Missing Images Problem: Investigating Forum Game - Where's That Landmark?

[sylas]

There is a problem with images in posts sometimes not appearing. The post shows without even a broken image marker of some kind to indicate a failure to display.

In [post=2174773]msg #2522 of thread "Forum Game - Where's That Landmark?"[/post], Borek documents the problem with some screen shots.

I've noticed problems in some of my Earth science posts, in which images may or may not appear, basically at random, as I look back at old posts.

For example: [post=2162699]msg #1 of "Estimating the impact of CO2 on global mean temperature"[/post] has an image included, but nothing shows in my browser (Firefox 3.0.9). The source for the page includes html for an image:

Here is a recently published diagram, summarizing how energy flows at present between space, the surface and the atmosphere (Trenberth et al, 2009).<br />
<img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_WtnYwFZtgHI/SeaAimbQqaI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/aItrIbsUMtc/KiehlTrenberth2009-EnergyFlows.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><br />
<br />

But it doesn't show up for some reason. Just using that html in isolation on a local page on my PC, and the image is fine. Borek's screenshots suggest this isn't only Firefox related; the Safari browser also failed to show an image, though it did give a little icon in its place.

What's going on?

Cheers -- sylas

 

[Kurdt]

Your images are appearing fine for me in internet explorer.

 

[sylas]

Your images are appearing fine for me in internet explorer.

For me, with internet explorer I get a little icon with a red cross in it, a bit like Borek observed in the games thread with safari. Here's a screenshot.

But why? The image is there. I can't even refresh the image by right clicking the icon; but I can view the source, grab the image url, and verify its okay. The image above, and in the post, is maintain in my own picasa web albums.

Cheers -- sylas

PS. The screenshot works for me fine. That's usual behaviour as well. The image shows up initially, and then later won't display.

PPS. I just had a look back at this thread, and the screenshot image here is not displaying for me. That's the way it works. It's there to start with, and then later it goes away. I have no idea whether or not the image will return after this edit. (ppps. it didn't; but the image does exist)

 

[Kurdt]

We had some server trouble recently and had to replace a hard disk. It could be related to that. We'll have to see what Greg says.

 

[Redbelly98]

I had this problem once during the last year as well. It would be difficult now to find which thread it happened in, but it's not a new problem.

 

[sylas]

I had this problem once during the last year as well. It would be difficult now to find which thread it happened in, but it's not a new problem.

Still exploring this. I wonder if the problem is with the picasaweb links I am using.

The link to the picasaweb album for the screenshot is as follows:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EeLQSBOoYiklIqPKSRQ0wg?feat=directlink

That's not much help, as it links to the album page, not the image itself.

Originally, my screenshot link above was given as
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_WtnYwFZtgHI/SfTpOGeXYDI/AAAAAAAAAV4/WM0pVaacgB4/MissingImageScreenshot.JPG

I got that by right clicking on the album page and getting the image location. I should probably use the URLs given with "embed image" code, and that would be as follows:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_WtnYwFZtgHI/S...4/WM0pVaacgB4/s800/MissingImageScreenshot.JPG

Does anyone use or understand picasaweb urls?

Cheers -- Sylas

PS. I am now pretty sure that this is the problem, and that there's nothing wrong at the physicsforums end. As advice to anyone else using picasaweb: make sure you use the image URL from the code for "embed image", and not merely the URL obtained by rightclicking an image directly.

 

[sylas]

A big public thank you to Kurdt for editing two of my posts, at my request, to see if the change to url works. All indications are that this solves the problem, for my images at least. It was not a problem with physicsforums, but with my URLs.

Thanks all -- sylas