Eye-spy with my roving eye

As has been noted elsewhere on this site by the erudite and learned Andrew Kershman The Monument re-opens today at lunchtime. His article is an excellent read and if you’re looking for enlightenment regarding this important London landmark then you’d probably better nip over and read his, whilst noting that it lacks mention of one important thing.

The Monument now has a webcam.

Across the internet webcams have lifted the lid on otherwise unseen worlds, both good and bad, and only yesterday I was showing visiting relatives a live webcam of the part of downtown Toronto where they will be arriving in about ten hours time. Disappointingly if you go to The Monument website right now the webcam is failing to produce any kind of live picture whatsoever and would have you believe that this great City is a mass of twinkling lights nestled in the bosom of darkness.

Not so.

As I gaze out of my office window there is a high altitude haze greeting a bright dawn and there is a man in a black suit, brown cap and very, very bright pink tie strolling serenely from the station but not, I repeat not, a twinkling light to be seen. Nor any darkness. This is the annoying thing about webcams in that they can raise expectations of seeing pounding Hawaiian surf, pandas being born at San Diego Zoo or breathtaking sunsets, but the reality is often blurry and unfocussed, although in this case I’d just be happy if it was on.

There can be unexpected plus points though. A few years ago when we had a sprinkling of snow, which was mild if judged by this year’s measure, a colleague in the office claimed that she couldn’t get in because her town was ‘snowed under’. A quick search around Google came up with a very detailed and accurate live image of this small town which, if truth be told, would not inspire the average viewer on an average day. On this particular day, however, it was of great interest because this digitised panoramic view showed a few snowflakes falling it also showed that the ground, roads and rooftops were devoid of the arctic deluge she claimed to be suffering….. though believe me, she still suffers for it today!

The Monument Webcam
UPDATE: As of 10am it’s working!