Jump to content

its a bit full-on but LETS BAN MICRO-SPEW


James Lobb

Recommended Posts

While I agree with your overall sentiment, it just really can't be well enforced. The percentage of thoughtful and creative micros has decreased but the fact remains that I have visited some very good ones. Short of a site visit, how is a reviwer supposed to know if the area can support a larger cache? And writing a good definition of just what is urban vs rural would be a long winded debate. Finally, we all have differnt tastes as to what is good - so even well defining micro spew is difficult.

 

Having said that - I too think something is in order to avoid the problem - I just struggle with the right approach. Education for cachers and a rufusal to visit and log the "bad" ones is all I can come up with.

Link to comment

It might be a bit intense as i know a lot of cachers like Micro-Spew. but can we but some kind of regulations on them. like

  • no Micro-Spew in non urban area
  • no micro's where a full size could be placed
  • increase the no cache radius for micro's, so that there are less of them

 

no...

  • this would make the job for reviewers a lot more subjective than it already is
  • it would limit how other people play the game based on how you like to play

 

Jamie

Link to comment

Lets stir the pot even more...

 

This then calls for a rating system so we can gauge which micros are better than others. (yes they are subjective, but i would rather have some gauge then no idea at all.)

 

I have stopped finding micros in my home area because there are so many bad ones. I would love to know which ones are good, but it is not worth wading though all the crappy ones.

Link to comment

Its not micros that are the issue, its unimaginative caches. Its just that micros tend to attract the lazy cache hider because they are so cheap and easy to make and hide. As a result micros make up the preponderance of lousy caches.

 

I wish there was a way to get rid of lousy caches of any size, but judging cache quality is not the job of the reviewers.

 

The only way to do it is to let the community speak by choosing not to seek junk caches, but the "anything for a smiley" sector of the community speaks by going out and finding the things, which encourages the owner to hide more crap.

Edited by briansnat
Link to comment

Its not micros that are the issue, its unimaginative caches. Its just that micros tend to attract the lazy cache hider because they are so cheap and easy to make and hide. As a result micros make up the preponderance of lousy caches.

 

I wish there was a way to get rid of lousy caches of any size, but judging cache quality is not the job of the reviewers.

 

The only way to do it is to let the community speak by choosing not to seek junk caches, but the "anything for a smiley" sector of the community speaks by going out and finding the things, which encourages the owner to hide more crap.

Please, my fellow geocachers, for the record, allow me to note here that I have long advocated -- as part of my party platform in my bid for the Presidency of the United States -- that all lame, lazy, unimaginative micros in any setting should not only be completely banned, but I have also repeatedly advocated the following stern enforcement measures as well, as iterated on my late-night political informercials:

  • making placement of such caches a felony criminal offense punishable by a mandatory 40 year prison sentence
  • mandatory death penalty for second offenders or any kind of repeat offenders
  • formation of vigilante assassination squads (aka "militias") worldwide to hunt down and assassinate lame urban micro offenders who have managed the escape the clutches of overworked (and underpaid) law enforcement personnel.
  • judicious deployment of nuclear warheads to vaporize (i.e., erase or obliterate from the map) urban areas which have already become so saturated with lame urban micros that they are essentially unsalvageable

Please, if you wish to see these enforcement measures enacted worldwide, vote for me in the upcoming elections! Thank you!

 

 

 

 

:P:):bad::):P:bad:

 

 

:)

Link to comment

It might be a bit intense as i know a lot of cachers like Micro-Spew. but can we but some kind of regulations on them. like

  • no Micro-Spew in non urban area
  • no micro's where a full size could be placed
  • increase the no cache radius for micro's, so that there are less of them

I'd rather look for a micro that has been found a lot than to look for a regular sized cache that washes downstream every time it rains heavy.

 

Let's place a ban on all caches that aren't placed somewhere where they'll stay put.

Link to comment

Can we just ban everything that I don't like? And yes, that includes green peppers, Celine Dion, and people who still write checks in line at the grocery store.

 

Maybe I'll start my own webside "GeocachesForThePropers.com" and only approve caches that I deem worthy of being hunted by someone as spectacular as me.

Link to comment

Can we just ban everything that I don't like? And yes, that includes green peppers, Celine Dion, and people who still write checks in line at the grocery store.

 

Maybe I'll start my own webside "GeocachesForThePropers.com" and only approve caches that I deem worthy of being hunted by someone as spectacular as me.

AMEN! You don't like them, pocket query them out and don't look for them. SIMPLE! This constant whining about micros is getting old and beating a dead horse. Just look for the ones you like, leave the rest for those who don't mind finding them and leave it at that. Just because they don't meet your standards, does not mean they are not fun for someone else. :bad:

Link to comment

Can we just ban everything that I don't like? And yes, that includes green peppers, Celine Dion, and people who still write checks in line at the grocery store.

 

OMG!! I despise people who write checks in the line at the grocery store. What's up wth that? You could cash out 5 cash paying customers in the same amount of time.

 

Oh, and what BrianSnat said.

Link to comment

Can we just ban everything that I don't like? And yes, that includes green peppers, Celine Dion, and people who still write checks in line at the grocery store.

 

Maybe I'll start my own webside "GeocachesForThePropers.com" and only approve caches that I deem worthy of being hunted by someone as spectacular as me.

 

How about the old people in the checkout line who slowly dig out the exact change from the little, oval shaped change purse?

Link to comment

 

I'll be old, but I'll be using the debit card.

 

By the time we're old, I'll be using the chip in my hand and complaining about you in front of me using your debit card and slowing up the line. Stupid ADKcache slowing up the line with his debit card. I'm already annoyed just thinking about it. :bad:

Edited by ThePropers
Link to comment

It might be a bit intense as i know a lot of cachers like Micro-Spew. but can we but some kind of regulations on them. like

  • no Micro-Spew in non urban area
  • no micro's where a full size could be placed
  • increase the no cache radius for micro's, so that there are less of them

 

So, you want all those people who you admit like micros to be forced to play the game your way?

 

I'm not sure how micros are any worse than traditional hides. I don't get a huge thrill out of following the arrow on my GPSr for "Oh, look, another ammo can behind a tree in a forest preserve". Relatively few caches, of any size, are really inspiring. But strangely, I have found all of them fun to some degree.

 

The local geocaching group in my area has a nice list of favorite or recommended caches. Check if you have a similar resource available to you, so you can focus on just the 'very best'.

 

A few minutes with a web browser will let you determine which caches are "micro spew", whatever that means to you. Don't like em? Don't hunt them!

Link to comment

It might be a bit intense as i know a lot of cachers like Micro-Spew. but can we but some kind of regulations on them. like

  • no Micro-Spew in non urban area
  • no micro's where a full size could be placed
  • increase the no cache radius for micro's, so that there are less of them

 

Yes James. Let's do what James likes and not what a lot of cachers like. I do wish that more cachers in James' area would hide more of the kinds of caches James likes. I also wish that cachers that like other kinds of caches in James' area are allowed to continue to hide the kinds of cache they like.

 

PS Let restrict where they can sell blueberry ice cream so that there will be more vanilla ice cream (I like vanilla ice cream, not blueberry ice cream) :D

Link to comment

Not this again. If people think micros are so much of a problem come up with a way to make them better or more interesting. I personally am working on making a series of TB's That will fit in smaller micros with a mission to visit all the great micros out there. I love micros and have no problem with finding them I do appreciate it when they are creative or very challenging.

Link to comment

That's the whole deal. When we hide micros we make them cool. And most micro hiders in our area do also. Very few lightpost ones in these parts. The one I'm hiding today will be deemed, I hope, very creative. Check back with our handle for hides in a day or two to see.

 

I love micros. What should really be controlled, and is, via peer pressure in our area, is lame caches of any size. And the peer pressure comes from hiders placing excellent and creative caches. Do that, and you go the majority of the way towards keeping lame cache placement at a minimum.

 

- T of TandS

Link to comment

We have a local hider that is terrible about placing micros in the woods. Not creative at all, just throws a bison tube or matchstick container out with a log sheet. Funny thing is, after talking to a few other local cachers, found out that no one likes his hides.

 

That said, the number of good regular sized caches in our area is dreadfully low, too. There are a few but... Mine of course are spectacular. =)

 

I think the key is the amount of time it takes to plan and implement a cache. I regularly spend at least 1 month cogitating the idea and visiting the site... It's a royal pain. But, the result is great. No one educated me on this, I just realized early on that I enjoyed something more than park and grabs.

 

Speaking of education... I work at a state university and we have to take these really annoying on line education classes with cheesy tests at the end. Stuff like, "radiation safety in the lab" or "sexual harrassment for dummies"... Great fun really!

 

Could we not also impliment such equally annoying classes for first time hiders to educate them on the wonders of thoughtful cache placement? walk them through some good hides and show what makes them so great or not so great?

 

Just curious...

Link to comment

We have a local hider that is terrible about placing micros in the woods. Not creative at all, just throws a bison tube or matchstick container out with a log sheet. Funny thing is, after talking to a few other local cachers, found out that no one likes his hides.

 

That said, the number of good regular sized caches in our area is dreadfully low, too. There are a few but... Mine of course are spectacular. =)

 

I think the key is the amount of time it takes to plan and implement a cache. I regularly spend at least 1 month cogitating the idea and visiting the site... It's a royal pain. But, the result is great. No one educated me on this, I just realized early on that I enjoyed something more than park and grabs.

 

Speaking of education... I work at a state university and we have to take these really annoying on line education classes with cheesy tests at the end. Stuff like, "radiation safety in the lab" or "sexual harrassment for dummies"... Great fun really!

 

Could we not also impliment such equally annoying classes for first time hiders to educate them on the wonders of thoughtful cache placement? walk them through some good hides and show what makes them so great or not so great?

 

Just curious...

 

If i saw that there was a test i laugh and never start geo caching.

Link to comment

We have a local hider that is terrible about placing micros in the woods. Not creative at all, just throws a bison tube or matchstick container out with a log sheet. Funny thing is, after talking to a few other local cachers, found out that no one likes his hides.

 

That said, the number of good regular sized caches in our area is dreadfully low, too. There are a few but... Mine of course are spectacular. =)

 

I think the key is the amount of time it takes to plan and implement a cache. I regularly spend at least 1 month cogitating the idea and visiting the site... It's a royal pain. But, the result is great. No one educated me on this, I just realized early on that I enjoyed something more than park and grabs.

 

Speaking of education... I work at a state university and we have to take these really annoying on line education classes with cheesy tests at the end. Stuff like, "radiation safety in the lab" or "sexual harrassment for dummies"... Great fun really!

 

Could we not also impliment such equally annoying classes for first time hiders to educate them on the wonders of thoughtful cache placement? walk them through some good hides and show what makes them so great or not so great?

 

Just curious...

 

I don't think a test is a good idea. However, I would be willing to suppot some kindof "you must have found X caches (30, 50?) before you're allowed hiding one" rule. It would force people to have a bit of experience and show some sort of dedication to the sport. I've seen quite a few caches hidden by someone with one or two finds, and then they lose interest after another 20 finds and you never hear from them again, but yet their caches remain.

Link to comment

It might be a bit intense as i know a lot of cachers like Micro-Spew. but can we but some kind of regulations on them. like

  • no Micro-Spew in non urban area
  • no micro's where a full size could be placed
  • increase the no cache radius for micro's, so that there are less of them

 

Ummm, lets not and say we did? :D

Link to comment

In my area, there is one couple who spend all their free time(which is everyday) placing micros. There are micros every 500 feet around here, and no one has a chance to put anything anywhere else. I have been carting around 2 ammo boxes in my trunk for the longest time, but there is no where to place it because we have been littered by micros.

Link to comment

In my area, there is one couple who spend all their free time(which is everyday) placing micros. There are micros every 500 feet around here, and no one has a chance to put anything anywhere else. I have been carting around 2 ammo boxes in my trunk for the longest time, but there is no where to place it because we have been littered by micros.

Well, I did not say this, but... you could always CITO those LUMs, just like they do in Hawaii! :D:D:D:D

Link to comment

Hmm... Another micro-spew thread.

I've seen some very creative micro caches in the forest! Oh, well.

From the last anti-mirco-spew thread, I've adopted the log "Mopping micro-spew". :D Hey, the Wal-Mart near Matamoros has TWO micro caches! Good thing they have a large parking lot! No caches in the parks by the river, though. Oh, well.

Repeat mantra: If you don't like them, don't hunt them. (Okay, so I hunt them anyway. Then I can complain!)

I've got some urban micros. They bring people to some very interesting views. I've got ammo boxes in the woods. Heck, I've even got a mystery cache in a Wally world! I'm versatile. :D

Link to comment

Now as to a serious reply to this thread.

 

In our area we have one hider (You know who you are!) that has elevated the urban micro to almost mythical status. His hides are works of art. Those that aren't ALWAYS take me someplace and teach me a little bit about history. Turns out this guy has a degree in teaching. Joking around with him one day I told him that he didn't have any regular sized hides. I think he was going to cry! Thinking back over his list of hides the largest container that I remembered seeing was a medium sized lock and lock. I knew just how to remedy the situation.....I gave him two ammo cans and DARED him to place them.

 

Long story short he placed a four part multi with one step being a VERY creative small hide, another practically a hydrocache in it's own right, and the EXTREMELY well camoed ammo can!

 

There are other hiders we've encountered who hide nothing but lamppost micros and hide a keys. I am not complaining about the caches themselves (I did after all log them as finds!) just the lack of creativity.

 

I will ruminate upon this topic just a little bit more. In the meantime I have a ODS Seed Cache I have to find a hiding spot for! (DUCKS BEHIND CHAIR!)

Link to comment

 

I'll be old, but I'll be using the debit card.

 

By the time we're old, I'll be using the chip in my hand and complaining about you in front of me using your debit card and slowing up the line. Stupid ADKcache slowing up the line with his debit card. I'm already annoyed just thinking about it. :D

 

Hey, you're right. I feel old already. I'm going to go out and find a micro (keeping subject on track.)

Link to comment

I hate micros. My buddy will race off to get the film canister as soon as it hits the list, while I will wait 'til a rainy day to go grab it (reluctantly). So the other day I stopped and thought..."Self" (for that is what I call myself) I said "self, why do you feel so stongly against micros?"

It seems that my self hates them because of the lack of imagination.

Fade to the other day in the drug store.

I found a pill bottle, keychain and as alway thin this could be a cache (a hatful micro cache) but I bought it anyway, then I challenged my selfto hide it somewhere or some way clever. I'll let you know how it works out, but the longer I wait the more prime realestate gets taken up by someone who drinks a lot of coffee and likes hides really close to each other.

I may still hate micros but I will love my own, maybe you should try the same?...

Link to comment

Its not micros that are the issue, its unimaginative caches. Its just that micros tend to attract the lazy cache hider because they are so cheap and easy to make and hide. As a result micros make up the preponderance of lousy caches.

 

I wish there was a way to get rid of lousy caches of any size, but judging cache quality is not the job of the reviewers.

 

The only way to do it is to let the community speak by choosing not to seek junk caches, but the "anything for a smiley" sector of the community speaks by going out and finding the things, which encourages the owner to hide more crap.

 

Right on, briansnat!

Link to comment

Hey

 

Sorry for starting a flame war. i was not intending it to become a flame thread.

i will adopt the PQ method. and filter out Micro's

i hope that i did not offend anybody who likes micro's

 

Micro spew = flame thread. Too many defenders o' crap out there. Oops, did I say that out loud? I meant to say too many well thought out differing opinions on the subject. :D Yes, PQ's and the ignore list are your friend. But do you really dislike all micros? There are plently of well-placed micros out there, in outstanding locations.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...