Scootercam

Scootercam’s new Sunset Forecaster

For generations, residents and visitors along Lake Michigan’s storied shoreline have gathered at the water’s edge, craning their necks and crossing their fingers, wondering if tonight’s sunset would erupt into glory or fade into mediocrity – in human terms, will it slap, or flop? At long last, that restless guesswork is over. Scootercam.net, the irreverent … Read more

Release notes 9/25/25

All processing is backend: Week-Ahead widget With this version: No front-end data processing! All Processing is done every 2 minutes in the background; small json files deliver the 20 or so datapoints. This is a huge efficiency gain all but invisible to the user. A new widget shows the next 7 days’ icons, expected conditions, … Read more

Data efficiency – APIs

A ton of data is collected, sifted, and sorted for Scootercam, and in fact very little of that data ever gets to the screen. Some of that is due to how the data is packaged by weather data mega-store Visual Crossing. A lot involves how and where I manage the data once it is received. … Read more

Optimizing CSS

Option C: Smart Single File CSS Implementation Plan Overview Create one optimized CSS file with page-specific targeting using body classes. This eliminates external dependencies while keeping deployment simple. Phase 1: Preparation & Backup Step 1: Document Current Setup Step 2: Identify Your Pages & Custom Classes Create page-inventory.txt: Step 3: Create Backup Phase 2: Download … Read more

Scootercam, Updated

Scootercam Worldwide has had a few broken pieces these last few months. A failed OS update took down a lot of the system, and it needed almost a total rebuild – just to get the fundamentals back in working order. Most of the files had backups, but it was still a mess for a while. … Read more

“Live” video

it’s not “live,” exactly, but this system captures video and audio for Scootercam Reolink On-Demand Video Capture A Python script for capturing 10-second live video clips with audio from Reolink IP cameras. Designed for on-demand use cases like motion detection triggers, security alerts, or manual surveillance recording. Overview This script connects to a Reolink camera … Read more

Scootercam’s Sunsets

Dual Camera Timelapse System An automated timelapse capture system for Amcrest and Reolink IP cameras running on Raspberry Pi. Captures images from both cameras simultaneously, processes them into MP4 videos, and uploads to an FTP server. Features Hardware Requirements Software Dependencies Installation Configuration Camera Settings Edit the script and update these variables with your camera … Read more

Server-side timelapse processing

Every five minutes, the Raspberry Pi system at the lake sends a short timelapse segment to Scootercam’s webserver. Here’s what happens next. Security-Hardened Timelapse System A PHP-based timelapse video management system that receives video segments from cameras and combines them into daily period videos with automatic 8-hour rotation and comprehensive security controls. Overview This system … Read more

Live Timelapse System

This automated camera system creates smooth time-lapse videos showing the passage of time throughout each day and night. How It Works Two security cameras continuously capture still photos every 15 seconds. These images are automatically assembled into fast-motion videos that compress hours of real time into just minutes of viewing. Daily Video Collection Each day … Read more

Scootercam