wigoweb

And school ends June 21, 2011- Last Day for Pupils in Philadelphia where ColdGears seems to spend a lot of time. Wish I had a short-cut to offer, but your fellow students might be well served by your demonstrating how to enter coordinates.

Actually, I believe that if you go to the cache page for a cache near your home and scroll down past the Hints section, you will see that you can search for... all nearby caches, that I haven't found. You can do this with any cache page whether it is near your home or some distance away. You will have to click on the second part after the comma to do the filtering. Pocket queries are great, but you don't need a PQ to accomplish your objective of filtering out your finds.

Sounds as if you are off to a great start with geocaching and hopefully with your post-college career, too. Congratulations on finding a great hobby and for being an active participant as both a finder and a hider. When I did my out of state post-grad schooling, 1966-67 in California, geocaching wasn't yet possible.

Hmmm 3 finds you have lot to learn. And what does your snarky response teach? Teens are not the only ones who bully others online.

This morning we have an email notification for the second cacher to find this hide. Hopefully, the missing notification was a one-time glitch.

Not sure if this is due to something with the release or just another problem, but we have stopped receiving notice of finds on our caches. We have a new premium cache which was published yesterday and found this afternoon. We have yet to receive notice that it was found. We are getting notices of newly published caches, though.

We have one cache inside a library and the librarians sometimes give hints to cachers. Two nearby museums, one in Wildwood and one in Millville, have containers which must be requested. The Free Library of Philadelphia and one in Savannah both have caches inside. The one in Savannah is a multi with an outside clue. Your idea sounds interesting, too. Good luck with it. This search in google will yield listings of library caches: site:geocaching.com library You might get some ideas reading what others have done.

MPO should be PMO = Premium Member Only BM = Basic Member Well, a distinct limit is a must, but below i.E. 500 Caches should it be possible.... Franz The new maps are getting better with each new update, thank you. The major downfall left is the lack of an (optionally numbered) list as per the old maps. I don't think anyone would expect or want a 10,000 cache list. The cache icons change depending on the zoom level (twice, actually), is there any reason the cache list could not be limited to 500 caches as it is on the old maps? Or only activated above a certain zoom level? It doesn't matter from this end how you do it, but we really do need the same cache list fuctionality in the new maps as there is in the old ones. If a list is put in place on the new maps, I think you will find that the use of the old maps will drop dramatically. Yes, indeed. Implement the numbered list of caches as we still have on the old maps. This week I have been using a screen shot of the beta map and making my own numbered list with a pencil. Not much fun to do that, though. 100 caches on a list would be more than enough for me. If I were to plan a single day or trip of more than 100 caches, I could do two maps. Actually, I've found when doing it manually that about 25 to 30 on a single map is enough. In an area with many caches, the icons overlap and the map becomes unreadable any way. If there aren't a lot of overlapping icons and I zoom to see more caches, the lines for the roads disappear. One piece of paper with icons for several hundred is caches is not very useful when out hunting for them. I really would like to have a numbered list on the beta maps.

Things must be much improved if the only requests/complaints are about the color of a text link.

You can't expect every cache you see to be a plain bison tube or an ammo can or a lockn lock. The logs will get wet after a few months, so the CO is not to blame. Certainly the CO bears the responsibility if not the blame. Weather is a factor in wet logs. Knowing that why do some cachers use such flimsy plastic as a container when creating a cache? I have come upon more than one cache that was basically just a zip lock bag or a discarded cool whip container. These items tend to get brittle with cold and to deteriorate in sunlight. The CO who elected to use such an inferior cache container probably is to blame. We recently cached up the east coast from Florida to NJ and encountered quite a few caches with creative, weather-proof and critter proof containers. The workmanship and creativity added to the fun of the cache. Several of these caches had been in place for two or more years. Fredericksburg was a delight. We wanted to stay an extra day to find more of the caches placed by one particular cacher. After arriving home and doing some local caching, we noticed a log about a cache that had been chewed by a squirrel. When we went to find that cache, we found a Skippy peanut butter jar lid on the path that had been squirrel chewed. The cache itself was the remains of the Skippy jar. There was no log. The previous finder, who had posted a Needs Maintenance, had used a piece of birch bark to sign his name. We fixed what we found the best we could, left a replacement log, and added comments in our online log. Most squirrels probably get excited at the smell of peanut butter. A Skippy jar probably retains some of that odor even after being run through the dishwasher. Who is to blame? The squirrel or the CO who used squirrel bait as a cache container? Why wasn't the Needs Maintenance honored? Logs will get wet after a few months. That's why we post a Needs Maintenance. Who is to blame if no maintenance gets accomplished? I do expect other cachers to do a satisfactory job of planning their caches, setting up their containers, and providing a durable log. Post It Notes are not durable. Eartha is correct that venting does one good in many ways. I realize that my expectations won't always be met, but I do encourage all cachers to place quality caches. Some of the poor cache placements we see from new cachers may be the result of some of the poor caches they have found. If one is new to caching and rarely sees a strong watertight container with a durable log, how would he or she know that the poor caches are not the norm?

Florida - GRIM series near Ocala and some other locations. The ones near Ocala and Lake Okeechobee had little traffic and a wide grassy area to pull off the road. Did this one first few days in May, 2011 Delaware - C&D Canal Power Trail, about 56 caches on a dirt canal path that is completely drivable with an ordinary vehicle. It is lightly traveled so you could safely bike it. We did it last week. Power Lines Trail near Bear, DE. About 12 caches in a 2 to 3 mile stretch of woodlands. Several parking areas and easy to walk the whole trail. Did this one May 2011. A new 10 cache trail was just published also on the C&D canal, but no vehicles allowed. I think it is 1.2 miles one way. Hike or bike. Haven't done this one yet. It was published after we did the first set. Vermont Green Mt Forest near Landgrove, VT - About Forest Rd 10 series of caches in an 8 to 10 mile stretch of well-maintained dirt road. Drive or bike. We did this one last summer. It is on Mt. Tabor. Did this August 2010 Near Montpelier, VT - Sights to See - more than 50 caches if I recall correctly. Did this August 2010.

I guess when you pay the big $30 fee you are entitled to express your opinion in whatever manner you choose. I know how quickly I would react to someone who told me what to do in the tone you use here. One source I saw referenced more than 2,000,000 geocaching accounts. So I guess the seven you reference will carry a lot of weight with the programmers. Civility is often lacking in computer forums for some reason that eludes me.

Seems that we are facing a rainy weekend which may keep many home instead of out caching. Perhaps some time spent reading about web site design would help members of this forum to understand what Groundspeak is going through. Do a google search on ----- web design fluid vs fixed ----- or something similar. There are many knowledgeable folks out there in the web design world who differ in their opinions of which is the better approach. As with many of the situations we all encounter, there is no one right answer and certainly no easy answer. Also, check the dates on the articles; this debate has been "raging" since about 2006 and continues into 2011. Since the geocaching site update, I've been paying more attention to some of the sites I view regularly. The NY Times, Washington Post and Philadephia Inquirer all seem to use a fixed width. So do CNN, ESPN and Nascar. Actually, this morning the Nascar homepage seems to have a tiled background which fills the white space on both sides of the fixed width content and provides a rather distracting and garish border on both sides of the content. Go take a look at these sites or perhaps the sites you visit frequently and compare their layouts to the work that Groundspeak is doing with our favorite site. I think we would all agree that Groundspeak is trying to improve the site. A major hindrance for Groundspeak is one that is also very common among many large organizations. They just don't seem to communicate their intentions very well at times. When an update occurs, almost everyone in the Groundspeak user community seems to be surprised by some of the new features and the effects of those features. If we had known what the goals of the new site update were, we might have understood why some of the changes in appearance occurred. If there were some way to choose between the "old" design and the "new" design during a transitional period, the user community might have been more accepting of the changes. Many people just don't like change. Many people think about change within the confines of their own experience and don't consider how many other users might be involved. There are changes that haven't been addressed that are sorely needed from within my experience. I don't particularly care for the layout of the Hide and Seek a Cache page. The items that I use are at the bottom of the page forcing me to scroll down. Other users may need frequent access to the choices toward the top and those users see no reason to make a change. All in all, I hope that Groundspeak keeps improving the site and their communications with all of the members of the geocaching community.

Forget geocaching...... 1) What emergency responder travels 60 miles? 2) You charge for your emergency response? 3) Your pager goes off for you to respond to an emergency 60 miles away and you have time to mess around loading a few caches to your gps? WHAT THE HELL ORGANISATION DO YOU WORK FOR??????? I am an environmental geologist as it says in my profile. I respond to oil spills from electrical transformers for the local power company. I cover the the entire coverage area for the company, covering over 120 miles north to south, and almost 200 miles east to west. Rapid response is needed to prevent the release from having time to spread, or I could leave your power off and toxic chemicals in your front yard. What the heck were you thinking of? A little quick to jump to conclusions as we? When I leave the site the situation is resolved and my time becomes my own. One of the aspects of geocaching that I enjoy is that it broadens my horizons. The 60 miles told me that you weren't an EMT or in fire rescue, but I had no idea what you do. I didn't think to look at your profile. Very interesting to learn about another occupation I had never considered. Of course, janAndSteve took the thread way off topic when he jumped in to express his opinion. Now, I'm keeping it off topic with this reply. Sorry, but I enjoyed learning something new on this nice Mother's Day morning during which I earned major points by setting up a trip to Delaware to do the C&D power trail. We will stay over tomorrow night and collect even more smilies on Tuesday.

I noticed that these forums still have a fluid width for the pages rather than a fixed width. If a fluid width works here in the forums, why doesn't it work on the cache pages? Do people who use IE read the forums? Do they have display problems while reading the forums?

It's always been that way. It's just more visible now due to the fixed width. Hunh??? I've lost the backgrounds, except for a narrow strip below the cache page. Also, going into "My Public Profile" - "Geocaches" - "All Geocache Finds" can take several minutes. And when I get there, the pages are almost impossible to read - print is too small. I don't know what the fixed page width was supposed to solve, but it has definitely screwed up a lot of things. I wish I had lost the backgrounds. I just viewed a cache with two bright yellow tennis balls as the tiled background. Even on my laptop with the fixed width page, I still see way too much of the tiled image. What I see is two bright yellow tennis balls on each side of the fixed width listing. The only way I can view the page without visual pain is to make my browser window smaller and squeeze the tiled images out view. Here is the cache page: http://coord.info/GC22YYK When we found this cache several days ago, the Great Update hadn't yet been published, and this was a nice looking cache page. I'm glad that I didn't revisit this page while the translucent effects were still in place. After you get the maps fixed, please work on getting the fluid widths to work rather than using the fixed width. Web page designers all over the world have learned to work around the limitations of Internet Explorer. Your crew should be able to find a solution, too.

Not sure if what I am seeing is seen by everyone else. I am using both Safari and Firefox on my MacBook Pro and just Safari on my iPad. The Last 30 logs that someone posted with the multi-line log seems to have been changed so that the log has its own line all the way across the screen. Much nicer that way. My pages don't seem to have as much white space as they did. Has the fixed width been widened or have we gone back to a liquid layout? Whichever, this seems to be an improvement. As with other releases, Groundspeak seems to be responding to our comments after they go live with the release rather than having some time with testers who could have helped prevent all of the agita. A few more updates and releases will probably have back to a working site with real utility for those of us who go out and find the caches. Thanks for your efforts.

i can't duplicate that, looks fine here This happened to me, but a page refresh corrected my stats.

Jump over to Groundspeak Forums and find the Site Update May 4, 2011 thread. Maps and their many shortcomings are being discussed in great detail there. You might have a better chance of being noticed if you post in that thread.

Who determines how a map is intended to be used? If a cacher can use a map to help in the field, why should she have to take a screen shot. We've used the maps with the numbered key/text to help plan our caching runs for several years. With this new upgrade, much has been lost in the utility of the maps. Hopefully, someone at Groundspeak will replace some of the usefulness of the maps.

Now the box that let's me send a message to another cacher is much larger. It apparently has a fixed width which is almost twice the size of the screen on my iPad. it seems to scroll on it's own and then return to the left when I reach the right margin. The size and behavior of that box in Profile section is very different than the box where I am typing now to respond in this forum. However, I can live with the different box widths and much of the other broken features if you will get those maps fixed. For us, and for many of the others we cache with, maps are an essential ingredient for a successful day of caching. We plan our routes with the maps. Fix the maps. Then, review the comments about focus groups and beta testing. As a software developer and a teacher of computer science and project development, I can assure you that none of my students would have repeated the same mistakes that we see repeated here. How many times are you going to install features that no one (or very few) wanted without fixing the features that really cry for attention? Which cachers have benefitted from souvenirs? My students were expected to interview their potential users, learn the customers' needs and then implement those user specified features. They did not add features because they thought someone, somewhere might want that feature someday. Fix the maps. Leave the stuff that works alone. Read a book on software development and implement beta testing. Fix the maps.

Why would you produce a map without a key? With the beta map I see more territory and more caches. But, I can not find a way to identify those icons? How am I supposed to know which cache goes with which icon? The old maps had a numbered key which corresponded to numbers next to the cache icons. The 'beta' maps aren't really far enough along in development to be called 'beta'. They need lots of work. Also, I hope someone is doing some testing with functionality of the site on the iPad. The geocaching app is pretty good. The geocaching site should be iPad friendly, too.

Seems that one must accept a few lost coins in order to watch them travel. We've had coins disappear for months and months. Suddenly, someone discovers the coin in their gear and drops it off. The coin wasn't stolen, just forgotten. Right now we have about 20 coins in circulation. One has been moving around the UK for about a year. We met glossop in Key West last winter and gave him the coin to drop off in England after we dropped it in Key West to get it started. Another coin that hasn't moved since last July, Wigoweb's Signal Geocoin (04/2006), has logged more than 53,000 miles. We're hoping that it shows up again sometime. Even though we have "lost" several coins, we plan to release more as we enjoy watching their travels.

Probably after the update that's going to happen at 11am. You did notice that it's currently referring to a different update than it was yesterday, right? I find it hard to complain about a notice regarding updates when we have been surprised by unannounced updates so often. This banner is something that everyone should notice and we should all appreciate it.

Using the Advanced Search did work. Thanks.