I completed the installation of my new Ambient Weather WS-1080 on Tuesday. The WS-1080 is a relatively inexpensive ($109 PC / $119 Mac OS) personal weather station (PWS). I opted for the suggested solar shield – for more accurate temperature readings – which was on sale ($19.95) with the Mac bundle. The sensors consist of a anemometer (windspeed), wind direction indicator, hygrometer (relative humidity), thermometer, barometric pressure sensor and rain gauge. The sensor array is mounted on the rooftop and communicates with the main console via a 433MHz wireless link. The console then connects via USB to my Mac Mini which is then able to transmit the weather data via the Internet.
It was fun assembling the sensor array. Despite the low price tag the instruments and sensor components seem to be well made. The optional larger solar shield was quite a bit larger than the one included with the station but it seems to be providing adequate shielding. I have used other wireless thermometers and typically they become inaccurately high when the sun shines on them. Given that this unit is usually mounted where it will be in sunlight all day, this is an important consideration.
Once I had the array fully assembled and fixed to the included mounting pole I set up the ladder for the roof summit. My roof has a particularly large sanitary stack pipe (to provide proper clearance from the skylight) so I was able to mount it nearly five feet off the roof on just the pipe alone. Others who might not have such a mast already in place will want to consider a tripod or chimney mount.
The Mac software, WeatherSnoop that Ambient included with the Mac Package was very easy to set up and it flawlessly interfaced with the USB-connected LCD console. WeatherSnoop supports two of the most popular communities of amateur weather observers: Wunderground and CWOP/APRSWXNET. Wunderground in particular does a really nice job of promoting PWS usage. By default, visitors to its site are shown data from their nearest PWS, based on ZIP code. Live data from my station is the currently the default for the 93109 ZIP code. Wunderground also makes available a comprehensive collection of historical data and charts. Wunderground also offers a free iPhone app called Wunder. The app is pretty bare-bones, but it will be of interest especially to PWS owners who want a quick way to monitor their stations. Another nice feature of Wunderground is the ability to embed an HTML “sticker” of any PWS on your home page. You will see a number of options here for my station, including a pretty comprehensive Adobe Flash console (I haven’t figured out why no rain is being reported as “-999.00 in.” in the large Flash console):
A few pecadillos …
I originally installed two regular alkaline AA batteries from my battery bin in the roof-mounted array. In a little more than 24 hours the station was reporting negative temperatures online. I returned home to find that the sensor array was not communicating with the console. I suspected that the AAs were not fresh so I purchased a pack of lithium batteries as recommended by Ambient. Those setting up stations in cold weather will definitely want to opt for lithium cells as they considerably outperform alkaline in sub-freezing temperatures.
The WS-1080 has the ability to set relative pressure in the console to compensate for the elevation of the barometric pressure sensor for installation above sea level. For my location in Santa Barbara, Calif. at approx 125 feet above sea level that works out to about 0.1 inch of mercury. For a station in Denver, that would be more like five inches! WeatherSnoop version 1.7.3, which was included in the WS-1080′s box, seemed to ignore this issue and report absolute pressure. Upgrading to WeatherSnoop 1.7.4 seems to have solved this issue by calculating the corrected pressure based on the site elevation as set in the “My Site” tab in the software.
The rainfall indicator is reporting N/A or -999.00 depending on where you look in Wunderground. My console reads “0.0 inches.” WeatherSnoop’s documentation specifically says that “rain values are not transmitted to WeatherSnoop, even though they are shown on the console.” The documentation goes on to say, “Rain Total for Year – Obtained from the station (interpreted as total since reset).” I am not sure what that means and what the implications are. Since we won’t likely be getting rain in Southern California for at least another two to three months I guess we will have to wait and see.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me or leave a comment below. I am still working out the kinks and learning how to best keep the station accurate and online and appreciate your feedback.
The 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster was the second in just more than 100 flights of the shuttle fleet. (photo: Wikipedia)
After 9/11 the Bush administration’s knee-jerk reaction was to attempt to stem immigration and tighten airport security. After the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Gov. Schwarzenegger’s reaction was to stem off-shore drilling. While I personally agree with the decision not to drill in the ocean I am not in favor of knee-jerk reactions, even if they have outcomes agreeable to me. Knee-jerk reactions that are 180 degrees from one’s original stance show poor planning and imply to me that the original decision was made in haste.
Schwarzenegger has known the risks of off-shore drilling for years, yet he continued to support its expansion. This BP spill in the Gulf didn’t change the risk ratio, it merely made it very real for many, many people. It is politically wise for politicians to withdraw support for drilling after this incident but their motivations are suspect. It reminds me of one famous CalTech physicist who discovered that the risk of catastrophic failure of the Space Shuttle was greater than 1 in 100. So-called “NASA experts” at the time had put the risk much much lower saying the shuttle was safe and that the Challenger accident had resulted in serious safety improvements, suggesting that Feynman’s estimates were grossly overstated. Space Shuttle Columbia, the second shuttle to be destroyed in a catastrophic failure was the 113th flight. Had proper research been done and warnings been heeded in the first place the second disaster might have been prevented. Draw whatever parallels you may to our current disaster in the Gulf.
The Internet has quickly evolved into one of our most important national resources. However, a recent court decision may change what you have access to through your online connection. UC Santa Barbara communication researcher and network neutrality expert KK Holland talked with Tim and I this morning about the pros and cons of the issue. Listen to the show.
With the corporate board approval of the United and Continental airline merger the two companies launched a new Web site to promote the idea of creating the world’s largest airline. For those of us in cities serviced by both airlines this might ultimately mean that there are fewer flight times and fares for our destinations, however that remains to be seen. What is known is that if the merger is approved, the unified airline will be known (appropriately) as United but will bear the Continental globe logo and font. Is it just me or does this look like an alternate reality from a Hot Tub Time Machine malfunction? This livery design is not an upgrade. The serif font and 1980′s AT&T-like logo is a side-grade from Continental’s current look and a downgrade from United’s relatively new branding.
I read the now (in)famous Steve Jobs “Open Letter to Adobe Flash” last week. Jobs did an excellent job explaining his position. I agree that the insecure and proprietary system that seemed poised to dominate the web 8 years ago was misguided. The best sites on the Web don’t rely heavily on Flash (except for maybe YouTube, which may soon adopt HTML 5 video tags) and most of us browsers are sent searching for the “skip intro” button as soon as we see some lengthy splash page animation. Madison Avenue has finally come to realize that Flash frustrates and have dialed it back. That and the push for compatibility with mobile devices has stemmed some of Flash’s growth.
However, I find it ironic for Steve Jobs to compare Flash’s proprietary model to that of the iPhone/iPad, yet go on to say that being proprietary is ok for us (Apple) but not for them (Adobe). His crusade against Flash, while it has some merit, seems more like corporate bullying. These are the same or similar tactics that Bill Gate’s tried early on in the browser wars of the last decade in a format held over from before the PC (see Gate’s Open Letter to Hobbyists which attacked open source before the term “open source” existed).
While I don’t agree with what I believe to be Job’s mostly self-serving motivations, I am happy to see the creative ways that hackers and coders have make other technologies work for them in place of Flash. On the Full Channel site that I maintain we have had a Flash slideshow on the main page for some time. It has been an easy way to keep the site fresh and visually interesting, something we would not have been able to easily do without Flash just a few years ago. However, our slideshow began showing up as a mystery box on more and more devices that did not support Flash.
With the release of the iPad and the ever-increasing sight of passersby engrossed in their iPhones it seemed that this Flash-disabled audience was reaching critical mass. So, today I retired the site’s increasing incompatible .swf slideshow in favor of Jon Raasch’s very simple and elegant jQuery Slideshow. I like that jQuery’s motto is “write less do more.” jQuery is a lighter duty alternative to memory-intensive Flash and it works on many mobile devices including Apple’s. That and I feel a special kinship with Raasch as he too must also be spending a lifetime explaining that in fact there are two “A’s” in his last name.
This dual may not be over between Apple and Adobe. The fervor over Job’s letter is just beginning.
For more on this: Ars Technica has a nice piece today arguing that “Apple is presenting users with a false choice between Adobe’s proprietary software and Apple’s walled garden.”
This is my class’ second year entering the Santa Barbara County High School Video Contest. Students are asked to create a water conservation awareness PSA for broadcast. This is the 2010 entry entitled “Psycho About Water Conservation”
Dr. Giovanni Vigna, one of the UC Santa Barbara researchers who recently took down one of the largest online criminal networks talked with Tim and me on the radio this morning. He explained how he and the UCSB Computer Security Group foiled the Torpig Botnet which had nearly 200,000 zombie computers trolling for banks account numbers, passwords and personal data. Hear the conversation on this week’s podcast.
UC Santa Barbara Computer Science Professor Dr. Ben Zhao joined us on the radio this morning to talk about the privacy implications in the exploding social media scene in the wide world of Web 2.0. Listen to the podcast.
Julia Nagy, the executive director of the Tri-Counties Division of the American Heart Association was in studio today with Tim and me on Intents & Purposes to talk about the 2010 Go Red For Women campaign along with the event’s chair Janet Garufis who is also the president and CEO of Montecito Bank and Trust. The Heart Association will host a Women’s Health Expo fundraiser on March 5, 2010 at Fess Parker’s Double Tree Resort. We discussed building healthier lives free of cardiovascular disease and stroke and simple ways to make big healthy changes. Check out this week’s podcast page.
We had our first guest on KCSB this morning: Director of UCSB’s Meso American Research Center and the recipient of the 2000 Rolex Award for Enterprise, Dr. Anabel Ford. She has been studying of the ancient city of El Pilar for decades. This historic Maya community is on the border of Belize and Guatemala. Dr. Ford contests, contrary to many of her colleagues, that El Pilar is a model of the sustainable practice of “forest gardening.” She and her team have worked to study, understand and preserve El Pilar. Check it out on this week’s podcast page.
I completed the installation of my new Ambient Weather WS-1080 on Tuesday. The WS-1080 is a relatively inexpensive ($109 PC / $119 Mac OS) personal weather station (PWS). I opted for the suggested solar shield – for more accurate temperature readings – which was on sale ($19.95) with the Mac bundle. The sensors consist of a anemometer (windspeed), wind direction indicator, hygrometer (relative humidity), thermometer, barometric pressure sensor and rain gauge. The sensor array is mounted on the rooftop and communicates with the main console via a 433MHz wireless link. The console then connects via USB to my Mac Mini which is then able to transmit the weather data via the Internet.
