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Re: xfce4 widget problem



On 9/12/20, ghe2001 <ghe2001@protonmail.com> wrote:
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> Yeah, I've wondered how accurate it can be from Norway -- but it's
> (sometimes) close enough for government work. OTOH, I live in Boulder,
> Colorado, and one day last week it said it was sunny out. But it wasn't; it
> was snowing all day.


SNOWING?! COOL!


> I've looked for a better weather widget, but couldn't find one for xfce4.
> Anybody know of one? Maybe even one that gets data from the known working
> airport a couple miles from here?


Couldn't bring these words together yesterday.. I use "weather-util"
that operates from a terminal command line:

"Description-en: command-line tool to obtain weather conditions and forecasts
 This utility is intended to provide quick access to current weather conditions
 and forecasts. Presently, it is capable of providing data for localities
 throughout the United States of America and some select locations globally by
 retrieving and processing METAR data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
 Administration and forecasts from the National Weather Service."

I've been using it several years now. The data changes as fast as NOAA
does. One drawback is that it's not 100% universal, BUT I did once
track the weather in a very obscure, uninhabited island out in the
Pacific Ocean. Pretty wild..

To get the party started after installation, you type in "weather
--info" plus city name or zip code. There may be other ways, too. I've
only used city name until JUST NOW.

MUCH shorter code to remember if you go the zip code route! As
example, I've been typing in "weather -f fips1375272" for years. TODAY
I learned you can get similar with "weather -f gaz013". Wandering
around the Internet, I've seen those "FIPS" codes used by DFCS. The
weather-util package is referencing "ZCTA" and Census for the zip
code.

Also new to me today is that you can create aliases that you can name
"home" or "work" or whatever you want. That's a very cognitively
friendly option. The details are in "man weather" if that's of
interest. I'm not sure, but it might still more research beyond that
to nail the right declarations.

In "man weather", the command is "weather home work" where you can get
both at the same time and in that specific order. Listed just below
that is an example where you can ALSO type in "weather <latitude>
<longitude>".

Lastly and regarding airports, a nearby airport is returned as one of
two options for each zip code I've searched for so far in my tiny town
area.

For fun, I just sought out Gilmer County Airport's (Georgia) code:
49A. Weather-util's query said that "k49a" is one query option I could
use for nearby forecasts. As a quick test, it also just successfully
reported back data when I winged it by typing in "kcni" for Canton,
Georgia, on the other side of me here.

It matters what you pick because I just got back two forecasts for
locations that *I* can walk to. One says "partly cloudy" with winds
steady at 6MPH while the other is "mostly cloudy" with winds gusting
to 16MPH.

Afterthought: Throwing in that "-f" flag gets you the forecast, too.
Using "--no-cache" might be of interest for anyone who does a lot of
playing with viewing forecasts around the World.

Hope this helps.. SOMEONE! I LOVE its command line simplicity AND the
story behind it. Its creator made it for his girlfriend who wanted
something simple for watching the weather. Sweet.. :)

Cindy :)
-- 
Cindy-Sue Causey
Talking Rock, Pickens County, Georgia, USA

* runs with birdseed *


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