sshipway

Its too late to help now, but for your next laptop, you might like to install this : Prey Project Its a free service and is better than nothing. I'm using it on my laptop and phone, and trialling it for use on all the mobile devices in our office.

This is one of my caches: http://coord.info/GC31398 This is a Buddhism-themed cache, based on Wu Cheng-en's story of Monkey, which is itself based on a true story. I've had no problems with anyone over this (other than the local Buddhist temple not wanting the cache hidden on their property!). In the Wherigo part, you need to answer various (easy) questions on Buddhism to progress. I have no problems with any religious-themed caches, as long as they are not blatantly pushing an agenda (in which case I'd ignore them and move on - life is too short to fuss over that sort of thing).

This cache of mine http://coord.info/GC31398 is called 'Monkey!'. I left a FTF and STF prize of two books of different translations of the famous Wu Ch'eng-en story related to the cache (about $15 each). Always good if the FTF prize is in some way related to the cache itself. I also know (from subsequent maintenance visits) that people have obtained Buddhist-themed swag items from the nearby temple giftshop to place in the cache.

What is your favorite kind of swag? Something that excites the kids. Personally, I'd like to find personalised sig items, but they are extremely rare here in NZ. What is your least favorite kind of swag? Old bottle tops, business cards, and rusty badges (which can spike kids) Did you ever find a piece of swag that made you MAD? The wife thinks that I'm already insane on account of my geocaching... Did you ever find a piece of swag that made you really happy? The Swagosaurus that my son(4) and I found in a cache that had been unfound for a year. It is a small plush dinosaur, and was in perfect condition despite the long time. Best swag ever; he brought it home to give to his sister, who still keeps it in her bed after a whole year. What is the most unusually piece of swag you ever found? Nothing in particular, though I'v left some odd items - chinese knots and coins, tiny solar-powered car... Other I'm in it for the fun of the search; the kids are in it for the trade of the swag. Others are in it for other reasons. If there were more (any) sig items here in NZ I'd be trading for them, but the only one's I've found so far were simply printed/laminated paper. My personal sig item, by the way, is a customised fridge magnet. 40c each when ordered by the hundred.

I have no problems with someone placing self-promoting swag items in a cache, PROVIDED that said items have an additional use (music CD, pen, torch, etc etc). If it's just a business card or leaflet then it is just taking up time and space. Even a sig item is effectively self-promotion, but some people still collect them if they're nicely done. To be honest, I'd rather see more interesting swag items of any sort. Seems to me that either caches are too small these days to hold any, or else the previous finder simply purloined the whole contents and left an old bottletop...

There's a bit of a privacy concern to GPS-tagging of photos. For example, if you post online a picture of yourself at home and it has GPS tags, then anyone can find out your home address... if the picture shows your spiffy new home cinema system, then potentially, a thief could find out where to obtain said item. The point of accidentally giving away the final location of a puzzle cache if you post pictures of GZ is also well taken. I have a puzzle cache that relies on EXIF data, and it still remains solveable. So GS are not stripping all EXIF tags.

Sounds as if when you re-configured your phone, you used a different gmail account and so the android store doesnt know you're the same person (the store identifies you by the gmail account, not by the phone number, since you could have multiple phones or a tablet with no phone capability). If you log in with the same account as before, it should remember which apps you've already paid for and allow you to install them on as many devices as you have linked to that account.

Down here in New Zealand, Curglaff seems to be very much on the ball. He's approved caches in a couple of hours ... Although the first cache I posted took about a week (that was him, too). Maybe he obtained a faster net connection?

I'd certainly do it. Makes me want to create something similar here... You might want to add in the description an estimate of how much time the seeker should expect to take, though.

Surely, a souvenir for a more out-of-the-way place is more 'valuable' (measured in kudos) than one for, say, mainland USA. I know I'd be more proud of a 'China' souvenir, simply because it is far harder (and riskier!) to get. Easy souvenirs, such as for highly-populated or cache-heavy locations are less interesting (like doing a 5/5 would give you more bragging rights than a 1/1). However, everyone plays this game differently. For the time being, I just ignore souvenirs, until such time as they become of more interest to me.

I'm guessing this is a box that only opens when taken to the correct locations in sequence? Looks like an arduino in there, with a bunch of addins. Care to post the sketch code?

There is a multicache here that requires you to go literally half way around the globe (New Zealand to UK) to complete it. I have no problem with it being more than a few minutes walk, provided this is indicated in the cache description. I might be more reluctant to try it, though, unless there were other compelling reasons.

You may also want to notify local law enforcement of the presence of your cache. They may get many reports of 'furtive individuals hiding in the bushes' and end up wasting time making geocachers into suspects otherwise...

If I take a trackable out, I'll usually put a nice piece of swag in -- not because its a trade, but in order to improve the cache in recognition of the fact that it has given me more enjoyment. I wouldnt say it is compulsory, though. I don't mind how many trackables someone takes from my cache, as long as they are moved on to another cache in a reasonable time and not kept. I think some 'TB Hotels' have a different rule (take one, leave one), though.

I had a similar problem but the distance involved was only about 5m. The reviewer let it pass after explaining why the final had to be in precisely that location.

I'd give someone a hint if asked (though not the whole solution). I don't mind if people find my caches by getting hints from other cachers -- after all, I don't lose anything, and they just devalue their own find. However, it's not a competition against anyone but yourself, so why not help out someone who's having difficulty getting started?

Interesting for us here in New Zealand, which is directly opposite Spain. Madrid maps to Palmerston North, Auckland goes to Marbella, and Malaga balances the Coromandel peninsula. Many opportunities for clever caches.

I too wish the return of Google maps. Here in New Zelaand, OSM maps are patchy and outdated. However, I understand there would be a significant financial cost to Groundspeak for doing so, due to Google policy. Therefore, someone has to pay. I would be willing to have a (small) rise in premium membership fees in exchange for Google maps becoming available to Premium members. That way, the people who pay for the service get the extra features - as it is with PQs, Bookmarks, API access, etc. I'm surprised thisoption has not occurred to GS (or maybe it has, and they're working on making a 2-tier map applicaiton....)

Excellent; returns the the Good Old Days . Major kudos to the writer - and brickbats to Google for making it necessary. 'Do no evil', indeed.

Hey, the 162m separation rule is awkward! Why not make it a round 200m or 150m. Only the USA uses feet and miles now (even the UK uses meters for short distances)... (Seriously, though - it isn't broken, so don't try to fix it...)

Maybe they should reinstate the Google Maps interface, but ONLY for Premium members? That way people are paying for the Google fees. Of course, it might also mean charging an additional $5/year for the PM... For what it's worth, I'd pay more for the Google maps interface. Outside of the USA, and outside of cities, the currently-available map coverage is patchy, and there's little if any ariel photos.

Why do you feel the need for someone to "blame"? Noone is making you go looking for caches. Even if the information is wrong, just stop looking, log a note or a NM, and move on. No need for any blame. Sheesh, you Americans... you'll be asking who you can sue next (dons asbestos jacket, holds out marshmallow on stick and waits...)

Great idea! Prepare for about 1000 requests...

On the user public profiles, as well as listing the couts of trackables discovered and owned, also show a list of the trackables currently listed as in the user's posession, along with the date they were picked up. This would of course exclude ones in a collection. This will let other user's see if their trackable is in the posession of someone with a history of not returning trackables (promptly) to a geocache, and if a user has a lot of trackables in their bag. This should be easy to achieve as you can already see this information on your own profile, just not on others'.

Does GS separate Hawaii into a different geographic region from mainland USA (possibly lumped in with other Pacific islands)? If so, then it is the same situation. I agree it would be a bit confusing to have GB referred to as UK, but not annoyingly so. 'Ireland' is the name of the island, after all, as opposed to 'RoI' and 'UK' which are the political parts, so no problem on the other side. Not too bothered by this, to be honest -- I'd rather go off and crawl through bushes looking for tupperware boxes...