Slytherin

quote:Originally posted by Chris n Maria:Dosn't sound at all disimilar to other recent bashes which have been changed to include a cache hunt - like our recent southern bash. You miss the point Chris. What I want to know is why do UK cache events have to have a cache hunt element and US ones don't?? As I remember things, this was a requirement that was arbitrarily added by UK cache approvers and not the US ones. See this thread. We seem to getting towards a situation where all that we talk about is what you CAN'T do. No locationless caches approved, no virtuals and now we can't even have a pie and a pint with fellow geocachers without the 'powers that be' taking a swipe at things. Taking the Northern Cache Bash as an example, all Dan has to do is to hide a box round the corner from the pub with the co-ordinates in it and it meets this "new criteria" just fine. A pointless hoop to jump through. Why bother? Alex. --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.....

quote:Originally posted by Dan Wilson:I have been planning a Bucks meet for some time now and 3 days ago I put together an event cache page and submitted it. Just now I have recieved a really smug email from an automated Bot saying that the page has been archived because I can't make an event page just for a meet, there has to be caching involved. Does that mean that you can't organise an event cache in the UK like this??? http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=70291 or this?? http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=69561 or this?? http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=69081 or this?? http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=65643 or this?? http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=71814 or this?? http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=73701 or this?? http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=73045 and that is just a sample of US event caches in June. Looking into July and there is this hummdinger.... http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=72688 Who turned your cache down Dan?? It won't be an auto-bot. It will have been a real person and they should have identified themselves. Why are beer and pizza type event caches allowed in the USA but not in the UK?? It seems to me that this event cache: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=67608 is nothing more than a meeting in a pub and that was approved without problem. MMMMmmmmmmmmmm.... This is the definition of an Event Cache according to geocaching.com Event Cache There have been many cases where geocachers want to meet up at a location to share experiences and make new friends. Event geocaches are locations to meet, and after the meeting these caches are archived. It seems like your cache fits in well enough with that. If you can't get it approved, email Groundspeak and ask for an explanation. - --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout..... [This message was edited by Slytherin on June 09, 2003 at 05:14 PM.]

quote:Originally posted by adrianjohn:Its not the south coast but I have just spent the last couple of days in a caching frenzy around Derbyshire. Lots of brilliant places to see and good caches too. I have to agree. Derbyshire has some fantastic caches. You will have to go back there now Adrian as we have been today and replaced 'Petrus' that had gone walkies. Brilliant view from up there isn't it? Alex (&Kim) --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.....

Well done to DodgyDaveD on attaining his double ton yesterday. Dave is without doubt one of the gentlemen of UK geocaching. "Without side" as we say in Yorkshire. Good one yer. Drinks on us. Cheers Alex & Kim --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout..... [This message was edited by Slytherin on June 06, 2003 at 12:49 PM.]

Would it be a good idea to include a box on the form where the person submitting the cache for approval can leave an explanatory note for the cache approver. This not will not be included in the final cache page after approval. This might speed up approval of some caches (particularly virtuals) by cutting down the amount of times that caches are turned down or put on hold while the approver requests further info from the applicant. Alex. --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.....

quote:Originally posted by mtn-man:As it has been said elsewhere, many approvers have been added so this problem is not that big of an issue. If someone wants to argue the merits of their cache they are free to write the approver. I have definitely been swayed by some arguments regarding virtual cache submissions. 9 out of 10 people that submit a virtual never respond to the email regarding the archiving of their virtual submission. That is what is meant by that statement. Lots of virtual submissions are just lazy caches that require no effort and the cacher doesn't care if it gets approved or not. I give GeoGryffindor a lot of credit for arguing the merits of their cache. Thanks for such a reasoned reply mtn-man. I have to say that my experience of having virtuals approved has shown that it is possible to sway the mind of an approver who turns your cache down first time. I had a cache turned down on the basis that it could have been a traditional cache. Thing was, the location was 60ft from a UN patrolled peace keeping zone and I didn't think that the presence there of an ammo box would have been appropriate. Of course the cache approver didn't know about the UN zone as it wasn't described in the cache description (getting people there to look was the idea of the cache in the first place so I didn't want to spoil the surprise). On explaining the circumstances, the cache was approved and the approver (erik) pointed out that I could have included an explanation with the submission so the approver knew what the cache was about and then he would have deleted that from the cache page on approval. So how about this? On the cache submission page, for a virtual could we have a box that can contain a message to the approver where the cache owner explains the thinking behind the cache. That would stop most of the problems associated with the approval or non approval ar source. Wouldn't it??? Cheers Alex. --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.....

quote:Originally posted by Renegade Knight:I don't see a problem with this virtual cache. But then mtn-man you already know I'm liberal at thinking caches should be approved. Me neither. We LIKE doing virtuals. Not so much local ones but especially when we are over in the States it's a great way of seeing new places and places that are off the usual "tourist" trails. Earlier in the year we visited LA and spent a whole day doing virtuals in Downtown LA and Hollywood. Would we otherwise have got to see the Columbia Shuttle Memorial and other such neat stuff. I think not. It seems to me that it has now got to the stage where cache approvers look harder for reasons to refuse caches than they do to appreciate the merits of a submission. As for virtuals being archived because they are clogging up the approval queue, the answer to that is simple. Get some more approvers. --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.....

quote:Originally posted by Chris n Maria:But credit for the idea goes to the knights of the Green Shield of course. A wise move. You wouldn't want me to have to send Willy Wright and his boys round to pay you a visit, would you?? Alex. --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.....

quote:Originally posted by Chris n Maria:Just an idea - why not create a local association for Hampshire. This could deal with HCC and other landowners in the area who seem to be keen to talk to us. Great idea Chris. I wish that I had thought of that. quote:Originally posted by Slytherin:There may well be a "majority" of cachers in the Hampshire/Winchester area who are in favour of starting some kind of association and as that is the area where all the hard work has been done with the LOCAL council, why not start a LOCAL association and take things from there? Ah... I did think of it. Alex. --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.....

quote:Originally posted by Team Blitz:There is no doubt that a majority of cachers feel that there is a need for a national organisation to represent geocachers, in some form or another. For the moment, let's forget anything historical (eg GAGB). WHAT??? Can you provide some proof of that statement please. The "majority" of cachers that I've spoken to recently don't want to be represented. They want to be left alone to get on with hiding and finding caches. I thought there was an agreement to leave this contentious issue on the back burner for a while to let the dust settle. It's only been three weeks since all the muck was flying on the forums and I can't see that the strong opinions held by the opposing factions at that time will have changed. Why are you dragging it all up again now? There may well be a "majority" of cachers in the Hampshire/Winchester area who are in favour of starting some kind of association and as that is the area where all the hard work has been done with the LOCAL council, why not start a LOCAL association and take things from there? Starting up the for/against arguement for a national body again is going to achieve nothing but further disharmony. Give it a rest. Alex. --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout..... [This message was edited by Slytherin on June 03, 2003 at 02:31 AM.]

Well done Postie. Remember, the next 100 are always the hardest. Alex. --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.....

I wouldn't worry too much about this. Take a look at the number of caches there are inside Disney property in the States. No one seems to mind. They still get approved and they still get hunted. My view is that if you are going there anyway, why not have a few caches to find. Alex. --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.....

quote:Originally posted by Dan Wilson:... you will be taken to another site & there is a picture of women in Bikinis at the top, if thats not to your liking please don't visit: It captures the essence of geocaching quite succinctly. Exploration of hills and valleys followed by a short bush-whack in order to reach the treasure. Nice article. - --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.....

quote:Originally posted by Mancunian Pyrocacher:A most helpful tip! When finding a nice carpark within fifty feet of the cache, make sure it don't have a barrier with a big big padlock. Just to leave you standing there with a Red face waiting for someone to come along and unlock it so you can get out. If in doubt, try to park your car in a place that stops them getting the gate shut. alex. --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.....

quote:Originally posted by Paul G0TLG:Anyone else willing to share those red-face moments with us all? If you find a nice pencil case, notebook and pencil sharpener in a cache that would do nicely for the nipper for school, don't wait until you get back to the car before you realise why it was that you couldn't find the log book in the cache. Well it was only our fourth cache. We are smarter than that now - just. Alex. --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.....

Hills? In Essex?? Didn't know there was such a thing. Alex. --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.....

quote:Originally posted by Lassitude:Whoops. Should have replied quicker to this. Got side tracked and somebody beat me to the 'Hey look I'm really brainy' award. Cheers Chris Don't feel bad Chris. I brought the Kokopelli travel bug back from the States last year, so I recognised it straight away. Alex. --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.....

quote:Originally posted by 101325:I thought that these photos were taken by a satellite, explains a plane in the shot. As far as I know the getmapping pictures were taken from a plane, not satellite. Alex. --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.....

Here's another one. What were the army up to down there that they didn't want appearing on the photo. Alex. --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.....

Perhaps it is related to this... Kokopelli and maybe he nicked it from here. --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.....

We have taken our border terrier on a few cache hunts but so far haven't found a box big enough to leave him in. Alex. --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.....

quote:Originally posted by Daisy&me:A rich farmer has parked his 747 in his field? Maybe it's one of Dan & Pid's new themed cache containers. Or the world's first VTOL Jumbo. Alex. --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.....

Well, one plane was higher than the other. Cute picture though. --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.....

Take a look at this. http://www.multimap.com/map/photo.cgi?client=public&X=492000&Y=142000&scale=25000&width=700&height=400&gride=&gridn= Anyone got an explanation? Alex. --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout..... [This message was edited by Slytherin on May 16, 2003 at 01:26 PM.]

quote:Originally posted by Dodgydaved:What about the future of UK Admin, both the moderation of this forum and the approval of caches? I would offer to have a crack at it myself until I am allowed to go back to work, Looks like you offer has been taken up Dave. You are probably the nicest bloke we have met in UK caching and you have our full support. If we are to replace three cache approvers, how about having a regional split with one in the south, one in the north and one for Scotland and N. Ireland? I offered my services as a cache approver to Groundspeak a while back to cover any surge in caches in the summer months but at the time it wasn't felt neccassary to extend the provision. If there is support for a regional split I would be happy to cover the north of the country, with DodgyDaveD doing the south. I cerainly agree with Tim & June that we need to return to sanity on the UK forums or risk losing them. I know that Groundspeak are having to moderate the forums themselves at the moment and I'm sure that they have better things to do with their time. Alex. --------------------------------------------------- Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.....