Curiosity is driving Andy wild! These boxes are different and Andy wants to hop right in!
Oh. So Amazon sold me eclipse glasses that could cause me to go blind. Great! I’m getting a credit and don’t have to return them at least.
No time to order glasses that meet the standard, so I go old school and make two pinhole viewers. My friend Craig, who’s coming to town for the eclipse at my invitation, will be surprised since he’s expecting eclipse glasses.
Fortunately, I’ll have the ding-dang thing over my head so no one will recognize me. Whew! Of course, there’s a good chance I will be laughing at the absurdity of it all. You put a box on your head and see what it gets you!
I live right on the path of the North American total eclipse that’ll occur August 21st. I’m ready…if I can keep the kitty boys from hopping in these tantalizing boxes! (I have them up high just in case.)
What will the eclipse look like in your Zip Code area? This popped up on Facebook”
http://time.com/4882923/total-solar-eclipse-map-places-view/
I proceed telling myself to check-out procedure that darn clock because MONDAY is the 21st. I proceed telling myself to check-out procedure that darn clock because MONDAY is the 21st.
It occurred just before noon here, so that was handy!
I keep telling myself to check that darn clock because MONDAY is the 21st. You probably have to make it by hand these days.
One gets by however one can!
Wait, you have to wear the box??? Make sure to get plenty of pictures – not just of the eclipse, but of you wearing a box on your head😂😂😂😂
I haven’t decided if I will use the pinhole observer since I now have the appropriate glasses. It might be fun to see how the boxes work (or not). asfor photos, I probably will take very few if any photos since I want to experience it fully, not be messing with photos. There will be millions of photos taken, many of which will be better than I can take with my smart phone. (I don’t have the filter needed for a major reason I probably will take few photos.)
!
[I keep thinking the 21st is Tuesday!
I have a digital atomic clock that gives the time, temperature of the room, date, and day of the week. I keep telling myself to check that darn clock because MONDAY is the 21st. MONDAY! MONDAY! MONDAY! (Or is it Tuesday…! No, MONDAY!)
I was about to write, “Just use the exposed ends of developed film.” Then I remembered how long it’s been since anyone had the ends of developed film around the house.
Never mind. Forget I said anything.
I have film cameras that I bought in the 170s, but haven’t used them in decades! Digital cameras, then my smart phone, pretty much spoiled me for not using film again. I don’t even know where you buy film any longer in this town!
You probably have to make it by hand these days. From, um, you know, stuff.
It helps to be handy, yes! Or full of bluster and confidence that, in theory, you know how to build a [car/house/nation/well, maybe an eclipse viewer] from a box. Ha!
We live in Michigan, so hopefully we will get a decent partial eclipse. There was a total eclipse here awhile back, but not this time.
We are in the path of the total eclipse where we are in Oregon. The traffic around these parts will be crazy. Many wineries and businesses are offering eclipse “special events”.
Sorry to hear about the bad glasses from Amazon, Doug. I’m sure there will be cases of blindness reported from this event.
Give my best to the boys, and a good scritch behind their ears for me. 🙂
After I posted this, a friend called to let me know she had extra glasses, and they are on the approved list, certified to the appropriate International Standards. (I verified it…!) Anyway, I’m ready to go now, and the boxes will be returned to the kitty boys once I remove the aluminum foil, white paper, and lots of tape!
I am concerned that you may be right about eye injuries.
The boys appreciate the extra “skritches”, especially behind the ears, and suggest you give your “kitty krew” the same back! Meow!
I hope Amazon refunded your money! I’ve also seen “Eclipse Viewing Glasses” for sale at gas stations and supermarkets. I’ve no idea how safe they are, but I wouldn’t allow young children (4 and under) to view the eclipse, given that they’re not old enough to follow instructions. (Now that I think about it however, a lot of adults and older kids don’t, either.)
My area in Northern CA will only see a partial eclipse. I’m fine with that, being old enough to have experienced at least one total eclipse in my lifetime. I’ll probably be indoors at work when it hits our area, so I’ll have to watch it via NASA’s livecam.
An old friend gave me two American Optical-made ones this n=morning after she read this post. She had extras on hand, having bought a 25-pack of them. I still will verify their suitability, but American Optical certainly couldn’t benefit by losing potential customers to blindness!
I agree with you on young children watching this event, though it would be likely the only opportunity they had in a lifetime.
Knowing even reputable vendors like Amazon can sell unsuitable glasses gives me pause. I wonder how many of the millions of people viewing it next Tuesday got them from vendors that didn’t give a damn if they were suitable or not!
As for NASA cam, supposedly one place they will be broadcasting is from a link to a balloon over Carhenge, that quirky roadside attraction just up the road from me. I’d wave at you from Carhenge, but it will be a zoo everywhere in this town next Tuesday (and the days before and after).
I plan to watch it from my front yard, if I can get home from dialysis through the traffic! Anyway, I probably should take the viewing glasses with me, just in case!
Very interesting, wonderful to see eclipse – Can you find special, sure, glasses in drugstores, or optical shops ? A good thing that you have not to pay to Amazon the wrong ones, and keep them.
Can the wrong ones be useful against sun ?
Caresses pour les kitties – qui ne sont pas déçus par les boites en carton 🙂 – amitiés – france
Andy et Dougy ont eu la chance de jouer les boîtes avant de les transformer en “instruments scientifiques”!
Aujourd’hui, un ami m’a donné deux paires de lunettes approuvées pour regarder l’éclipse totale. Elle avait plus, acheté 25!
Je vais vérifier l’information sur eux pour m’assurer qu’ils sont réellement OK, mais ils sont fabriqués par American Optical, une société américaine réputée, qui fabrique des lunettes et des contacts. Leur avenir commercial dépend des personnes susceptibles de voir!
The special glasses are available many places. The wrong ones aren’t useful for anything but the landfill.
doodz….whoa….bee fore we started reedin dadz post we waz gonna warn him that therz a BUNCH oh fake…unsafe…glasses hittin de shelvez…glad he caught wind theeze were noe good….
🙂 ♥
It is unfortunate that dishonest people take advantage of others this way, and especially when it could harm people’s eyesight. Frankly, I think they should be jailed!!
Boy that box is pretty neat! I bet that will just be too hard for Andy & Dougy to resist not exploring! Will you be making glasses fur them? Mom & Dad hope to see the E-Clipse, too. We are in O-R-E-gon. She’s thinking of making the D-O-G a pair of glasses! Mew Mew!
They will stay inside since they are inside cats. (As black kitties, I think it is safer because there are stupid and ignorant people, who’d harm them because of that, among other hazards.) Apparently kitties and other animals take naps when the sun goes into eclipse since it is like nighttime. Anyway, they take a nap around that time anyway! They like to be well-rested for lunch time.
Eclipse fever? 1000 years ago I would care, but today not so much. Were you ordering glasses for the cats as well?
No, the cats will stay inside. This is a once in a lifetime total eclipse opportunity for me. I certainly hope the hype is spot on. If not, I’ll curse the darkness!
I saw one back in the 70’s sometime.
This will be a first for me. I’ve seen moon eclipses, which are pretty interesting as well.
One potential source of light pollution: the switch yards of the BNSF, which are south of town. They are leaving them on for safety purposes. I hope it doesn’t mess up the star view.
I just saw that recall, that is a shame, but better to recall then using them and getting damage to your eyes. You are lucky you will see it, Massachusetts will not. I wonder if any stores near you are selling the glasses at a reasonable price?
Possibly, but this recall makes me suspicious of all that might be available. The ones I bought had (supposedly) good marks by credible certifying agencies, yet turned out to be unacceptable. I’ll stick with my indirect way of viewing it.
Don’t stare longer than 10 seconds or so and you will be fine. Take a 10 sec break and look again. When I was very young I remember watching a full eclipse through a green bottle glass. Our gym tutor gave the glass shreds to everybody ( I brought mine from home). No one went blind.
I understand it is acceptable to look directly at it in the total eclipse stage, which will last something like 2:38 here. Asd for staring directly at it, I still plan to use the indirect method since I no longer trust any vendor whren Amazon sold me unacceptable glasses. Period. Very disappointing. When they ask me for a review, believe me when I say I will curl their toes!
Precautions never hurt no one. I will watch NASA.
Actually, I suspect that will be the best way! Incidentally, supposedly there will be a NASA balloon over Carhenge broadcasting. That should be really crowded. though it is close to me, I’m going to enjoy watching from my front yard!
Oh you are in the center of the events? I imagine the craze.
Just about as close to the center as you can get! And, yes, the community expects a lot of visitors. One whole motel was rented by a Belgian group, and many international visitors are expected. The governor of the State of Nebraska will watch it from Carhenge, which is a short distance from where I live (2 or 3 miles….) Local churches are preparing free meals since it is anticipated restaurants and grocery stores will be over-whelmed. (If the Catholic ladies are preparing something, it probably will be their famous topped baked potatoes, homemade pies and other yummy desserts, etc.! I’ve experienced it at Lenten luncheons, something the local churches host each year. The Catholic ladies definitely win the challenge!) A call went out to make a zillion cookies to hand out. A call also went out to locals not to scalp visitors, a temptation since this event will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to scoop up the loot! (We’ll see how that goes.) I invited a friend to come and see it with me. I won’t charge him a penny at any rate.
Oh it will put such a pressure on your community. Hope the visitors are nice and there is no trouble.
I suppose there will be tempers vented. It will be hot and crowded. The local police will have help from the adjoining area and the state troopers, and we’ve been told to “Be nice to the visitors!” We’ll know by next week!
Hope the visitors are nice to you.
I probably will have next to zero contact with the visitors.
Stock on food so that you don’t have to leave home this weekend. I am worrying about my daughter. They don’t take it seriously and plan to visit relatives in Idaho. It upsets me a lot.
I have gassed up my car and stocked up on food in anticipation of the mess there’ll be in town next week. You are exactly right about the need to do this. The Panhandle of Nebraska (about 88,000 people)is the size of The Netherlands (about 16 million people). It won’t take much influx to overwhelm places like Alliance (about 8500 people). Local groceries have pulled in extra supplies and local churches are preparing to feed people. The port-a-potties for miles around have been pulled into service for the event, etc. etc. My main concern is getting to dialysis and returning later. I think the in town part should be clear enough. I usually take a highway route for speed, but that could be a nightmare. My concern will be stopping on the road or on the side of the road to see the event. Sounds stupid, but I remember driving up to Mt. Rushmore one year, and some tourists literally stopped in the driving lane on the blind side of a hill! we barely stopped in time to avoid a tragedy involving two cars filled to the brim with people. The reason they’d stopped (and, once we were stopped behind them, oblivious to the danger and to excitedly point to the mountain side) – mountain goats.
You are so right, I am sick with worry, but they wouldn’t listen. There are millions who are going to come over 🙁
The town is even concerned about electricity usage, recommending locals postpone watering lawns, washing clothes, using electric appliances like ovens till off-peak hours. Though they have a backup generator system in place, people often forget that electricity powers everything from refrigeration to gas pumps to availability of water! Parking will be a zoo. Smart people will have come in RVs and set up in the available places (which are limited, of course) days in advance. Scientific organizations were contacting the local authorities up to three years ago for information of everything from housing to whatever. Someone thinking he can drive to this town the day of the eclipse and find all he/she needs to survive will be hungry, using a tree to hide behind to use the toilet, and sleeping in his/her car! I suspect the local authorities have contacted the authorities in Sturgis, South Dakota, site of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally every year, for recommendations on handling outrageously large crowds…if they were smart about it! (Sturgis is about 2000 people fewer than Alliance – 6600 vs. 8500 – so when 3/4 of a million people show up for ten days, you have a zoo!)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgis_Motorcycle_Rally
Oh my goodness… a zoo indeed…
Everyone’s holding her/his breath till the eclipse crowd arrives!
I guess all the locals will stay put until the crowd is gone.
There is a bit of anxiety about how our quiet little town will respond to an invasion….!
Just hang in there, you cannot change the celestial 🙂
I had an episode of low blood pressure (75 over something) at dialysis yesterday. It took an hour and 45 minutes to get me back up to a level where they would let me leave! If that happens on eclipse day, I will miss it. As it is, I will miss the first few minutes of the early stages (maybe a 1/10th), but see the big event. I can’t remember the last time low blood pressure was an issue at dialysis.
[I keep thinking the 21st is Tuesday! I did a little mental juggling this morning, Friday the 18th, and kept landing on Monday as the 21st! All the better! I can see the whole thing, cloud cover allowing!]
That is very low! What can you do? Some foods and spices regulate the blood pressure.
Glad you realised it was Monday. You would have missed the eclipse! Happy watching! My daughter is safe home from Boise. They didn’t stay, and I am so happy. 90% in their area is enough to enjoy the eclipse at home.
There isn’t a significant difference between 90% and 100%, save you have to witness the 90% with the special glasses for the entire event. All in all, she probably made the better decision!
Oh it is a DIFFERENCE indeed. It is why people get so crazy to drive to the zone of totality no matter what. Yes, she is glad she went home. Her sister in law was stuck in the traffic for several hours. Wouldn’t work with our little kiddos.
The only thing that comes to mind when trying to imagine hours and hours in a car with kiddies asking the eternal question about being home yet is, “Dear, you drive because I’m walking home”! I get your point!
🙂
While I’m recommending blogs, I should include your “Making Memories” blog, a charming look at Ireland and Irish life!
People who like this blog or love Ireland (Is there anyone who doesn’t??) will love your blog:
http://inesemjphotography.wordpress.com/
Thank you for that 🙂
You bet! My pleasure! There’s a good reason you are well over 3000 followers, and the followers of this blog will see why immediately!
Still, I want to see a solar eclipse 🙁 🙁 . Waited for 4 years and I never saw it one time… At least your kittyboys and you can see it.
We hope so. It is unlikely to be cloudy here in mid morning in August in Western Nebraska, yet it is unlikely to have lots of rain in that same period (May-June are the rainy months here), and we’ve had lots of July-August rains so far. El Ninyo is supposedly to blame.
I haven’t heard of it but I shall see if I can find something. Hope you and your cats are well
We are fine! Thanks! I’m not sure of what you are going to try to find. Eclipse? Methods of watching eclipses? Here’s one good source of information on watching them:
http://www.mreclipse.com/Totality2/TotalityCh11.html
Here’s one giving a list of eclipses in Finland (all types):
http://www.solar-eclipse.de/en/eclipse/country/FI/
Looks bleak for a total eclipse there in this lifetime!
The eclipses will not be visible in Sweden this time.
Oops! Sweden, of course. I’m not sure why I was thinking you are in Finland. Gunnar isn’t exactly a Finnish name and I know better. Sorry for the mistake. I enjoy your blog, try not to miss updates, and suggest those reading this comment take a look to see what I mean:
http://gunnardeckare.wordpress.com/
p.s. Wish Gunnar and his wife Happy Anniversary today (August 15th), too! The were married on this date in 1970!
No problems 😎 Swedish, Norwegian and Danish are similar but Finish is totally different from the others. That’s sad because a Swede and a person from Finland mostly must speak English when they are communicating
Your blog is unique, however, for being posted in Swedish, English, and Italian, so I should never confuse you with a Finn! LOL!
GO BLIND? I wouldn’t want to see the shape of you after the boys took over the house completely!!! I do hope you get to see the eclipse safely, Doug.
I am observing it indirectly, which is the safest way.
I saw a way to use spotting scopes, telescopes, or binoculars to watch it indirectly and in sharper definition, though the warned that you could destroy them in the process if you didn’t know what you were doing!
I am disappointed that Amazon sold be bad glasses, though. I read the text for each of those they had available, and the ones I ordered looked like the best ones. At least I get a credit without having to send them back!
Well at least that’s something! I guess they don’t want a class-action suit either!
No, and I appreciate that. On the other hand, it’s pathetic that an operation that size couldn’t save its customers the hassle before hand. An alternative to giving us credit might have been to ship us certified acceptable replacement glasses instead. Now that would have brought out my hosannahs for Amazon! Instead,, at the last minute, I had to come up with a less brilliant Plan B. The indirect method produces a less sharp image in most instances, certainly the weay I’m going. I could do better using my binoculars or spotting scope, but risk damaging them, so NOPE!
I wonder if you can look at the eclipse through your phone’s camera.
I’d think not. I think it would blind the camera. I have seen other ways of observing it indirectly, all of which are preferable. The best way involves binoculars, but they noted one could destroy the binoculars if you let the sun shine through them too long. (How long was “too long” wasn’t defined!)
I’ve also wondered if a magnifying glass and a white surface might work, though you know what could happen using that technique! LOL!
we just checked the map, we can see it partial too… hope the mama will not miss that moment ;O)
Many of the places where it is viewable in partial form may be surprised to know “partial” is more “total” than they realize! I checked one place two and a half hours’ drive north of here, and it is “total” enough to watch and feel you’ve seen something special, just that it is “partial” enough you’d better use proper care to view it. Better get Mom or Dad to make you a proper viewer if you plan to watch it!