The Jester
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Posts posted by The Jester
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Just use the hdd mm.mmmm format. It's only adding one more decimal place. Round the last digit down when it's 1-4, round up if it's 5-9.
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I met my (now) wife in the computer program at college. She was hot property at Boeing just before Y2K as she was a COBOL programmer, and most programs running then were still COBOL.
You can be on my lawn, but only if you mow it for me...
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1 hour ago, colleda said:
My son had a 520ST and a Jaguar. We still have them.
My first computer was a Kaypro 4 with 64K of memory (so 'roomy' after working with the college's 32K). I still have it, plus it's 'big' brother a Kaypro 10 with a 10meg hard drive.
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4 hours ago, humboldt flier said:
Hmmmmm Interesting take,
Here in Humboldt County, Calif >>>> you would never get to cache. "Never" is a hyperbole ... but one's caching would be seriously hampered.
As we say in the Great Pacific NorthWet - If you don't learn to cache in the rain, you'll never go caching. I've always found it harder to think about caching in the rain, then to actually cache in the rain. If I'm out on cache run and it starts raining, I just put on the rain gear and keep going. But, if I'm home in the nice warm, dry house thinking about going caching, but see that it's raining it's more "I don't want to go out and cache in that."
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13 hours ago, humboldt flier said:
True that:
Was out with a group of five persons doing the Geo-art Polaris ... above Kokopelli.
It was night and I walked right over a coiled Mojave Green Racer. (among the most venomous of the rattlers). Have absolutely no idea why there was no strike.
I have always been snake aware and have no idea why I did not see the critter. Needless to say I am even more cautious. Gaiters and sturdy pokey sticks > YESSSS.
Note: the youngest of the snakes are among the heavier "injectors".
I once tried to step on a rattlesnake in Eastern Washington. I was in Teva's and saw the coiled snake inches below my sole just as my foot was coming down. Don't ask how I did this, but made an "air" step (made another step without having the first foot hit the ground) over and past the snake. We later named that move the "Yakima Viper Two Step."
Older snakes can control the amount of venom used in a bite. Often humans are bitten as defensive strike and little or no venom is injected - we are too big to be prey. But young snakes will give the whole load in the strike.
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25 minutes ago, Atlas Cached said:
Nobody knows 'exactly' how Garmin GPSr function under the hood except Garmin software engineers, and even then.....
But, anyone can open a GGZ to see that it is just reformatted GPX that includes a TOC with basic elements required to display each individual geocache on the map or in the list, but when you want to open or view a geocache from the map or list, the device actually uses the GGZ index to find the detailed information for the requested geocache somewhere else in the same GGZ file.
Used to be that the Garmin devices were not as sensitive as they needed to be in determining if any GGZ files were updated or changed at each power on event, resulting in crashes when they tried to access specific information that had been moved slightly within the same file. But they seem to handle this much better now.
So, try to image the GPSr is reading each and every unique geocache from each unique GPX and GGZ file on the device, one at a time, to create an internal master index. Each time, the data read must be compared to the data that already exists in the master index to determine if the data is older, newer, or the same.
Total available RAM is not unlimited, so where one entry ends, the next starts. This information is saved as part of the indexing process.
Now, two or three GPX or GGZ files later, the device finds another copy of a geocache that was already indexed during the same power on event, and must now 'choose' which will actually be used (likely the more recent version, but I do not know for certain). Now, the old entry from the master index must be removed, and a new entry inserted, but likely the new entry will not fit into the space left behind by the removed entry, so now the entire master index is either 'fragmented' or rebuilt again to maximize memory usage efficiency.
Imagine doing this for tens of thousands of geocaches, in multiple files, many of which likely contain duplicate entries, some of which will not agree with each other as they may be from different dates.
Then repeat again for any geocaches loaded to the device via GCLive, which are not in any GPX or GGZ files.
And even when this entire process is complete, the device now has to go back through the entire master index and find any entries that exist there but were no longer found in any of the existing GPX and GGZ files on the device. These are 'deleted' or 'removed' geocaches, and they must now be removed from the master index, which must then again be rebuilt if it is not to be left fragmented, which I suspect it is not, else they would eventually have a very ugly and very fragmented master index to deal with. And since there are no 'defragment memory' options in the user interface (other than a master reset), I find it more likely the index is rebuilt in real time to prevent fragmentation.
All of this is performed by a CPU that is powered by a pair of 'AA' batteries while expected to provide 16 hours of runtime per charge.
And that they can do that at all is rather amazing - I got my Computer degree in '74 (when 32K was a nice machine) so seeing the changes and improvements is quite something.
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1 hour ago, fuzziebear3 said:
Follow up tip -- if you are not the FTF, you can follow the tracks of those who have gone before.
During a Cache Machine in winter 2003, six inches of snow fell during the day. At some of the stops we had fun laying false trails thru the snow. Such as walking past the cache and stepping back thru the tracks to get the cache, or leaving multiple trails and voids under trees looking for a hanging cache.
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43 minutes ago, terratin said:
Note to self: Gaiters! Nothing more annoying than wading through snow that is deeper than your boots. Got properly wet feet today, but fortunately no freezing toes.
Amen! I have both short (boot top) and long (knee) gaiters. Being that the calf's can lose up to 50% of your body heat (the head up to 75% - so hats!) protecting the lower leg is important (and preventing wet/cold feet/toes). One idea I've used is combine gaiters and convertable pants. When you get warm/hot you unzip the pant legs and drop them into the gaiters. When you stop (or otherwise get chilled) the legs are easily pulled back up and zipped.
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16 hours ago, NYPaddleCacher said:
These might work.
Knitted gloves don't stop the wind. My wife and I bought windstop pile mitts (well, gloves for me) that are warmer, but they aren't waterproof so wet weather soaks them (we also have windstop pile jackets that make a big difference). Overmitts (mainly used for climbing) with/without liners are good for all weather, but are a little less nimble (lots of room for liners, mitts, gloves inside). We have found a pair of biking gloves/mitts (we call them lobster claws since they have thumb, forefinger, middle finger glove like, but ring & little finger are mitt like) that are warm and waterproof - too warm often when not biking (no windchill). So finding the perfect glove/mitt is very individual and may take some serious searching (and possibly multiple pairs for different conditions).
Just a note, mitts are generally warmer than gloves (less surface area to lose heat) but are harder to manipulate things (I remember seeing 'shooter mitts' that allow the forefinger to slip into a glove like section for pulling the trigger).
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11 hours ago, mustakorppi said:
Bike-specific pogies are probably a better fit and those are now widely available. Raval handmakes fairly affordable ones in Latvia, and Alpkit makes them in the UK but no idea how their pricing/availability works post-brexit.
I hadn't heard about bike pogies, but that would probably be better, we've used our kayak ones for so long I never thought about exploring further.
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22 hours ago, terratin said:
No time. And I don't own a car, thus this would be a bit of a waste. Hmm.. battery powered bike grips though.. I wonder if that exists.
Something to consider for the future bike rides - kayak pogies. These are designed to fit over the paddle and protects the hand (and arm for the longer ones) from weather. We've used our long ones on the bicycle, they are big enough to cover the brake handle and really helped on cold and wet rides.
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I have, at times, cached dress in full Jester outfit. I've found spectacle is better than stealth. People either let you do anything while enjoying the 'entertainment' or will turn away and pointedly 'not see' you. So I could crawl all over that bench in front of the Seattle Federal building and people will either 'ignore the guy trying to attract attention' or 'enjoy the capers I'm pulling while grabbing the cache' - but either way I'm good.
There was one time (not in outfit) that I & another guy started juggling on the sidewalk in a tourist town, making lots of noise and banter, while a couple of friends were finding and pulling out the cache at a rock bench a couple of feet away. No one noticed.
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5 hours ago, The Leprechauns said:
The Jordan souvenir is such exciting news! Thank you for linking to the announcement. I only cached in Jordan for one day, as part of a church group tour, but I managed to find all the caches at Petra that existed at that time. Jordan's oldest geocache is one of my Top 10 favorite caches of all time. I will never forget my day there, and it's nice to memorialize that day with a souvenir. Even better, I now have souvenirs for all of the countries where I've found geocaches!
We only had a couple of days in country, but did get Petra (only had time to get the one) and one down by the Dead Sea (earlier got a couple on the other shore). We toured Amman but didn't get close to any caches. We'd planned on going back last May, but for some reason or another
had to cancel. We'll try again some time.
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On 1/9/2021 at 9:18 PM, GreyingJay said:
If I want to mark that I've found the cache, I have to push something like 6 buttons (menu - arrow down to Log Attempt - Found).
Just wanted to comment on this - if you go Menu -> Up arrow once you are on Log Attempt. Saves a few clicks.
But I agree with you about losing the Found button.
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44 minutes ago, SpiritGuide said:
That explains it... I've never liked it either.
The only trouble I've with it is hardware related, otherwise it fine.
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13 hours ago, Oliver-HB said:
Would you be so kind to post the macro's name and maybe the settings?
Perhaps this can make it easier for me...
But there is still the point, that I have to remember to start GSAK every day / week. ;-)
It's a macro that I wrote for myself, so it's not listed anywhere but on my computers. Not a really complex one, but not a simple few lines either.
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I'm assuming England, although there is Dungeness Mansion (ruins) in Georgia, USA and Dungeness Spit in Washington state, so it's not exactly a unique name...
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As the original question was "published in the last week" the discussion of adding a 'missing' Published Log to older caches, while interesting, is moot. Since the API has the ability to return such a list, adding that functionality to PQ's would be nice. But it would take a rebuilding (if not a whole new 'item') of the PQ code for it to use the API (who knows, maybe GS is thinking/planning that). So it seems that API Partner apps/programs are the way to do this currently.
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7 hours ago, kunarion said:
You're wrong about all this.
The App can direct you to any coordinates, such as the coords of a cache on the web site. But, except in the case of corrected coordinates on the web site, it tends to be kind of weird and tedious to manually use coordinates like that, even for a PM.
I understand that it can direct you to a set of co-ords, but can you download cache data from the website to the app (in addition to what it shows on it own)? If not (my assumption), then what I said about not being able to use the app as "normal" (finding a cache using the app, not a set of co-ords) is true.
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12 hours ago, Oliver-HB said:
Yes - I know about that.
But that means, that I have to run GSAK each monday.
Queries instead are being created automatically and then I have several days to download them... so I think that this is much easier and comfortable.
But that means, you have to manually download the PQ's at some point. I have a macro that automatically downloads the PQ's and runs any additional requests (like the one I mentioned save as settings) for each day (I update multi databases each week). Which is easier? Six of one, half dozen the other.
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1 hour ago, CAVinoGal said:
Kunarion's last comment ("They don't go to the website to learn all about Geocaching, and eventually quit caching.") struck home - I think that geocachers who have stuck with the hobby for more than a couple of years, and have gotten into the game as hiders and finders, are a different breed than the weekend one and done type folks who download the app to see what it's all about, find a few and quit when it's going to mean a bit more effort to find more (even if it's free!), or cost a few bucks for Premium.
Geocaching, to me, is all about seeking information on the website, writing down coordinates, (solving puzzles, multis, grabbing Earthcaches, virtuals, having to do MORE than just click and go). Yeah, it IS old tech, and it should stay that way - that's what geocaching IS. And you don't get the FULL experience with the app - it's an intro. If it hooks you, great, go deeper, visit the website, and find a lot more caches, still for free, and learn more about this off beat hobby. If you aren't motivated to dig deeper, then maybe "real" geocaching isn't for you, you'll find a few caches with the app for a month or so, but eventually get bored and move on to something else.
There are a lot of caches to find without paying for premium membership, but it means working with the website and learning more than the app gives you. Nothing wrong with that - and if your phone has the app you also have the website "at your fingertips". I see 3 stages at work here. First, the app - a few basic, simple, easy caches, low difficulty and terrain. Hey, this is fun - there's a website that explains more? Wow - look at all these caches that the app doesn't show! How do I find those? At this point, writing down and inputting the coordinates, and solving puzzles, using a GPS, all that "old tech" stuff, will appeal to me or not, and I'll quit, or keep finding using some old tech and some new tech. If you are willing to go the old tech route, there are still tons of caches to find without going premium. Some are content with that level - others see all the advantages of Premium in addition to a few extra caches to find, and are willing to pay the very reasonable $30 a year. Those that don't make that first leap, from app only to website complementing the app, aren't the ones that will see the value and pay for premium anyway, so as an "ad", it works. It encourages a deeper look, to see if this hobby is going to be worth your investment in time and money.
I've been at this geocaching for near 20 years, I've never used "the app", and haven't had to "write down coordinates" or "inputting the coordinates" since the early 2000's. So I don't see that piece of it as "what geocaching IS". I've used the computer to load cache data to the GPSr since my second one (a Garmin Rino 110), for a while I needed to keep extra cache info on a PDA, but the new units all take the complete (mostly) cache data and display it.
Like I said, I don't use the App so this is a guess, but it sound like you can't add a cache from the website to the app and then use it to find the cache. You can only hunt the ones it will display. If that's so, that is a, IMO, a major stumbling block to new users. If the app is the only thing they know, even if they get on the website and see all those other caches, they have no way to hunt them without getting another app (or paying). But, maybe I'm wrong about all this.
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6 hours ago, dprovan said:
Just to be sure I understand the question and the answers: I think the question is asking for a query on the publication date, but the only date that can be queried is the date the CO puts in the "placed on" field. Caches are often placed well before the CO actually asks for them to be published.
The 2 answers so far seem to be talking about different ways to query the placed by date for different ranges, but that doesn't appear to be what the OP is asking about. Feel free to correct me, but I think the answer to the original question is that there's no way to query the publication date. Well, not through the web. I don't know much about GSAK, but I seem to remember it has that concept, derived from the date of the publication log.
Yes, GSAK does have that function thru the API (Geocaching.com access -> Get Geocaches... -> Page 2, Publish date). I use that every Monday to get all the caches published during the previous week (I use 'during the last 8 days' to catch any published on the previous Monday after I've done the update).
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I carry a "Fisher Space Pen Stowaway" with me at all times:
Only about 3.75 inches it fits diagonally in the wallet.
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3 hours ago, kunarion said:
The O-rings tend to be unsuitable for outdoor use, they crack, get gummy, or break. Prepare for the challenge of finding replacements.
I've never had a 'challenge' finding replacements, but then maybe the local hardware chain (McLendon's) is just that good.
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had to cancel. We'll try again some time.
Oregon 750t Position format
in GPS technology and devices
Posted
When I got my new 66s I had to get used to an extra decimal place also. I guess the new units are more accurate??? At least, they report on a finer grid.