Cache Canucks

quote:Originally posted by Northern-Lights:"...I think it would be a huge exspense, what, one for each state?,,,one for the entire U.S.?... One guide would cover *all* geocaches, regardless of location. Published cache information would be significantly less than what appears on the website and limited to the *bare essentials* needed to conduct a hunt (Country/Region/Type/Rating/GC#/Cache Name/Owner/Location/Date Hidden).

quote:Originally posted by vds:"...I'm not tied to the website, I joined for the small fee as a paying member and get custom queries delivered to me by e-mail, including PDA versions of the caches my custom queries return as results. I think it's a problem already solved...." But you still need access to your email to get that information. This idea would let you roam/hunt completely 'unplugged'.

First, let me say from the start, I fully appreciate the amount of work and capital that would be required to get something like this off the ground ...which could very well make this whole discussion nothing more than 'pie in the sky' postulation. That being said, what do folks think about the idea of publishing an annual GeoCaching.com field guide? Such a guide could take the form of a 'pocket dictionary' sized softcover book and would list essential information for *all* geocaches that appeared on the website as of an established yearly pre-publication date (probably sometime following the peak geocaching season, to take into account the vast majority of new cache placements during a given year). The field guide could also include lead-in sections covering the type of 'How To' and 'FAQ' information currently found on the website. Although all of this same cache information is - and would continue to be - available via the website, there could very well be a place for a book like this. No longer would you be tied to having to access the website in order to obtain cache information 'on the fly' (or limiting your hunts to caches for which you've downloaded information in advance) ...of particular value to those who don't travel with a notebook computer or PDA. You could simply throw the current year's edition of the field guide into your backpack or glovebox and be 'good to go', regardless of what direction (or how far) your travels take you. Sure, there's bound to be caches that are placed subsequent to the publication date that won't get listed until the following year's field guide, but GeoCachers could still get the most up-to-date listings from the website (and should be encouraged to do so). The purpose of an annual field guide wouldn't be to replace obtaining cache information from the website, but to work in concert with it (book or not, cache hunters would still use the website for logging finds). Then of course, there would be the kick out of seeing caches which you've hidden appear in the guide (perhaps in itself worth the price of buying one each year?). As for initial production costs, they might be offset by making limited ad space available in each edition. How much would Garmin or Magellan be willing to pay for a full-page ad that appears in an annual publication carried by hordes of GPS carrying GeoCachers all over the world? Distribution would be simple ...it would be via the existing network used for current GeoCaching.com merchandise (if well received, this project could easily turn a handy profit for our friends at Groundspeak). So what do you think...?

quote:Originally posted by Overland1:"...the moving time was OK.Max speed was 92 MPH, Moving Average was 89.8, and Overall Average was 80.5 MPH. Note that roads and conditions would never have allowed such averages to be attained, and the vehicle would not be able to do that very easily as well..."_ If you were experiencing spotty sat lock (for whatever the reason), your GPSr might have 'thought' that you travelled a given distance at a higher speed. One minute it 'saw' you at point 'A', the next it 'saw' you at point 'D' ...but it never 'saw' how long it took you drive through points 'B' and 'C' - even though you did - so it assumes that the time it took you to get from 'A' to 'D' was much shorter than it really was ...thus the artificially high speed calculation. But that's just a guess.

I agree with 'Stunod' ...but I think what he meant to say was that most auto speedos indicate speed that is slightly *faster* than actual ('police radar') speed. My Vista has always indicated speed that's a few kph *below* what my car's speedo would show, regardless of firmware updates.

quote:Originally posted by PDOP's:"...You have to upload the picture to your own web space then link to it..." ...and, as a registered user of GeoCaching.com, you have space on the Groundspeak servers that you can use for this very purpose. Go to the page where you amend your profile information and you'll find where you can upload '.jpg' files (a process no different than when you uploaded your H50 avatar). The only restrictions are physical size (each image can be no wider than 300 pixels) and file size (each image must be no more than 100K). Once you upload your pic, you need to 'back out' of your personal profile setup page and re-enter it; then, when you go back to where you uploaded your .jpg, you should see your file listed. Click on the file and, when it opens in its own window, note the URL ...it's that URL which you'll need for placing the picture within a forum post (which you do by clicking on the little photo icon that appears second from the right on the 'Reply To' window's green tool bar).

quote:Originally posted by eroyd:"...Banning Knives eh! Maybe we should ban rope and shoe laces, we wouldn't want someone to hang themselves. How many people have been killed with a plastic bag and an elastic band? Better ban them too! Kids aren't stupid. Mine are even allowed to use ...scissors. eek!..." That kind of over simplistic logic wouldn't get you a back bench seat on a Grade 8 debate team. No matter, any pro-knife discussion became non sequitur after the first response was posted to this forum topic (the one where Jeremy clearly stated that knives should *not* be placed in caches). If you check the FAQ page, you'll find that it has indeed been amended accordingly ...so you either play by the rules, or you don't.

quote:Originally posted by The Alpha Operator:"...Actually, the name of my town is 'North East' but it's really in Northwestern PA..." Nothing confusing about that ! That's O.K., we have a 'Wesleyville Road' about 45 minutes drive east of Toronto ...problem is, there isn't a 'Wesleyville' anywhere near it! BTW, *the* best and most scenic part of the drive between Toronto and D.C. is, IMHO, Pennsylvania ...you live in a beautiful State!

quote:Originally posted by PDOP's:"...Someday I plan to retire somewhere where people don't know what a toque is..." ...north-eastern Pennsylvania?

quote:Originally posted by LilDevil:"...There's a guy in our local club that has one of those little antennas attached to a baseball cap..." We had a guy up here like that... ...but none of us took him seriously and he eventually went away.

quote:Originally posted by Mr. 0:"...Up there in Canada do they have the combo stores with Wendy's and Tim Horton's?..." Although the vast majority of each restaurant's Canadian outlets are still 'stand alone', there are a few up here which have the tandem 'Wendy's/Tim Horton's' arrangement you describe (...which is a good thing, since there aren't nearly enough calories in a Wendy's triple-bacon-cheeseburger as it is).

I know of at least two petroglyph sites here in Ontario (no doubt there's more). Both happen to be in Provincial Parks (similar to U.S. State Parks) and both are entirely accessible by the public ...in fact, they're 'promoted' as such and considered tourist attractions. I've never heard of either site being vandalized or the object of theft (and our Park staff don't even carry sidearms).

And here I thought that this question was looking for serious answers... - Multi-purpose PDA type devices with many(!!!) times more horsepower and storage capacity than any current desktop PC, capable of integrating GPS data and high-res 'live' full-color satellite imagery in real time. - Self-orientating topo maps made out of flexible holographic film (similar to those seen in the Val Kilmer movie 'Red Planet'). - More government intervention/regulation and the likelihood of some form of 'pay to play' to support it (either that, or the government will shut down GeoCaching altogether for various security, environmental[real or political] and legal liability reasons). - A standardized (government approved) cache container that is logged 'on-site' using the GeoCacher's biometric signature. - There will be no 'items' left in caches ...at least not in the form that they are now. Rather, each standardized (government approved) cache container will serve as a type of mini-video kiosk where GeoCachers can leave a short video message to accompany their biometric log entry. Messages left by previous GeoCachers will be viewable to subsequent visitors and will also be accessible remotely by whatever form the internet may have at that time. - As GPS technology will have become far more common in everyone's lives, GeoCaching will lose much of its 'Oooo Ahhh' gadget-freak appeal and become the purview of those who simply enjoy being outdoors (as opposed to those who currently hit the trail only because it's an excuse to use their GPS). - There will either be far more 'cache hunting' websites, or just one ...one run by the government.

quote:Originally posted by Zartimus: quote:Originally posted by Verboten: Please, won't someone think of the CHINLDREN?! 'Wait a sec...' <wheeze> Frig that was funny... Actually, maybe we *all* should check the expiration date on our dictionary. Do a Google search for 'chinldren' and ignore the "Do you mean: children?" prompt... ...prity skaree stof.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that all eTrex models share the same basic hardware 'engine' ...that is, regardless of which one you choose, you're getting the same receiver/antenna (although the physical LCD displays do vary). So, by extension, all eTrex models should perform equally in as far as providing basic location information is concerned ('Yellow' being identical to 'Vista'). As someone already mentioned, choosing which model to purchase really boils down to bells and whistles (as opposed to which eTrex 'works' better ...since they all basically 'work' the same). I agree with OuttaHand's comment that, unless your budget is really tight, you might want to 'look ahead' a bit and consider something with mapping capabilities. Even though an eTrex Yellow is all you really need to GeoCache, spending a bit more *now* on a more feature-rich model might very well mean the difference between having your GPSr for a year (only to find that you've out-grown it) or being content to live with it for several years. I purchased a Vista last summer and, in my case, I've managed to make good use of most of its 'bells and whistles' (24MB of memory and the digital compass especially). Had I opted for a lesser eTrex (especially one without mapping), I would most certainly be looking to upgrade by now.

After having read the article, I think that the term 'digital vandalism' is a misnomer. GPS technology is no more to blame for this problem than it is for the cache container that was found to be filled with human urine last week. When someone is killed by an impaired driver, do you hold the drunk responsible, or the car s/he was driving? Idiots will be idiots. (...although, petroglyph theft/vandalism being the problem that it is, why on earth would someone who wants to 'protect' them post their coords on the web?)

quote:Originally posted by StarshipTrooper:"...I was an expert in photography in my past life. I do recall some of the details of the craft..." I knew that there had to be someone out there who could lend some educated judgement to the discussion. (pssst... you're not part of the conspiracy, are you...?)

Although frugal minimalists appear to be in the majority here (and there's nothing wrong with being a frugal minimalist), my son and I each carry one of these: They've proven to be both dependable and robust. That their length can be adjusted is more than just frivolous window dressing ...it makes for superior support when climbing very steep inclines (when you want the pole shorter) or for descending (when you want the pole longer). As mentioned in an earlier post, collapsability also makes for easy storage when not in use. If you don't mind the cost (about $40CAD/$25USea), check'em out...

Delorme (or whoever) being licensed by Garmin to produce Garmin compatible mapping software ...now wouldn't *that* be a productive corporate partnership? Garmin could redirect energy presently spent on cartography to what they do best (hardware), and the end-user would no doubt get a better product ...both in hardware and mapping software. But that would mean Garmin gives up their chokehold 'got you where they want you' MapSource business. Hmmm, give up guaranteed revenue from being a sole-source software producer for your hardware product, or settle for licensing fees from a third party? Maybe Garmin should take a lesson from the companies who manufacture home videogame platforms? Is there some sort of time limit on how long a hardware manufacturer can 'protect' their software turf before things can open up to third party software developers? In other words, is it just a matter of time before companies other than Garmin (or Magellan) begin offering mapping software compatible with consumer GPSrs?

quote:Originally posted by freeside:"...Okay. I confess. You guys have uncovered a giant conspiracy. There is no war in Iraq. It's all being staged by the same folks who faked the moon landings. Gotta go --- "Wag the Dog" is on!..." Is this genuine heartfelt sarcasm, or is what you say actually true and you just want us to *think* that you're being sarcastic so that we don't believe it...? And don't think that we don't know what *they* are trying to keep from us ...like to keep the shiny side of the aluminum foil facing outwards when making our protective hats! Ya, ya, y'see, y'see...?!? *They* thought we could all be deceived and wear the shiny side on the INSIDE! But we *knew* ...we KNEW!!!

quote:Originally posted by SpongeRob:"...I'm interested in better functionality and maps in the software than the lousy $70 it's going to cost to buy it (with the coupon)..." I guess one person's 'lousy $70' is a good chunk of another person's weekly grocery bill (regardless of how good the software may be). I would imagine that, for some people, GeoCaching is a recreational activity that they participate in with a tight budget ...and for many of those folks (especially), there's nothing inconsequential or 'lousy' about $70. It's all relative.

quote:Originally posted by leatherman:"...Timmies is like any Dunkin Donuts..." No, actually they aren't ...compare their menus sometime. (and, sad truth be known, Tim Horton's was purchased by Ohio-based Wendy's back in '95 )

quote:Originally posted by dave and jaime:"...dont see the shadows thrown by the keys. it looks to me as if the dark edge around the keys is just the elevated side of the key controls..." Whether you call it a 'shadow' or an 'elevated edge', were the source of light coming from the lower right (as you suggested in an earlier post), the darkened areas around the keys would be in the wrong place [i think]. *If* there's any giveaway sign to be had about this photo, I don't believe that it's the shadows as they fall on the hand holding the GPSr ...who knows what type of irregularly shaped vehicle this person could have been standing close to (which might very well have cast the type of shadow seen on the hand). I'm no expert, but what made the photo look a little 'off' to me was the depth of field (if there's a photography buff out there, please chime in) and the almost-too-perfect crispness of the hand/GPSr. It may be a legit pic, but it sure brings to mind some of the 'creative cache log imagery' that was the subject of exhaustive discussion in these forums several months ago. If, with a bit of software and a few minutes at a keyboard, you can remove a hand holding a GPSr from a photo (as I did a few posts back), it certainly wouldn't be difficult to 'add' one ...if you were so inclined. It may all be conjecture, but it makes for an interesting topic!

quote:Originally posted by Irvingdog:"...I learned all about MGRS or Military Grid Refrence System..." 'Go in the door and up the stairs' (MGRS) sure as heck beats using lat/lon when working with a paper topo.

quote:Originally posted by dave and jaime:"...in the pic isnt the sun in the top left of the photo according to the shadow from the humvee/trailers but the shadow on the soldiers hand makes the sun look like it is in the lower right corner..." Nah... that's not it. Look at the way the shadows fall from the edges of the GPSr's controls (the light is coming from the same 'upper left' direction).