Doggiewoggie

Yuck.

You're better off without her man... that was good thinking

Private, commercial cache... my crystal falafel says it's gonna be a popular gimmick in the future.

New Team Doggiewoggie sig item! (with picture of me with Jordie, a few days after I rescued him... isn't he cuuuuuuuuute?)

Travel bugs are not caches. OK, you have a point

Well, what about people who turn themselves into a travel bug, and you can log them only at events? That's more or less the same thing, isn't it?

Well, maybe he thinks making friends with him is a special skill?

Well, that's why we have guidelines and a system of approval. You might not always agree with the approvers, and they are human, but you have to roll with the punches and deal with their decisions--kind of like with referees.

Traditionals are given priority because the point of this game is to find a container--like an easter egg hunt for adults. Otherwise, it's very close to waypointing--which is cool, but it's not geocaching the way TPTB have determined it (if I'm not making a wrong assumption). So, virtuals are kind of a concession for places that can't accommodate a physical cache. If you're gonna make a concession, it better be for something darn special.

Ahhh, why not. It doesn't bug me. NPI Hmmm... what about a cache you could only log when you sleep with someone? Hey, I'll show you my bug if you show me yours...! It gives a whole new meaning to the concept "so-and-so gave me a bug." REMEMBER ME WHEN I'M FAMOUS FOR COMING UP WITH THIS IDEA!

If you play basketball, does that make you Michael Jordan? If you're a statue with a positive message, does that make you a Michelangelo? Virtuals are the cream of the crop. They shouldn't just provoke thought--they should blow your mind.

You know, I think if people were just a little more honest--I mean really honest, instead of just terse--in their logs about their lackluster experience, that would make hiders think twice about the quality of their caches. I've read a lot of posts about how one should be appreciative of any cache, and that there's something out there for everyone--but I think there needs to be a little more frankness in the logs about the quality of one's personal experience. If something really sucks for you, I think you should politely say something to that effect. Something like: "This cache is probably enjoyable for the numbers people, but my experience would have been more rewarding had I visited a more interesting location. I was in town for a short time and was hoping to encounter some of the places that make your area special." That might compel a hider to put a little more thought into placing caches that are more appealing to sight-seers.

I'm sorry, but I'm with the reviewers on this one. I'm just not getting that "wow" feeling--although it's a cool sculpture, and certainly thought provoking, I don't think it's that different from various other sculptures that I've seen of Native Americans. I know the artist did this without any formal training or preliminary drawings, which is quite an accomplishment--but, because I have a background in the academic study of fine art, I just can't get past the technical shortcomings of her work (or the misspelling of "carrara" marble).

I just bought the Fisher Space Pen and am super pleased with it. It's designed for extreme conditions--resistant to freezing, and can write underwater. The ink is pressurized, and it's available in different designs--from economy to high-end. Like everything else I own, I bought it for caching.

And a good follow-up to Team Perrito Blanco is us, Team Doggiewoggie (I just changed my moniker). Jordie is my new little pup, whom I picked up while geocaching in Havana, Cuba. He was about two or three days old when I found him, abandoned in a park in a plate of spaghetti. We schlepped him around Cuba and Central America (feeding him every two hours) and now he's living with me in NYC and MA. So I changed my name to honor him--because now he goes geocaching with me and is my buddy for life.

In before the lockdown, with a plea for some sort of cache rankings...

You can't control the way people sign logs. You just can't. What if I signed with a Wiccan symbol? What if I signed with an elephant or a donkey? Or a swastika? What are you going to do--ban me? I, personally, find the sticker offensive--but it's freedom of speech in this country. I'm ACLU all the way on this one.

Well, OK. There's nothing you can do about it. Freedom of speech applies to log signing. GC.com can't devote resources to mediate all this stuff. So, the guy's annoying. You've asked him to stop. He hasn't. You did your best to keep him from being annoying. It didn't work. Your conscience is clear. He has fewer friends. His loss.

Oh, he sounds sweet--like he really cares and values gay families. God bless his kind, thoughtful little heart, because I sense he doesn't mean it as the anti-gay slogan that it's come to be known as. I'm sure that, when gay cachers and their families come across his contribution they'll sense that too, and they'll feel touched, appreciated and very, very special... because this community is so inclusive and welcoming to all. Gee, I'm feeling warm and fuzzy already.

OMG--Texas taxes me.

The only reason I've opened a user account at tc.com is because I'm interested in seeing how a user rating system *might* work. I've always wanted a system in place where I could more or less cull out lame caches, but I'm not sure such a model is possible. We'll see... since I've been looking into other forums, I've become somewhat skeptical on that front, but that's just me. Other than the hope that such a system might up the quality of available caches, there is really absolutely nothing that would compel me to explore another site. I think gc.com is run very well and has coped remarkably with the pressures of growth. If anything, I plan to use the other site as a "supplement" to my enjoyment of this site--in the hope that it may afford me some good-quality caches. If such a user rating system proved functional, and was implemented here, it would take quite a lot to get me to look elsewhere. As far as nc is concerned, well--tortuous and user-unfriendly doesn't begin to describe it. And oc, as far as I know, isn't even off the ground? No--if this site is a behemoth, it is well-deserved. It will likely be the only real game in town for years to come.

Ok, I'm calling Nazi Yathzee! TPTB have been made aware of the issues (and which ones of us are naughty or nice) and have offered some proposed modifications to the administration of the game ("supreme court", updating of the guidelines, Hydee's review of individual complaints, etc.). The best course of action from here IMHO is for the TPTB to summarize what they are able/willing to do and to propose a timeframe for implementation. If they need anymore "help" from the community I'm sure they can work with the local geocaching associations. Thanks for playing, cache on! Well said!

The angst in the forums will never diminish--that's just the way forums go. They have angst attacks every now and then, and TPTB get trashed every now and then. None of this would change one iota if they gave you all the information that you seem to require. TPTB aren't obligated to make you, perse, happy. All they need in order to be a successful business is to make a high percentage of the users of this site happy--which they do. So, you see, they are doing just fine--forum angst and all.

Which part of the guideline that says that "if you submit a memorial it's likely to get rejected" don't you get? Being a paying member of gc.com doesn't guarantee your virtual is going to get approved--that's not what you're paying for. My virtuals get rejected all the time--you don't see me in here whining and wingeing and wringing my hands about how lousy my approvers are and trotting out my 30 bucks for all to see. I can't name a seasoned cacher that hasn't had a virtual rejected. Work within the guidelines and you should be fine. Don't profane your cache page and you should be fine. Roll with the punches and play by the rules--what is so complicated about that?

Here you go! Chocolate dead horses!