Blog: Live Feeds

Last night, I spent three hours sitting in a dark room with my laptop open on my lap watching a live stream of two week old corgi puppies. It was the best three hours of my week.That Is, until I logged on to the Discovery channel website and found a live feed of sharks swimming in the Atlanta Aquarium — my dream vacation destination.

Black tips, nurse sharks, manta rays, bat rays and whale sharks galore! Whale sharks! The largest fish in the sea. In my house. On my computer. Swimming around, being awesome.

What makes these live feeds so wonderful? They can be happening in one place but people from all over the world can be watching it. The feeds give me an opportunity to see things I otherwise wouldn’t be able to: the inside of a shark tank, an eagle’s nest with brand new hatchlings, and the oh-so-fuzzy adorableness of newborn pups! They also allow me to feel connected to the other people watching, the hundreds of strangers that are equally as interested in whatever I’m watching, whether it be marine biology or fuzzy wuzzy puppies.

During times of stress I like to sit in my bed with some calm music and the aquarium live feed and just let the sharks swim by. This simple act of staring at a screen of fishies allows me to find a sense of inner peace. While it would typically cost $300 to get that close to whale sharks at the Georgia Aquarium, I get to enjoy the sharky goodness from the comforts of my own home.

So spend your $30 and go to the aquarium. I can visit the aquarium from the comfort of my room and my pajamas while listening to One Direction. And life doesn’t get much better than that.