by Harriot Manley, Sunset contributor

For anyone who has taken the 27-mile boat ride out of San Francisco Bay's Golden Gate to the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge, a trio of remote, mostly rock islands, you probably agree it’s amazing—with roughly a quarter-million sea birds squawking from the cliffs and swirling overhead. That's not to mention seals, sea lions, orcas, and porpoises, plus grey, blue, and humpback whales, and (yes) great white sharks churning the cold waters. You probably also agree once is enough, given the often unfortunate stomach-related consequences of bumping through ocean swells for hours on end.

Now, there’s relief, and it isn’t in the form of a Dramamine pill. The Point Reyes Bird Observatory, a long-standing scientific presence on the island, has joined with the California Academy of Sciences to install a live, solar-powered web-cam on the refuge’s Southeast Farallon Island. According to PRBO, the live camera feed, scheduled to begin today, June 8, at calacademy.org/webcams/farallones, will be accompanied by animal identification guides, Farallones history, and research and conservation information.

“Since the islands aren't accessible to the general public, the webcam will be a valuable tool not only for scientists, but for casual observers too,” says Dr. Jack Dumbacher, lead scientist on the project. “The wildlife observations from this webcam will assist with research, guide conservation decisions, and hopefully inspire citizens to care about this valuable resource right in San Francisco’s backyard.”

by Amy Anderson, Sunset editorial intern

Keeping up with my Twitter updates is getting a little overwhelming. First it was just my college friends documenting their lives. Now it's businesses, newspapers, and even fictional television show characters who post on a daily basis. Even Sunset is doing it!

Twitter is a social networking site that lets users write what's going on in their lives and follow the updates of people who interest them. The catch is that each post (called a "tweet") can only be up to 140 characters long. You can write your tweet through the web, an instant message or even a text on your cell phone.

But there are some benefits to the massive influx of updates I'm getting every day. Hotels, rental car companies, airlines, and travel sites are joining the Twitter revolution and posting exclusive deals and inside scoops for their followers. Check out some recent Twitter-based steals:

Fairmont Hotels, which has luxury lodging all over the West Coast, tweets regularly with company updates, specials, and giveaways. They just gave one lucky follower a free night in the Lexus Hybrid Living Suite at Fairmont Washington, D.C. The Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles is giving away one night stays on their Twitter page through April 18. Napa Valley Marriott has Twitter contests every Monday and give out wine and hotel stays.

Southwest Airlines is big on social networking sites, and their Twitter is no exception. Find everything from humorous links to flight updates and contests. Virgin America has caught on too, updating with company news and deals regularly.

Portland recently became the first city in the country to put the qualities of a visitor's center on Twitter--a Twisitor Center! Users can ask specific questions about Portland by adding the code #inpdx to the end of their post. Travel Portland staff members and other followers of the site will respond with advice. If you're not familiar with how Twitter works, Travel Portland also has a new user's video that will help you get started.

Feeling a bit Twittered out? CheapTweet makes the money-saving life easier by accumulating the best Twitter promos and giveaways and posting them all on one site. Get advice from New York Times Frugal Traveler blogger Matt Gross, who used Twitter on a recent trip too.

To sum it up in 140 characters or less: Thrifty and web savvy travelers can find deals for their next escape on Twitter--and work on being concise writers at the same time!