niraD

Back in California, I knew someone who never logged online, because when he started geocaching, there were no online logs. You had to write everything in the physical logbook in the cache. So that's the way he continued to do it.

A quick search of the interwebs found two-letter codes for the German states (Bundesländer). You'd think they could use those two-letter codes the way they used the two-letter codes for the US state souvenirs.

The justification I've heard for stripping the metadata is to avoid spoilers (GPS locations) when people post photos in their logs for puzzle caches, multi-caches, and other caches that aren't at the posted coordinates.

Good question. I really haven't been doing much geocaching lately, mostly local events and a few caches of opportunity. When we moved to Tennessee in 2020, I could have picked up a bunch of new states as we drove from California to Tennessee along I-40, but there was enough going on at the time without stopping for geocaches along the way. But from your list, I can see a number of things that I'm definitely ignoring: finding all local caches (I created quite a blast radius when I started more than 15 years ago, but I broke that habit when I was working on my year-long streak) D/T grid and high D/T caches (I've got a big hole in my grid along the T4 axis that isn't going away; plus, I generally go interesting places and find the geocaches there, rather than seeking out specific geocaches with specific ratings) counties and countries (I don't travel that much, although I was slowly working on a local quadrangle challenge in California; however, those aren't allowed any more) FTF (although I did get a few--mostly puzzles that I solved quickly--before my year-long streak) Souvenir promotions (although I might pick up some additional state Souvenirs, and a few date-related Souvenirs) When I start doing more geocaching again, I'll probably start by logging the dozens of field notes drafts that have been languishing in my account. Also: hide a cache in the nearby community garden (similar to the community garden cache in California that I archived) start solving local puzzle caches choose another API-based app (the first two that I used were much better than Groundspeak's app, but they became abandonware and then Groundspeak changed the API in non-backwards-compatible ways, and they stopped working) renew my premium membership (so I can really use an API-based app) release proxies for my alphabet block TBs (once I find the box the alphabet blocks and backup tags are in)

There is good advice in the Help Center article Check for minimum distance, especially the last section titled "Ask a reviewer to check coordinates". I've done that in the past before investing time/money in custom camouflage, and the local volunteer reviewers have been most helpful.

I was kinda disappointed that there wasn't a Pi Day promotion this year. (Yeah, I know the 3.14 date works only with the month-first system used in the US.)

The only document I'm aware of is the Help Center article HTML in cache pages. I don't know how current the information in that document is though. But to some degree, you're asking the wrong question. The HTML/CSS allowed by Groundspeak matters some, but what matters more is the HTML/CSS supported by the devices/apps used by those who might seek your cache. I strongly recommend the KISS approach. If you must tart up the page, then I recommend putting any essential information that seekers will need at the front in simple text, where it should be accessible even when the rest of the fancy page is unusable.

Yep, streaks are forbidden in challenges, but this is not the first time when same rules are not valid for HC originated campaigns ... Huh? Streaks up to a year are still allowed in challenges. New streak challenges can't go beyond 365 days, they can't require more than one cache per day, and they can't require specific types, sizes, difficulty/terrain ratings, etc. for the caches. But basic streaks up to a year are allowed by the challenge cache guidelines.

How about excerpts from: "Hogan's Heroes March" "1812 Overture" (towards the end where the cannons/bells are used) "Stars and Stripes Forever" "Back to the Future Theme" the original "Ewok Celebration" from Return of the Jedi "The Throne Room" from Star Wars (aka Episode IV: A New Hope)

Outside the geocaching context, I would assume that E08 is a reference to episode 8 of a series. Sometimes it's combined with the season, as in S03E08.

What's the point of adopting a cache if you're going to change everything about it? Just let it be archived.

It certainly comes across as an indication that Groundspeak as a whole no longer wants to hear about the issue(s) raised therein. In that case, it's hard to imagine that Groundspeak engineers are investing much effort in said issue(s).

If the point of the cache is having a container in good shape, then leave it alone. If the point of the cache is something that no longer exists, then what would be the point of leaving the cache in place? It's time to archive it, unless perhaps you want to turn the cache into a memorial for the public sculpture or historic building or rare tree or whatever. But even that seems kinda iffy to me. Difficulty ratings, terrain ratings, size ratings, attributes, etc., are not something that finders "deserve" or "earn" in any way whatsoever. They are communication tools for the CO to let potential seekers know generally what to expect from the cache experience. I honestly don't care about past finders' stats. But the cache is part of past finders' histories, and if they go back to the listing, they should see something familiar (or at least, something similar to what they experienced). It doesn't have to be exactly the same, but it should be similar in most of the important details. (And yes, that's a subjective call on the part of the CO.)

But I bet using "a hand sledge or hammer" would be much more satisfying...

My first thought was to wonder what a microwave oven might do to an AirTag. But removing the battery is probably a more appropriate response.

Yep. And it depends on what the point of the cache is. Sure, if the point of the cache was the tree climb, and the tree is now gone and the container is at eye level, then that is a new cache. Archive the old listing and create a new one. I've never hidden a cache where the point of the cache was the size of the container. I've found very few caches where the point of the cache was the size of the container. With those very few exceptions, a new container with a different size just means the listing needs to be edited so the size shown is correct for the new container. That's what I've done when I've hidden a new container that was larger or smaller than the original. Archiving and relisting because the new container is a different size is just churn, unless the point of the cache was the size of the container.

I wonder if a challenge cache in Florida could require finding a cache in every county of any state other than Florida. (Or replace Florida with the state the challenge is located in.) The whole point is to do a fair bit of geocaching in a state other than the one where the challenge cache is located. Of course, if you could just visit one of the states with a single-digit number of counties (Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island).

It forces horizontal scrolling (because the columns with narrow data take up far more space than they need). Isn't that an improvement?

Since we're in the "irk" thread... It irks me when listings are churned, when listings are archived and replaced with new ones, when the caches are essentially the same. Sure, you replaced the container with a different kind of container, or hid it under an unnatural pile of stones instead of an unnatural pile of sticks, but if the reason for the cache is the same (the hike, the view, the historic location, the public art, whatever), then it's the same cache. Update the listing. Don't archive it and relist the same cache with a new GC code.

Or... > scan QR code > directed to website > oh, I have to enter my login details, but my password manager didn't recognize the site.Hmm...

The only way to get a trackable back into your inventory is to post a Retrieve log (to take it from a cache) or a Grab log (to take it from anywhere else). Both require the tracking number.

It has been a LONG time since I've had to wait for a page to display like that. I had flashbacks to... Pshhhkkkkkkrrrrkakingkakingkakingtshchchchchchchch cch*ding*ding*ding" the "good old days" of dial up modems. A separate Banners tab (or whatever, but under the member's control like the About tab) would allow profiles with lots of banners to load more quickly, and for people to download all those image files only when they want to see the member's banners.

Sure. But that's on each individual CO to do, apart from Groundspeak or the geocaching.com site.

The latest info I've seen was Keynote's comment in the post I linked to: "Perhaps in the future this experiment might be extended to other caches and cache owners, but there are no current plans to do so nor any site infrastructure to facilitate larger-scale geo-will efforts." Note that "geo-will" support for owners of caches placed in 2000 was an experiment, and that there was no site infrastructure to support "geo-will" efforts on a larger scale. My take on this is that there were few enough caches placed in 2000 that Groundspeak could support "geo-wills" by hand, without any site infrastructure, and that the success of that experiment would determine whether developing such site infrastructure would be added to the developers' wish list. Don't hold your breath. There are plenty of bugs and other projects on the developers' wish list already.