Alright, let’s talk about this weather radar thingy on that Linux thing, whatever it’s called. You know, the computer stuff my grandson always talks about. He says it’s important, so I guess it is. He showed me some fancy pictures of clouds and rain and stuff, said it was from a “radar.” Sounded like something out of a space movie to me, but he says it helps him know when to bring in the laundry.
So, if you’re like me, and you don’t know a darn thing about these computers, but you want to see them fancy weather pictures, seems like you need some special “software.” That’s what the boy says, anyway. Software, software, it’s all Greek to me! But he explained it simple, like I’m a five-year-old, bless his heart. Said it’s like the instructions you give a dog – tell it to sit, it sits. Tell the computer to show the rain, it shows the rain. That’s the software, apparently.
Now, there’s a whole bunch of these weather radar softwares, or whatever you call ’em. My grandson, he’s always fiddlin’ with different ones. He mentioned somethin’ called “AWeather.” Said it shows real fancy pictures, all the details and what not. Like lookin’ at the clouds real close-up, but without gettin’ wet. He said it started way back in 2008, which sounds like a long time ago to me. Must be good if it’s been around that long, right? He says it shows somethin’ called “NEXRAD Level II” radar. Sounds important, like it’s the real deal, not some made-up stuff. And he said it’s good ’cause it shows you a lot of weather stuff, not just the rain, but wind and all that too.
Then there’s somethin’ called “Gnome Weather.” Sounds funny, like somethin’ out of a fairy tale, but he said it’s easy to use. Said it’s the first one you should try if you don’t know what you’re doin’. That’s probably good for me, since I don’t know nothin’ about these things. He says it’s simple, just shows you the basics. Probably good enough for most folks, just to see if it’s gonna rain or not. No need for all them fancy details if you just wanna know if you need an umbrella, right?
And then there’s this “NOAA NCDC’s Weather and Climate Toolkit.” That’s a mouthful, ain’t it? Sounded like a bunch of gibberish to me, but he said it’s for folks who really wanna dig deep into the weather stuff. Like scientists and such. He said you can look at old weather patterns and make your own maps and stuff. Way too complicated for me, but some folks like that sort of thing, I guess. It’s all about lookin’ at pictures and numbers, he says. Too much thinkin’ for my old brain.
He also mentioned somethin’ called “WeeWX.” Said it works with your own weather station. Now, I ain’t got no fancy weather station, just lookin’ out the window works fine for me. But if you’re one of them folks who has all them gadgets and gizmos, this WeeWX thing apparently takes the info from your weather station and makes you pretty pictures and reports. Sounds fancy, but again, probably too much fuss for me. I just wanna know if I gotta water the garden or not.
And then, for something totally different, he talked about something called “radare2.” Now, this ain’t exactly a weather radar program, but he said it’s useful for looking at how programs work. He’s a real whiz with this computer stuff, always taking things apart and putting them back together. This radare2 thing, he said it helps him understand how the weather programs work. He said you can even install it real easy on that “Ubuntu” thing he uses. It’s all about “reverse engineering” he says. Sounds like he’s taking the computer apart from the inside out! He said it’s powerful and versatile, which I guess is good. And that it’s “open source”, means anybody can use it and change it, he says. Kinda like sharing recipes, I guess, but for computer programs.
And he also mentioned somethin’ about gettin’ weather info from the internet, from somethin’ called “APIs.” Said it’s like a bunch of places that collect weather information and share it with everyone. Like big weather centers, I guess. They get info from satellites and radars and all that, and then you can use that info in your software. Sounds complicated, but he says it makes the weather programs more accurate.
So, there you have it. A whole bunch of gobbledegook about weather radar software for that Linux thingamajig. To be honest, I still don’t understand half of it. But the boy seems to know what he’s talkin’ about, and he says it’s important. So, if you’re lookin’ to see them fancy weather pictures on your computer, maybe this info will help you. Or maybe you’ll just ask your grandson, like I do! That’s the easiest way, I reckon.
Tags: [Linux, Weather Radar, Software, AWeather, Gnome Weather, NOAA, WeeWX, radare2, Ubuntu, API, NEXRAD, Reverse Engineering, Open Source]