Prediction time:

[Clan Riffster]

In what may be a vain and fruitless attempt to draw folks away from the currently running thread predicting the end of geocaching as we know it, I've decided to test every one's Miss Cleo quotient by offering you the chance to, (at some point in the future), say "I TOLD YOU SO!"

 

Over the years, Groundspeak has made a few changes which were met with much teeth gnashing, tantrum throwing, geocides and exclamations of doom & gloom.

 

What do you think the next change will be, that generates such angst?

 

Get it right and you can rub it in all our faces.

[+Kit Fox]

The day Groundspeaks makes LPCs only worth a 1/4 of a smiley.

 

The day Groundspeak makes an icon for LPCs.

 

A vortex will occur when reviewers demand written permission for caches hidden on commercial property.

[+NeverSummer]

In a massive swing in policy, all geocaches will be mandatory ALR caches where you must wear a rainbow wig, take a video dancing a traditional Dutch dance, and write in the logbook backward...all proved by a photo taken with a glass negative, where you must find a period historical actor to develop and digitize the image.

 

What a world!

[+Max and 99]

Laugh if you must, but I predict they will outlaw ammo cans after an outcry from law enforcement.

[+Knight2000]

Logging the same event ad nauseam. That would create quite a ripple in some areas.

 

-Edit to add that i dont think this will happen. I just think that it would cause some waves...

Edited April 6, 2009 by Knight2000

[+NeverSummer]

Laugh if you must, but I predict they will outlaw ammo cans after an outcry from law enforcement.

 

You think so? It seems that I've heard more about camo taped tubes and canisters than ammo cans. In some cases, it doesn't matter what the law enforcement thinks...it's more about the jogger that is a bit too convinced they've spotted a bomb. Then law enforcement gets cheesed because they had to deal with a dud due to a geeky techy game.

 

Therefore, I predict that all cache containers will be mandated to be blaze orange and have flashing diodes indicating, in morse code, that it is not a bomb.

[AZcachemeister]

As has already been predicted elsewhere (but not here so I'm the first!), the next big wave will be moving ALL puzzles (however simple) to PuzzleCaching.com. This will mollify the ALR crowd, but infuriate the puzzle crowd.

[+Dr. House]

All of Groundspeak's games (GC, WM, WiG) will be molded into one unified game wherein everyone gets a smiley (or some other signifier of completion) for doing any one of those items.

[+Glenn]

Geocaching will become a category at Waymarking.com. We will have to move all our caches to Waymarking the same way that locationless and webcam caches were moved from geocaching to Waymarking.

[jholly]

As has already been predicted elsewhere (but not here so I'm the first!), the next big wave will be moving ALL puzzles (however simple) to PuzzleCaching.com. This will mollify the ALR crowd, but infuriate the puzzle crowd.

 

Oh dear, does that mean ALR caches will come back and we will have the wailing and gnashing of teeth all over again?

 

Jim

[+Glenn]

Groundspeak will run out of travelbug/geocoin tracking numbers and will stop issuing new numbers for trackables. The price of unactivated travelbug and geocoins will skyrocket.

[+mfamilee]

What do you think the next change will be, that generates such angst?

No caching after dark.

[Mr.Yuck]

Micros will be moved to their own website called www.microcaching.com

[+ChileHead]

In an effort to show actual find numbers instead of inflated numbers, a programming change will be made so that multiple finds/attends on caches/events will not be possible. People will geocide as their find count goes down by 37%.

[+va griz]

The Geocide Form will be required instead of just a guideline.

[+Sioneva]

They'll ditch Signal and start using a hamster instead. All legitimate caches will be required to have a hamster sticker on them. (It's not an ALR if TPTB mandate it!)

[+Tequila]

Groundspeak will remove Premium/Charter membership from apologists and ban them from the forums.

[+pater47]

Geocaching.com will be owned by Garmin.

[Clan Riffster]

Laugh if you must, but I predict they will outlaw ammo cans after an outcry from law enforcement.

There was a brief time when I thought that might happen. I recall reading something in the tips section regarding how to hide your first geocache, that suggested utilizing a see thru container. I was concerned that, after enough bomb squad calls, this might move from suggestion to guideline. Now, as I scan through the tips section, I can't even find the suggestion. Maybe the wayward recolection was just planted in my tired old brain by Vinnie's Alien Gray buddies?

Edited April 6, 2009 by Clan Riffster

[+KJcachers]

Homeland Security will just outright ban geocaching in general. Too many ammo cans and "pipe bomb" looking caches being placed everywhere, along with all those other mysterious containers that keep getting found. Add to it that they won't want so many people wandering around with electronic gadgets looking deceptive. It's just a matter of time until this bill hits the floor in the House or Senate.

[Mr.Yuck]

Laugh if you must, but I predict they will outlaw ammo cans after an outcry from law enforcement.

There was a brief time when I thought that might happen. I recall reading something in the tips section regarding how to hide your first geocache, that suggested utilizing a see thru container. I was concerned that, after enough bomb squad calls, this might move from suggestion to guideline. Now, as I scan through the tips section, I can't even find the suggestion. Maybe the wayward recolection was just planted in my tired old brain by Vinnie's Alien Gray buddies?

 

No, actually that "guide to hiding your first geocache" was totally re-wrtten a few months back. Probably because so many of us old-schoolers would link to it, and refer to it in these forums. It was obviously originally written very early on in the game, when all caches were "in the woods".

[+3doxies]

The movement of Earthcaches to a category under Waymarking: that keeps containerless finds lumped together in one category (WMs), and cacahes using containers lumped together as geocaches.

[+WHO-DEY]

Micros will be moved to their own website called www.microcaching.com

 

man, I hope so.

[+markandsandy]

Vinny will become a reviewer.

[Keystone]

Dozens of reviewers will resign en masse when Reviewer Vinny succeeds in getting the "Unseen Hand Doctrine" added to the listing guidelines.

[greenworldfeather]

They'll ditch Signal and start using a hamster instead. All legitimate caches will be required to have a hamster sticker on them. (It's not an ALR if TPTB mandate it!)

 

No offense meant by this but will you guys just shut up about ALR's? They have already been explaied enough by everyone and their GPS. They already have their own little miserable thread so if you want to talk about them go into that thread and talk about it there. I am already depressed enough with the ban of ALR's, even the ones that are creative and actually able to be done without too much risk while still being able to be fun. There. Thank you. I liked them because I was able to create FUN and CREATIVE ALR's while not endangering peoples' lives. Thank you, and anyone who wants to agree with me, can. Anyone else who would like to keep talking about them, whether or not you agree with what was done please go and discuss it in the forum that was made for that purpose. Don't go bringing it up a thousand times again and again because you think it is funny. Maybe to you, but to the people that actually enjoyed them it is really mean to keep bringing it up. Oh, I forgot. You have forgotten what it was like to try and find unique creative caches instead of just numbers. Or you never cared for anything other than quantity so you could raise your statistics and say, "Oh I got this one and this one and this one....". Really. If you don't have anything better to say, other than it "just might be/is all about the numbers" in one way or another, then don't say it. This is not the thread to be dicussing that, and I and many other cachers would very much like to be able to read the other threads without this having to be brought up every 20 or so posts. Maybe we would like to forget about the annhilation of a very fun part of geocaching. Okay? Thanks. Please try to have a great day even though a large piece of fun geocaching has been taken out. Thanks. gwf

[golfgunny]

As more and more couch potatoes heft themselves from their couches and computer chairs, society will begin to suffer a far greater number of scrapes, bumps, and assorted "owies." This will cause Groundspeak to declare that real containers (placed in that frail and feelbe environment known as "outdoors") will be declared "absurd," and unsafe.

 

Guidelines for logging a find will state that a cacher need only find the location on google maps. This will further "protect" those that can't be bothered with reading cache descriptions prior to attempting a find as well.

[+KJcachers]

what's a ALR ??? (ducking)

[+wimseyguy]

Groundspeak decrees that there will be a five post per thread limit per poster.

 

Some will scurry to create more socks so they can continue the discussions with themselves.

Some will rejoice and huzzah.

Many won't even notice.

[+NeverSummer]

They'll ditch Signal and start using a hamster instead. All legitimate caches will be required to have a hamster sticker on them. (It's not an ALR if TPTB mandate it!)

 

No offense meant by this but will you guys just shut up about ALR's? They have already been explaied enough by everyone and their GPS. They already have their own little miserable thread so if you want to talk about them go into that thread and talk about it there. I am already depressed enough with the ban of ALR's, even the ones that are creative and actually able to be done without too much risk while still being able to be fun. There. Thank you. I liked them because I was able to create FUN and CREATIVE ALR's while not endangering peoples' lives. Thank you, and anyone who wants to agree with me, can. Anyone else who would like to keep talking about them, whether or not you agree with what was done please go and discuss it in the forum that was made for that purpose. Don't go bringing it up a thousand times again and again because you think it is funny. Maybe to you, but to the people that actually enjoyed them it is really mean to keep bringing it up. Oh, I forgot. You have forgotten what it was like to try and find unique creative caches instead of just numbers. Or you never cared for anything other than quantity so you could raise your statistics and say, "Oh I got this one and this one and this one....". Really. If you don't have anything better to say, other than it "just might be/is all about the numbers" in one way or another, then don't say it. This is not the thread to be dicussing that, and I and many other cachers would very much like to be able to read the other threads without this having to be brought up every 20 or so posts. Maybe we would like to forget about the annhilation of a very fun part of geocaching. Okay? Thanks. Please try to have a great day even though a large piece of fun geocaching has been taken out. Thanks. gwf

 

I like having fun...even if it is at my own expense. I liked ALRs, too...but I'm over "the battle" for their return.

 

Back on topic!

Geocachers will be required to implant gps trackers in their bodies so that tracklogs can be verified by the obviously gigantic and capable servers at Groundspeak. World domination at the hands of Jeremy ensues.

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

Dozens of reviewers will resign en masse when Reviewer Vinny succeeds in getting the "Unseen Hand Doctrine" added to the listing guidelines.

I decree that from now on all reviews of new cache listing submittals shall be done in a mannger as if an occult hand had reached down from above and moved the players like pawns upon some giant chessboard. Further, all Groundspeak reviewers must be initiated and accepted members of The Order of the Occult Hand.

 

Oh, and it is a poorly-kept secret that I already am a reviewer, but for privacy reasons I do not choose to reveal the names of the eleven sock puppet reviewer accounts that I use in my work. Why do you think that Sioneva's cache listing submittals keep getting rejected?

[+Markwell]

Geocaching.com will be owned by Garmin.

Garmin will be owned by Groundspeak.

[+Barnacle Bear]

Homeland Security will just outright ban geocaching in general. Too many ammo cans and "pipe bomb" looking caches being placed everywhere, along with all those other mysterious containers that keep getting found. Add to it that they won't want so many people wandering around with electronic gadgets looking deceptive. It's just a matter of time until this bill hits the floor in the House or Senate.

 

Yes, public safety and our overall impact on the environment will force the issue. And don't forget the children. A child could be turned to the dark side by a DNF.

[+KJcachers]

Homeland Security will just outright ban geocaching in general. Too many ammo cans and "pipe bomb" looking caches being placed everywhere, along with all those other mysterious containers that keep getting found. Add to it that they won't want so many people wandering around with electronic gadgets looking deceptive. It's just a matter of time until this bill hits the floor in the House or Senate.

 

some past caching history:

 

Geocaching may be outlawed in South Carolina

 

South Carolina Legislation

Edited April 7, 2009 by KJcachers

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

Homeland Security will just outright ban geocaching in general. Too many ammo cans and "pipe bomb" looking caches being placed everywhere, along with all those other mysterious containers that keep getting found. Add to it that they won't want so many people wandering around with electronic gadgets looking deceptive. It's just a matter of time until this bill hits the floor in the House or Senate.

 

Yes, public safety and our overall impact on the environment will force the issue. And don't forget the children. A child could be turned to the dark side by a DNF.

Geolclatching hates chlindren anyway. That has already been established by an expert in a previous thread/post. Sad but true.

[+Stargazer22]

TPTB will mandate that all geocaches will require a picture of Signal the frog on them. Surely when all geocaches have pictures of a cute little frog on them, they will no longer be mistaken for risks to homeland security.

The environmentalists will rise in an uproar as this will totally confuse all the REAL frogs out there and this will interfere with their mating cycles, causing a chain reaction in the food chain all the way to the top.

In a bizarre occurrance similar to a thermal inversion in a lake, the food chain as we know it will suddenly topple and we humans will find ourselves the targets of many a hungry hamster, or vindictively malicious frog, bent on revenge.

 

Either that, or TPTB will recommend Rite in the Rain paper in all logbooks.

Edited April 7, 2009 by Stargazer22

[+Konnarock Kid & Marge]

Oops!

Edited May 23, 2009 by Konnarock Kid & Marge

[+ladyrich007]

What are ALRs and all of this code? There needs to be a list that has all of the code meanings for us newbies.

[+gof1]

GeoLex

[+gof1]

I response to a rash of law suits by local municipalities trying to recover bomb scare expenses name GS as a co-defendant with the COs the guidelines are amended to require clear containers. The cost of Loc-N-Locs skyrockets and the value of scrap metal plummets as ammo cans are pulled from their hiding places.

[Tsu Doh Nimh]

Groundspeak sets up a system where cache owners can automatically delete logs with certain keywords in them, e.g. "FTF" or "Find xx of yy."

[+BCandMsKitty]

Micros become the preferred choice of caches as hiders get tired of putting out ammo boxes and lock & locks full of great swag only to find them full of junk in less than a month, or having their caches blown up by bomb squads. The Geocaching name changes to Microcaching.

 

Let's hear it for the supremacy of Micros!

[+NYPaddleCacher]

A minimum of 100 finds will be required before a cacher may hide a cache and have it published. A minimum of 1000 finds will be required before one is allowed to express their opinion on the forums.

 

After being bought out by Garmin, Groundspeak will have the necessary capital to acquire server space and network bandwidth to support the hampster caching forum year round.

[+gof1]

Micros become the preferred choice of caches as hiders get tired of putting out ammo boxes and lock & locks full of great swag only to find them full of junk in less than a month, or having their caches blown up by bomb squads. The Geocaching name changes to Microcaching.

 

Let's hear it for the supremacy of Micros!

 

This is followed immediately by the introduction of several competing sites. LocnLocation, Tupperboxing, and the big one Ammocancancaching. Due to the dilution of the market over so many sites they all suffer financial problems. Taking advantage of the situation Apispher buys out the financial strapped competitors and combines them. The net result is that the only way to go caching is with the Geomatejr.

[+Chi-Town Cacher]

This is a no brainer. TPTB will decide they're tired of the whiners on here and sell out to Microsoft. That won't create the problems, it will be the changes they implement to make this a "better" experience that will cause everybody to really start whining in earnest when all of a sudden the system develops countless bugs that nobody can seem to fix.

 

Hmm, the same scenario with eBay buying out TPTB and making "improvements" could also have the same effect.

 

[+weathernowcast]

Geocaching.com will be owned by Garmin.

Garmin will be owned by Groundspeak.

 

sure and Kmart will by Sears