Every once in a while something magical comes along, fills me with wonder, and reminds me that the world actually isn’t a fetid stinkhole of pain and depression after all. I’ve encountered two such somethings today. The first was the doe and two fawns that crossed the road in front on me as I drove to the train station this morning (in the middle of suburban South Jordan, Utah, I might add). And the second is the Pratt Museum’s BearCam, a live video feed from the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary in Alaska, where bears like to congregate in the summer and feast on salmon. I just heard about this awesome little distraction through an article on Wired and within moments of clicking over there, I was watching a brown bear ambling through rushing waters in search of a tasty snack. Simply fascinating.

The camera operates from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Alaska Standard Time; between 1 and 5 p.m., an actual human being makes sure the camera is pointed at the action. Better hurry, though: according to the Wired article, the bears wander off in late August, whereupon the cam will be shut off for the season.