Tuesday, May 25, 2010

New USA Web Cam Live Views

A selection of views from the eastern areas of the North American continent uploaded today - 2 in South Carolina, a new view over Atlanta in Georgia and 3 different live views of New Oreleans in Louisiana


Is Technology Making Travel Redundant?

Since the time man evolved into his current sentient state we have as a species long traversed the planet. Initially it will have been in search of food and shelter, latterly in the quest for discovery of new lands to colonise and conquer, but it is only relatively very recent times that we have sought to travel for pleasure.

A significant reason for this was economic – the cost involved in getting across large areas of the globe was prohibitive, as of course was the time necessarily involved in getting there when restricted by sail and oar power and the vaguaries of the tides. This all changed with the advent of affordable air travel making nowhere out of reach within a reasonable travelling time, and the explosion of cheap package holidays and more recently independent travel has become very much the norm in Western society in particular.

To what extent though is this likely to be a permanent phenomenon? Although getting to far flung destinations has indeed become quicker and more affordable in a society where free time is increasingly compressed even these timescales can be prohibitive, as can the inconvenience of reaching a more remote destination where several steps are required on a journey.

The technological developments we are seeing at an almost incredible pace are for the first time providing viable alternatives. Google Earth and Streetview allow you to visit almost anywhere on the planet from the comfort of your own home or office, while the proliferation of both fixed and live streaming webcams provide instant access to an enormous range of places, both well known and obscure. It obviously isn’t the same as visiting a place in person, but it is much cheaper, more convenient and of course safer.

Currently then a poor substitute, although still a substitute nonetheless, but with the rate of advancement how long will it be until we are seeing a real technologically provided alternative to an actual holiday? The things that make the live experience superior, such as the sounds, smells and tastes can surely have an authentic alternative provided, while the growth of virtual reality and satellite technologies mean it can only be a matter of time before you can visit a virtual place in real time. If and when that option becomes available, how many of us will still be willing to put up with the airport queues and delays, not to mention the expense of actually physically going on holiday?