How "lame" Is Your Area?

June 27, 2005

I first ran a pocket query to get the closest 500 caches. I then created a new query with its radius set to the distance out to cache #500. In that query, I set type to "traditional" and container type to "micro".

I came up with thirty-five (35) caches, or about seven percent (7%).

By comparison, there are one-hundred-thirty-five (135) multi's in that radius, for an anti-lame factor of twenty-seven percent (27%).

Can't wait to hear about other locales.

-WR

1.5k · June 27, 2005

Not so long ago, on a forum not far away, two sides battle over whether or not a tiny cache is worth seeking out. The proponents claim clever hides and the need for stealth, while the detractors scream that these caches belong to the Dark Side and should be avoided like the plague. The battle rages on.....

MICRO WARS!

:angry:

9.1k · June 27, 2005

You make the assumption that micros = lame, so I won't participate in your little exercise.

In my area there are lame caches, by my definition, of all types, including multicaches that are just a string of waypoints that don't really have a point to them, ammo boxes that are 50 feet or less from parking, and leaky tupperware containers that are full of soggy, broken trade items. There are also micros that don't have much of a purpose other than to show me a parking lot, and other micros that have introduced me to new parks where larger caches couldn't be hidden, or which reveal scenic urban vistas previously unknown to me.

I would have to go through the cache listings one at a time to count up the ones that fit my own personal definition of "lame." A cache that is the appropriate container and cache type for the location, and that is hidden in a location worth visiting, is not a lame cache. That's my definition. It is size neutral and type neutral.

Edited June 27, 2005 by The Leprechauns

7.2k · June 27, 2005

:angry:

I'm confused by this. "Lameness factor" is the ratio of traditional micros over multis? I don't get it. You saying that because a cache is a micro it has to be lame?

I beg to differ. In fact, in my area, before a certain someone who lives in another state placed several junk micros here, every one of our micros were interesting and challenging. Not a lame one in the bunch. Actually, one of them had such a wow factor that it got me hooked on geocaching. All of the others took you to a decent area, view, or park.

In contrast, before the afore mentioned event, the "Lamest Cache of the Area" went to a full sized cache. It leaked. In was in a bug infested area a few yards from a small shopping center that needed some serious CITO. One person commented about stepping over rotting meat.

So, no, I don't think lame equals micro or vice versa.

What I do get discouraged about in the ultra high ratio of micros that are lame.

June 27, 2005

A lame catch is one that has POISON IVY close to it.

If you want to walk a long distance then park a long ways from the cache.

June 27, 2005

I Love Micros

I love micros

That's the cache for me

When I hunt micros

It's something I can't see

Take me to a lamp post

Beside a busy street

I stand there acting normal

To anyone I meet

I'm holding my GPSr

And gazing at the screens

My waypoint keeps on moving

I wonder what it means

Some people are now staring

At me as if I'm nuts

I want to keep on looking

But I haven't got the guts

I smile at the people

As if to reassure

But I don't think they're buying

My natural allure

I guess I'd better move on

Before they call the cops

It's either that or disconnect

This post's bottom from it's tops

OK, they're gone, I got it

And now I start to write

If I hurry I can put it back

There's no one else in sight

Oh, good, I got a smilie

After all that is the aim

I can not wait to post it

And get back to the game

I see a Walmart parking lot

In which a cache is placed

I think I'll go there next

I hope I don't get maced!

:angry: :grin: :angry: :yikes: :yikes:

June 27, 2005

Seeing as how my quotes around "lame" doesn't seem to having changed anyone's interpretation of the word, I'll rephrase.

e.g. centered around downtown Harrisburg, we find:

205 traditional micros for a "tradmic" factor of 41%

68 multi's for a "multi" factor of 14%

For the Pittsburgh area:

49 traditional micros for a "tradmic" factor of 10%

51 multi's for a "multi" factor of 10%

-WR

June 27, 2005

I live in pretty much Downtown Harrisburg and I love hunting micros. It's all I've really ever hunted. I'll take a micro in a parking lot rather than a ammocan .5 miles in the woods anyday. :angry: Not to say I won't hunt them, I just prefer the stealthy nature of Micros. I just know in my area, theres a Helluva lotta them. :yikes:

June 27, 2005

BTW JoyPA,

That poem kicks massive butt. :angry:

S

9.4k · June 27, 2005

A lame catch is one that has POISON IVY close to it.

If you want to walk a long distance then park a long ways from the cache.

So I guess we can't place any caches in the winter because we can't tell if there's PI in the area then.

Ok everyone, place caches in the summer only so we can overwork the reviewers!

Next thing you know he'll be saying caches with mosquitos in the area re lame too :angry:

2.2k · June 27, 2005

0% lame factor here. i have enjoyed every cache i've done. i expect to enjoy every one i find.

1.5k · June 27, 2005

e.g. centered around downtown Harrisburg, we find:

205 traditional micros for a "tradmic" factor of 41%

68 multi's for a "multi" factor of 14%

For the Pittsburgh area:

49 traditional micros for a "tradmic" factor of 10%

51 multi's for a "multi" factor of 10%

All that tells me is if you go caching in Harrisburg you've got 2.7 times the number of caches to hunt than you do if you go caching in Pittsburgh. It says nothing about the quality of the caches of either location.

June 27, 2005

We all have different likes and dislikes. Labelling a particular cache type as lame is not usefull. Myself, I prefer a tradtitional cache so as to be able to place and retreive TB's along with other treasures. I don't mind multi's as long as they're not puzzles or in some sort of a code that I don't know the key to. Here in Hawai'i we have lots of each type so everyone can "find" the kind that suits them. If coming to Oahu - check out: Secret Menehune Fishing Spot GCMFAC, Menehune Water Source GCMNPJ, Ala Wai Peninsula GCMMWZ and bring your TB's. Aloha

June 27, 2005

Uh oh, I feel so GUILTY! I have hidden a "lame" cache....

I have one that is an ammo box just 20 feet or so off the windy country road and probably less than 50 feet from parking. Funny thing about it, most of the folks that have gone to find it liked the view of the pretty little creek that runs beside it. They thanked me for taking them to that nice little spot, and complimented the nice trade items in the cache. But what do they know? Hah!

I am so sorry. I will go out immediately and replace it with the micro that should be there instead. :angry:

24.7k · June 27, 2005

Since I don't like Multi caches I'd have to add them to the lame cache catagory. Then again some micro's are really good, and some traditional caches were not much fun. It would take more work than I have time to calculate my own personal lame factor.

The lamest part is when caches are stolen and they are not even there to find. I think that's pretty lame but I'm not sure how you would factor that in.

7.3k · June 27, 2005

I love my area. We have great caches. :angry:

3.8k · June 27, 2005

0% lame factor here. i have enjoyed every cache i've done. i expect to enjoy every one i find.

Exactly. It's not the cache that is lame, it's the finder's attitudes that are (sometimes) lame.

(I'm so happy, oh so happy,

I'm in love with every cache I've seen.) :yikes: :angry: :grin:

8.4k · June 27, 2005

0% lame factor here. i have enjoyed every cache i've done. i expect to enjoy every one i find.

Exactly. It's not the cache that is lame, it's the finder's attitudes that are (sometimes) lame.

(I'm so happy, oh so happy,

I'm in love with every cache I've seen.)

Dang, ya beat me to it. :angry:

20.7k · June 27, 2005

According to my careful computations, this thread has a lame factor of 78.3%.

Edited June 27, 2005 by sbell111

8.4k · June 27, 2005

According to my careful computations, this thread has a lame factor of 78.3%.

Awwww mannnn, I figured my lame, "Dang, ya beat me to it," post would have kicked it over 85.3%. :yikes: :angry:

2.2k · June 27, 2005

The only lame cache is one you don't have fun with.

Since Ive enjoyed every cache ive found so far, my local "lameness" factor is 0%.

1k · June 27, 2005

Caching is like sex--better a lame micro than none at all. :angry:

But seriously now, while I am no fan of micros, I have to admit that there are a few that I have really enjoyed. I have also found quite a few "regular" caches that were quite lame.

A mayonnaise jar full of McToys under an unnatural pile of sticks doesn't thrill me any more than a micro, but at least with the micro, I wasn't expecting much.

June 27, 2005

Isn't the location more important than what you find there? I think that if you have a well placed cache, the hunter should go away enjoying the experience even if he/she doesn't find it.

1.6k · June 27, 2005

0% lame factor here. i have enjoyed every cache i've done. i expect to enjoy every one i find.

Ditto that here as well ! .... Lame is in the eye of the beholder .......

As I also really loved that poem Joypa ! Nicely done !

Star

2k · June 27, 2005

Seeing as how my quotes around "lame" doesn't seem to having changed anyone's interpretation of the word, I'll rephrase.

You'd really need to start a new thread that didn't denigrate micros for me to bother to calculate local micro-intensity. :angry:

June 27, 2005

The only lame cache is one you don't have fun with.

Since Ive enjoyed every cache ive found so far, my local "lameness" factor is 0%.

What he said!

:angry:

2.7k · June 27, 2005

Most cachers are lame for a day or two after seeking the good ones I have in the hills around here. And since I own almost all of the caches including virtuals in my little corner of the world I just can't figure out which ones are good, bad, or ugly.

June 27, 2005

0% lame factor here. i have enjoyed every cache i've done. i expect to enjoy every one i find.

Exactly. It's not the cache that is lame, it's the finder's attitudes that are (sometimes) lame.

(I'm so happy, oh so happy,

I'm in love with every cache I've seen.)

First off:

Sept1c Tank...love the new avatar.

Jovpa.....your poem is uber groovy

Right now we have two threads running at the top-ish of the lists battling over micros. this one.

I think we need a new topic category devoted solely to the battle of the micros. It seems like every 3rd day or so, some malcontent starts another thread bashing something that doesn't align with their personal tastes.

If you don't like them, don't find them. But, STOP WHINING.

Who are you to equate micros with the word lame? That's some arrogance isn't it. :blink: :mad: :mad:

2.6k · June 27, 2005

It seems like every 3rd day or so, some malcontent starts another thread bashing something that doesn't align with their personal tastes.

If you don't like them, don't find them. But, STOP WHINING.

I hardly notice, what with all the malcontents bashing postings that don't align to their personal tastes. Could we stop whining about whining, or is it somehow noble to complain about complaints?

June 27, 2005

It seems like every 3rd day or so, some malcontent starts another thread bashing something that doesn't align with their personal tastes.

If you don't like them, don't find them. But, STOP WHINING.

I hardly notice, what with all the malcontents bashing postings that don't align to their personal tastes. Could we stop whining about whining, or is it somehow noble to complain about complaints?

Aren't you doing the same thing? Whining about whining about whining?

Of course, now I'm whining about whining about whining about whining. :anicute:

June 27, 2005

We've found several micros so far (haven't logged our latest batch of finds yet -- will probably be doing that tonight), and they were all well-done. However, we've ignored the "Wal-Mart" series of micros (there are, I believe 4 or 5 of those in my area.) Not planning on visiting them any time soon.

Back to the topic at hand -- as far as ratios, I'll stick with the 200 closest. That's right at a 30-mile radius for me. (We live in the Columbia, SC area.) 500 caches for me extends nearly 80 miles into parts of Georgia and North Carolina! The ratios are:

Micro-Caches: 29%

Multi-Caches: 16%

Unlisted Size: 5%

Virtuals: 2%

"Lame" Caches We've Found So Far: 0%

Edited June 27, 2005 by RandLD

June 27, 2005

I think that what Walden Run was referring to when he compared micros and multis was the time and effort used in creating the cache and finding a suitable container for the location. He certainly does not hate all micros because he had this to say about one:

We appreciated the quality cache setup while writing our logs. Maybe we should have left the FTF prize, as that type of container sometimes develops adhesions. Thanks for adding yet another quality hide to the few already in Betty's domain.

The only dissapointing find I ever had was a multi where the first stage turned out to be a micro in a container so unsuitable and poorly placed that it filled to the brim with water. The search brought you through trails flooded with inches of water, fallen trees and slippery log bridges. The final container was an old plastic pitcher with the cap for the pour spout missing and covered with duct tape.

I have developed my own "Geocaching Quality Ratio" which I apply to forum posters. Quite simply put, there are some cachers who rarely have anything useful or insightful to say, and when they get cornered by logic or a clearly worded reply in a position they are incapable of defending, they often reply with insults or a rousing "Tough! If you don't like it, don't go geocaching!" I identify posts made by those people by their avatars and how many "Smilies" and embedded quotes they have in their message. The insightful or funny posters are usually identified by their avatars.

Edited June 27, 2005 by JohnX

June 27, 2005

God help me, I love 'em all!!! :anicute:

1.4k · June 27, 2005

I Love Micros

I love micros

That's the cache for me

When I hunt micros

It's something I can't see

<snip>

I didn't know beating a dead horse to "death" yielded a poem.

I enjoyed it, Joypa :anicute:

Justice is already done to the forgettable lame caches. It's another matter for the unforgettable ones... :blink:

1k · June 27, 2005

It seems like every 3rd day or so, some malcontent starts another thread bashing something that doesn't align with their personal tastes.

If you don't like them, don't find them. But, STOP WHINING.

I hardly notice, what with all the malcontents bashing postings that don't align to their personal tastes. Could we stop whining about whining, or is it somehow noble to complain about complaints?

Ahh...whining about whining, or metawhining, as I like to call it.

You seem to be whining about metawhining. What would that be called?

June 27, 2005

It seems like every 3rd day or so, some malcontent starts another thread bashing something that doesn't align with their personal tastes.

If you don't like them, don't find them. But, STOP WHINING.

I hardly notice, what with all the malcontents bashing postings that don't align to their personal tastes. Could we stop whining about whining, or is it somehow noble to complain about complaints?

Ahh...whining about whining, or metawhining, as I like to call it.

You seem to be whining about metawhining. What would that be called?

metawhining in a redundant manner...all over again, once more. :anicute:

June 27, 2005

It seems like every 3rd day or so, some malcontent starts another thread bashing something that doesn't align with their personal tastes.

If you don't like them, don't find them. But, STOP WHINING.

I hardly notice, what with all the malcontents bashing postings that don't align to their personal tastes. Could we stop whining about whining, or is it somehow noble to complain about complaints?

Ahh...whining about whining, or metawhining, as I like to call it.

You seem to be whining about metawhining. What would that be called?

It's called, "Another Day in the Life of the Forums"

:anicute:

June 27, 2005

What is wrong with micros! As it says on the tutorial it isn't about the items, it is a bout fingding the cache, so if you object to micros your not a real geocacher!

2.6k · June 27, 2005

It seems like every 3rd day or so, some malcontent starts another thread bashing something that doesn't align with their personal tastes.

If you don't like them, don't find them. But, STOP WHINING.

I hardly notice, what with all the malcontents bashing postings that don't align to their personal tastes. Could we stop whining about whining, or is it somehow noble to complain about complaints?

Ahh...whining about whining, or metawhining, as I like to call it.

You seem to be whining about metawhining. What would that be called?

Suprametawhining? Followed, I suppose, by ultrasuprametawhining. After that, it's pretty much turtles all the way down.

June 27, 2005

What is wrong with micros! As it says on the tutorial it isn't about the items, it is a bout fingding the cache, so if you object to micros your not a real geocacher!

Uh oh...now your throwing spears! :anicute: :blink:

5.7k · June 28, 2005

4.75%

June 28, 2005

To me Geocaching is about... Getting out there to places I wouldn't have gone, so micro or large is secondary. And if I can come home with something I like that's cool too. Of course that means I put something in that although I may have liked obviously didn't want anymore. Sheesh people! :rolleyes:

1.1k · June 28, 2005

I would rather find a film cannister in a Wal-Mart parking lot, something I havn't done yet hummmm. Then a LAME multi. And I have found some pretty LAME multies. Just because it is a multi doesn't make it a good cache.

To me what makes a good cache is one that I can see the person put some GOOD imagination into doing. There is a cache in down town Denver that isn't particulary exciting to do but it is very imaginative and I laughed two days after words about it.

So a micro can be a very fun cache to hide and seek if the person doing it put effort into it. Just as a multi can be lame if it is just count the nails in the board and add to some other number to go off and count the fence rails etc...

cheers

2.5k · June 28, 2005

One thing you're forgetting is that even some lame caches have points to them. I have a micro on the ground along a fence at a cracker barrell. (As an added bonus, the lid has been chopped off by a weed whacker) The point of my cache isn't to take people somewhere. The point of my cache isn't for the thrill of the hunt. The purpose? To allow people driving through the area to stop and stretch for a minute, since there are absolutely no caches along that big stretch of interstate.

June 28, 2005

The purpose? To allow people driving through the area to stop and stretch for a minute, since there are absolutely no caches along that big stretch of interstate.

This "reason" has always bothered me. Do I really need a geocache as a reason to stop and stretch my legs? If I am starting to feel tired I know I should stop and take a walk around my car to get the blood moving again. I did this long before I found out about geocaching, and will do it long after I give up geocaching. So if I am starting to feel warn out, I should wait the 60 miles to the next cache? No, of course not...

June 28, 2005

I Love Micros

I love micros

That's the cache for me

When I hunt micros

It's something I can't see

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

I see a Walmart parking lot

In which a cache is placed

I think I'll go there next

I hope I don't get maced!

Who sez engineers kaint speek and spel gud.

:blink: :blink: :lol: :lol:

GeoForse

1k · June 28, 2005

It seems like every 3rd day or so, some malcontent starts another thread bashing something that doesn't align with their personal tastes.

If you don't like them, don't find them. But, STOP WHINING.

I hardly notice, what with all the malcontents bashing postings that don't align to their personal tastes. Could we stop whining about whining, or is it somehow noble to complain about complaints?

Ahh...whining about whining, or metawhining, as I like to call it.

You seem to be whining about metawhining. What would that be called?

Suprametawhining? Followed, I suppose, by ultrasuprametawhining. After that, it's pretty much turtles all the way down.

It appears we have now entered the newly formed genre of ultra - super - tetra - mega - whining.

Now this abosultely must stop.

:blink:

3.8k · June 28, 2005

Someone must have cheese. :blink: :blink:

2.2k · June 28, 2005

It appears we have now entered the newly formed genre of ultra - super - tetra - mega - whining.

Now this abosultely must stop.

You forgot giga-whining and tera-whining.

20.7k · June 28, 2005

This "reason" has always bothered me. Do I really need a geocache as a reason to stop and stretch my legs? If I am starting to feel tired I know I should stop and take a walk around my car to get the blood moving again. I did this long before I found out about geocaching, and will do it long after I give up geocaching. So if I am starting to feel warn out, I should wait the 60 miles to the next cache? No, of course not...

I walked in the woods long before geocaching, but I still appreciate a box covered by sticks.

Edited June 28, 2005 by sbell111

How "lame" Is Your Area?

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