The Cambridge coffee cam is no longer in operation.  It was taken down in 1991, after drawing some 2.5 million visitors over about 10 years.  Originally purchased for about £25 ($36.45 at today's exchange rate), it was purchased by a German web site operator for £3,350 (nearly $5,000).  The Cambridge folks said they intended to use the profits to buy an espresso machine.  

While the coffee cam will be missed, at least for its nostalgic value, its progeny are everywhere on the web.  Webcams, as they have become known, are being used to monitor road traffic, conduct scientific experiments, attract tourists, watch weather and wildlife, and show people doing ordinary things (many of which are usually done in private) in their homes.  The number and variety of webcams that can be found today is staggering.  While many (e.g., the traffic cams) are useful and some are entertaining, others are just plain weird.  The sampling below includes a few of each, with a predominance of outside cams providing views of far-flung places from the North Pole to the South Pacific.

Links:
= highly recommended

"Web coffee pot goes off the boil," CNN.com (March 7, 2001).  News story about the coffee cam shutting down.

"Internet coffee pot sells for £3,350," on ananova.com (August 14, 2001).

"Coffee Cam," Technology Review (June 2001), A yen for caffeine helped to put the first video camera on the Net.

The Fish Cam, brought to you courtesy of Netscape.  Said to be the second oldest video camera on the web after the coffee cam.

"How Digital Cameras Work," on Marshall Brain's Howstuffworks.com.

Webcams from A to Z:
      Alaska Cam - live views of Anchorage.
      Antcam - live from inside a colony of carpenter ants.
      Bonaire Beach Cam - from the Netherlands Antilles
      Continental Drift Cam (you need a lot patience for this one).
      Dundein, New Zealand - the view from the arc cafe - vegetarian food and free Internet access
      Eastern Iowa Bird Feeder Cam (from Mr. Goodbeer!?).
      Fort Lauderdale, Florida - from the offices of the Sun-Sentinel newspaper.
      Greenland webcam - the Isumerit webcam from Greenland's capital, Nuuk.
      Hesh One's Office Cam - Hesh One is a designer, musician, writer, and . . .
      Iowa State University - ISU Cam.
      Jodrell Bank Observatory (UK).
      Kaori (Noumea) Cam.
      Karachi Cam in Pakistan.
      Loch Ness Monster Cam.
      Mt. Fuji Twenty-four Hours Live .
      North Pole Live (courtesy of NOAA).
      Oslo, Norway - Holmenkollen Ski Jump Cam.
      Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, Germany.
      Quad Cities Online Live - (Davenport & Bettendorf, Iowa; Moline & Rock Island, Illinois)
      Railcams - links to an assortment of railroad webcams for train fans.
      Seal Cam, on the beach in La Jolla, CA.
      Seoul, South Korea, live since January 1997.
      Sydney , Australia, Cam.
      Tarantula Cam.
      Utah Commuter Link - dozens of cameras on the major highways around Salt Lake City.
      Vesuvius Cam, near Naples, Italy.
      Western Wall, Jerusalem, Israel.
      X-rated Web Cams - There are zillions of them. 
      Yokohama, Japan - view from the 36th floor of the Landmark Tower.
      Zurich, Switzerland Airport Cam.