TripCyclone

LOL...that one was fun. Reading the description before I left home, the movie Willard came to mind with a chuckle. I got out there at night, with some weird splashing noises in the nearby lake (which I came to realize were badgers or beavers swimming back and forth and slamming their tails against the water...really odd and creepy sounding at the time). I walked around, looked right at the cache and my heart skipped a beat before I got a good laugh for falling for it. That one was fun.

That made me think of something. For those first few days back, maybe something could be set up to help reduce the load. While this might be hard to enforce, maybe set up a schedule based on the user name. Say it starts back up at midnight on Sunday night. For Monday, only people with names starting with 0 - C are allowed to upload. D - G on Tuesday, H - K on Wednesday, L - O, P - S, T - W, X - Z. That covers all the names in one week. If people can be nice enough to follow it (notice the word IF), then it might help reduce that initial strain on the system. Thanks in advance if you are keeping this a non-pay site and for your efforts to get the site back up again. I can't wait to see what you've been able to setup to make it work. I'm putting money down on the idea of splitting the load across more than one server.

Fishing line, or some other line, can help make some caches a bit more unique and memorable. I always like finding new methods of hiding a cache. Gives me ideas for placing my own. If you are worried about friction, pulleys are one option. Though, depending on how you place it, the line could come off the pulley. If you want to help reduce friction, but avoid the pulley, use key rings. Strategically tie them to the tree and run the line through them. Not only does it provide a smooth surface, but it helps guide the line around branches too. For tying off the line, you could use a basic fishing reel attached to a tree as a way to let the line down and reset the cache after signing. It's a bit different, and provides an easy way to lower and raise the cache. Or use one of those key rings that splits in two. Measure off a generous portion of line, enough for the person to walk forward and lower the cache. You want to measure it off so that the end of the line reaches a branch on another tree when the cache is where you want it in the tree. Then, attach one half of the key ring to the end of the line, and the other half to whatever branch you've measured off too. This way, when the two halves are joined, the cache is in place. When they are detached, the person can walk forward to lower the cache, sign the log, then walk back and reattach it, placing the cache exactly in the same spot. Plus, with the that end of the line in a completely different tree, it will confuse the finder at first because they will be looking for a way to get it down and not realize that a second tree is involved. The only problem is the sun. At the right angle, the line could be easily spotted if the person is paying attention. I've heard dark nylon cord as one way to avoid this. Any other ideas anyone?

If you have an old monitor with the glass screens, try using a dry erase marker. If you have a newer, non-glass screen, MacGyver a glass plate to put over the screen, then use the dry erase marker. Washable glass chalk would work as a viable substitute. Just DO NOT use your wife's lipstick or fingernail polish. "Really upset" might turn into something worse. You could buy your own, but then the cashier might look at you weird if you don't have a reasonable response as too why you're buying it.

It was cool seeing your name in some of the same Tennessee logs recently. With your statistics, maps and Cache Across America achievements, please tell us that you're willing to participate in this effort as a donor at the Leprechaun Level. So, do I need to make the Leprechaun donation in standard currency or in small, colorful marshmellow shapes?

I'd be up for a pay structure, though I would make one other change. Dave mentioned that the county issue was one of the most taxing parts of the site. If it's possible to make this aspect selective, then change the part that determines the county locations for caches a premium service. That way, people can get basic stats if they don't want to pay, and the detailed information if they are willing to pay. Since that seems to be one of the more popular aspects of the site, with a nice affordable price, I'm sure that many would be willing to pay a small fee for that service, thus bringing in money to pay for a dedicated server. (Is it just the county aspect that is most taxing? If there are other aspects, I'd say take the stuff that is hardest on the server and make them parts you get with premium service.) Someone mentioned splitting up the resources onto more than one server. Sounds like an option to check out. Of course, the pay structure involving the Leprechauns didn't sound too bad either.

Somebody seems to have forgotten their high school chemistry if they are arguing that this one pushes an agenda. Before you start arguing that this is an agenda cache, try actually looking up what dihydrous monoxide is (actually, if used correctly, it's supposed to be Dihydrogen Monoxide).

I have had the same thing happen. I dropped a TB that I put together off in a cache in early July 2007. I came back to the cache as I got back home from a trip two weeks later to find it gone (I was happy) and a cacher logging that they picked it up ten days after I started it off on its journey. About a week later, I began to wonder why not only had the TB not been logged, but the cache hadn't been logged, seeing as the person lived in the same town. I also noticed that since the person had logged only 4 caches in 7 months. At the two week mark, I politely sent an e-mail letting them know that they had my TB and if they had any questions about it, to please contact me and I'd be willing to help them. It finally got logged around the one month mark, with a humorous log about holding it hostage, and that they would place it soon. That was three months ago. After hitting the three month mark, I again sent a message. This time, I asked if they could give me an update on the TB. If they still had it and an estimate on when they might be able to place it. Still, after then months they only had 4 caches logged. I also let them know that I can understand how time can be a factor on getting out and if they weren't sure when they might be able to place it, I gave them a friends geocaching name if they wanted to arrange a pickup to go ahead and get it back out on its journey. I tried to be polite, thinking that they may just have gotten bogged down and unable to go out caching. Two weeks later, and no replies, I sent the same message again. I have since noted that the last time this person got online was the day they logged it in mid-August. Still, no reply from them. I am going to try again. Of the TB's I've released, this one is one I liked. At what point do I consider organizing a lynch mob? Or do you have any other suggestions for how to at least get some acknowledgement to work out something with them?

Thanks for the suggestion. I got it to work. Set it up to do a weekly query once a week to keep my info updated offline. Don't recall putting a Seattle zip code. After 8 years I'd be surprised if I put the wrong zip code (well, that and I never posted what zip code I tried, so I'm a bit confused how you got that). And if I selected on option for "from origin", it doesn't allow me to select another, so I couldn't have had both selected. Anyhow...I got it working. Thanks for the help everyone.

Okay, tried it once using my zipcode, and taking out the terrain/difficulty, and it returned a set of results. The results were off by almost a mile, so I redid it using my actual coordinates, not selecting "my home coordinates", and it suddenly seemed to work. Not sure why it took doing this so many times to get it to run. I guess it takes some getting used to, or maybe it got tired of trying to make me go crazy. Maybe it was the threat I made to send a virus into the system to make the computer repeatedly perform random 500 cache queries...I don't know. Thanks for the suggestions everyone...it all helped. I think I got what I needed now, and maybe learned a little about this for the next query I ever have to do.

That one is actually about an hour drive west of where I am, and is in a small town. I'm based out of Lincoln, Nebraska, and there are around 180-190 that I haven't found (which is what I'm running the PQ for) within a 10 mile radius.

Okay, I just tried again, and took pictures of the screen for you. I double checked everything and after it said the query would be generated, I clicked on "preview results", and it said that there were no results found for this search. Since I know that there are almost 200 caches that I have not found within a 10 mile radius, I'm not sure what is going on. I did try altering one thing from what the pictures show. I put in a second query and actually stated my home coordinates instead of selected "home coordinates" as an option. It produces a result of 7 caches...not the almost 200 that are actually available. It won't let me post an photo, so I'm going list everything: Name: 10 Mile Radius Days to Generate: Wed (today) Choose how often to run: Run once then delete Show me: 200 caches Of: Any type Of: Any container That (and): I haven't found & is active Terrain: greater than or equal to 1 Difficulty: greater than or equal to 1 Within: Nebraska From Origin: My Home Coordinates (set at N 40 Degrees 49.030 minutes, W 96 degrees 39.003 minutes) Within radius of: 10 miles Placed during: between 1/1/2000 and 3/28/2007 Attributes to Include: nothing (is this needed?) Attributes to Exlude: nothing Output to: This account's e-mail address In the Format: *.gpx, compressed into *.zip Hope this paints the picture. I'm wondering if not putting "attributes to include is affected it". TripCyclone

Caches that I have not found.

I have tried three times to get a query for the area around me so that I can download them into my GPS quickly, and keep track of them on GSAK. The details are as follows: 10 mile radius from my home coordinates, include 200 caches that i have not found, terrain and diff. include 1 and higher. So far, every query comes back saying that there are no results. I have tried variations of some factors, and still nothing comes. A friend told me that he once did a basic search for everything close to him and it came back empty until he increased the distance. Could the 10 mile limit I am posting be the reason for it coming back empty. I did a search for the nearest caches that I haven't found and there are almost 200 caches within 10 miles. Any ideas?