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dcigary

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Posts posted by dcigary

  1. You can apparently dis-associate yourself from a challenge you've created, and now it's free-floating in the Challenge void:

     

    1) Create and publish a Challenge

    2) Note that your "Challenges Published" count goes up

    3) Remove the log indicating that you published it

    4) Note that your "Challenges Published" count goes down

    5) Now note that the Challenge still exists, but now your name is nowhere associated with it (that can be seen via the public anyhow)

     

    Wallah! Instant anonymous Challenges!

     

    EDIT: Ok, to YOU, your "Challenges Published" doesn't go down. But everywhere else there is no record of you creating the Challenge. Not on your public profile, not in the Challenge listing, nowhere.

  2. If these things count, why don't benchmarks count? It was harder to take a pic of a legit benchmark than some of this stuff, but I didn't get a count for it.

     

    AMEN

     

    I have to agree.

     

    Here Here! Harrumph!

    I concur

    C'mon, you guys. Go and list finding a particular benchmark as a challenge, and you're done!

     

    (blink)(blink)

     

    My GOD, that's BRILLIANT!

     

    (Gets busy with the entire Benchmark database)

  3. Ok, about the only thing done right so far is that you can mark a completed challenge incomplete and then back out of a challenge. I won't be doing any of these until:

     

    1) Challenges must have a location

    2) They must be downloadable with a .GPX file (how else am I going to keep track of them in GSAK?)

     

    In other words, they should be just like Virtual Caches.

     

    Otherwise, this is just going to turn into a huge "Planking" site. Sure, it'll be great for Groundspeak, with all those extra ad impressions and page hits, but all that extra horsepower in those new servers will be dedicated to this silliness.

  4. I don’t really care who makes the app or how much it cost.... if an app is out there that has spontaneous live caching, that will be the app I will use, period. If ones don’t exist in the future I think it will slow the progress of the game and turn many people off to it. Once you get your method down, your going to want to stick to it. There is no reason for technology to move backwards or be stunted in any way. Software should run as good and have has many options as the hardware allows it to. A new breed of players has emerged and they know what they want…. I don’t see a reason not to give them what they want and what they are used to.

     

    ...(snipped for brevity)

     

     

    Just a chime in, as this forum doesn't have a "Like" function. (LOL) Everything you said is exactly my feelings as well!

     

    GS can't afford to technically lag behind what is possible now! Embracing, rather than controlling is the key....ride the wave, Groundspeak!

  5. Having a completely free app is just a bad idea in my opinion. The easier and more free you make them to find, the more likely someone will steal them. Promoting an app in which the designer scrapes the site, and slows down everyone else's usage while thumbing their nose at Groundspeaks TOS is just nasty. And you want Groundspeak to embrace it? I know there are people that want everything for free, and I don't think it's a real good idea to make it easy for them to find caches.

     

    This logic goes against any business sense that Groundspeak could ever have. Provide a weak application to make it harder to find caches, and limiting the number of people interested in Geocaching? What kind of logic is that? It would behoove Groundspeak to allow for easier access to the information, so that people of all walks of life - not just the technically saavy ones - will want to sign up, become a premium member and start Geocaching for a hobby. From a standpoint of the way things are now, it's still very cumbersome to get information on what caches are out there to find, and get the coordinates saved to your GPS device of choice. A free application lets people try the hobby out for a while, and then if they get interested, they can sign up and become a premium member, and yes, even purchase an application that allows you to do more. Groundspeak doesn't supply this option - pay $10 for an Android application that you have 15 minutes to review? Not a lot of people would be willing to take that chance.

     

    Of the people that I've introduced to Geocaching, one of the most common complaints I've heard from the non-technical people is that it's so many steps just to get coordinates stored onto your GPS. Give the technically challenged people a .GPX file who can barely figure out how to put the batteries in right? And expect them to know to re-load the .GPX file frequently to update the cache list? That's what makes a hand-held "live" app so valuable. They can just start it, bring up a map and see what caches are around them. They can go find it, and log it from the application. The general opinion is that c:geo beat the GS application hands down in doing this and ease of use. If you were a novice, would YOU want to start Geocaching when it's so difficult to get the information you need to find caches, and fight an non user-friendly application? No, and Groundspeak shouldn't want that either if they want to expand their user base.

     

    In the end, until we get some type of statement from GS on this issue, we're all just shooting in the dark for explanations and reasons. We don't know Groundspeak's business strategy, and it shouldn't matter to us. However, it does start mattering to us when that business strategy starts taking the fun away from Geocaching. That's what they need to watch out for - it's very easy to make a wrong decision and alienate a whole bunch of people. I hope that GS can see the light and make decisions accordingly.

  6. I'm personnaly a developper and all my programs are free and open source, but I understand that the people of Groundspeak have to maintain their big database, and it costs a lot of money.

     

    Today I'm just sad and I wanted to say. There is a lot of features in c:geo, and they are missing in the official application. I buy it a long time ago, two times (!), once on my iPhone, once on my HTC Android.

     

    Thank you for your response IkeHurley.

     

    Yes, a database of user generated content, moderated by unpaid volunteers. As far as the Groundspeak Android application, I waited for a few months after it came out to see what the user reviews were like. They weren't looking pretty. And $10 for an Android application is towards the high end of Android applications. Plus, there was NO consideration given to Premium members, such as a discount on the application, or, heck, even getting it free. The subject was brought up, and Groundspeak's final word was that there would be no benefit to their revenue generating Premium members. And lastly, they should of at least offered a "lite" version of their application for trial, as a lot of people are very wary of plunking down $10 for an application that has a 15 minute trial period.

     

    I personally feel very upset about c:geo development stopping, but I can understand that the author can only take so much before he'll get tired of the hoops and quit. It's a shame that Groundspeak feels that they have to push their application down everyone's throat and stifle the competition. I expected more from a company that values their user base as much as they...well... at least used to apparently do.

  7. Anyone know of a Google Earth script / program that displays the real-time cache finds like they have on the big monitor at The Lilly Pad?

     

    It would make a great screen saver. I'd make one myself, but I'm not programming literate enough to make something like that. I guess one could just go to

    the "recent finds" page and run down the links in a script, but I'm sure there's a better way.

     

    Oh, did I mention it would make a great screen saver?

     

    /just sayin'

     

    B)

  8. I acquired my first souvenir yesterday and thought a few in this forum topic might be curious about it. I got the souvenir when I logged the puzzle cache GC2G6PN. The posted, and final coordinates, for this cache are within a mile or so of Groundspeak HQ. Now I have found dozens, perhaps hundreds, of caches in the vicinity in the past. I have found several of the caches that Moun10bike has and for which you see the souvenirs on his profile page .... but I don't have those yet. So, at present, it appears that we non-lackeys get these few available souvenirs only with a new log.

     

    cheers

    -fish

     

    Interesting, but as there is a "Texas" souvenir, and I've logged many caches since the site upgrade, and still my souvenir page is empty.... :blink:

  9. Maybe the servers are just still loaded with other tasks following the update, but I haven't seen a PQ that should have been generated last night yet. It's usually generated by about 5am at the latest and it's now 7am with no PQ yet. I don't have the email and it's not available for download either.

     

    Same here, came in here looking for more information too. I can't function without my morning GPX files! ;)

  10. I have 4 PQs scheduled to run weekly on Thursday...one of them didn't run (although the other 3 ran hours ago).

     

    So, I un-checked it and checked it again...still nothing.

     

    Found another PQ that I needed to update, as it hadn't been run in a few of weeks, so I checked it...that one ran in a matter of minutes.

     

    Still nothing from the missing PQ. :P

     

    So, again, I un-checked it and checked it again...still nothing.

     

    Since I have scripts to handle my PQs by name, I don't want to make a copy until all other options are exhausted.

     

    Anyone else missing PQs this morning?

    Any suggestions how to get an existing PQ, that's already scheduled, to run?

     

    If an admin is reading this, the PQ is: Near Paisley

    http://www.geocaching.com/pocket/gcquery.a...8c-f95a92becf43

     

    I have 3 PQ's that run daily, and nada so far today.

     

    (whine)Where are my PEEEQUUUUUEEESSS????(/whine)

     

    :laughing:

  11. So, I logged a geocoin dip through a cache today, and look at the trackable map. Seattle, I think we have a problem. It looks like the order is completely reversed? I received my Geocoin from the Groundspeak HQ, and that's always shown up as #1 on the order of the trackables. Today, it's LAST on the list, and the one that I just logged is #1.

     

    Muh?

     

    Attached is a screen print - Like I said, the Coin started tracking in Seattle, and the last cache it was through was in San Antonio, Texas. However, #1 on the hops shows up as the last cache I ran it through in San Antonio and the last on the list is the Groundspeak HQ cache.

     

    reversedtrackables.jpg

  12. If after a certain time it becomes apparent that I won't be able to find the TB's, would it be acceptable to create a replacement TB? I've run across a few that state they are replacement TB's. I guess it's not quite the same as the original object, but at least it keeps the spirit alive!

  13. My Geocaching backpack was stolen from the front seat of our car this morning. I had a borrowed GPS in there that is likely gone, but the rest was just extra pill bottles, swag, misc. Unfortunately there were three TB's in there as well. What should be done with them? Should I report them as MIA? Hopefully the backpack was ditched after they got the GPS and the TB's are still there, but I haven't found it yet.

     

    Thanks.

  14. From my Sister-In-Law's logs this past weekend:

     

    October 3 by 3bighouses (48 found)

    We started hunting for this one after spending the morning cleaning up the area with the Tennessee River Rescue and Pack 3266. We spent about 35 minutes looking for this one and were about to give up when I remembered the Cubmaster had mentioned this cache to me when we got here (his is the GPS unit we have been using - plan to get our own in a couple of weeks!) so I called him to see if he had any hints... He hadn't actually looked for this one himself but said another one of our Pack had found it this morning while picking up trash but since it was really well marked, he didn't think anyone would have picked it up. Armed with a description of the container, we looked around a few more minutes and still didn't find it. We went up to the River Rescue folks and asked if they had seen anything like this - explained about Geocaching, looked into the huge dumpster and saw what MIGHT be the bottom edge of the cache. Fortunately, those BIG dumpsters open up at the end so I only had to walk (not climb) about a third of the way into the dumpster to rescue the cache from the Tennessee River Rescue!!!

     

    Took a ball, left a frisbee, dropped Greg's Travels T.B., SL, replaced the cache where we thought it should have been, called and confirmed placement with BBB. Yippee! All is right with the world now TFTC!

     

    Some of the McCallie boys were excited to see what was inside - who knows, maybe we have stirred up some interest in some more new folks!

     

    Way to go, 3bighouses! :D

  15. Incidentally, Google works great for searching the forums for less than three letter words ... go to Google and type in:

     

    xxxxxx site:forums.Groundspeak.com

     

    where xxxxxx is your search term ... all the processing is on Google's side, so you're helping to keep the boards fast too :o

     

    Ahh, you are correct. I forgot about that method of Googling. Noted for the future!

     

    Thanks for the info about adopting a TB too! :unsure:

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