Cassandra is only carbon now

I recognize this is a very long shot, but weirder things have worked out. Does anyone have any photographs from Anchorage, Eagle River, Wasilla, or Palmer, Alaska taken between late 2001 to mid 2002 that might include lamp posts?

I know this is weird as hell, but there is a reason, I swear. I really appreciate the help and the boosts!

Jun 20, 2023 at 6:13pmWeb
Show threadCassandra is only carbon nowJun 20, 2023
(This may be my weirdest post on any social media platform ever, and I recognize how high a bar that is, but this is 100% genuine, 0% a shitpost, and absolutely a desperate long shot.)
Show threadJeremy KahnJun 20, 2023

@xgranade

AFAI am concerned, this sort of weird request is what the Internet is _for_ and if the Fediverse pays off on this I will bet long on it

Show threadCassandra is only carbon nowJun 20, 2023
@trochee 💖 The longer version of the context is that there's a poster that I made that was on a hell of a lot of lamp posts in the area around that time. It means a lot to me, but that I have long since lost the files for the poster in a hard drive crash. It's remote as hell, but I'm hoping someone caught the poster in the background of another photo...
Show threadJeremy KahnJun 20, 2023
@xgranade I am also open to made-up reasons for why this request would matter; you could build an entire AR "Night Vale" story here and I would still be on board
Show threadLydia SchochJun 20, 2023

@trochee @xgranade

I agree with Jeremy.

My assumption was that you were either a visitor from Narnia who wanted to compare lamp posts from both worlds or that you have been to Narnia before and are trying to go back there. :D

Show threadAlex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UKJun 21, 2023

@lydiaschoch @trochee @xgranade

I'd initially assumed you took an interest in street furniture as a hobby - this isn't unusual in England and lots of people photograph lamp posts, traffic signals and all sorts else and upload the pictures to social media (I'm not sure how common it is in America)

Show threadJeremy KahnJun 21, 2023

@vfrmedia @lydiaschoch

I propose instead a _Back To The Future_ meets _ST:IV The Voyage Home_ plot,
where @xgranade needs to go back to a very specific turning point in the warming of the Arctic sea to save the present

Show thread@pineywoozle ‘s #3WordNoteJun 23, 2023
@vfrmedia @lydiaschoch @trochee @xgranade LoL That is such a British thing. Now I have to go watch 3 movies set in London to get past how sad I am that I can’t travel there this year.
Show threadMycotropicJun 20, 2023
@trochee @xgranade #WelcomeToNightVale is high art and should be explored by everyone.
Also, I agree that this post would be a great jumping off point for an episode! Just don't send any photography involving dog parks. It is forbidden to photograph the dog park. There is no dog park.
Show threadMikeJun 20, 2023

@xgranade I'm pretty sure on google street view you can set a time rather than get the most current images

It might be worth taking a walk through the streets that way

Show threadMikeJun 20, 2023
@xgranade I really want this story to end well!
Show threadCassandra is only carbon nowJun 20, 2023
@ShambolicAdult From what I've been able to tell, it unfortunately doesn't go back past 2007 in most parts of Alaska — haven't been able to find anything that way yet. Thank you so much for the suggestion and the help! 💖
Show threadBobJun 21, 2023
@xgranade @ShambolicAdult Was also going to be my suggestion but yeah, it didn't launch until 2007. I was able to use it to win a zoning appeal in Austin TX though.
Show thread@pineywoozle ‘s #3WordNoteJun 23, 2023
@ShambolicAdult @xgranade I set it for London east end 1973 I couldn’t see any images thru the drug haze.
Show threadFilmWonkJun 22, 2023

@xgranade @trochee

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. Good luck!

May I ask what the poster looked like?

Show threadCanageekJun 20, 2023
@xgranade if you're a metafilter member this is the exact sort of thing that ask metafilter can probably help with
Show threadCassandra is only carbon nowJun 20, 2023
@Canageek I'm not, but that's a great suggestion, thanks!... I may have to give that a try!
Show threadCanageekJun 20, 2023
@xgranade just a warning It costs $5 to become a member, if that's a burden for you I'm willing to post your question tonight once I get off of work
Show threadCassandra is only carbon nowJun 20, 2023
@Canageek Much appreciated, but $5 isn't an issue, thankfully.
Show threadpenguin42Jun 20, 2023
@xgranade Is this purple lamp post hunting?
Show threadinsurgency bureaucratJun 20, 2023
@xgranade forwarding to @seachanger for connections!
Show threadCassandra is only carbon nowJun 20, 2023
@t54r4n1 @seachanger Thank you so much! ♥
Show threadDragon VertigoJun 20, 2023
@xgranade @MicheleV_AK Would you have that ?
Show threadMicheleV_AKJun 21, 2023
@TheOtterDragon @xgranade I sent her a link.
Show threadNafnlaus 🇮🇸 🇺🇦Jun 20, 2023
@xgranade https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRumcaVAOZ0
June 2001 commercial for Cage's Boniface Texaco gas station of Anchorage, Alaska

YouTube
Show threadCassandra is only carbon nowJun 20, 2023
@nafnlaus Oh, thank you so much! ♥
Show threadNafnlaus 🇮🇸 🇺🇦Jun 20, 2023
@xgranade You have to let us know what this was for at some point! :)
Show threadCassandra is only carbon nowJun 20, 2023
@nafnlaus Trying to find a poster that I made once upon a time, but that I've long since lost. It was on a lot of street lights and lamp posts around then, so was hoping it might have been caught in the background somewhere...
Show threadNafnlaus 🇮🇸 🇺🇦Jun 20, 2023

@xgranade https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WleNlbXRjVo

Period lamp posts isn't that hard to find... ones with visible POSTERS on them, however, that's harder!

2002 Alaska Family Adventure 1st Stop Anchorage

YouTube
Show threadCassandra is only carbon nowJun 20, 2023
@nafnlaus Yeah, it's definitely not something most people try to get in their photos, to be sure!
Show threadSkyJun 20, 2023
@xgranade Hmmm found nothing on Alaska's Digital Archives, but I just had a thought--could you check newspapers from the time period?
Show threadCassandra is only carbon nowJun 20, 2023
@skysailor That's a good point, thank you! ♥
Show threadCanageekJun 20, 2023
@xgranade @skysailor personally I would start by doing a search on Flickr before those locations in those years. it used to also pretty good tagging so you could probably even do a search for streetlamps in those locations and those years.
Show threadSkyJun 20, 2023
@Canageek @xgranade Tried that first, no luck.
Show threadMicheleV_AKJun 20, 2023
@xgranade https://alaskacam.com/Iditarod01/Iditarod01.htm
2001 Iditarod from the AlaskaCam(tm)

The AlaskaCam, a live shot looking east on Fourth Avenue in Anchorage, Alaska, toward the beautiful Chugach Range.

Show threadCassandra is only carbon nowJun 20, 2023
@MicheleV_AK Oh, thank you! Lots of great links from there, too, I really appreciate it! 💖
Show threadMicheleV_AKJun 21, 2023
@xgranade You are welcome!
Show threadShoku the MN Wolf 🏳️‍🌈Jun 20, 2023
@xgranade you could try Google Street view. They only get updated once every few years, and more frequently the more populated an area is.
Show threadCassandra is only carbon nowJun 20, 2023
@TheMNWolf Sadly, that only seems to go back to 2007, unless I'm missing something?
Show threadShoku the MN Wolf 🏳️‍🌈Jun 20, 2023
@xgranade I wasn't sure how far it goes back. My life goes back that far (and much further) but my memory doesn't.
Show threadAnalog AIJun 20, 2023
@xgranade "Are you a human?" 😉
Show threadvga256Jun 20, 2023

@xgranade sure. go to flickr, click on advanced, and set the search parameters to the date range you're looking for - put the name of the community in as your search term.

there are some results that do include lamp posts in the aforementioned communities.

Show threadCycling StuJun 20, 2023
@xgranade Are you on facebook? I can ask someone there who lives in Anchorage
Show threadnevJun 20, 2023
@xgranade cc @seachanger
Show threadCycling StuJun 20, 2023
@xgranade I’ve asked my Anchorage Facebook contact
Show threadCassandra is only carbon nowJun 20, 2023
@stufromoz Awesome, thank you so much! 💕
Show threadCycling StuJun 20, 2023
@xgranade and… she was not living there then :(
Show threadCassandra is only carbon nowJun 20, 2023
@stufromoz Ah, well, thank you so much for trying! 💕
Show threadCycling StuJun 20, 2023
@xgranade I’m trying as an open post, I know lots of US based singers, they travel A Lot
Show threadcyploJun 20, 2023
@xgranade this is one of the least weird posts on my timeline tbh, fyi ;)
Show threadChristopher AgocsJun 20, 2023
@xgranade Does this Flickr search help? https://flickr.com/search/?min_taken_date=993970800&max_taken_date=1036137599&text=Anchorage There are a number of results for Anchorage, Wasilla, and Palmer that all contain lamp posts that look like this
Flickr Search — “Anchorage”

Flickr
Show threadCassandra is only carbon nowJun 20, 2023
@agocs I've tried a few different searches, but not run across that photo in particular — there's absolutely more to look at, thank you for the link! 💕
Show threadChristopher AgocsJun 20, 2023
@xgranade There's a lot to comb through. I've been clicking on the accounts of people who seem to have photos of downtown Anchorage to see if they have any other photos from about the same time period that have lamp posts with posters on them. No luck yet.
Show threadCassandra is only carbon nowJun 20, 2023
@agocs Yeah, and it absolutely is a longshot. I've seen a spare pixel or two on some that might be, but too low res to confirm. Turns out, it's not what most people focus on when they take photos!
Show threadSimon LucyJun 22, 2023

@xgranade @agocs

I had a short look and there are Alamy and other stock libraries with street photography in Anchorage for the period you want.

You could also ask the Town Halls, local newspapers and local photography societies if there's any street photography for the period.

Flickr and photographers with Alaskan photographs is definitely a good route, I think.

Show threadJohn G FitzgeraldJun 20, 2023
@xgranade And the winner of "weirdest toot of the day" goes to .....
#Weird
#Boosted
Show threadLyssa ChiavariJun 20, 2023
@xgranade My BIL lived in Anchorage in that time period so I'll ask him 🤞
Show threadCassandra is only carbon nowJun 20, 2023
@lyssachiavari Thank you so much! 💕
Show threadKate Nyhan is changing serversJun 20, 2023
@xgranade If you contact the local public libraries in those cities, I'm sure they will have newspapers, which will have photos, which will presumably have the odd lamppost in the background. You might have to pay for someone to skim the microfilm looking for and at photos but it sounds like it might be worth it to you.
Show threadCassandra is only carbon nowJun 20, 2023
@kdnyhan Ah, that's a good point, thank you! I'll have to give that a try! ♥