Ride the waves. Race down the slopes. Visit Times Square. Take a virtual vacation that requires no money, no vacation days, and no planning.
Webcams, short for web cameras, are capturing more than baby pandas at the zoo.
More than a million are offering images in real-time across the Internet, ranging from the not-so-interesting (a pug sleeping on a couch) to destinations like Iceland. Some are live streaming video 24-7, while others refresh the image every few seconds or longer.
Still, regardless of how "live" these images are, webcams are showing the world to the world, says Brian Curry, founder and CEO of EarthCam, a leader in providing webcam content, technology and software.
Here are some webcams worth checking out. Note that some of these Web sites may prompt you to download software before you can view them; many are best viewed at certain times of day, and some can be enlarged for better viewing.