours and hours to get the Apache web server to be recognized by computers outside my home network and it wasn't working at all. I thought it could be Vista or my Linksys router but after experimenting with these two things I realized they were working perfectly fine. So the only remaining thing that could be the problem is the ISP, Charter. I did a bit of research on Google and found out that typically Charter blocks incoming packets on port 80 for residential customers. This means that without changing the port that Apache uses, it won't work. It's not a big deal (for me) that I can't use port 80, but it would have saved me hours of frustration if I had known that earlier. Another reason Charter is a terrible company.
Click here to see the webcam or click the link on the sidebar.
I tried to get this up yesterday but had some issues which I'll go into later. Here is a picture from DaveCam yesterday evening:
It was a pretty bad storm yesterday and all day today it's been raining.
So now on to why I couldn't get DaveCam working. I tried for hours and hours to get the Apache web server to be recognized by computers outside my home network and it wasn't working at all. I thought it could be Vista or my Linksys router but after experimenting with these two things I realized they were working perfectly fine. So the only remaining thing that could be the problem is the ISP, Charter. I did a bit of research on Google and found out that typically Charter blocks incoming packets on port 80 for residential customers. This means that without changing the port that Apache uses, it won't work. It's not a big deal (for me) that I can't use port 80, but it would have saved me hours of frustration if I had known that earlier. Another reason Charter is a terrible company.