niraD

Is it April Fools' Day already?

What if the information needed to determine "why it was (color)" is found on a sign? Some of the information needed to answer the questions in my EarthCache is in the description. Some of it is on signs located on site. For new EarthCaches, are "remember" questions based on signs prohibited, even when there are also "understand" (and maybe even "apply") questions? What if those "understand" (and maybe even "apply") questions are also based on information found on signs, at least in part? And potential EarthCache owners are likely to skip it if they're expected to create a college-level earth science lesson. But maybe that's the goal.

The original post was from 2003. That was before my time, but I recall hearing/reading that the "micro" size was created first, then the "small" size was created later to fill the gap between large "micro" and small "regular" caches.

Here are a couple older threads about signature items geocachers have made:

I've lived in the USA my whole life and recognized only about half of the terms on that list.

Here are some general puzzle tips (based in part on a puzzle-solving class event presented by The Rat a while ago): Identify the theme. Check the cache title, the hint, the HTML source, the graphics (including names/URLs), any links (including URLs), whatever is at the posted coordinates, etc. If you can figure out the theme, then you should look for numbering systems that are associated with that theme (zip codes, athletes’ jersey numbers, episode numbers, product codes, etc.). Around here, coordinates will have 15 digits, and will look like "N 35° xx.xxx W 084° xx.xxx". So when I'm solving a nearby puzzle, I look for a group of 15 things, and then I look for ways to get the digits 35xxxxx084xxxxx from them. In general, I look for ways to get the number 35 (or the digits 3 and 5) from something near the beginning of the puzzle, and the number 084 (or the digits 0, 8, and 4) from something near the middle of the puzzle. (Of course, you'll need to adjust this for the coordinates near you.) If you ask the cache owner for a hint, then be sure to mention the approaches you have tried so far, and the results those approaches have yielded. It can also be helpful to work together with others who are trying to solve the same puzzle. Geocaching events are a good place to meet other geocachers; ask around to see if anyone else is trying to solve the same puzzle(s) as you. Other useful resources include: How to solve Mystery Caches (also known as Puzzle Caches) (blog post) Puzzle Solving 101 Series (bookmark list) Calgary Puzzle Solving 101 (bookmark list) Puzzle Shortcuts (bookmark list) Solving Puzzle Caches (online article) How Do I Solve All These &#$@! Puzzle Caches? (tutorial-style puzzle cache) Geocaching Toolbox ("All geocaching tools a geocacher needs in one box.") The GBA's Puzzle Cache FAQ (for puzzle designers, but useful for understanding how puzzle caches work) How to Puzzle Cache (book) To expand on the response from geoawareUSA9, according to section 2.4.15 of the geocaching.com terms of use, "You agree not to: [...] Publish on our websites or anywhere else, solutions, hints, spoilers, or any hidden coordinates for any geocache or Adventure without consent from the owner."

The guidelines do say, "For at least part of the search, the cache must require finders to navigate with a GPS-enabled device to specific coordinates necessary to finding the cache. See this article for examples." And the guidelines also say, "The community volunteer reviewer may offer suggestions if there are additional concerns not fully documented in these guidelines."

I don't keep track of my exact find date. But my field notes drafts do keep track of my exact find date.

I used to use an electronic token to access my employer's computer systems remotely. (Today, such things are done with smartphone apps, but this was a while ago.) The electronic token would spit out a number every minute. Whatever hash generated the number was known to the authentication system, so it could tell whether the code entered really came from the electronic token. The trick is remembering all the numbers that would have been generated by the electronic token for the last few weeks, to give finders time to log the cache online. There are about 10k minutes in a week, so if the electronic token generates a different number every minute, then nearly every possible 4-digit code would have appeared at some point during the past week. So the code would have to be longer than 4 digits to have any value. And there are a lot of people (myself included) who often take more than a week to post online logs.

From the picture, it looks like the kind of public art that is intended to be experienced up close and even handled.

How many caches do you want to be in the series? Some are just a few caches. Some are dozens of caches. Some (especially those where multiple COs work together) are hundreds of caches.

How close do you want them to be? I've found cache series where the caches in each series were miles apart, related only by a common theme of some sort. Sometimes the series had a bonus cache, but not always. Occasionally, the CO offered some kind of reward to those who completed the series. As far as labeling caches as part of a series, how would anyone know that the caches are part of a series if they aren't labeled as part of a series?

I use the real date when I found a cache in all my online logs. But I don't "pre-sign" challenge caches either.

There are some good ideas in the CCC thread...

FWIW, I think hide-a-key containers work best when they're placed somewhere sheltered, and where any water that gets inside can drain/evaporate. The log may get damp, but then it can dry out. Adding a plastic bag just traps water, so the log gets gross.

How about, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"?

Part of me wonders about handwritten codewords that might be confusing. I teach middle-school math, and some of my students learned to write numbers in ways that differ from the way numbers are usually taught here. Some of them write "1" with an exaggerated top stroke that resembles the way other students write "7". Some write "4" in a way that resembles the way other students write "9". And then there are the sloppy ones who write "0" in a way that resembles "6" (or vice versa), or that write "8" in a way that resembles "6", and so on. And that's just the ten digits. The handwritten letters have their own confusing variations.

Posting logs to pick up and drop a trackable is the only way to move it from one cache's inventory to the other. You could also contact the geocacher who might have moved it. Especially if this geocacher is new, an explanation of how to properly log trackables might be helpful.

Meh... At some point, old phones no longer get OS updates, and old phones running an old OS no longer get app updates, and old phones running old apps no longer work because the servers no longer support the API versions the old apps support. I've bought new phones at that point. But my phones still last several years, and I don't buy the expensive flagship phones to begin with.

I am reminded of the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button on the Google search page...

There's nothing in the Help Center article Adopt or transfer a geocache about needing to be a premium member. And years ago, I adopted a cache while still a basic member, not that Groundspeak couldn't have changed the system since then.

Is a candid photo good enough? Maybe finders should have to present valid photo ID to the camera. A passport should be good enough, or in the US, a valid REAL ID™.

And of course, not everyone uses a smartphone when they're geocaching.

For the record, once a CO deletes a log, the CO has no way to reinstate the deleted log.