Best work-safe live webcams/live streams 2018
October 18, 2018 7:35 PM Subscribe
Can you recommend any live streams/publicly viewable webcams to put on in the background while I'm working?
I sometimes put on videos in the background while I'm working, and I've found live streams/webcams to be very soothing and not too distracting. My favorite is the Critter Room kitten cam, and I've found a couple of aquarium cams that I enjoy. I'm hoping to gather a bunch of these and have a good collection I can cycle through. Are there any web cams/live streams that you can recommend?
Some constraints: I prefer ones that are live for 24 hours or watchable during daytime hours from the US. I typically don't keep the sound on so if it's enjoyable on mute that would be nice. Must be freely available. Doesn't necessarily have to be animals either, the only thing I'm not really interested in is video game streams. And oh yeah, nothing explicit please.
Thanks!
I sometimes put on videos in the background while I'm working, and I've found live streams/webcams to be very soothing and not too distracting. My favorite is the Critter Room kitten cam, and I've found a couple of aquarium cams that I enjoy. I'm hoping to gather a bunch of these and have a good collection I can cycle through. Are there any web cams/live streams that you can recommend?
Some constraints: I prefer ones that are live for 24 hours or watchable during daytime hours from the US. I typically don't keep the sound on so if it's enjoyable on mute that would be nice. Must be freely available. Doesn't necessarily have to be animals either, the only thing I'm not really interested in is video game streams. And oh yeah, nothing explicit please.
Thanks!
The Monterey Bay Aquarium has several live web cams.
posted by guybrush_threepwood at 7:48 PM on October 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by guybrush_threepwood at 7:48 PM on October 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
I've been liking the California Condor Cam. The babies are pretty big now, I think they're almost done fledging, but they are still awesome. There's also a Twitter account with highlights if that's more your speed.
posted by rhizome at 7:48 PM on October 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 7:48 PM on October 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
I found explore.org during Hurricane Florence and they have a wide variety of live webcams - boasting 193 streams. They have a nice variety, the bears mentioned above, penguins, puppies, NASA, African Wildlife, pandas, Oceans, Zen cams, and much, much more.
posted by NoraCharles at 8:07 PM on October 18, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by NoraCharles at 8:07 PM on October 18, 2018 [6 favorites]
Jackson Hole Town Square was the subject of an FPP last November (link has changed since then).
posted by plastic_animals at 8:17 PM on October 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by plastic_animals at 8:17 PM on October 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
The 367 Collins Street [Melbourne] falcons.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 8:30 PM on October 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 8:30 PM on October 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
I like the Tiny Kittens stream sometimes.
posted by invokeuse at 9:24 PM on October 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by invokeuse at 9:24 PM on October 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
Panama Fruit Feeder Cam. Ontario FeederWatch Cam.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 12:10 AM on October 19, 2018
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 12:10 AM on October 19, 2018
I highly recommend this set of Hawaii resort webcams. I was fairly miserable and had been watching these a lot back when Edward Snowden defected, and I think that made the whole thing all the more poignant for me, as the paradise I had been self-soothing by watching every day was the one he ultimately chose to forsake.
All of that aside, they're wonderful. They're live during daytime hours in Hawaii, there are a few to click through, and you can also control the camera on some of them for brief periods, which is fun.
posted by limeonaire at 12:30 AM on October 19, 2018
All of that aside, they're wonderful. They're live during daytime hours in Hawaii, there are a few to click through, and you can also control the camera on some of them for brief periods, which is fun.
posted by limeonaire at 12:30 AM on October 19, 2018
WWF Finland has webcams with trout, wolverines and forest reindeer. My favourite, the freshwater seal cam, will be back in the spring. A lot of the time it's just "empty" forest/sea, but sometimes the animals come to hang out.
posted by hannala at 1:41 AM on October 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by hannala at 1:41 AM on October 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
My dad follows cruise ships going around the world on krooz-cams.com, the days at sea aren't so exciting but the whole adventure day to day makes it fun.
posted by athirstforsalt at 4:10 AM on October 19, 2018
posted by athirstforsalt at 4:10 AM on October 19, 2018
I've made a few FPPs about live streams, including:
posted by ardgedee at 5:00 AM on October 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
- Los Angeles ATC (the link in the FPP is gone, but the account is still actively running live streams.)
- Live streams of railway crossings
posted by ardgedee at 5:00 AM on October 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
One of my old favourites is still going strong: Africam.
posted by Too-Ticky at 5:08 AM on October 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Too-Ticky at 5:08 AM on October 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
Africam is great depending on your time zone and patience. : ) I love the noises even when there is nothing to see at night. They have two or three cameras. I think.
I second checking with Monterey and the aquarium in Georgia.
Times Square can be interesting - that’s more of a visual thing, though...
posted by misondre at 5:14 AM on October 19, 2018
I second checking with Monterey and the aquarium in Georgia.
Times Square can be interesting - that’s more of a visual thing, though...
posted by misondre at 5:14 AM on October 19, 2018
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a bunch of live bird cams. Most of them are more interesting during nesting season, but there are some feeder cams that are active all year round. Cornell also has a Live view from the center of campus; which I sometimes use as a pretend window, or to see if I need an umbrella before leaving for the day, as I work in a basement near the camera. :)
posted by tchemgrrl at 6:41 AM on October 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by tchemgrrl at 6:41 AM on October 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
This lovely Live Hummingbird Cam in Texas will make your workplace a little more entertaining. Bonus: great for cats!
posted by oxisos at 6:55 AM on October 19, 2018
posted by oxisos at 6:55 AM on October 19, 2018
So, uh, panda cam is cool.
But linked immediately under it is the NAKED MOLE RAT CAM. Clearly this is where it's at.
posted by telepanda at 7:48 AM on October 19, 2018
But linked immediately under it is the NAKED MOLE RAT CAM. Clearly this is where it's at.
posted by telepanda at 7:48 AM on October 19, 2018
I love the Port Bermuda Webcam. It's often just aimed at the cruise ships in port, which is boring especially as a non-cruiser, but they also pan as they are doing right now. They also feature good sunsets. I enjoy watching the ships come and go as they feature my favorite view past the Commissioner's House.
Sometimes in the evening I have it on to listen to the tree frogs.
In the upper left corner is a dropdown for other PTZtv webcams, including beaches and the Port of New York with live audio.
posted by jgirl at 8:04 AM on October 19, 2018
Sometimes in the evening I have it on to listen to the tree frogs.
In the upper left corner is a dropdown for other PTZtv webcams, including beaches and the Port of New York with live audio.
posted by jgirl at 8:04 AM on October 19, 2018
> I love the Port Bermuda Webcam.
Safari is giving me a warning about that page. Is it OK?
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:38 AM on October 19, 2018
Safari is giving me a warning about that page. Is it OK?
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:38 AM on October 19, 2018
Ctrl-F, "Tiny Kittens". Already mentioned, awesome. Once again mefi does not disappoint.
posted by cgg at 8:59 AM on October 19, 2018
posted by cgg at 8:59 AM on October 19, 2018
OMG, phunniemee, there is a beagle at the Dog Sanctuary that is an exact twin of my dog who passed away a few years ago. Adorable. I love this.
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 10:12 AM on October 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 10:12 AM on October 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
> I love the Port Bermuda Webcam.
Safari is giving me a warning about that page. Is it OK?
I use Chrome on my Air, but I've never had a problem with watching it on Safari with the iPad. Right now, Safari on the Air is taking forever to load the cam screen.
(A bonus of that cam is the Marinetraffic.com interface when you scroll down!)
posted by jgirl at 12:01 PM on October 19, 2018
I thought I was the only one who did this at work! There is a live cam at an airport on the Canary Islands that is pretty good - it's dark now but try it in daytime.
posted by Mid at 1:53 PM on October 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Mid at 1:53 PM on October 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
There used to be a great one somewhere in Europe that looked at a town square with tons of people walking and biking and a tram coming through every few minutes, but I seem to have lost it.
posted by Mid at 1:55 PM on October 19, 2018
posted by Mid at 1:55 PM on October 19, 2018
> I like the Tiny Kittens stream sometimes
I got an ad for Scientology before they'd let me see the teeny kittens.
posted by The corpse in the library at 2:23 PM on October 19, 2018
I got an ad for Scientology before they'd let me see the teeny kittens.
posted by The corpse in the library at 2:23 PM on October 19, 2018
These are great! I love live feeds! Thank you ghostbikes for asking, and thanks to all who posted.
Awhile ago, there was a live feed from a laundry mat somewhere in Malaysia/Thailand/far east that I just loved to watch. It disappeared, darn it! Nothing out of the ordinary happened, it was just relaxing.
posted by james33 at 6:59 AM on October 20, 2018
Awhile ago, there was a live feed from a laundry mat somewhere in Malaysia/Thailand/far east that I just loved to watch. It disappeared, darn it! Nothing out of the ordinary happened, it was just relaxing.
posted by james33 at 6:59 AM on October 20, 2018
Mote Marine Laboratory has a manatee cam. Eastern time zone, only available with daylight. There are two manatees, Hugh and Buffett, half-brothers that were born at the Miami Seaquarium and not capable of living in the wild. They share a habitat with Harry, the half-blind green sea turtle. https://mote.org/exhibits/details/manatees
posted by squink at 8:27 PM on October 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by squink at 8:27 PM on October 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
What about the town square in Asissi, Italy? [SLYT stream]
posted by wenestvedt at 9:15 AM on October 25, 2018
posted by wenestvedt at 9:15 AM on October 25, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 7:44 PM on October 18, 2018 [13 favorites]