abnerone
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Posts posted by abnerone
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FYI - Here is a very good 5 minutes news video segment on geocaching, if you would like to introduce someone to the hobby. It is from KARE 11 TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is very positive and pretty thorough.
http://www.kare11.com/video/player.aspx?ai...60877&bw=hi
Here is the text news story, which also has a link to the video.
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Here is some nice visual proof of the "route preview" bug.
This route will provide the correct caches in your pocket query, but the visual preview is very incorrect. While I have confidence in my own routes, how can anyone reliably use a public routes, using the search function if the previews are completely unreliable?
This route is made public, under the name "Lakeville MN to Omaha NE" but for some reason no matter what I search for, I can't get it to come up in the search results at all. So, is that another bug?
Preview:
Actual Caches Return From Pocket Query:
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Your Vista Cx will work with either the NT or regular version. The NT version basically means it has compressed data. The entire US from the NT version is under 1GB, whereas the regular version is about 1.6GB. Some older units can't read the newer NT version. But newer units are happy with either version.
According to amazons sales ranks, and number of customer reviews, not many people are buying the NT version. I personally run the non-NT version on my 60Cx.
I don't know if this is true or not, but I once read that *maybe* some units run slower on the NT version, because it has to uncompress the data as you need it. I would recommend just getting a 2GB card and going with the non-NT version. That seems to be what most users do, if you want to just load the entire US at once and be done with it.
While the 2008 upgrade was just released, the 'full' retail DVDs are not in the channels yet. So until the full 2008 DVD end up on the shelves, I think the only option is to buy version 8, and then buy the $75 2008 online upgrade DVD.
By the way, they changed how they name the versions. It used to be v6, v7, v8...now it looks like it will be by the year. So 2008, replaces v.8.
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In Taiwan?
Hmm...well since TVNAV.com is in Kansas, maybe they are close to the distribution warehouse? Hehe...it was just a nasty rumor. But they are the first company that I have seen actually ship any H series Etrex units to real end users. As of July 16th, it seems, they have only shipped some Vista HCx units.
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It looks like one of the first companies to ship some of the new H Etrex series is:
They have shipped Vista HCx units to real end customers. Someone in another thread thought they might be located very close to the Garmin manufacturing plant.
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I don't know why with a 2GB SD card in my GPS r why can't I load the cache page data into my GPS. I should not have to carry around a GPSr and a PalmPilot with cache page and log data on it. I should be able to click to the cache page data screen in my GPSr. When I started caching 8 months ago, I couldn't believe that this was not already in place.
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We're aware of the issue and will be figuring it out today. Thanks!
Jeremy,
You said you thought this log count bug might be fixed on June 6th. It is now 8 days later, and I am still see bad counts all over. Can you please give everyone an update on this big bug fix. Thanks!
Here are easy to see errors:
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...88-43b66b1d5d03
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...52-e1172cc572e0
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...f5-d1a292708b5a
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It will be cool. But it doesn't do a whole lot at the moment. You'll be able to watch your friends in the near term (and get emails when they log caches).
Once we make sure the new db is helping with the scalability issues we'll get working on more features.
Hey Jeremy...
You mentioned the friends feature will eventually "be cool." Sweet! Here are the two huge features that would make my caching life with friends much better. I have been wishing for both of those functions to be been supported by geocaching.com. Either through pocket queries or through a search function.
1. Show me caches that my friend (or friends up to 4 maybe) have found, but I have not.
2. Show me caches that both my friend and I (or friends up to 4 maybe) have all not found.
The first one solves the problem of what caches to find, if you are on your own tonight, and want to get better sync'd up with a friend, by catching up to them.
The second one solves the trouble I constantly run into with caching with other cachers for the night. How do we know what caches we should try to find tonight, that none of us have ever found?
Jeremy, please consider making the friends function much more powerful! Thanks for all your hard work on the fantastic site!
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I'm hoping that one of the functions of the new friends list will be PQs to get caches that your friend has found but you haven't, or cache that neither of you have found.
Hey tozainamboku...
I have been wishing for both of those functions to be been supported by geocaching.com. Either through pocket queries or through a search function.
1. Show me caches that my friend (or friends up to 4 maybe) have found, but I have not.
2. Show me caches that both my friend and I (or friends up to 4 maybe) have all not found.
The first one solves the problem of what caches to find, if you are on your own tonight, and want to get better sync'd up with a friend, by catching up to them.
The second one solves the trouble I constantly run into with caching with other cachers for the night. How do we know what caches we should try to find tonight, that none of us have ever found?
Jeremy, please consider making the friends function much more powerful! Thanks for all your hard work on the fantastic site!
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You don't need to go to each cache page. You can add to a bookmark list by entering the GC number for each cache one after another, in the input box at the top right of the bookmark list.
Thanks Keystone for letting me know of a 2nd way to add caches to a bookmark list. However, this other method is also a single cache at a time tedious method. Hopfully, we can get some way to dump a bunch in there at once.
An even better idea than I am showing in the picture above would be some more buttons on the search results page, that let you download *all* search results, and not just the 20 check marked on one page, in a few different ways. All these 4 new buttons, would probably need to be limited to 500 max like a PQ. I realize these searches take server processing power, but it seems these are serious improvements to the usefullness of the search features, that could allow many people, myself included, to shutdown many or all of their *daily* but never used PQ's.
1. All search results (500 max) in a GPX file.
2. All search results (500 max) in a LOC file. (Although I don't use LOC files, since GPX hold much more info.)
3. All search results (500 max) "To GPS" using the new Garmin browser plugin, for direct GPS loading.
4. All search results (500 max) to a bookmark list.
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I am finding the need for a way to bulk add to bookmark lists.
Here is why I would find this very helpful. I have a friend that I cache with a lot, but he has about 200 more caches than I right now. If I cache on my own, then it makes sense for me to try and grab ones that he has already found, to get us more 'in sync.' I can do a search for the ones he has found, and even exclude the ones I have found using the 'advanced search' but then I want to checkmark them 20 at a time, and then bulk add them to a bookmark list I have created.
I can't see the new bookmarks list feature being very powerful, if you can only add caches to the lists *one cache page at a time.* So far I can only find the add to bookmarks link on each individual cache page. Ugh. Am I missing something for bulk addding to bookmark lists? Could anyone else find this useful?
Thanks for taking the time to consider adding this to the search results page.
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Yes, yes, yes. I had another thread asking for this same idea.
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Raine... Great changes!
Is there any chance of getting an icon somewhere in the upper section of each individual cache page, that indicates it you have had a Find or DNF, if you have logged it for either, and if you are properly logged into your account.
The find could be a red check mark or smiley face, and the DNF icon could be a red circle with a line diagonal line through it or frowny face.
Thanks for considering it.
abnerone
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I am wondering, now that the backend servers have a little more oommph, could we consider adding a found red checkmark or DNF icon to the top of each individual cache page, if you have visited a cache, and are logged into your account?
Thanks for considering it.
abnerone
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I asked this same question to the volunteer cache approver for the state of Minnesota, Surfer Joe. I don't think he would mind me quoting his reply here, without his contact info:
>From: Surfer Joe
>To: abnerone
>
>John,
>
>Yup, that's the way it has always been and I don't know why. I have
>nothing at all to do with the web site. I do know though, that if
>the owner cares, they can always edit the "hidden on" date to be the
>same as the published date.
>
>SJ
So I am wondering if the geocaching.com admins are listening, what are the chances of getting the listings that are sorted from newest to oldest, be changed to use the 'published date' instead of the more irrelevant 'hidden date' ?
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I am sorry if this should be placed somewhere else, or perhaps the problem is so widely known that I am just piling on.
When I go to the Home page, and go to the "By State (US Only)" pull down menu in the upper right corner, and select Minnesota, there is a section that is supposed to always list the newest publish caches. However, right now there are some new Minnesota caches that have been published more recently than this list, that are not showing up.
But the more I look, the more I wonder about the difference between the "Hidden Date" and the "Published Date"
Look at the one below. It was 'hidden' on May 28th, but no one could see it until it was published on May 30th. So to me, this cache should be highest on the 'newest caches in Minnesota' list (as of May 30th), but it is not. I would think that the 'hidden date' should always be the same as the 'published date.' We don't really need to know that the cache physically put it out there on the 28th, and then the cache reviewer took a couple days to approve it, and publish it to everyone. As far as I am concerned this was hidden and published on the 30th.
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...6d-0c47d523f372
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I am sorry if this should be placed somewhere else, or perhaps the problem is so widely known that I am just piling on. But the 'log counts' list above the logs all seem wrong. On a cache that has tons of logs, it is hard to tell there is a problem sometimes. But I have been seeing a lot of brand new caches, with only a few logs, that are clearly the wrong counts.
Such as this one:
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...a0-ff0350d18d8c
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This problem is now fixed. Thanks!
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After clearing cache on Firefox 2.0.0.3, and IE 6 on a Windows box, the problem still exists.
After clearing cache on Firefox 2.0.0.3, on a Mac OSX box, the problem still exists.
I am guessing that the webmasters, need to fix something on the head end here.
abnerone
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Hey...
Not sure if this affects everyone, and even so if the issue will last for awhile. But, I am seeing that www.geocaching.com work fine, however if you just type geocaching.com without the www. it will say the sait is down for maintenance. I assume they should both forward to the live working site.
abnerone
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Hello fellow Geocaching.com addicts...
I love the sport/hobby/game and our invaluable site. However, I have simple suggestion. When logged into my account, and when viewing a long list of caches resulting from a search, the site puts a nice big red check mark next to the ones I have found. However, when I am viewing a standard full single cache webpage, there is absolutely no indication anywhere on this page, if I have found this cache before or not.
I have only found under 100 caches so far, but many cachers have found thousands. They couldn't possibly remember all them by name, so it seems it would be very beneficial to add the coding to get that same nice big red check mark added in the upper area of each cache page, if you have found it. There could be other icons for DNF's etc.
Thanks to the webmasters for considering making this addition to the code.
abnerone
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I thought I would add a pretty healthy dose of info I have figured out about using the maps.live.com, and it's bird eye view, to help in caching.
It appears that the Mappoint link on each geoceching.com cache page first goes to the 'old' mappoint.msn.com site. Then if the site detects, that you are on a Windows computer (not Mac), and you are using Internet Explorer (not Firefox, Opera etc) then it will forward you to maps.live.com, *AND* it uses the direct coordinates, and pinpoints the cache location. You can then switch to birds eye view, and zoom in and there is your cache location.
I have discovered that there is a way to 'trick' the old mappoint site into forwarding you to the new maps.live.com site, even if you are not using Internet Explorer on a Windows PC. You will need to change your browser 'agent' that gets reported to the web site.
There is a Firefox Extension that can do this. You can get it here:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/59
Once it is added and you restart Firefox, there will be a User Agent Switch menu, under your Tools menu. If you switch it to Internet Explorer 6 (Windows XP) then you will be forwarded.
The only trouble with this, is that in theory, you would want to remember to switch it back after you are done to "default." Although perhaps it would not do much harm to leave it in that agent all the time. I suspect you will have some trouble with certain high level sites if you leave it in an inaccurate setting.
I have also now figured out fairly simple way to create a URL, in which you can enter any 'pure decimal' coordinates into, and get to the birds eye view oblique imagery, if your area supports it. This URL should work on any modern browser and an modern OS.
Keep in mind, the reason you would build your own URL like below, would be because you have coordinates you have manually figured out, which are different than the coords stored on main cache page, *and* you want to view imagery from maps.live.com, such as the birds eye view imagery.
My example below, is going to use the "Allie and Annie's Secret" cache in Edina, MN, found here:
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...6f-68faee40c00f
1. First I converted the 'degree minutes.decimal" format used by geocaching.com into the pure degree.decimal format, by clicking the jeeep.com link (or convert to NAD27 at Jeeep.com.)
N 44° 53.459 W 093° 19.830
becomes
44.890983 -93.3305
2. Using the below URL form, replace the "lat" and "long" with your coords, in both places (a total of four places.) The first instance of your coords, sets the center of the map, and is separated by a tilde ~. The second instance of your coords, puts a pushpin, at the same point, and is separated by an underscore _.
"http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?cp=lat~long&style=h&lvl=18&sp=an.lat_long"
So my new URL is:
"http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?cp=44.890983~-93.3305&style=h&lvl=18&sp=an.44.890983_-93.3305"
3. Since not all locations have birds eye view oblique imagery, I have used the "h" style (hybrid) within this URL. I am using zoom level 18, which for most locations will render the normal satellite imagery from straight above. Many locations will not render the highest level of zoom, which is 19.
If you want to see the birds eye view, you will then need to click the icon with the buildings on it, if available to your area. There is one additional level of zoom, once you are within the birds eye angled view. You can also click the blue circles around the triangle, to view the area from N, S, E or W. Cool.
Like I said, the URL form aboce uses the style of "h" which is aerial and roads hybrid. There is also "a" for aerial only, and "r" for roads. If you know your area supports the birds eye view imagery, then you can switch the "h" style to "o" which will show you the oblique imagery upon entering the URL.
BTW - I found that sometimes the pushpin icon did not render in birds eye view, unless I click on the pushpin in the right scratch pad area.
I don't know why the main search box on maps.live.com is not designed to take any coords directly. Even entering many variations of the pure degree.decimal format does yield the right result. Hopefully, they will address this in the future. Feel free to give them feedback on this.
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I also started to explore, the "Build you own URL" help file which poohstickz pointed me to. That does look like it should work to enter the pure decimal numbers into the URL syntax. However, after trying to enter some pure decimal coords into the URL, the way it describes, I am still getting other locations in other states than what I should.
I will keep poking at it. Anyone else feel free to poke your own sticks at it.
abnerone
I have now figured out fairly simple way to create a URL, in which you can enter any 'pure decimal' coordinates into, and get to the birds eye view oblique imagery, if your area supports it. This URL should work on any modern browser and an modern OS.
Keep in mind, the reason you would build your own URL like below, would be because you have coordinates you have manually figured out, which are different than the coords stored on main cache page, *and* you want to view imagery from maps.live.com, such as the birds eye view imagery.
My example below, is going to use the "Allie and Annie's Secret" cache in Edina, MN, found here:
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...6f-68faee40c00f
1. First I converted the 'degree minutes.decimal" format used by geocaching.com into the pure degree.decimal format, by clicking the jeeep.com link (or convert to NAD27 at Jeeep.com.)
N 44° 53.459 W 093° 19.830
becomes
44.890983 -93.3305
2. Using the below URL form, replace the "lat" and "long" with your coords, in both places (a total of four places.) The first instance of your coords, sets the center of the map, and is separated by a tilde ~. The second instance of your coords, puts a pushpin, at the same point, and is separated by an underscore _.
"http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?cp=lat~long&style=h&lvl=18&sp=an.lat_long"
So my new URL is:
"http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?cp=44.890983~-93.3305&style=h&lvl=18&sp=an.44.890983_-93.3305"
3. Since not all locations have birds eye view oblique imagery, I have used the "h" style (hybrid) within this URL. I am using zoom level 18, which for most locations will render the normal satellite imagery from straight above. Many locations will not render the highest level of zoom, which is 19.
If you want to see the birds eye view, you will then need to click the icon with the buildings on it, if available to your area. There is one additional level of zoom, once you are within the birds eye angled view. You can also click the blue circles around the triangle, to view the area from N, S, E or W. Cool.
Like I said, the URL form aboce uses the style of "h" which is aerial and roads hybrid. There is also "a" for aerial only, and "r" for roads. If you know your area supports the birds eye view imagery, then you can switch the "h" style to "o" which will show you the oblique imagery upon entering the URL.
BTW - I found that sometimes the pushpin icon did not render in birds eye view, unless I click on the pushpin in the right scratch pad area.
I don't know why the main search box on maps.live.com is not designed to take any coords directly. Even entering many variations of the pure degree.decimal format does yield the right result. Hopefully, they will address this in the future. Feel free to give them feedback on this.
The New Site changes
in Website
Posted · Edited by abnerone
Hi Raine and the programmers.
Thanks for the great new maps. I am planning an outing tonight, and already got addicted to them. Do you have an estimate of when they will be put back live again? A hour? Tomorrow? Thanks.