seneca
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Posts posted by seneca
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I don't know what the handle is for though, I ain't carrying anything that has four legs of its own..
So it guess you wouldn't bother using one of these for your cat, then.
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I convinced the family to go Geocaching with me on the condition of an obligatory stop at McD’s on the way home. Had my digital camera, my phone, and my treasured E-Trex Vista all in the same small gadget bag which I hung over the back of my seat in the restaurant in a way that I thought would guarantee I wouldn’t forget it. Nothing is guaranteed. In the car, and about two blocks away, the realization hits, and within half a second I terrify the family with a simultaneous “ohhhhh nooooo” scream, and treacherous u-turn (over a raised median, of course). Stopped right in front of the door at Ronald’s place and jump out with the engine still running and run inside. There’s the bag still hanging there. Boy, was I was relieved (although I think I had already relieved myself before finding it!) Whew....... that was close.
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I believe that the DD.DDDDD format is a decimal point or two beyond what the expected range of error would be in any event. I also believe that with little effort, a format of DD.DDDDDD or perhaps even DD.DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD could be programmed into your GPSr software, but this would not make your GPSr any more accurate.
I wouldn't rely on meaningless numbers that show up as digits to the right of the decimal point that are beyond the accuracy of my GPSr.
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The first reply came from an underling, the permission was actully given by the Park Director.
Now that you seem to have a positive thing going with these park guys, I hope that the underling doesn't read this thread (and in particular what I had to say about him) !
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A DNF is a sign that you are human.
DNF's build character.
A DNF should be worn as a badge of honor.
DNF's are reminders of some of the most memorable cache adventures.
WE NEED MORE DNF'S !!
(and a DNF means more to me than a note does.)
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No offense, but, after just 5 minutes? Thats EXACTLY why I've stopped adding any hints to higher difficulty hides.
Absolutely no offence taken. We all do our thing the way we like to do our thing, right? I don't cache so that I can get to turn over every rock in the area, prod with my hand or a stick into every possible crevice, climb into every hollow stump, rake over every single pile of leaves or debris that I see. I like to arrive at a cache location, (usually after a good long hike) and then have a quick look for the obvious hiding spots, and if that doesn't work, I use the clue. If the cache owner elects not to give a clue (no problem for me - he's just doing his own thing), then I don't bother doing that cache in the first place. If it turns out that the clue is useless after I have arrived at the cache and can't quickly find it, then I am faced with the crappy searching process that I described - and will probably look at the clue in advance next time I attempt a cache hidden by the same person.
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I like a hint that ensures I find the cache once I have arrived at the cache location. I always decode it beforehand. When arriving at the cache co-ordinates, I use "the Force" for about the first five minutes of my search, and if that doesn't work, then I use the hint. I get a little bit of self-satisfaction when I find the cache without the hint, but never a sense of failure if I use it (which for me is the majority of the time).
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I was contacted by a local newspaper reporter the other day (from Burnaby- New Westminster NewsLeader) who wanted to do a story on geocaching. Being the egoist that I am, of course I obliged! He actually got a lot of the facts right (and a few wrong) but overall I was pleased with the story. The story can be found on the paper's online edition here. .
(I was going to post this on our Canada regional forum, but I wanted all my worldwide geocaching buddies to see!)
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Great view from top of Cypress bowl, West Vancouver. Too bad we got in the way!
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The British Columbia Geocaching Association was incorporated on February 13, 2004 (yes it was a Friday) as a British Columbia Society. This project was initiated by MrGigabyte to whom we express our gratitude for the tremendous time and effort he has expended in getting it off the ground. Other founding members are Mariner, Seneca, Wet Coast Explorers and Mr.Peabody. Read all about it here.
Our web site now has 125 members and we are now going on a drive to get them (and more) signed up as voting members of the association. Come on and join us!
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I LOVE my '89 Toyota 4x4!
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That letter is truly a classic! I am amazed at the number of suggestions on this thread to the effect of trying to win him over by demonstration and education. That approach presupposes that the guy has at least half an ounce of intelligence. Good luck. Good thing he’s got a government job, that’s all I can say.
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Sissy-n-CR used to say "Please trade kindly." and "Let those who behind you be as happy as you are." It made a lot of sense to me. Seneca’s concept seems to be saying basically the same thing, but with more words.
You are right - I get WAY too wordy. So my idea reworded, in a nutshell:
When trading do not worry about being even-handed.
Always leave something decent, but of course you can leave something great!
You can always take something decent, but if you find something great GO FOR IT!
I don't think its quite the same as your concept.
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Very interesting thread. Seneca’s concept of trading “decent” items for other “decent” items, regardless of value, is an intriguing philosophy and one that I can buy into wholeheartedly. However, I’m not so sure how that differs from “Trade Up Or Trade Even”.
I'm not sure you get my concept. My concept is - feel free to take the thing that you think is the very best thing in the cache (on whatever value scale you want to use) so long as you leave something decent. If you happen to be the first person to find the cache after a very generous person left a new FRS Radio, and you really like the radio, then take it, and leave a Canadian Flag shot glass in exchange. (I'm sure you would want to contact the generous person and thank him for his great prize) At a future date, you might be well inclined to leave something particularly great in a cache (maybe on your 500th find!). My concept is to encourage meaningful generosity. I think that it would add to the game, while overall improving cache contents.
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.....I only take something if it tickles my fancy. I like handmade or unique items, monetary value is of no concern to me. In the future I plan on leaving a geo poker chip in every cache I visit. ..... If you find something in a cache that has obvious monetary value in the $10 - $20 range and it really "tickles your fancy" and you have your really cool "Geo Poker Chips" for trading, are you going to take the item that you like and leave a poker chip in trade? (If I had left the item that "tickled your fancy" I really wish that you would take it and feel good about it!
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...Actually, we are blessed. If that happened, we would leave it... You are of course lucky, and you have good kids. But not letting them take the video game is one of the reasons why I might not be inclined to leave something of special value in a cache. When my daughter was young, I recall visiting an elderly person with her, and as we we leaving, he took out a $5.00 bill and wanted to give it to my daughter. My daughter looked up at me to see if it was alright to take it. The man was not a man of substantial means (and like you, I am also blessed) and my first and obvious inclination was to refuse to allow him to give it to my daughter. But then I realized he was only giving it to her to see the look on her face, and so that he could feel good about his little act of generosity. I let my daughter take the $5.00, and on the way home we talked about generosity and I think she understood.
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...Also, I plan on taking out a couple of younger kids this weekend. I will be stopping at the dollar store (Ours have some cool stuff, especially for kids) and giving them each a couple of bucks to buy items they think are nice to trade. ...
Now what if you arrive at the cache, and some generous person has left a really cool handheld video game (perhaps with a retail value of $12.95). Don't you think that the person who left it would love to think about the looks on those kids faces, when they find that in the cache and are told they are allowed to take it in trade for the thoughtfull dollar store item they bought? Are you going to let them take it?
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I'd like to get rid of it too, but for a different reason - the phrase trade up means exactly the opposite of what people here are intending it to mean, and they look rather foolish when they misuse it that way.
When you "trade up", it means that you end a trade better off financially than when you started. If I take a $100 watch from a cache, and leave a broken McToy, then I have just traded up. Big time.
It has the meaning you refer to because it has in general usage been used from the perspective of what one is taking for trade. Ever since I have been Geocaching, the term "trade up" has always been used (certainly in this forum) to refer to what one is giving in trade. I don't think the usage of "trade up" in this context has ever caused any confusion.
Language changes through usage. A good example: Look up the word "Geocache" in the dictionary you have referred to - its not there!!
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Come to think of it. This rule isn't even a rule. It's just a generally accepted geocaching principal like "hide it like you found it".
You couldn't get rid of it if you tried. It still doesn't change the evolution of stuff from Cool to McCrap.
You are right, it is not a rule, that's why I referred to it as a convention (something that has become so customary through usage, that it starts getting treated like a rule). Conventions can be changed. Sometimes the changes start by discussion.
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Trade even or trade up, fits on a bumper sticker. It summarizes reams and reams of philosophy on the subject and does ok.
You are right. It summarizes the philosophy perfectly. I just don't like that "swap meet" philosophy for geocaching, and I think that it is indirectly responsible for the serious degradation that almost all caches suffer.
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.....Maybe I'm missing the point, but it seems like under the new system the odds on cool items would go down even more......
Under the current system, I have little incentive to leave anything of substantial value in a cache. Many cachers will not have something of substantial value to trade, and the decent ones among them won't take my item for that reason. Therefor I am not inclined to take items with me that have much value. I thought about leaving something more expenseiv on my hundredth cache find (as kind of a commemoration) but thought why bother - its not doing any favour for anybody. It is proven that more blood is collected in a volunteer "donation" based system, than one where you get paid for it. I think something like that could happen here.
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(bold type added)OK. Here's another way to go: request what you want and see how well it flies.Here's my new cache: Nice Swag cache
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...47-51a935c17817
And what, may I ask is wrong with that idea? If they end up taking all the good swag and leaving crap, then I'll admit defeat and change the name of the cache. But I thought I'd give the local cachers a chance to show what they're made of. and I don't mean, show that they are made of money! Made of niceness, perhaps..
But what is crap??
I have a few inexpensive plastic handled, colapsable cork screws in my swagger box. (I believe they probably have the name of some business imprinted on them). This item is durable, useful, and small enough to fit in most caches - and probably worth about 50 cents. I would consider it to be a decent item for a cache - and I would not necessarily consider it "crap". However, compared to the "Sterling Silver and Turquoise thunderbird necklace" that you left in your "Nice Swag Cache", it probably is crap! Now would you be upset if I left my cork screw and took your neclace? If you are then you are simply wanting to maintain the "Trade up or Trade Even" convention that most say they abide by. That is the convention that I would like to see changed.
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This topic came up on another thread.
I have never really liked the “trade even or trade up” convention that we try to promote (usually unsuccessfully) in Geocaching. If I want to trade even, then I would rather trade my dollars for merchandise at Walmart - they have a much better selection. Under the current system, most of the stuff of significant value that gets left in a cache, does not go to the nice people - because they often have not brought trading items that are equal or greater in value. So most of these items go to the persons who cheat under the current convention. Or they just get left there.
Accordingly, I would like to see a new trading convention adopted:
Take any single item you want (including the best thing in the cache) regardless of value, so long as you leave something decent, regardless of value. “Decent” items do not have to be expensive, and many can be obtained for under a buck. If you are feeling particularly generous (perhaps because it’s a milestone cache or something nice has just happened to you), then by all means leave something of significant monetary value, either when you start a cache, or when you are trading. Subsequent finders will be surprised and delighted by your act of generosity! This way all caches will be stocked with decent items, and sometimes you might find real treasure that is yours to keep!
Do I have any supporters out there?
.....I only take something if it tickles my fancy. I like handmade or unique items, monetary value is of no concern to me. In the future I plan on leaving a geo poker chip in every cache I visit. ..... 
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...Actually, we are blessed. If that happened, we would leave it...
British Columbia Geocaching Association Is Born!
in Canada
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Congratulations to the new board of directors! Mission accomplished! Phase two of BCGA is now over and now we appear to have an excellent board with some real teeth, who can take it into phase three and actually do stuff with the comfort that they have a real mandate from those geocachers in BC who think BCGA has potential (I’m talking about those who joined!).
All five of the original directors (MrGigabyte, Mariner, The Wet Coast Explorers, MrPeabody, and myself) can take credit for “the good, the bad and the ugly” organizational stage of BCGA. However, special credit has to go the person responsible for the most important phase one conception of BCGA - MrGigabyte. Before any of us at all were involved, he had an idea - a regional geocaching association for British Columbia. He put in hours and hours of personal time and developed an excellent website to introduce us to his idea. Years down the road, when BCGA has grown into a vibrant, meaningful organization with a large membership, MrG will look back on what he started with pride, and I am hopeful that this organization will always give him the positive recognition that he deserves.