Posted On: Wednesday - January 4th 2023 2:32PM MST
In Topics: Websites Curmudgeonry
Darksky.net has been my go-to website for weather for 2 or 3 years now. I can't remember what was before that, but before that other one it was wonderground.com ("weather underground"), which I started using after the Weather Channel site and other well-known ones started getting political. It's weather - we ought to be able to, but with the Climate Calamity™ politics, it seem that you can't even discuss the weather anymore.. Besides that problem, the big sites have flashy moving crap that detracts from the ability to see, like, the weather forecast. Wunderground.com was not flashy too, but it started getting political after 5 years of my relying on it, then the one after that ..,
Besides the silliness of predicting exactly what exact hour it will begin raining 3 days from now and of even bothering to show a forecast for 10 days from now, Darksky was fairly plain and easy to view. It was, but it has gone dark. They warned viewers that the "app" would be deprecated or something, but I'd thought they'd keep the website up. I mean, why not? Well, that they've done so well that they've gotten absorbed by Apple is the reason. Screw that. I'd be seeing the weather in Cupertino, California all the time (home to Apple headquarters, or at least their origin), a place which doesn't need to know the weather because it's ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL, a thing with my other apple devices. Also, I think they need me on an app, not a website. No thanks.
I'll support the small guys any chance I get. My 15 minute search for a new site got me to pick Weather Bug. If readers have some suggestions I'll be glad to take them.
For a number of uses of the www, the sites you are familiar with will turn on you eventually. They don't like the idea of just "doing what they do", even if they do it well. CEOs and marketing people don't get anywhere in life that way. This is a minor annoyance, but it's part of a bigger trend I've noticed over the last 5 or 10 years: The non-mobile plain old world wide web is getting harder and harder to use. It had a peak of usability some time ago. That deserves a post.
Comments:
ganderson
Thursday - January 5th 2023 12:11PM MST
PS
It also looks like Flavia's assets have been somewhat ...err... inflated.
Not a fan of that procedure.
It also looks like Flavia's assets have been somewhat ...err... inflated.
Not a fan of that procedure.
Ganderson
Thursday - January 5th 2023 12:02PM MST
PS
I did the "Back button check" the PS was there. Oh well. Thanks, Mr. Smith for those links. I wonder, if today they'd add the verse:
"When the weather ball is looking black, antifa's about to attack!"
Flavia is quite fetching, numerous cliches involving Ritz, Graham, Rice etc come to mind, but Eva "UnpronounceableDutchname- Holy COW!!!
I did the "Back button check" the PS was there. Oh well. Thanks, Mr. Smith for those links. I wonder, if today they'd add the verse:
"When the weather ball is looking black, antifa's about to attack!"
Flavia is quite fetching, numerous cliches involving Ritz, Graham, Rice etc come to mind, but Eva "UnpronounceableDutchname- Holy COW!!!
Moderator
Thursday - January 5th 2023 11:30AM MST
PS: Steve Sailer's got a quick post on weather forecasts, that I've been all over, ridiculously, I know, but this is in my wheelhouse.
I have to at least put in one more to link to the Battle of the International Weather Girls. Yes, it was a knockout.
I have to at least put in one more to link to the Battle of the International Weather Girls. Yes, it was a knockout.
Moderator
Thursday - January 5th 2023 11:28AM MST
PS: I'm very sorry your first go-around at commenting got wiped, Mr. Ganderson. (As someone early-on told me, if you ever forget the PS (or don't have the 2 capital letters there at the beginning - together, it's not too late after you've mashed "submit", Hit the browser back button, and your comment should be there awaiting your secret PS, anti-spam code.)
It's very sad when these institutions of sorts go away, one way or another. Local traditions are getting more and more rare, from what I see. REAL diversity by location, even town vs town, has been going away due to Big Biz homogenization, Americans moving from here to there for various reasons, and then due to the imported diversity who couldn't even understand the old cultural diversity there was.
We had the local weatherman in the 1990s (I mentioned him in the post "Battle of the International Weather Girls -
https://www.peakstupidity.com/index.php?post=2354
- Hey it's got Flavia, so if you didn't catch that post back then ...) where was I, yeah, who was sort of an institution. He had a show for the kiddies in the daytime too. One time, when we were about to break the all-time monthly rainfall record, on the 30th of the month he didn't predict rain. I left him a voicemail message "Come on, Joe! Don't let us down. We can do it!'
Can't remember if we broke the record or not, but I remember the guy. (Haven't watched a full local news cast since the '90s.)
It's very sad when these institutions of sorts go away, one way or another. Local traditions are getting more and more rare, from what I see. REAL diversity by location, even town vs town, has been going away due to Big Biz homogenization, Americans moving from here to there for various reasons, and then due to the imported diversity who couldn't even understand the old cultural diversity there was.
We had the local weatherman in the 1990s (I mentioned him in the post "Battle of the International Weather Girls -
https://www.peakstupidity.com/index.php?post=2354
- Hey it's got Flavia, so if you didn't catch that post back then ...) where was I, yeah, who was sort of an institution. He had a show for the kiddies in the daytime too. One time, when we were about to break the all-time monthly rainfall record, on the 30th of the month he didn't predict rain. I left him a voicemail message "Come on, Joe! Don't let us down. We can do it!'
Can't remember if we broke the record or not, but I remember the guy. (Haven't watched a full local news cast since the '90s.)
Adam Smith
Thursday - January 5th 2023 10:53AM MST
PS: Greetings, Mr. Ganderson,
"Alas, the Weatherball is no more... Did they have to ditch the weather ball? Apparently so..."
https://forgottenminnesota.com/forgotten-minnesota/2012/03/170
https://pocketsights.com/tours/place/The-Weatherball-21553:2541
https://archive.ph/GvOTu
Cheers!
☮
"Alas, the Weatherball is no more... Did they have to ditch the weather ball? Apparently so..."
https://forgottenminnesota.com/forgotten-minnesota/2012/03/170
https://pocketsights.com/tours/place/The-Weatherball-21553:2541
https://archive.ph/GvOTu
Cheers!
☮
Ganderson
Thursday - January 5th 2023 10:25AM MST
PS
Northwestern also had Weatherballs on all its branches- when driving around the Upper Midwest one could always establish a visual lock on a Weatherball.
As an addendum to my post above; I believe the two name changes above led eventually to the "Summer of George". I can't prove it, but...
Here's the jingle:
https://youtu.be/0E5jcDt9tIM
Northwestern also had Weatherballs on all its branches- when driving around the Upper Midwest one could always establish a visual lock on a Weatherball.
As an addendum to my post above; I believe the two name changes above led eventually to the "Summer of George". I can't prove it, but...
Here's the jingle:
https://youtu.be/0E5jcDt9tIM
Ganderson
Thursday - January 5th 2023 10:12AM MST
PS I just made a long, and I thought, quite interesting post that has disappeared into the ether- I'm going to give it another shot!
Greetings and Happy New Year from Grillerville, USA (AKA my house) to all the PSers!
Here we are just getting done crying about the US Junior team's quarterfinal loss in the World Junior (hockey) Championships to the hated, smug, Canadian bastards last night; thanks in no small measure to not one, but two US goals being waved off by the Czech and Finnish refs. Any way we could get the neocons to gin up an invasion of those two countries? How bout Canada? I know we're 0-2 vs Canada militarily speaking, but I'm sure we can take 'em this time! Oh well to paraphrase what a (((certain middle eastern nationality)))* used to say, " Next year in Göteborg!" USA plays Sweden, who lost an OT heartbreaker yesterday to the Czechs in the bronze medal game. I alway though it was, I dunno, strange that in these international competitions a team "wins" the silver medal as a result of losing the last game, but in order to get the bronze a team has to win its last tilt.
As for the weather, growing up in the frozen near tundra of the Upper Midwest as I did we only needed one thing to inform us as to what we should wear when going outside (other than a calendar, that is)- the Weather Ball! The Northwestern National Bank had a tower and a ball atop its building in downtown Minneapolis that would tell you the weather forecast depending on the color- the bank"s commercial even had a jingle:
🎶 When the Weatherball is glowing red, warmer weather's just ahead.
When the Weatherball is shining white, colder weather is in sight.
When the Weatherball is wearing green, no weather changes are foreseen. Colors blinking by night and day say, precipitation's on the way.
Northwestern National Bank, May we help you, today?🎶
Alas, the Weatherball is no more- Northwestern bought out Wells Fargo, and adopted the name, as it was felt the Wells Fargo moniker was more recognizable. I guess they were right; it's hard to sing "Oh the Northwestern National Bank Wagon is a-comin' down the street...". Bad enough, but did they have to ditch the weather ball? Apparently so. Minnesotans were pissed (well, at least THIS Minnesotan was). Kinda like when Dayton-Hudson, the parent company of Dayton's Department stores bought out Marshall Field and renamed all the Dayton stores Marshall Field. I don't think either is still around- just Target, now.
* Is it possible that, because in my original post I used a different term for (((certain middle eastern nationality))) that the comment disappeared? I did check to see if I included the "PS", and I had.
Greetings and Happy New Year from Grillerville, USA (AKA my house) to all the PSers!
Here we are just getting done crying about the US Junior team's quarterfinal loss in the World Junior (hockey) Championships to the hated, smug, Canadian bastards last night; thanks in no small measure to not one, but two US goals being waved off by the Czech and Finnish refs. Any way we could get the neocons to gin up an invasion of those two countries? How bout Canada? I know we're 0-2 vs Canada militarily speaking, but I'm sure we can take 'em this time! Oh well to paraphrase what a (((certain middle eastern nationality)))* used to say, " Next year in Göteborg!" USA plays Sweden, who lost an OT heartbreaker yesterday to the Czechs in the bronze medal game. I alway though it was, I dunno, strange that in these international competitions a team "wins" the silver medal as a result of losing the last game, but in order to get the bronze a team has to win its last tilt.
As for the weather, growing up in the frozen near tundra of the Upper Midwest as I did we only needed one thing to inform us as to what we should wear when going outside (other than a calendar, that is)- the Weather Ball! The Northwestern National Bank had a tower and a ball atop its building in downtown Minneapolis that would tell you the weather forecast depending on the color- the bank"s commercial even had a jingle:
🎶 When the Weatherball is glowing red, warmer weather's just ahead.
When the Weatherball is shining white, colder weather is in sight.
When the Weatherball is wearing green, no weather changes are foreseen. Colors blinking by night and day say, precipitation's on the way.
Northwestern National Bank, May we help you, today?🎶
Alas, the Weatherball is no more- Northwestern bought out Wells Fargo, and adopted the name, as it was felt the Wells Fargo moniker was more recognizable. I guess they were right; it's hard to sing "Oh the Northwestern National Bank Wagon is a-comin' down the street...". Bad enough, but did they have to ditch the weather ball? Apparently so. Minnesotans were pissed (well, at least THIS Minnesotan was). Kinda like when Dayton-Hudson, the parent company of Dayton's Department stores bought out Marshall Field and renamed all the Dayton stores Marshall Field. I don't think either is still around- just Target, now.
* Is it possible that, because in my original post I used a different term for (((certain middle eastern nationality))) that the comment disappeared? I did check to see if I included the "PS", and I had.
Moderator
Thursday - January 5th 2023 7:11AM MST
PS: We have a plant in a pot that may very well be Aloe, Adam. I'll ask my wife later. It looks to be in distress, as the Docs say, but we'll see...
Moderator
Thursday - January 5th 2023 7:10AM MST
PS: "Nothing to do with weather, and I hate that crap coming to my phone when I am not looking for weather info."
Agreed, Mr. Werner. That's why I'm not set on that site yet. I'd like to find one like Darksky was and Wonderground was long ago - simple, uncluttered, with no nanny talk.
Agreed, Mr. Werner. That's why I'm not set on that site yet. I'd like to find one like Darksky was and Wonderground was long ago - simple, uncluttered, with no nanny talk.
Michael Werner
Thursday - January 5th 2023 4:01AM MST
PS: Took a look at Weather Bug, first thing I saw in my area was a child abduction alert. Nothing to do with weather, and I hate that crap coming to my phone when I am not looking for weather info.
Adam Smith
Wednesday - January 4th 2023 7:22PM MST
PS: Greetings, Again,
"we have some neighbors that treat 2 bushes out front like pets or something, but it got so cold, that I think they died unfortunately. I thought they were in the ground and big enough that they couldn't be moved."
They might come back. I accidentally left an aloe outside one time. It froze, turned black and died, but the roots didn't die. It came back strong in the spring.
During our recent cold spell it got down to ~1° one night (Coldest I've ever seen it on in Dahlonega) and was quite cold (under 10°) for a few others. Our azalea and our giant rosemary plant both took a hit. We'll see in the spring how well they bounce back. (If they bounce back?) I have a feeling that part of the rosemary plant died. Oh well... It's not like I could have dug them up and brought them inside and as cold as it was I doubt wrapping them in burlap would have helped. Our mahonias did alright.
Thankfully the pipes didn't freeze.
☮
"we have some neighbors that treat 2 bushes out front like pets or something, but it got so cold, that I think they died unfortunately. I thought they were in the ground and big enough that they couldn't be moved."
They might come back. I accidentally left an aloe outside one time. It froze, turned black and died, but the roots didn't die. It came back strong in the spring.
During our recent cold spell it got down to ~1° one night (Coldest I've ever seen it on in Dahlonega) and was quite cold (under 10°) for a few others. Our azalea and our giant rosemary plant both took a hit. We'll see in the spring how well they bounce back. (If they bounce back?) I have a feeling that part of the rosemary plant died. Oh well... It's not like I could have dug them up and brought them inside and as cold as it was I doubt wrapping them in burlap would have helped. Our mahonias did alright.
Thankfully the pipes didn't freeze.
☮
Moderator
Wednesday - January 4th 2023 6:44PM MST
PS: Adam, I think I've tried accuweather before, but I'll look at it again. Per Possumman, "Weathebug sux compared to Darksky. Too much crap on it". Yeah, it does. I'm not set on it, if I can find something else.
Again, to Adam, we have some neighbors that treat 2 bushes out front like pets or something, but it got so cold, that I think they died unfortunately. I thought they were in the ground and big enough that they couldn't be moved.
Alarmist, no, they want to talk about the big political picture, as that's more exciting I guess. Also, even when they do give the weather, I don't need a lecture about not forgetting my umbrella (of which I don't own a one) or keeping hydrated. When did that shit start? They didn't used to be like that on the TV Weather Channel, for example, back in the '80s.
My brother said MTV turned into NTV, if you can figure out what the "N" stood for.
Again, to Adam, we have some neighbors that treat 2 bushes out front like pets or something, but it got so cold, that I think they died unfortunately. I thought they were in the ground and big enough that they couldn't be moved.
Alarmist, no, they want to talk about the big political picture, as that's more exciting I guess. Also, even when they do give the weather, I don't need a lecture about not forgetting my umbrella (of which I don't own a one) or keeping hydrated. When did that shit start? They didn't used to be like that on the TV Weather Channel, for example, back in the '80s.
My brother said MTV turned into NTV, if you can figure out what the "N" stood for.
Possumman
Wednesday - January 4th 2023 6:29PM MST
PS. Weathebug sux compared to Darksky. Too much crap on it
The Alarmist
Wednesday - January 4th 2023 6:26PM MST
PS
Just like MTV, where it wasn’t enough for Music Television to feature Music Video, none of the Big Weather outlets want to focus on providing weather.
Just like MTV, where it wasn’t enough for Music Television to feature Music Video, none of the Big Weather outlets want to focus on providing weather.
Adam Smith
Wednesday - January 4th 2023 6:22PM MST
PS: Greetings, Mr. Moderator,
I've been using accuweather.com for some time now. Mrs. Smith has an iPhone with the weather app and there is some sort of weather app on my android phone. We kinda look at them all to get an idea of what's going to happen. (Mostly we just have to know when to bring in the plants so they don't freeze.)
https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/dahlonega/30533/weather-forecast/332436
☮
I've been using accuweather.com for some time now. Mrs. Smith has an iPhone with the weather app and there is some sort of weather app on my android phone. We kinda look at them all to get an idea of what's going to happen. (Mostly we just have to know when to bring in the plants so they don't freeze.)
https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/dahlonega/30533/weather-forecast/332436
☮
I agree with you about Miss Vlaardingerbroek. Very easy on the eyes.
(Glad to know I'm not the only one who cannot pronounce her name.)
☮