Sometimes it’s small things that make one happy.

I have a slowly-building interest in meteorological happenings around SF- rain, wind, tides. I also have a Treo 650 with a browser. Seems like a great match, right? You’re out on your bike, end up at Ocean Beach, and you think, wow, lots of beach showing, and you wonder, how low is the tide?

At least, I do, but there’s some evidence that I may be in the minority on this one.

So you pull the Treo out of your jersey pocket, looking for an instant-info hit, tap the NOAA tide predictions web page, and… 15 minutes and two reboots later, you get the answer. Not exactly instant. More of a low thud at that point.

So I figured out the NOAA URL formats last night, found some JavaScript, and, voila… tidal gratification, attached to ‘T’ on the Treo.

Pretty fun, even if not that complex. Instant info on whether the starfish will be showing at Baker Beach, if China Beach is accessible from Baker, whether the Sausalito houseboats will be floating or mired in mud when we ride by, whether Mill Valley will be sandbagging the roads.