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treedweller

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Everything posted by treedweller

  1. I also noticed the etrex yellow for $70 in a sale ad for Academy this week. I got along fine with a magellan explorist 100 for years (no data input cable available, unless you want to hack into the machine), but the computer hookup is nice. If you think you'll tire of manually inputting coordinates by joystick (just slightly easier and faster than typing text into a telephone through the number pad), skip the yellow etrex and get a vista or a legend--they come with the cable.
  2. Igot mine in a reasonable time frame. Didn't keep close records, so I'm not sure how long it took. But I am in TX, FWIW. td
  3. The feature I miss most now that I've switched from explorist to 60cx: in the magellan, when viewing the screen that points you to ground zero, there were icons at the edge of the compass to show the position(s) of sun and moon. This allowed me to orient even if I was walking around in circles (or standing still) and it didn't know which direction I was facing. I still carry my compass anyway, but that was pretty handy for quick-and-easy location of north. Since I went from an explorist 100 to the high-end garmin, I still have seen overwhelmingly positive changes by and large, but I wish I could get that feature back . . . td
  4. treedweller

    Desk Top

    And the "Caps Lock" key is on the far left side of the keyboard, just above the "Shift" key and just below the "Tab" key.
  5. I hate playground caches. As others have said, a single male hovering around kids' play areas does not go over well with mommies. But I say, if you like the idea, go for it. I can hunt other stuff. I did find it quite galling when leg 20-something of a 40-step multi forced me to choose between the playground glares or finishing the task (I still haven't logged the final, FWIW). If you choose to use this idea, please let seekers know what to expect in advance. td
  6. I would not be offended by a coin with a note about its historical significance. I am offended, though, by the notion that one must be Jewish to be offended by nazism or the holocaust. We should all be offended by attempts to label some people as "other" and "cleanse" the world of their kind. td
  7. Really? I'm in this sport to find caches and TC simply doesn't have enough. I can find every TC in my state in an afternoon, then what? As far as "advantage", I'm not interested in any "advantage". I just like to find caches and a site that doesn't have listings doesn't do it for me. The day that TC or Navicache or any other site lists caches for me to find is the day I will there look for them. Picture websites that sell songs on Mp3. If a website comes along and tells me they have better (or different) songs than the ones on iTunes, but at the moment they only have ten "really good songs", I'll stick with iTunes. Well, this raises the question (to which I don't know the answer): What did this site look like on Day One? Your criticism seems to boil down to the fact that TC is not well enough established to have the same level of participation as this one. If that were the way the world worked, we'd still be listening to AM radio. After all, when FM came into being, most people didn't have an FM receiver, there were not many FM stations, etc. To reach the level that it has, GC had to get some people to go out and hide stuff and post it here. That's where TC is now. If you can't make the hiding contribution a part of your experience, I guess this is still the place for you. I am assuming from other posts here that you DO hide caches, which would be the first step toward resolving your complaints about the TC site. Or, you could just stay here. Like headybrew said, if it isn't your thing, don't do it. td
  8. In the newbie forum, a discussion of film cans wandered into CITO. Specifically, leaving same in caches, stuffed with a trash bag and labeled with a sticker explaining CITO. I really like this idea, and would like a pointer to the sticker. I can buy some if need be, but I'm guessing someone has a nice template all made up for me to print onto standard label sheets (hint, hint). thx, treedweller
  9. Hey, that's five items in exchange for one. What a generous trade! More people get to enjoy the process later. treedweller
  10. I'm pretty comfortable with solo caching, except for those scary playground hides. The Mommy gangs can be vicious when they sense you might be a pederast. And if they are not feeling strong enough on their own, they usually have cell phones with 911 programmed in the auto-dialer. treedweller
  11. I assume that is a reference to my earlier post. I don't see how you can view it as off-topic. The question is about what makes good swag. In my opinion, that rules out chinese imports. I don't expect everyone to agree with me, but I have every right to post my opinion. How is that attacking anyone? If you meant I was attacking the company referenced previously, all I can say is, I know nothing about them except they are importing stuff from overseas (and what was posted above by others, I assume to be true, though I don't plan to check into it). I don't mean to attack them, but I prefer to buy things made in this country. I acknowledge some imports are of a high quality, but, to continue my example above, I have not seen any tools (one frequently mentioned trade item in these threads) at a dollar store that I would expect to stand up to any real work. Why bother sticking them into a cache or retrieving them? I'd rather TNLN than support the transfer of $ and jobs overseas. Others are obviously free to do as they choose. TD
  12. good rule to live by Ahh yes. Thanks for pointing out an early indiscretion in my caching career. This "find" occurred exactly 21 days after my first ever find; my caching ethic was still being formed. (Kudos for also posting my log for the same cache 6+ months later where I rectified the situation by signing the log of the now-replaced cache. And I traded up too!) But this thread isn't about claiming a find when the cache isn't there. (See Jamie Z for that thread.) I await more constructive criticisms or supportive comments... As an aside---I notice you took a "multi-sided dice." That's not so interesting, but raises the question: do you have a single-sided die? I'd love to see it! Sounds fascinating! Sorry. "My name is treedweller and I am asmartass." TD
  13. I vote against emptying the "trash". Don't forget the old maxim, one man's trash is another man's treasure. Not saying you couldn't improve things by taking out candy wrappers or moldy religious tracts, but even mctoys might appeal to someone. Just leave it better than you found it. And, again, I must vote against the chinese grab bags (whether from a web site, a dollar store or wally world). I'd rather find a pretty rock than see the US trade deficit increased so someone can find a screwdriver or pliers that will likely break if anyone ever actually tries to use it. If you actually go to China and find a good deal on unique, interesting items, go for it. If you can buy the same thing, only better, in this country made by americans, don't bother with the knock-off (buy american if you can afford it; get something else if you can't). Thrift stores often offer the same basic stuff at similar or lower prices, but the profits tend to benefit some worthy cause. oh, and you can find about a million posts with more ideas if you use the search feature of this site. treedweller
  14. Um . . . thanks, but what you may not realize is that the 100 has no maps and no port to import anything. Any other bennies? treedweller
  15. I've heard a lot of mention of GSAK as a great resource if you go paperless. I always ignored it because it was a stretch for me to buy the cheapest GPSr I could find (Magellan Explorist 100). But recently I saw a reference to it that made me think it may have uses beyond just plugging info into a PDA. What might I gain from using this software outside the paperless option? curious, treedweller
  16. What principle would that be? Parks are underfunded and falling apart as it is; why would you, who use the parks and contribute to wear-and-tear on them, refuse to pay your fair share? Think of it as similar to your premium GC membership. treedweller
  17. I've been camping and hiking for around three decades. Most of the time, I've been in TX while doing so. Despite the wild-west image of my state, and despite the fact that I've often been alone in remote areas, I've never carried anything more potent than an air rifle (to shoot birds when I was a kid, not for protection) except on a couple of hunting trips with my dad. I've never felt threatened by man or beast, and never wished I had a firearm when I didn't. Criminals have little or no motivation to hang out in the middle of nowhere, and critters will leave you alone if you do the same to them. I'm surprised to see a law enforcement officer wishing we were all packing. A well armed, well trained populace might be a deterrent, but based on what I've read, those who carry often end up shot by their own guns (or their friends/family do). No matter how sure you are of your skills, a bad break could leave you on the wrong end of the barrel. And when an amateur pulls on a criminal, a happy resolution seems the least likely outcome to me. I won't be packing any time soon, but it's your choice. If you decide to carry, please learn to shoot first. treedweller
  18. I started as a Cub and made it to within a whisper of Star. Went to Philmont in 81. After that, the lame campouts my troop did seemed pretty boring, and I got jealous of my buddy who was advancing faster than me, and I got busy in high school band, so I dropped out. Looking back, there were lots of good things about scouting for me. I use the skills I learned in my own camping/backpacking as well as my job (rope work especially, as an arborist). But I can't bring myself to associate with an organization that discriminates the way they do. It's a real pity. If they just left troops to decide these things for themselves, I could deal. But the gay scout who was denied his eagle because of his orientation, even though his own troop did not care, is the example that I now point to as my reason for not volunteering to help lead a troop. I would like to take another trip to Philmont, though. treedweller
  19. EDIT: somehow in the multiple tabbing of my browser I managed to post to the wrong thread. sorry.
  20. I'll post for the minority opinion. Connectivity is definitely nice, and you should probably spring for it if you can. But I've done okay with a Magellan explorist 100 that I bought on sale for under $70. If you can't find a sale, the aforementioned etrex is probably as cheap, plus you have that $30 option of adding a cable later (not true with the explorist). You have to manually input coordinates, which can be tedious and slow. If you plan to do mega-caching sessions, it's probably more important to have a PC hookup. but I do a couple or a few at a time, and I'm happy enough with the results. Beware, though. The first time you accidentally enter a wrong number and spend a couple of hours hunting in the wrong area, you may wonder why you shortchanged yourself. Personally, I viewed it as a nice day out and didn't worry much about the cache. But it helped that I did about 6 or 8 caches that day and had several successes to compensate me for the failure. treedweller
  21. Gee, gas is expensive. I really hate high gas prices! It makes me sad to cache less because I can't afford to fill up my tank. But at least I can come here for some sparkling conversation! treedweller
  22. I don't mean to spoil the fun, but here's something to think about (and some will find it fun, to boot): http://www.jibjab.com/Movies/BoxMart.aspx I like the idea of turning key fobs and tops, or otherwise making treasure out of trash. I like the idea of leaving collectible coins. I don't much like the idea of sending $ and jobs to China. my $.02 treedweller
  23. I pay $3 to $3.50 a gal. and I drive a TDI that gets 45+ mpg. (and my work truck is also a diesel, getting about 16 mpg). I certainly understand the value of living within a budget. I think you mean "estimates are that there are thousands of years' worth" since there's no real way to gauge accurately. You can't see what's underground, and it's tough to predict how usage will change as supplies dwindle and countries like India and China go car crazy. There may be millions of years' worth, but there may be decades' worth. Unless I'm grossly misinformed. true enough. but that seems to be saying, in effect, that we may at any time make a change to some other fuel than petroleum for powering most vehicles. which is pretty much what I'm saying we have to do. In short, I'm not sure we disagree about much here. treedweller
  24. Don't be ridiculous. You may be right that technology will advance to keep us driving, but petroleum is nevertheless a finite resource, and it will run out. That's not ridiculous, it's simple economics. But because you don't seem to understand the way he put it, maybe this page will make it easier for you to understand. Gee, ParrotRob, that's the first civil reply I've gotten from you. Thanks for offering your view without implying or stating I must be an idiot if I don't share it. To the point: We cannot make new oil. The earth may be making new oil, but not at an appreciable rate. If we do not technically run out, but it becomes so expensive that we stop using it, that is essentially the same thing. In short, we will have to come up with alternatives either way. k
  25. Don't be ridiculous. You may be right that technology will advance to keep us driving, but petroleum is nevertheless a finite resource, and it will run out. Unless, that is, you are suggesting we will suddenly find a replacement and absolutely stop using it (which amounts to the same thing). What many people fail to realize is that petroleum is used for a lot more than powering engines. Chemical pesticides and fertilizer? petroleum. Tires? rubber, yes, and . . .petroleum. That plastic wrapper containing a plastic insert holding a plastic whatsit? all petroleum. Those "support our troops" stickers and magnets and flags? plastic--i.e., petroleum. In fact, plastic is probably a bigger waste of oil than humvees, given the ubiquity of plastic and the relative rarity of hummers. I'm with you there. What galls me most is the news teasers during commercials ("Something in your bathroom could kill you instantly! We'll tell you what at 11!"). These shows are in the business of attracting viewers, and reporting is an afterthought, at best. I stopped watching them years ago, and now it seems shocking to visit my family and realize they still watch this crap without any apparent awareness of being manipulated into unnecessary fear. But the planet is getting more and more crowded, and I believe we are going to have to change our lifestyle at some point in addition to whatever gains we may see from technology. No more "I bought a bunch of cheap plastic toys at the dollar store" to stock caches, for example. For that matter, "Made in China" should equate in our minds with "lots of oil was wasted getting this throwaway garbage to my door." Higher CAFE standards would be nice, but we have a lot of other changes to make if we are going to maintain a sustainable society in the future. treedweller
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