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Whats Your Vision Of The Future Of Caching

bman92

By bman92
in General geocaching topics

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Team Cotati

+Team Cotati

Posted
Posted (edited)
It would be damned hard to ban the activity entirely. Though I'd miss doodling in the logbook, I've always said I'd be willing to play this game if it got renamed "go stand on this exact spot in the woods." The authorities could forbid anyone going into the woods for any reason, but if it's open to hikers, it has to be open to hikers carrying a GPS receiver. Especially as more and more emergency services take up GPS. Think of the liability if they banned this important "safety equipment"!

 

So the game in a form I'd like to play is likely to exist longer than I'll be physically capable of playing it. Woohoo!

Oh my dear THEY wouldn't need to ban it. All that would be required would be to alter the transmitted signals from the satellites so that a specialized reciever was needed. Then only those who were issued these devices would benefit. Game over. I must admit though, that up until this very moment I had never ever considered such a turn of events. :)

Edited by Team Cotati
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AuntieWeasel

+AuntieWeasel

Posted
Posted
It would be damned hard to ban the activity entirely. Though I'd miss doodling in the logbook, I've always said I'd be willing to play this game if it got renamed "go stand on this exact spot in the woods." The authorities could forbid anyone going into the woods for any reason, but if it's open to hikers, it has to be open to hikers carrying a GPS receiver. Especially as more and more emergency services take up GPS. Think of the liability if they banned this important "safety equipment"!

 

So the game in a form I'd like to play is likely to exist longer than I'll be physically capable of playing it. Woohoo!

Oh my dear THEY wouldn't need to ban it. All that would be required would be to alter the transmitted signals from the satellites so that a specialized reciever was needed. Then only those who were issued these devices would benefit. Game over. :)

Or they could come to our homes and wrap our heads in duct tape so that only our noses poked out and then we couldn't see to enter the coordinates. Which is just as likely a thing for Them to do as making GPS receivers useless again, considering all the cars rolling off the assembly line with built-in navigation.

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the hermit crabs

+the hermit crabs

Posted
Posted
Oh my dear THEY wouldn't need to ban it. All that would be required would be to alter the transmitted signals from the satellites so that a specialized reciever was needed. Then only those who were issued these devices would benefit. Game over. I must admit though, that up until this very moment I had never ever considered such a turn of events. :)

Not game over -- but every cache would be like this one :)

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Team Cotati

+Team Cotati

Posted
Posted (edited)
Oh my dear THEY wouldn't need to ban it. All that would be required would be to alter the transmitted signals from the satellites so that a specialized reciever was needed. Then only those who were issued these devices would benefit. Game over. I must admit though, that up until this very moment I had never ever considered such a turn of events. :)

Not game over -- but every cache would be like this one :)

Game over, trust me. And not every cache would be like that ONE either. So there. B)

Edited by Team Cotati
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Team Cotati

+Team Cotati

Posted
Posted (edited)
It would be damned hard to ban the activity entirely. Though I'd miss doodling in the logbook, I've always said I'd be willing to play this game if it got renamed "go stand on this exact spot in the woods." The authorities could forbid anyone going into the woods for any reason, but if it's open to hikers, it has to be open to hikers carrying a GPS receiver. Especially as more and more emergency services take up GPS. Think of the liability if they banned this important "safety equipment"!

 

So the game in a form I'd like to play is likely to exist longer than I'll be physically capable of playing it. Woohoo!

Oh my dear THEY wouldn't need to ban it. All that would be required would be to alter the transmitted signals from the satellites so that a specialized reciever was needed. Then only those who were issued these devices would benefit. Game over. :)

Or they could come to our homes and wrap our heads in duct tape so that only our noses poked out and then we couldn't see to enter the coordinates. Which is just as likely a thing for Them to do as making GPS receivers useless again, considering all the cars rolling off the assembly line with built-in navigation.

Yeah, that is why up until NOW I had never given the possibility of such an outlandish assertion any credence whatsoever..... Auntie. :)

Edited by Team Cotati
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VegasCacheHounds

+VegasCacheHounds

Posted
Posted

Okay, here is my vision of the future of caching:

 

More 'lame' caches will be hidden. More "amazing' caches will be hidden. Heck, more caches will be hidden.

 

Rules will be made, rules will be broken or bent, people will whine about all three.

 

Laws/regulations will be imposed by some governing bodies, but others will continue to be in the dark and others will gladly play along.

 

Cachers will figure ways to place caches of some sort even with new rules/guidelines/laws/regulations, and some solutions will be 'lame', some will totally rock.

 

In other words, I predict the future of caching will be much like the past and present of caching.

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joe gremlin

+joe gremlin

Posted
Posted
Oh my dear THEY wouldn't need to ban it. All that would be required would be to alter the transmitted signals from the satellites so that a specialized reciever was needed. Then only those who were issued these devices would benefit. Game over. I must admit though, that up until this very moment I had never ever considered such a turn of events. :)

I'd be pretty surprised to see that happen given that nearly every airliner in the world utilizes GPS for navigation about *95% of the time. Yes they were using GPS before SA was turned off but now that it is off none of the airlines are going to want to see it turned back on. Nor are they going to want replace their radios in every airplane. Given the amount of influence airlines can have in Washington, I think it'd take a whole lot more than some hikers hiding matchbox cars in the woods to make GPS as we know it unavailable to everyone.

 

*95% is only my laymans estimate and (I think) a pretty conservative one at that.

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Thin Air Freak

+Thin Air Freak

Posted
Posted

I am sure that in short time there will be a small percentage of individuals who will abuse this sport just like they do so many others. They will tear down the landscape to get to the hide, take what they want without replacing, and finish off their 6 pack on the way out to celebrate their ultimate victory. (of course they won’t carry the empties out)

Although there have been no cases yet, I am sure in time there will be some nut-case that will place a real bomb in a container in order to maim and cripple some unsuspecting cacher. After all, I’m sure most of us remember how fun Halloween used to be before razor blades and poison showed up in the candy. And to be honest, with all the CSI stuff on TV, I’m waiting for the first case of a dead body being hidden to be found as a cache.

Will all this cynicism keep me from enjoying this sport? NO WAY!! I still hunt and target shoot, I still ride my ATV and 4x4 when I get the chance, I still smoke, and if I had a cell phone I would probably use it while driving. If I’m not stopping all the other hobbies/sports I enjoy in spite of public opinion, I’ll be damned if I’m going to give up my GPS. Being one who has had many once enjoyable pleasures limited by social perceptions and knee jerk reactions, it is silly for all of us to say that social or political pressure cannot possibly curtail geocaching.

 

As Pogo says: “We have seen the enemy, and he is us.”

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joe gremlin

+joe gremlin

Posted
Posted

I've got a few thoughts on all of this. I agree that GPS technology is going to find its way into the hands of more and more people and as it does you'll start to see people destroy caches simply because they can. The solution should that happen is simple, change the website so that cache locations are only accessible to those who subscribe. Very few people IMO will want to pay just so they can be destructive.

 

There's also the issue of ignorant policy makers imposing law/rules that would limit where/how the game is played to the point of making it impossible to play. This makes me think it'd be a good idea to get some politicians and/or newspapers involved now. Take them on a few caches and let them discover for themselves the many benefits/minimal negatives associated with the game. This could go a long way toward preventing laws getting passed based on public fear and ignorance.

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budd-rdc

+budd-rdc

Posted
Posted
To add to this, most of the Chicken Littles out there assume that geocaching will exist exactly as it is today, 5 years from now. I can't stress enough that the first cache was buried up to the lid and contained a can of beans in it. My first cache had a Sunny Delight drink in it. The only thing geocaching can do at this point is move forward.

 

If anything, today I can hike to the top of mountains to find a cache. I wouldn't have gone otherwise and I wouldn't have been able to do it several years ago.

I have a question on this out of curiosity, since knowing a little history might be beneficial for the future...

 

Which was your cache that you put a drink of Sunny Delight in?

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Jeremy

Jeremy

Posted
Posted
I have a question on this out of curiosity, since knowing a little history might be beneficial for the future...

 

Which was your cache that you put a drink of Sunny Delight in?

Sorry for the confusion. The drink was in my first cache find, along with a disposable camera.

 

The cache with no name (found 3 days ago)

 

My first hide was filled with swag from the company I was working for that went under. Coincidentally it was also Moun10bike's first find, and he created the first Geocoin.

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CoyoteRed

CoyoteRed

Posted
Posted

I had a vision that there was so much turmoil between the purists and the progressives that the community is forced to divide the types into genres. No longer are "micros" thought of as "lame urbans" and not longer are the good mircos ignored because of the preponderance of quick, easy, park-n-grabs being micros.

 

No, the furture holds caches broken down into differing genres that appeal to differing tastes much like movies or music. Gone are "lame micros." Then it will be "Quickies," "Hikes," "Puzzles," or "Secret Locations." That's just a small sampling. Of course, as new styles come along, new genres will pop up. Also, any one cache can belong to multiple genres.

 

Then, there will be peace.

 

...for a short while...

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Orly

Orly

Posted
Posted (edited)

Is it a fad ? H has hidden a few caches, adopted an abandoned, has a little fun with it, goes hiking with son. His personally hidden caches have received good review from the very few who have gone after them, but I mean there are very few lookers anymore. So few that he was planning on archiving to eliminate maint responsibility. I explain to H that as in all activity there is a huge swell in interest , which is short lived. So I tell him to wear his Nehru Jacket, boot up his CB radio, carry his hula hoop, his raquetball raquet, put his disco music on the 8 track, bring his pet rock to leave in cache before he goes out the next time. Unless there is a freshening of approach periodically it will become just another footnote in pop culture. So he has funfor a little while. Caches that are more than grab and go, that have an element of fun to them, revamped virtuals and locationless, will all help. Scheduled retirements and replacements to keep things fresh and lively.

Edited by Orly
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GeoPhishers

GeoPhishers

Posted
Posted

Due to laws and restrictions, groups of adventurous and secretive underground cachers will arise.

And as for the rest of us, Using programs like "Google Earth" that in the future will have live updating and super high resolution, some will begin to cache hunt from their computers.

 

Anyway...I hate to say it but I dont see how the sport will continue without being banned or highly restricted in some way. This country is to hell bent on making laws or imposing permits and red tape, but more than likely due to the fact the some nim rod or psycho places real explosives in one of these things :huh: Scary thought but would not surprise me.

Now if we could find some way for the Gov. to make money on this. A tax of some sort or a Geofishers license at $20 bucks a pop, well that might keep them quiet for a little while.

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tabulator32

+tabulator32

Posted
Posted

As there are existing instances of "licensing fees" for placing caches in various places throughout the US, they set a precidence for what others may try to acomplish on a national level. Its my opinion we should take action against any local, state or federal legislation which requires charging a licensing fee for placing a cache on public property.

 

*Dons flame-proof underwear*

 

Thoughts?

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Moose Mob

+Moose Mob

Posted
Posted

Here's a stretch...

 

Caches are solar powered and connetcted to the WWW through wireless technology. You swipe your caching card through the slot when you find the cache and record your log on the spot through voice recognition.

 

Your cell phone will tell your the closest caches to your current location via instant PQ technology (Premium member only, of course).

- or -

Your GPS will automatically recieve coordinates for nearest caches via Groundspeak's satellite system. Cache listings are transferred directly to your PDA. (Ultra-Premium service).

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tabulator32

+tabulator32

Posted
Posted
Here's a stretch...

 

Caches are solar powered and connetcted to the WWW through wireless technology. You swipe your caching card through the slot when you find the cache and record your log on the spot through voice recognition.

 

One better...

 

You just send your robotic, GPS-equipped droid out to find the cache and give it your geocaching.com swipe card to make sure you get credit for the find.

 

Truly, armchair treasure hunting takes on a whole new meaning.

 

You can watch the whole thing from the camera monitor which show the images from the camera on your droid's head.

 

:huh:

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Orly

Orly

Posted
Posted (edited)

Or people will come to forums like this one and read the stuff that is put out about solar power and droids and think that they walked into a Star Wars convention and beat a hasty retreat, never to return again. My goodness, get a grip. Or better yet go for a walk in the woods, but leave your toy at home. Swiping cards, solar powered, droids, :unsure:

 

One thing is for sure, when people start talking about the future of some activity, it is usually a sign that the best days of the activity are already behind. Or, as I like to say, IT HAS JUMPED THE SHARK.

Edited by Orly
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AuntieWeasel

+AuntieWeasel

Posted
Posted
Or people will come to forums like this one and read the stuff that is put out about solar power and droids and think that they walked into a Star Wars convention and beat a hasty retreat, never to return again. My goodness, get a grip. Or better yet go for a walk in the woods, but leave your toy at home. Swiping cards, solar powered, droids,  :unsure:

Arrrrrhh! What're you, some kind of scurvy letterboxer? I'll have a big, juicy slice of hot silicon with my nature, please!

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sbell111

+sbell111

Posted
Posted
Or people will come to forums like this one and read the stuff that is put out about solar power and droids and think that they walked into a Star Wars convention and beat a hasty retreat, never to return again. My goodness, get a grip. Or better yet go for a walk in the woods, but leave your toy at home. Swiping cards, solar powered, droids, :unsure:

 

One thing is for sure, when people start talking about the future of some activity, it is usually a sign that the best days of the activity are already behind. Or, as I like to say, IT HAS JUMPED THE SHARK.

You're absolutely correct. No one will swipe a card. We'll all have electronic implants that will do the deed.

 

BTW, nobody has said 'jump the shark' for the last ten years. :o

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reveritt

+reveritt

Posted
Posted
...

So the game in a form I'd like to play is likely to exist longer than I'll be physically capable of playing it. Woohoo!

Yeah--me, too. I figure I've got about a year left. :rolleyes:

 

But seriously now, so many novel hobbies grow to be very popular for a few years, and then decline until only a few old hardcores still participate.

 

When I was a kid, slot car racing became very popular. There were commercial tracks where you could take your car and rent a lane by the hour and race against other enthusiasts. There were all kinds of custom kits, etc. This was very popular around my home town--for a few years--then it collapsed and disappeared. In the 80's, roller-skating became a fad. Roller rinks opened up all over the place, and closed just as suddenly a few years later. Bowling enjoyed several decades of popularity, but bowling alleys have been closing for years. In the 30's, indoor bicycle racing was all the rage--for about a minute.

 

Geocaching might be like that--a fad that lasts only a few years and then fades--or it may survive longer. To have a lengthy future, geocaching will probably need to adapt, and it does seem to have that ability. Geocaching is amenable to new twists thought up by its participants--however much controversy they may elicit. And it has another important feature--these forums, which give geocachers a sense of community. I like that aspect of the game, and I like to think it will help keep geocaching alive.

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Moose Mob

+Moose Mob

Posted
Posted
Here's a stretch...

 

Caches are solar powered and connetcted to the WWW through wireless technology.  You swipe your caching card through the slot when you find the cache and record your log on the spot through voice recognition.

 

One better...

 

You just send your robotic, GPS-equipped droid out to find the cache and give it your geocaching.com swipe card to make sure you get credit for the find.

 

Truly, armchair treasure hunting takes on a whole new meaning.

 

You can watch the whole thing from the camera monitor which show the images from the camera on your droid's head.

 

:rolleyes:

Nah, I'll have the droid stay home and catch up on TV and do chores for me. I would rather go outside and play!

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Radman Forever

Radman Forever

Posted
Posted

I think geocaching will continue to grow at a steady rate, even when it starts to become regulated. The future relies on what we do now. If we get in good with our local land managers and let the government officials and law enforcement what we are doing in the woods, the less negative impact will happen. When I started geocaching the farthest cache at the bottom on my nearest 20 caches page was about 45 miles. Now it's only twenty. When there was 1 cache in Gratiot County in 2002 there are now 14 (also some archived caches that existed between those years). And Gratiot County is the slowest area in Michigan for new cache growth. All I'm saying is geocaching is on its way to becoming mainsream and we will just have to accept whatever comes our way. People will come and go as caches will to, but I think geocaching is here to stay.

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