I had an email from Amazon this morning informing me that the glasses I purchased could not be certified to the ISO standard and they would be refunding the purchase price. We will be throwing them out. I still have 2 pair of eclipse binoculars that do reference the ISO standard. I looked online and prices have increased considerably and what's left are bulk purchases. 100 pair of eclipse glasses anyone?

As I posted earlier:

Do you happen to remember which of the (then-numerous) sellers you purchased from?

I purchased mine on Amazon a couple of weeks ago at a still-reasonable, though increasing price: about $20 for a 10-pack, from GSM Sales (a third-party seller who uses Fulfillment by Amazon, and who apparently actually does get them from American Paper Optics).

(They are now vastly more expensive than when I bought, though when I bought, they had already jumped in price.)

One challenge for eclipse weather forecasts is that the need for viewing eclipse is different from everyday weather forecast, and normal forecasts or historical statistic like “cloud cover percentage” for example do not directly link to eclipse visibility.

Thin clouds even or a thin layer of e.g. smoke does not matter as much with eclipses as the sun is quite visible through that kind of stuff.

But even a smaller amount of coverage by big thick clouds can be very bad and overcast is of course a showstopper.

Some of the web sites on eclipses have separate “chance of overcast” statistics and forecasts which are much more indicative of the chances...

When choosing the location, it is also good to try to select places where you have roads to various directions within the totality track, so you can move a bit if you see clearer skies “nearby” and your location is covered by cloud.

Here’s hoping for clear skies (or just thin clouds) for all of us...

The vendor is listed as Techgear shop. The listing said they were ISO and CE certified but the package has no such claim. They were plastic frames designed to fit over eyeglasses. I paid $12.99 for 2 pair. They are very ugly.

The binoculars were sold directly by Amazon and reference the correct ISO standard. 2 pair of cardboard binoculars for $9.95. Only 2X. Came with an eclipse map as well.

May as well have some craft beer while eclipse-gazing:

https://www.craftbeer.com/beercation...view-breweries

Don't get anxious over not having eclipse glasses. The total phase does not require any protection. And it is the total phase that is the experience. You may miss the final seconds of the partial phase before 2nd contact, but no big deal. By the way, I bought my pack of 25 glasses for $25 back in Feb. even though i had several pair of safe glasses from prior solar eclipses.

I expect that many of the bigger viewing sites will have groups or organizations with extra pairs of eclipse glasses and will also let people look through their gear during the partial phase.

It's true that you can look at the corona during totality. The dangerous part is the near-totality before and after totality. At that time, you won't feel discomfort while looking at the mostly-blocked sun, but its rays can be permanently damaging your retina.

Eclipse viewers are asked to take proper precautions in protecting their eyes. The Kansas City Kansas Convention & Visitors Bureau will be distributing free certified Eclipse Shades through our partners at the following hotels and attractions listed below, while supplies last.

Hotels - All guests checking in at a KCK hotel on Sunday, August 20, will receive a complimentary commemorative certified solar eclipse glasses.

Attractions - KCK businesses will be handing out eclipse glasses to ticket holders and guests on the following dates:

Schlitterbahn Kansas City Waterpark – August 19, 20.
Kansas City T-Bones – August 19, 20.
Sporting KC – August 19.
Cabela’s – August 21.
Richard Petty Driving Experience – August 19, 20.
All Wyandotte County Museums – August 19, 20.
Rowe Ridge Vineyard & Winery – August 21.
Legends Outlets Kansas City (Management or Security Office) – August 19-21.

Visitors may also pick up a complimentary pair at the Kansas City Kansas Convention & Visitors Bureau office anytime during business hours starting Tuesday through August 21, located at 755 Minnesota Avenue. The office will be open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

my glasses showed up in the mail over the weekend...i overpaid at $19 shipped for 3 pairs but that is what i get for procrastinating and not ordering until August 5th.

Today I saw an overhead traffic sign on I-75 near the GA/TN border that read "SOLAR ECLIPSE AUGUST 21 PLAN AHEAD"

​​​​​​Seems to me those who are into it would already have at least rough plans, else it's too late. And for everyone else, they need to "plan ahead" to look up at the sky for a couple minutes? :p :)

Maybe this is just an attempt to reduce the number of panicked 911 calls from people who don't know about it :D

So many things here...

Before the eclipse, across the US, traffic is going to be ridiculous in some stretches of the eclipse path that don't normally get a lot of traffic. If you're counting on normal traffic during the eclipse, you should plan to be late.

On August 21, thousands of drivers will decide they need to pull over to the side of the road, like, right now. Thousands of other drivers will need to accommodate for that.

If the driver in front of me or behind me decides they need to "look up at the sky" for a few minutes, and they're in control of a motor vehicle, yes, I will want to plan for that.

This is a fair point, although spelling out "SOLAR ECLIPSE -- EXPECT HEAVY/EXTREME TRAFFIC" would be better.

I would file these under "situational awareness" and not "planning ahead" but if you want to call that splitting hairs I won't argue...

USAF colleague in the GPS Program Office was late to his own happy hour last week because he had to write up a staff package for the Program Director's signature ...

"Amazing the things I encounter in my job.
Flash fake news report: GPS may see 2 hour outage due to solar eclipse!!

Crap. Now I have to explain that solar eclipses occur all the time and we've never seen an issue affecting users... in a politically correct manner (expletives deleted) to the average Joe who knows nothing about how GPS works and is now worried. Sheesh. I need a beer."

So what is the plan for DC ?