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PuzzleBug

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Posts posted by PuzzleBug

  1. The cube cache idea may work, but like others have said -- not quite how you may have intended it. I actually love solving the cube, but if I could only solve one side of the cube (as most people seem to be able to do) then I would at least just solve one side at a time until I had the coordinates. I wouldn't solve the whole cube, just the red side, then solve blue (scrambling red) etc. Perhaps that would work.

     

    My personal best time is 56 seconds, which is pretty slow. The world record was just under 23 seconds, and now 15-18 seconds is common in those circles. Right now if I picked up one of my speed cubes, my time would probably be about 90 seconds.

     

    So, I have forever dubbed myself a "casual cuber" and as long as I can remember how to solve it, I'm happy. Just remember -- solving the cube is a near useless skill that takes a lot of time to aquire and does not impress the opposite sex. If you think you have better things to do with your time, I can only agree -- you probably have! (paraphrased from a quote by Lars Petrus -- one of the few who can solve it in under 20 seconds).

     

    PuzzleBug

     

    btw, My geocaching page has a rubik's section: www.puzzlebug.com/rubik

  2. 1) yes, revisit caches to get bugs

    2) write in the logbook that you took the bug

    3) put a NOTE on geocaching.com that you took the bug (not a find)

    4) Don't be a bug hog. If you feel you have taken too many bugs recently, then let a bug sit for a week before getting it.

    5) Don't let bugs sit long in a cache near you. Move them!

     

    Bug hogs are annoying, but not much. There was a guy in our area that went on a bug rescue mission to get 3 bugs that had gone south into remote caches that rarely get visits. Each one had sat over 6 weeks. That's not being a hog -- he was more like Rambo rescuing POWs. Then he came back and gunned down the person responsible for keeping them prisoner! Oh, well, it wasn't quite like that, but sort of.

  3. You can do it either way, I see it done all kinds of ways.

     

    Note that if you only want to log a bug as a find, you can post a note to the bug, you don't have to grab it. But, who cares about numbers and stats, right? icon_smile.gif

     

    When I cache with others (my brother and I go togeher often) then we never (or rarely) trade travel bugs. We have a rule that whomever finds the cache first gets first dibs on anything in the cache. So, if the cache has a bug, first finder gets it. If I am with my brother when he drops off a bug, I think it's kind of lame to just pick it right back up. We've done it before, and like I say, it really doesn't matter, but we just usually don't do it.

     

    We both have signature items that we leave in caches too. He has a cool geocaching patch that he designed. I wanted one, but it would be lame to just ask him for one, and it would be as lame to take one from a cache that we just did together. So, neither of us ever did that. I had to find a cache that he had found without me, and I had to do it before anyone else took his sig item. It took me about a month, but I finally got one. I actually saw two that same day. He did the same with my sig items.

     

    So, there's my two bits.

    PuzzleBug

  4. I disagree that geocachers should be able to remove a bug from a cache even if it is missing for sure. There are already occasional caches archived when a couple rookies say they couldn't find it, and yet the cache is still there.

     

    Letting any geocachers, or a few geocachers determine a bug's fate without having the secret code number is giving them too much power in my opinion. (not to mention what others have said about, "let's not make bugs any more complicated than they are!" )

     

    I agree, however, that it's a pain to see a cache that says it has a TB in it when it doesn't. But, I still think it's up to the cache owner and/or bug owner to correct that problem. If they don't (for whatever reason: apathy, they're gone from the sport, or anything) then that is up to them. They own the cache and/or bug.

     

    I also agree that a change could be made on the dog-tags to say some phrase like "don't take me unless you log me on the site" or something more catchy.

  5. I can see you've already figured out what the spidertracks token is. I've found a few different geocachers using the laminated tokens, and they're pretty cool. I finally found some spider tracks for myself a few weeks ago, and that was good. I suppose I could always go to Vernal, and I probably will someday. I hear there are some really good caches out there.

  6. Oh well, here's some more.

     

    I have 8 travel bugs, and I found that when I had only 1 or 2, it was gruelling watching them not move. Once I got up to 8 bugs, I see one move every few days, never longer than a week. That helps. I had 2 that were not moved for over 2 months. I worried about them less because the other 6 were moving around nicely.

     

    You need a lot of patience to be a bug owner, and having a lot of bugs helps too.

     

    I'm content at the moment with 8 bugs, but I am guessing that I'll have another 8 out there by the end of next year if not sooner.

  7. quote:
    Originally posted by Trudy & The Beast:

    Try releasing at least 4 more, better 8 more TBs it will help you to get the issue into a better perspective. Some will move faster than others will and a month or two of no activity with a TB will not be as painful.


     

    This is the key, and I agree. I currently have 6 TBs "out there" with 2 more going soon. I hope to do at least 4 or 5 more, about 1 a month.

     

    Contrary to most, I rarely spend less than $15 per travel bug (about $12 avg per puzzle and $3.75 per tag). The idea I've had for travel bugs has been fun, but because of their costs, I have feared that I'll lose one or two and never see them again! I'm willing to accept that, but so far, so good.

     

    I worried about my first bug a little, and when it would sit for a week and not move, I would wonder why. Now that I have 6 moving around, just getting notice that one of them has moved is good, and like Trudy said, this helps it be less painful for those that don't move.

     

    Patience is the key. I want my bugs moved once a week, and I say so on the page. However, I also never email a "slow" bug holder until it hasn't moved for a full month (my emails are just like what worldtraveler described). Then, I email every month hoping for a reply, but not usually getting one.

     

    If you want to see my Puzzle Bugs, they're here:

    Puzzle Bugs.

     

    They've been fun so far. Hopefully this helps give some ideas.

  8. I've been georging now for a couple years. It's kinda fun, I've really only logged about $50 in bills, though. I've had hits on at least 15 of them, mostly not from caches, though.

     

    I've placed probably 3 or 4 in caches, and if that bothers the wheresgeorge folks, then I guess I don't care much, since I'm a georger, and it doesn't bother me. Two of the bills I've left in caches got hit, then I think they were circulated from there.

     

    I've only found a wheresgeorge dollar in a cache, um... never, now that I think about it! I found a $2 in a cache, and so I made it a wheresgeorge dollar since it wasn't yet.

     

    My most interesting hit was on This bill and it also proves that my money is out there having more fun than I am.

  9. Based on the explanation here, I would rather see NO count than a "snapshot" count. If I want to know how many caches someone has found, it's easy to click on their profile.

     

    I liked it better with the cache counts in real time, but if it helps speed up the site, having them removed is a good option.

  10. I guess this thread started before Pocket Queries were available (not sure of the history there), but now they are available (to Charter members).

     

    So, you can say to find nearest caches in an area that you haven't found already, and it works just dandy.

     

    I love pocket queries, I think it was nicely done. Bravo, and all that.

  11. I know, I know -- it's all a joke, but still I was thinking this same thing just the other day.

     

    Here's me:

    22 / (37 + 0) = 0.59

     

    Whew! I made it into the club! icon_smile.gif

     

    But I think there should be limits -- BrianSnat, sbell, and Markwell (and a bunch of others) all make *good* contributions to the forums. So maybe if you've had more than 100 finds, or more than 10 hides, then you deserve a higher quotient. That gets you all off the hook. (sbell already was, of course...)

     

    Or we can start an individual post rating! Every single post gets a 1-5 star rating, culminating in a score for each geocacher, weighted by finds, hides, bugs placed, bugs found (bugs found but not moved! icon_smile.gif ) etc. etc.

     

    Okay, I'm kidding. I just gotta get out more.

  12. I know, I know -- it's all a joke, but still I was thinking this same thing just the other day.

     

    Here's me:

    22 / (37 + 0) = 0.59

     

    Whew! I made it into the club! icon_smile.gif

     

    But I think there should be limits -- BrianSnat, sbell, and Markwell (and a bunch of others) all make *good* contributions to the forums. So maybe if you've had more than 100 finds, or more than 10 hides, then you deserve a higher quotient. That gets you all off the hook. (sbell already was, of course...)

     

    Or we can start an individual post rating! Every single post gets a 1-5 star rating, culminating in a score for each geocacher, weighted by finds, hides, bugs placed, bugs found (bugs found but not moved! icon_smile.gif ) etc. etc.

     

    Okay, I'm kidding. I just gotta get out more.

  13. quote:
    Originally posted by Team VE:

    I admit, I was originally going to do a 'pick it up and drop it again' with her to get credit for the 'find', but someone else picker her up to help her on her way before I could get to my computer. So I just posted a 'Note' rather than mess up the tracking system. I discovered that simply leaving a Note on the TB page (since you still have to have the tracking number) gives you a 'Find' credit.


     

    Well, there you go then... The best way to do it. Thanks for the info. I'm sure that notes such as that would be appreciated by the bug owner and also allow the finder an easy way to remember the bugs they've found, and more importantly keeps bugs' logs from being messed up.

     

    Notes such as yours are all part of the "picking up stories along the way." Which is part of my motivation for wanting to do such a thing even if I personally didn't move the bug. Who cares about stats? We're just playing the game, and telling stories.

  14. quote:
    Originally posted by Markwell:

    quote:
    You "grab" the travel bug, then place it back into the same cache. Before doing so, of course you check to be sure nobody else has grabbed it, and make sure that nobody will be messed up or angry. Then, you do it.

     

    But herein lies the problem. On my bug, the cacher didn't consider the other cachers involved. He was late in logging so he "grabbed it" from the person who actually had it and said "OK now you have to grab it back, 'cause I don't really have it."


     

    Yep, a good example of rookies. As I said, those who don't get it are the real problem, and even then, they're not much of a problem unless they just plain keep the bug without logging it.

     

    quote:

    icon_rolleyes.gif Why is this such a big topic?


     

    I know... I don't think it is. Just another one of those subtle differences of opinion that make little difference.

  15. quote:
    Originally posted by Markwell:

    quote:
    You "grab" the travel bug, then place it back into the same cache. Before doing so, of course you check to be sure nobody else has grabbed it, and make sure that nobody will be messed up or angry. Then, you do it.

     

    But herein lies the problem. On my bug, the cacher didn't consider the other cachers involved. He was late in logging so he "grabbed it" from the person who actually had it and said "OK now you have to grab it back, 'cause I don't really have it."


     

    Yep, a good example of rookies. As I said, those who don't get it are the real problem, and even then, they're not much of a problem unless they just plain keep the bug without logging it.

     

    quote:

    icon_rolleyes.gif Why is this such a big topic?


     

    I know... I don't think it is. Just another one of those subtle differences of opinion that make little difference.

  16. quote:
    Originally posted by welch:

     

    ah...

    icon_smile.gif

    then you can get a small note book and write down all the numbers/names of bugs you want to check on later.

    if you have an idea for a new feature, you should suggest it in the Geocaching.com Discussion forum.

     


     

    Uh, yeah... speaking of complicated. icon_smile.gif

     

    Or, here's an idea: You "grab" the travel bug, then place it back into the same cache. Before doing so, of course you check to be sure nobody else has grabbed it, and make sure that nobody will be messed up or angry. Then, you do it.

     

    If the site were changed to allow for "bugs moved" and a different way to log a "bug found but left in cache" then we can play it differently then, but it may just confuse the rookies even more.

     

    The main problem with the bugs will always be the rookies. There's just not much we can do about that, but we'll keep trying.

  17. quote:
    Originally posted by welch:

     

    ah...

    icon_smile.gif

    then you can get a small note book and write down all the numbers/names of bugs you want to check on later.

    if you have an idea for a new feature, you should suggest it in the Geocaching.com Discussion forum.

     


     

    Uh, yeah... speaking of complicated. icon_smile.gif

     

    Or, here's an idea: You "grab" the travel bug, then place it back into the same cache. Before doing so, of course you check to be sure nobody else has grabbed it, and make sure that nobody will be messed up or angry. Then, you do it.

     

    If the site were changed to allow for "bugs moved" and a different way to log a "bug found but left in cache" then we can play it differently then, but it may just confuse the rookies even more.

     

    The main problem with the bugs will always be the rookies. There's just not much we can do about that, but we'll keep trying.

  18. If you do change it to say "moved" then those who want to pad their stats will always pick up the bug even if they can't move it where it wants to go. They would grab it, log it, and just put it back into another nearby cache, possibly keeping it for days or weeks.

     

    So, that would be detrimental to the bugs. Of course, that is probably happening anyway.

  19. Yes, Markwell and Rubbertoe -- good points.

     

    I would never be the cacher A described above, but I guess it does make me question why I would feel the need to log a bug I didn't actually grab?

     

    I think you're right -- because it says the number of bugs "found" and I found that bug, I would want to log it as such. Not a real interest in padding stats, but just interested in who has seen the bug. If I were the bug owner, I would appreciate the log.

     

    I guess I don't really have a strong opinion one way or another. As long as the bug isn't messed up, it wouldn't hurt at all if people logged a find without grabbing it.

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