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Another one bites the dust


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"a package containing cash and a transponder taped to a trash can"

 

Where do you find caches like that?

 

Yeah, sounds like they are attributing any incident to geocaching unless proven otherwise. I've seen worse articles but it definitely leaves the reader with the impression that we should not be doing this hobby of ours. At least they did more than just read the first sentence of the wikipedia page on geocaching.

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Good link. Thanks. I'd love to sit around GS headquarters and discuss this issue and it's fringe issues.

 

When I first started caching I privately thought to myself that GS would face some major hurdles in the next couple of years do to "bomb" caches. I was obviously wrong. I'm sure they've had hurdles but nothing major; i.e. lawsuits, major guideline changes, entire communites banning it by law, etc.

 

But this article has to put up some red flags. When papers such as The Washington Post, NY Times, etc. start printing these stories it can't give a warm and fuzzy feeling to GS.

 

GS has made some interesting decisions as of late to push more money into the system. The most notable being power trails. Clearly not the original intent of geocaching but let's face it the real money is spent by members who enjoy these sort of things and it also promotes community and group caching which in turn brings in new members. Not my sort of thing but cool for the geocaching community nonetheless.

 

That's the way things go, things evolve. With money involved minor decisions can be made to help the amount of money grow. This happens in pro sports all the time. Tiny rule changes are constantly made to keep scoring high because it's what fans like and of course fans bring the money to the table.

 

The problem GS may be faced with, is if geocaching really turns the corner (there are hints that it may be; i.e. movies on geocaching, more and more press, etc.) the number of "bomb" caches will go up simply because of the law of numbers. More caches, more false alarms. My prediction is that geocaching will never turn the corner for one simple reason, GPS's. It's this device that keeps them out of the main stream. It can't facebook, twitter, etc. Obviously, the iPhone is challenging that but again it's small potatoes when compared to the number of people who have computers (the key to making facebook explode). Then again, I've been wrong before. We'll see.

 

However, the obvious solution to almost completely eliminate bomb caches is make ALL containers film canisters. Yes, I know this wouldn't completely eliminate it, but it seems like the vast majority of these scares are from large containers and large unusual containers (i.e. wires, computer boards, etc.).

 

There has been some grumblings that cache containers are already moving towards a small direction. This however, is completely debatable for many reasons.

 

But it makes me wonder, will small containers become not only the norm but a fact?

 

Thanks for the article. I sure do like geocaching and hopefully, I'll get to do some tomorrow.

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But geocachers acknowledge that some guidelines are often ignored. And authorities caution that they can't just take a suspicious package marked as a geocache site at face value, in case the labels are a decoy. In the District, city police and federal agents respond almost every day to suspicious packages.

 

The D.C. fire department sends technicians to check suspicious packages for hazardous materials. Spokesman Pete Piringer said the Sterling incident should serve as a wake-up call.

 

"Don't leave stuff laying around," he said. "We'd hope someone wouldn't intentionally do it downtown or in a central part of the city, where people should be more sensitive."

 

As my grandpappy used to say: "the chickens is about to come home to roost."

 

And of course this was totally unpredictable.

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