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hoys

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Everything posted by hoys

  1. quote:Originally posted by Alan2:When I was a kid, before Iridium sats, I looked up into the clear night sky in upstate NY. Suddenly a bright light slightly bigger than let's say Venus, lit up. It got brighter changing colors ending in a very bright emerald and then shutting off. It never moved. Lasted about 5-7 seconds as I recall. Never saw anything like it before or since. What do you think it was? Star burning out? Alan A star burning out takes centuries. Even a supernova flare happens over the course of weeks or months. What you saw was probably the reflection off a satellite, just not an Iridium one. There is LOTS of space junk up there and has been for decades, so the chances of seeing a reflection are somewhat slim, but not impossible.
  2. Hadn't noticed this before. This looks very cool. I will have to check out the -7 flare that should be easily visible from my new back porch (moving this weekend) on Saturday night. From GeoCaching to GeoFlashing...
  3. Congrats, Oh Evil One. May the next 2000 be as fun as the last 2000!
  4. quote:Originally posted by JamesJM:Pilots should most definitely understand the nuts and bolts of navigation and relying on ANYTHING...including VOR is not the best way to learn. - JamesJM Good point. Guess I should have listed pilotage BEFORE VOR and DME, as that's the way I learned. Especially since GPS is probably technically more reliable than VOR or DME stations, but nothing is more reliable than knowing where you are in the first place.
  5. quote:Originally posted by georapper:#1. whats another cache being placed have to do with the admins being overloaded. if the admins are overloaded, then new cache placement would come to a halt too. the number of moving caches is extremely small compared to the number of new caches. if the admins are overloaded, then geocaching would cease to exist. True. However, right now, the admins have to do the research and approve a cache once. After that, dozens or hundreds of people can find it. The person placing the cache has (in theory) put time and effort into making sure the location is correct, cool, and legal. Now, someone grabs a cache and moves it each time. You have the usual problem with moving caches - three people go to find it in a day, two are dissapointed - placed coordinates are verified only once instead of the 4-5 times a placer should be verifying them - new placer may not put the research into legal locations and drop it somewhere illegal - original cacher is now liable. Then, add to that the fact that the approvers must re-approve the cache each and every time someone finds it, and do that research all over again. Right now, one approval is good for a large number of finds. Just a few caches like this in a large area could easily double the workload on the (volunteer) approvers. Then, if the approver has a beef with the location, would they contact the person who moved it (who might be the only person able to find it again), or the cache owner? Personally, I don't do moving caches. I see too many technical problems with them. So my opinion could hardly be considered unbiased. I cannot imagine that the admins would be thrilled with the additional workload. If your local admin approves it and is willing to take on the work, though, who am I to argue?
  6. When I took my flying lessons a few years ago, my instructor completely banned GPS from the cockpit while he was on board. I had to learn VOR, DME, and pilotage. My instructor beat the lesson of "GPS should never be used as a primary means of navigation" so hard I still have marks. When I started going out solo, and since I got my license, my GPS is in my flight bag all the time, with fully-charged batteries and waypoints for all of the airports I have interest in or might potentially need (for a forced or fast landing). I keep it right next to my handheld AV/COM that sticks around in case I lose electric. Most of the time, it stays there, and I end up coming back with a GPS with fully charged batteries. Sometimes, when I am out flying over a whole lot of nothing, I use it to get a more accurate vector to the target airport. It saves me fuel and that all important (and expensive) engine time. I've also used it to keep the track and print it out on a map for passengers, but it stays sitting on the back seat. I am VFR only, so I can't speak to IFR. However, the instant I find that I cannot handle a VOR or AV-Chart, I will go back to a school or instructor and buy some remedial training before I take passengers up again.
  7. quote:Originally posted by Riverwind:That geo cache? Are there any active groups or clubs organized? The GeoCachers of Kentucky (GEOCKY) is located in Central Kentucky, but has members in various areas of the state. We have worked with City officials in Lexington as well as various State organizations to get permission to cache. You can find us at http://www.geocky.org
  8. When the new site first came up, I was really excited. Then I tried accessing it with my usual browser (Mozilla Firebird 0.6). Crash. Crash. Crash. It's gotten better since, but the new site appears to be running Microsoft's .NET architecture, which tends to be VERY fussy about browsers (or, more to the point, browsers tend to be very fussy about .NET). I would update your Windows and IE6 with all of the latest updates (windowsupdate.microsoft.com) and probaby load the .NET framework as well.
  9. Have you loaded the latest firmware to your GPS? Garmin frequently comes out with updates that help the operation and accuracy of the units. Not saying that that would account for that much drift, but updated firmware can only help, if it's available. Also, how strong were your batteries? I have noticed reduced accuracy sometimes on my Venture when the batteries get a little low. As others have already mentioned, letting it sit and "settle" a little can help.
  10. quote:Originally posted by umc:hoys, Do you work for geocaching or fox? http://www.mi-geocaching.org/ ______________________________________________________________________________________ Caching without a clue.... Neither, thankfully. Actually, I would love to have come up with Homer, just to draw a few of the profits off him, but sadly I'm just a working schmoe.
  11. quote:Originally posted by TNRonin:Yes the garage sale is for dumping stuff. Have you looked at the camelbak (5) page thread? He ain't dumping them. And I have posted on the Garage sale page. I have many viewers, and many hits on the site. Then, at the most, the Garage Sale would have been the place to do it. Not my call, though. Jeremy will make the call - I'm just informing you of the rules of generally accepted internet etiquitte, then you might discover why a lot of hits may not equal a lot of sales. PS: I would recommend that you remove the "Homer" image from your sig. Using a copyrighted character as advertising without permission may just subject you to a lawsuit from Fox, who happens to own Homer J Simpson. This is NOT a warning. I do not work for GeoCaching nor do I work for Fox, but you have taken resources from both to advertise your business. Again, I hope your business succeeds, but I would respectfully point out that your posts in "General Discussion" and your use of Homer are two moves in the wrong direction.
  12. quote:Originally posted by TNRonin:umc, I don't get where you are coming from. I asked for someone to review this. If I could afford to give it away I would. Admirable, but please understand that you are posting what is essentially a commercial advertisement for your product or service on a site that does not solicit such. This is generally known as "spamming" a site, and is exceptionally bad etiquitte, regardless of the circumstances. quote:It's no different than someone selling camelbaks on the site or selling their GPS. I'm attempting to offer good products at what I think is a fair price. Actually, yes it is. First, the "GPS Garage Sale" is set aside for trading, and you have posted this in "general discussion", which is the wrong section. Second, "GPS garage sale" is set aside for non-commerical people just trying to dump an old GPS and salvage a few bucks for it, not a commercial enterprise like yourself. I sympathize - getting your name out there is tough and your 25% off proposal for a review is a fair one. However, using someone else's forums to advertise your business without their permission is not the way to go. I do wish you luck in your venture. I really hope it works out for you.
  13. quote:I like micro caches, do you know if there is any place to buy empty 35mm canisters? Go to ANY place that does film developing (where they have the machine in-house, like the one hour photo shops) and ask them for some. Generally, they will give you a trash bag full and tell you to take them ALL, and say "please". They throw away large bags of them every day. If the place doesn't have a one-hour photo, then you probably will come up empty. You need to go to a lab that actually does their own processing right in the building. Good luck. www.geocky.org
  14. quote:Originally posted by Paddy Yenar:Just updating some contact information. Kate Krebs is now Kate Shanks. Her new email address is kshanks@lfucg.com. PY This information has also been updated on the GeoCachers of Kentucky web page at www.geocky.org
  15. quote:I guessed they would be different if people logged the same cache more than once, but I didn't think _almost_ everybody did that. Actually, event caches very frequently do receive multiple logs per cache. For example, in many of the events I have attended, it is common for the host to place a few "event micros". These micros are treated as duplicate logs of the event cache, even though the cacher has actually found a series of distinct and separate caches. "Event Micros" generally exist for the event only, so the GeoCaching approvers generally ask not to have to approve 3-4 extra caches for that day.
  16. quote:Originally posted by Web-ling:I _DARE_ someone to hunt http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=20876 in the nude! http://www.web-ling.com http://www.ntxga.org I have a similar one here in Kentucky: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=34083 I get scratched up if I wear shorts, much less if I were to wear, well... err.. less. Ow.
  17. quote:Originally posted by GeoCan:Very interesting, I am assuming the GPS was ON the whole time? (was there a car battery hooked to it?) http://blacksheep.rootsweb.com/gc/geocan.jpg Trash-out, EVERYtime Actually, my wife said it was a GPS built into a car. So, yes, your guess would be correct.
  18. My entry for MOST BORING SUBMISSION: "Hoy" is my last name. Hope I didn't put anyone to sleep.
  19. quote:Originally posted by Crusso:Watchin CSI & the main part of the investigation has the investigators downloading a track log to trace a murder victim's travels. Just some trivia. Guess GPSs are gettin more mainstream as they didn't need to explain what a GPS is or what it does. Wherever you go, there you are! Based on my wife's description of the show (can't stand it myself, but she's into it), it sounds like she was a GPS newbie. Logged the find, but at the wrong cache.
  20. quote:Time Bandits. THAT was a good caching movie. No GPSr. All they needed was a map. Been too many years since I've seen that movie, but most of my hunts have been more like "Quantum Leap" or "Sliders" than anything else. Oh, yes, and lest I forget - "Dr. Who". OK, OK, I know they're all TV shows.
  21. quote:Originally posted by Nude Cacher:We only want opinions that agree with our narrow world view. Nude recreation is family oriented but has been hidden behind large gates in the past. I've included some of my interests, just as others have theirs. I am a member of two national organizations that support the rights of clothes free recreation and explain the rules at http://www.naturistsociety.com/ and http://www.aanr.com/ . Major news organizations such as the New York Times have mentioned Nude Recreation Week. I've tried to keep my postings educational and in the spirit of geocachine.com. The discussion here seems to represent the mix of reactions that nudists encounter. I respect your right to nudism. In fact, I have been to a number of nude beaches myself as a kid AND as an adult and I think naturism/nudism is healthy and not at all a bad thing. However, if you read the guidelines of one of the very sites you refer to: "Naturists are not exhibitionists. They do not wish to offend those who fear nakedness, and therefore work for designated public and private areas at which people have the option to wear clothes or not. They prefer such areas to be well-marked so people who may be offended can easily avoid them." Source: http://www.naturistsociety.com/utilities/faq.htm Now, knowing that Naturists/Nudists are in a minority in the US, and a good portion of the world, you are not only violating the terms of GeoCaching (which discourages pushing of any agenda, political or otherwise), but you are also violating the terms of the Naturists site by posting naturist photos in a non-naturist setting. I respectfully submit that you are causing far more harm to your cause than any possible good, even ignoring Jeremy's rule (which would not be a wise thing to do in the first place). People with a clothes hang-up are going to look at your photos and be set even harder in their ways against naturism, and that just makes it that much harder for any form of acceptance. Just look at some of the reaction you have gotten here. People who were not thinking either way about the issue are now thinking strongly and clearly AGAINST you.
  22. Particularly with an urban micro, discretion is key. Otherwise, the cache container will vanish. There have been a number of caches where I have had to simply go away and come back later if someone is around. If you think you know where it is, and are a pretty decent actor, then dropping your car keys into brush gives you one chance to get the cache. Repeatedly dropping your car keys, however, just becomes obvious.
  23. quote:On countless occasions a newbie would ask a question, make a proposal or try to spark some disucssion only to be slapped down by other members. (sometimes rather viciously). This is an unfortunate trend found on almost all boards that are not heavily moderated. In the beginning of the forum, everyone is a newbie and everyone can talk freely. However, eventually, as people "live" in the forum long enough, those who have been around long enough get a sense of ownership toward the forum and can resent newbies coming in and not knowing the unwritten rules and pecking order that has been established. Those who can offer the newbie the most help and support are often the least likely to do so. Generally, there are a few people who develop a good list of previous threads that they keep handy. When a new topic pops up from a newbie, they will post a link to that thread with a gentle nudge to go skim through the thread to get some historical perspective. That way, the wheel doesn't get reinvented all the time but the newbie has a chance to propose an original suggestion, and know it is original. Markwell established a bit of that here. That is generally the best forum etiquitte IMHO (in my humble opinion). After all, there are thousands of posts in the archives and searching can be a hit-and-miss proposition on forums.
  24. quote:Originally posted by Alan2:If someone places a cache (local or visiting geocacher) that violates the rules by the park service, they it would sem reasonable to have it pulled by Jeremy. I agree. Our state approver, KYADMIN, is actually "the guy" instead of Jeremy in our case. We investigate caches when asked to by the Land Management Authority or by KYADMIN. If we happen to see a new one that goes in that is clearly in violation, we send someone up to verify the problem (with strict orders to NEVER TOUCH the cache in any way, even if it contains food or some other prohibited item - which has happened). We then quietly report the violation to KYADMIN so they can work with the cacher before the Land Management Agency notices it and pulls it. It makes for a less unpleasant scene all around, most of the time. We did start out by contacting the cachers directly and informing them of the violation and trying to educate them about the Land Management rules in the hopes we could get the problems corrected before GeoCaching got involved. That was a HUGE mistake in a few cases. We don't do that any more. The local Land Management Agencies agreed to work with us and accept input from us on the rules because we could at least try to answer for the sport. If we had not agreed to this, we would likely be faced with a series of bans that were put into place before the Agencies learned of us and some more restrictive rules where caching WAS allowed, and a lot of bad press for the sport. If our relationship with the agencies sours, we could rapidly go back there. On the other hand, we do not want to be "Cache Nazis" and start yanking caches. It's not our responsibility, and it's not the role we want to take. We are an advisory and assistance organization, not a police force. quote:However, in other areas where "no one" is getting approval to place caches I stil say it's up to the individual. As long as he makes arrangements one way or the other for maintenance, it should be OK! No argument here, and I was certainly not arguing against anyone placing a well-planned cache that follows the rules and includes a maintenance plan, even if the maintenance is to be done by someone else. That's cool by me. HOW a placer arranges their maintenance is frankly none of my darned business, nor should it be, as long as it gets done and the amount of geolitter stays low. High geolitter rates make an area undesirable, and we want to prevent that as much as possible, but we can only "police" our members and make recommendations to others that they can follow, or ignore. We are not in any form of power, and we don't pretend to be. We're just a bunch of people hoping to keep the activity as fun as possible for everyone. When appropriate, we will ask for a volunteer to take over abandoned caches or those that the owner cannot maintain effectively. If the cache owner does not want to do this, then we leave it up to GeoCaching what they want to do about it. If Jeremy or his agent is OK with leaving the cache there, then the matter drops. If we get a notification from GeoCaching to go out and pick up a container because the owner has indicated no interest in it or has vanished, we will do so, though we will try to reactivate the cache first where possible under a new volunteer owner if we can. We would never yank a cache or do a "hostile takeover" of a cache on our own. Anyway, enough rambling. I agree that a "vacation/visitor cache" is not necessarily a bad thing IF it is planned ahead of time and done correctly. I have no preference as to locally owned or "foreigner" caches, I do them both. A poorly-executed cache is a bad cache no matter WHO places it, and the person could live 5 feet from the cache, or 5 thousand miles. If it's not maintained when necessary, it's a bad cache.
  25. Here in Kentucky, our organization has worked with the major land management agencies and put a lot of effort into getting total bans on GeoCaching turned into rules that allow GeoCaching under certain circumstances. Unfortunately, if someone places a cache in those areas while ignoring the rules, our organization and GeoCaching both lose credibility, and it becomes that much harder to negotiate with the management agencies. We publish the rules that each land management agency has established, and have no problem with anyone placing a cache as long as reasonable efforts are made to follow those rules. Unfortunately, a few people have been unable to resist the temptation, and we occasionally get requests from the Kentucky approver or the Land Management Agencies to coordinate contacting the Cacher and fixing a problem with a cache. I guess the point is that anyone is welcome to place a cache as far as we are concerned (placing caches is not the exclusive domain of "locals"), as long as they know and understand (and FOLLOW) the rules established in the state of Kentucky, and can make arrangements to have the cache maintained by someone. Many areas have organizations that are aware of these rules and happy to help, but a "drive-and-dump" can really make it tough to deal with the local Land Management people, and we have had to deal with a bit of "geo-trash" left by cachers who placed then abandoned a cache. Placing a cache and THEN contacting the local organization and expecting them to maintain it for you is not the way to go in my opinion, no matter how well-thought-out the cache is. It gives the person who dropped the cache all the credit for placing it, and does not give any credit to the person who is putting the real work into the cache - the ongoing care and maintenance. Generally, when we are contacted and asked for remote maintenance, we find a local volunteer willing to adopt the cache (ie. get the credit for the ongoing effort of maintenance), and request that the cache be transferred to that account. As far as doing maintenance of caches we find, this is highly encouraged within our organization, and my cache kit includes spare pens and pencils, a spare log book, Ziploc baggies, paper towels, and everything I think I could possibly need to help maintain a cache. Few cachers mind doing a bit of maintenance on a cache they find from time to time, but if someone is expected to be responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the cache, then I feel they deserve the credit for that on their profile. Team Hoys President, Geocachers of Kentucky http://www.geocky.org
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