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Interesting Geocache Idea


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When I first discovered Trackables, I thought that they were a good idea, then I thought what if a geocache could move? What do you think of a trackable geocache that has multiple container types and on the map shows a little bug or a special icon. Let me know your thoughts. I know there are some issues with this, but I am sure they can be worked out.

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Here's a list of traveling caches that our Local Reviewer had, back in the day:

 

https://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.aspx?guid=4f1a198b-5f04-4f45-95e4-74ba2fc8c693

 

There were a number of concerns with this cache type (e.g. placing them in forbidden locations etc.), but I think the proverbial nail in the coffin was people taking them to Events to pass around (what Jeremy called "Pocket Lint"), rather than placing them in the wild as intended.  They were all pretty much Archived back in 2015.  If there's any still in existence, they are in a deep stealth mode for sure.

 

That doesn't prevent you from making a container and logbook into a Trackable.  You just won't be allowed to get such an idea Published as a Listing, for the reasons niraD stated above.

 

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17 minutes ago, Goldenwattle said:

There were four in Australia that are gone now. I don't know what happened to them. Maybe still in their last hide, rotting; forgotten.

New traveling caches weren't published after 2003.  (Some "unauthorized" ones popped up later, but without the functionality for the CO to make unrestricted coordinate updates, like from one country to another.)

 

ALL grandfathered traveling caches were archived a few years ago (including the unauthorized "renegades") due to recurring problems with many (but not all) of the grandfathered traveling caches.

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32 minutes ago, Touchstone said:

There were a number of concerns with this cache type (e.g. placing them in forbidden locations etc.), but I think the proverbial nail in the coffin was people taking them to Events to pass around (what Jeremy called "Pocket Lint"), rather than placing them in the wild as intended.

I don't recall any being passed around as pocket caches, but I do recall a couple that were re-hidden near an event venue, but the new coordinates weren't posted to the cache listing immediately. Then at some point during the event, everyone went and found the traveling cache together.

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At one time we had pretty-much every "moving" cache on watch.

There were only a handful that still played as intended.  Most ended up having a person (not even the CO) taking them to events.

Same helpful-type folks similar to those who hold a bagful of other people's trackables, and "share" them at events I'd bet...

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1 hour ago, KhaledGeo said:

What if they brought them back in a new way?

I think trackables are pretty much the same thing except that by being restricting to being placed in existing caches, they avoid a lot of potential problems that I imagine the original traveling caches had.

 

The last existing traveling caches, at least the ones that were truly traveling and not being treated like a TB already, were incredibly special and beloved. There's no way they'll ever bring them back in any form as caches, but if they did bring them back in bulk, and I don't think people would find them anywhere near as interesting as they did when there were only a handful still circulating.

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1 hour ago, Touchstone said:

I'm eager to hear your suggestions.

Magnetic nano caches could certainly be a trackable cache. There could be a code on them with a log, and you could press a button on the app or put in the coordinates on the website. The map would now show a icon to indicate that the trackable cache has been placed. These trackable caches could only be picked up, discovered, and moved. They would have their own cache page, and the people who move it could maybe even add their own hint. The only problem is inaccurate coordinates. The solution to that is for the app to check that the gps signal is strong enough, and for the app to give the user tips to get better strength. In addition to that, the app could have a 3 minute timer before giving the user the coordinates, and can possibly average coordinates taken at different times. I know it’s not perfect, but I see it working. Make sure to let me know what you think.
 

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6 minutes ago, KhaledGeo said:

Magnetic nano caches could certainly be a trackable cache. There could be a code on them with a log, and you could press a button on the app or put in the coordinates on the website. The map would now show a icon to indicate that the trackable cache has been placed. These trackable caches could only be picked up, discovered, and moved. They would have their own cache page, and the people who move it could maybe even add their own hint. The only problem is inaccurate coordinates. The solution to that is for the app to check that the gps signal is strong enough, and for the app to give the user tips to get better strength. In addition to that, the app could have a 3 minute timer before giving the user the coordinates, and can possibly average coordinates taken at different times. I know it’s not perfect, but I see it working. Make sure to let me know what you think.

How does any of this address the problems that ended traveling caches in the first place? For example:

 

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10 minutes ago, KhaledGeo said:

Magnetic nano caches could certainly be a trackable cache. There could be a code on them with a log, and you could press a button on the app or put in the coordinates on the website. The map would now show a icon to indicate that the trackable cache has been placed. These trackable caches could only be picked up, discovered, and moved. They would have their own cache page, and the people who move it could maybe even add their own hint. The only problem is inaccurate coordinates. The solution to that is for the app to check that the gps signal is strong enough, and for the app to give the user tips to get better strength. In addition to that, the app could have a 3 minute timer before giving the user the coordinates, and can possibly average coordinates taken at different times. I know it’s not perfect, but I see it working. Make sure to let me know what you think.
 

Can you make it so that the nano self-destructs if left for more than an hour in any area with a published geocaching permission policy, or within 150 feet of an active railroad track, or near any school, courthouse or other government building shown on Google maps?  

 

I track for compliance with about 25 different land manager policies in my review territory, and there are 200 or so other reviewers.  The self-destructing nano solution will cut down on our workload significantly.  If the nano self-destructs, it should ping the web page for that cache so that it auto-archives.

 

Alternatively, your plan could propose a pay raise for our time in dealing with these nanos, if they don't self-destruct.

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8 minutes ago, Keystone said:

Can you make it so that the nano self-destructs if left for more than an hour in any area with a published geocaching permission policy, or within 150 feet of an active railroad track, or near any school, courthouse or other government building shown on Google maps?  

 

I track for compliance with about 25 different land manager policies in my review territory, and there are 200 or so other reviewers.  The self-destructing nano solution will cut down on our workload significantly.  If the nano self-destructs, it should ping the web page for that cache so that it auto-archives.

 

Alternatively, your plan could propose a pay raise for our time in dealing with these nanos, if they don't self-destruct.

I’m sure that could be done. :) I know that they used to be a thing. Why doesn’t the server check for that once the user submits the coordinates and tells the user that they are good to go, otherwise the app would tell them the problem. If that can’t be done, then at least there could be a pay raise. 

Edited by KhaledGeo
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Can the server send an electric shock back through the user's smartphone if it senses that the user is going to place the nano in a location restricted by the Geocache Hiding Guidelines?  Or, if the user has a handheld GPS instead of a smartphone, could the server dispatch ninjas?

 

I think we're on to something here.

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1 minute ago, Keystone said:

Can the server send an electric shock back through the user's smartphone if it senses that the user is going to place the nano in a location restricted by the Geocache Hiding Guidelines?  Or, if the user has a handheld GPS instead of a smartphone, could the server dispatch ninjas?

 

I think we're on to something here.

I think that the platform could have restrictions, and I think that this could be a good idea and provide good earnings for Groundspeak. As a reviewer I think you appreciate geocaching and it’s users. You are funny though, and you might be on to something. But it’s not too unrealistic for the server to check that the location is appropriate.

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Thanks.

 

I forgot one important detail  The nano self-destruct / electric shock / ninja dispatch feature also needs to activate if the cache is brought within 528 feet of any event cache's posted coordinates.  (Everyone knows that nobody will walk more than a tenth of a mile anymore to search for a cache.)

 

There, we just solved for the "turning into pocket caches that travel around from one event to another" issue!

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I’m the type of person who likes to fix issues, but no one seems to have interest. I’m just giving ideas for an issue that could not have been fixed when they were archived, but can be fixed now. The technology can check if it is at an event. Trackables were a success, and there is so much opportunity for a game with this many users. I’m leaving this thread open, but delete it if you want. Your saying I’m being unrealistic but I’m not. You have to adopt new technology and ideas.

2 minutes ago, Keystone said:

Thanks.

 

I forgot one important detail  The nano self-destruct / electric shock / ninja dispatch feature also needs to activate if the cache is brought within 528 feet of any event cache's posted coordinates.  (Everyone knows that nobody will walk more than a tenth of a mile anymore to search for a cache.)

 

There, we just solved for the "turning into pocket caches that travel around from one event to another" issue!

 

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21 minutes ago, Keystone said:

Can the server send an electric shock back through the user's smartphone if it senses that the user is going to place the nano in a location restricted by the Geocache Hiding Guidelines?  Or, if the user has a handheld GPS instead of a smartphone, could the server dispatch ninjas?

 

I think we're on to something here.

 

There is already a working business solution for this problem. Electric scooter rental business model have all these features including ninjas.

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1 hour ago, KhaledGeo said:

Magnetic nano caches could certainly be a trackable cache. There could be a code on them with a log, and you could press a button on the app or put in the coordinates on the website. The map would now show a icon to indicate that the trackable cache has been placed. These trackable caches could only be picked up, discovered, and moved. They would have their own cache page, and the people who move it could maybe even add their own hint. The only problem is inaccurate coordinates. The solution to that is for the app to check that the gps signal is strong enough, and for the app to give the user tips to get better strength. In addition to that, the app could have a 3 minute timer before giving the user the coordinates, and can possibly average coordinates taken at different times. I know it’s not perfect, but I see it working. Make sure to let me know what you think.
 

Interesting idea.  I think arisoft's example is the closest thing out there that comes even remotely close to working in my opinion.  The rental scooters out there like Lime and Byrd do have geo-fences that presumably discourage (but not prevent) inappropriate placements.  Although, in the case of the scooter, the gps tracking is embedded in the scooter, and doesn't rely on the users phone gps to geo-locate the scooter.  That sounds a bit impractical for a nano, both in terms of the size of a gps chip, but also for any reliable battery life.

 

I think the real limitation of the idea isn't so much the issues that led to the demise of traveling caches to begin with, but the cost.  Just wondering how much of your hard earned money you're willing to part with in order to help HQ develop this idea?  Somehow, I don't think your $30 a year for PM is quite going to cut it.

Edited by Touchstone
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1 hour ago, KhaledGeo said:

I think that the platform could have restrictions, and I think that this could be a good idea and provide good earnings for Groundspeak. As a reviewer I think you appreciate geocaching and it’s users. You are funny though, and you might be on to something. But it’s not too unrealistic for the server to check that the location is appropriate.

 

Is that server going to be able to communicate with me via my GPSr when I'm geocaching? Are you advocating a smartphone-only type of cache?

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28 minutes ago, K13 said:

 

Is that server going to be able to communicate with me via my GPSr when I'm geocaching? Are you advocating a smartphone-only type of cache?

No. The coordinates will tell the machine if the placement is appropriate. If this could only be figured out for smart phone then yes.

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1 minute ago, KhaledGeo said:

No. The coordinates will tell the machine if the placement is appropriate. If this could only be figured out for smart phone then yes.

There are too many geocachers which use GPS only and too much of the world without satisfactory phone signal to make your idea impossible to implement.

 

That is before you get into the issues from the past, where a cacher would place a Traveling cache too close to an existing cache, in an area which has a policy against cache placement, or simply pass it around between his friend/geocachers so they could all log it, then take it to an event for everyone there to log it, etc. All of these unsavory things happened in the past.

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6 minutes ago, K13 said:

There are too many geocachers which use GPS only and too much of the world without satisfactory phone signal to make your idea impossible to implement.

 

That is before you get into the issues from the past, where a cacher would place a Traveling cache too close to an existing cache, in an area which has a policy against cache placement, or simply pass it around between his friend/geocachers so they could all log it, then take it to an event for everyone there to log it, etc. All of these unsavory things happened in the past.

I don't think this idea would work like other caches, and probably impractical to treat it like other caches.  I'm thinking this would have to be a stand alone app for a smart phone, along the lines of Wherigo or Adventure Lab experiences.  You would need something that dynamically locates you, and cross references your position to nearby caches and Events, as well as any legal restrictions, like the railroad and government buildings example.

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9 minutes ago, niraD said:

Here's the link again...

 

Thanks for linking to my 2005 post.  It's fun to read something I wrote 14 years ago, but have no present recollection of writing.  Even more fun, my story hasn't changed over the years.

 

I think that, as I continue aging and forgetting more things, I will be having even more fun in the years ahead.  Perhaps when I'm 70, someone will link to the "self-destructing nano" post.  To that someone, thanks in advance for the chuckle.

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2 minutes ago, Touchstone said:

I don't think this idea would work like other caches, and probably impractical to treat it like other caches.  I'm thinking this would have to be a stand alone app for a smart phone, along the lines of Wherigo or Adventure Lab experiences.  You would need something that dynamically locates you, and cross references your position to nearby caches and Events, as well as any legal restrictions, like the railroad and government buildings example.

 

I shudder to think that GS would design another app that would be such a strain on their database resources, and require a worldwide codification of local Geocache placement policies. That would be a years-long process, especially when they factor in the dead zones on Earth where there is no signal.

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3 minutes ago, K13 said:

 

I shudder to think that GS would design another app that would be such a strain on their database resources, and require a worldwide codification of local Geocache placement policies. That would be a years-long process, especially when they factor in the dead zones on Earth where there is no signal.

Maybe not a Groundspeak solution.  Like you say..years and years down the road.  On the bright side, we have Earthcaches thanks to the GSA.  We have (or maybe it's "had" by now, since I don't see many) Chirps, thanks to Garmin.    Maybe the OP can find a sponsor that can push the project forward.   Sounds like a lot of work, but Hey!  Follow your passion.

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2 hours ago, KhaledGeo said:

No. The coordinates will tell the machine if the placement is appropriate. If this could only be figured out for smart phone then yes.

 

So how does the server know what placements are appropriate? For anywhere on the whole planet, not just in the USA? In my own local government area there's an online land zoning map which is sometimes useful, for example if it shows land zoned for "public recreation" (RE1) then cache placement is generally okay without needing explicit permission. But there are other parcels of land zoned "environmental conservation" (E2) which can be used for both public and private land, which the zoning codes don't distinguish and which can change at any time should the local government sell or acquire that parcel. Caches are allowed in national parks in this state but only after written application and approval and only if the cache page and the cache itself meet certain requirements. Oh, and by the way, one of their conditions is that caches can't be placed within 50 metres of an Aboriginal site, so your system would need to know where all the registered Aboriginal sites are. Good luck with that, as that information is mostly kept under wraps to prevent vandalism. Other states here have different rules for national parks. Then there are waterways. Here you can generally place a cache in a public waterway, except, well, you'd better not attach it to a navigation marker or buoy, or put it somewhere that's a hazard to navigation, or on an intertidal island in the waterway that happens to be a nature reserve. Keystone's already mentioned railways, but how do you distinguish between railways at ground level and those underground (where putting a cache above the tunnel isn't a problem)? These are just some of the considerations in this little neck of the woods where I live. Reckon you can knock up a server that will take all this into account everywhere on the planet? And keep it up to date? Good luck with that.

Edited by barefootjeff
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3 hours ago, barefootjeff said:

Good luck with that.

Using the scooter analogy that arisoft mentioned, you would confine the allowable area in which Users would be allowed to place the traveling cache.  In my area, you can pretty much ride the scooters anywhere, but there are certain areas that you MUST leave the scooter.  Similarly with a traveling cache, the CO would define the geo-fence that would confine the area where a drop off would be allowed.  Presumably, in this process, a Reviewer would be able to see on a map, the area that the geo-fence encompasses (most likely not the entire world), and be able to reject a submission that does not have certain areas excluded that have known restrictions.  The person moving the cache would then find that when they move out of this allowed "fence", would see that the ability to "drop" the traveling cache would be disabled, until they moved back into the geo-fenced area.  In addition, the phone app this game would play on , would also have to be "aware" of existing caches at the same time, in order to exclude areas to close to existing caches.  Same with Events (e.g. "pocket lint" problem), which would have to be active during the duration of the Event, to discourage people from passing them around at Events (good luck with that for sure).

 

Another possibility is to have these geo-fenced areas predefined, say, an entire State, or County.  A bit more costly as someone would have to input all that data beforehand.

 

Ya, sounds like a total nightmare to develop, but interesting thought experiment.

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On 7/15/2019 at 5:12 AM, Keystone said:

ALL grandfathered traveling caches were archived a few years ago (including the unauthorized "renegades") due to recurring problems with many (but not all) of the grandfathered traveling caches.

 

All known traveling caches were.

 

:ph34r:

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On 7/15/2019 at 4:35 PM, KhaledGeo said:

 I’m just giving ideas for an issue that could not have been fixed when they were archived, but can be fixed now.

The technology can check if it is at an event. 

You have to adopt new technology and ideas.

 

 

It's true that technology has taken some pretty significant leaps and bounds since the early 2000's, but the big thing that doomed traveling caches really hasn't changed all that much: the human element. If you could find a way to fix that...

 

Now, there is nothing wrong with looking back at some of the things Groundspeak has implemented, then subsequently banished and pondering ways that it could be brought back to life and/or improved. If this is something you want, come up with a workable solution and see if it gets any traction at GS. It probably won't but we thought we'd never see Virtuals again, either.

 

Personally, I would much rather Groundspeak went back and did an overhaul/update to the Wherigo platform, but that's my pie-in-the-sky dream.

 

 

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Hey.  I liked moving caches!  I think I found five of them,  Even drove long distances for them!  Strangest was when my sister and I were geocaching in New Hampshire.  Looking for a cache.  She found one and I found another.  One was a moving cache.  I was sad to see them go, but I understand the problems with them.

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18 hours ago, Touchstone said:

Using the scooter analogy that arisoft mentioned, you would confine the allowable area in which Users would be allowed to place the traveling cache.  In my area, you can pretty much ride the scooters anywhere, but there are certain areas that you MUST leave the scooter.  Similarly with a traveling cache, the CO would define the geo-fence that would confine the area where a drop off would be allowed.  Presumably, in this process, a Reviewer would be able to see on a map, the area that the geo-fence encompasses (most likely not the entire world), and be able to reject a submission that does not have certain areas excluded that have known restrictions.  The person moving the cache would then find that when they move out of this allowed "fence", would see that the ability to "drop" the traveling cache would be disabled, until they moved back into the geo-fenced area.  In addition, the phone app this game would play on , would also have to be "aware" of existing caches at the same time, in order to exclude areas to close to existing caches.  Same with Events (e.g. "pocket lint" problem), which would have to be active during the duration of the Event, to discourage people from passing them around at Events (good luck with that for sure).

 

Another possibility is to have these geo-fenced areas predefined, say, an entire State, or County.  A bit more costly as someone would have to input all that data beforehand.

 

Ya, sounds like a total nightmare to develop, but interesting thought experiment.

This is a great idea. The reviewer would review the map not every placement, and less coding is required.

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The biggest problem I saw with moving caches was trying to keep the co-ords updated (x picked it up, placed with y standing next to him, who then picked it up and moved to where z could grab it - where is it?).  If any them are slow to post logs...

 

And how do you mark them 'in transit' (between placements/in somebody's hands)?  It was getting to be too much of a hassle and messed up.

 

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1 hour ago, The Jester said:

The biggest problem I saw with moving caches was trying to keep the co-ords updated (x picked it up, placed with y standing next to him, who then picked it up and moved to where z could grab it - where is it?).  If any them are slow to post logs...

And how do you mark them 'in transit' (between placements/in somebody's hands)?  It was getting to be too much of a hassle and messed up.

Yep. 

The other 2/3rds didn't want anything to do with them after being yelled at (at an event),  by a bunch who thought she should have waited until more folks could stop by and log it first. 

Like anyone knew "they" were on the way, the next day.

I asked a simple " what time would have been good for you ?" and some actually left, ticked off. 

Over a cache...

Just read the logs on many "This was just placed on Sunday.  I stopped here on Wednesday and some jerk took it already!" and similar was tame in comparison.

 

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3 hours ago, KhaledGeo said:

This is a great idea. The reviewer would review the map not every placement, and less coding is required.

So you expect these Volunteers to be available 24/7/365 to monitor the traveling cache?  I am happy when my reviewer can approve a new cache placement in a couple days. You are expecting way too much from the Reviewers.

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He's saying that Reviewers could pre-approve the boundaries of a polygon, in which the cache could freely move.  The boundaries would need to steer clear of railroad tracks, airports, dams, highway bridges, schools, government buildings, military installations, hospitals, private residential properties, and any parks/forests/preserves that are covered by a published land manager permission policy.

 

So, the reviewer would only have to do the review once, but it would be for a big area - not for a single set of coordinates.  I think that $100 would be a reasonable fee for this.

 

Of course, post-publication, there will be squabbles, misunderstandings and disputes of the types chronicled above.  Reviewers could be called upon to moderate those situations, for an Umpire Fee of $25 per incident (payable by the party at fault/in the wrong).

 

Once the cache owner has paid all the Reviewer fees, there is still the matter of funding the "self destruct" feature built into the nano, or the "send an electric shock to the smartphone/send a team of ninjas to the GPS user" feature, should the mechanical and electrical engineering considerations of the self-destructing nano prove insurmountable.  I do not know the cost accounting for this.

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16 minutes ago, Keystone said:

He's saying that Reviewers could pre-approve the boundaries of a polygon, in which the cache could freely move.  The boundaries would need to steer clear of railroad tracks, airports, dams, highway bridges, schools, government buildings, military installations, hospitals, private residential properties, and any parks/forests/preserves that are covered by a published land manager permission policy.

 

So, the reviewer would only have to do the review once, but it would be for a big area - not for a single set of coordinates.  I think that $100 would be a reasonable fee for this.

 

Of course, post-publication, there will be squabbles, misunderstandings and disputes of the types chronicled above.  Reviewers could be called upon to moderate those situations, for an Umpire Fee of $25 per incident (payable by the party at fault/in the wrong).

 

Once the cache owner has paid all the Reviewer fees, there is still the matter of funding the "self destruct" feature built into the nano, or the "send an electric shock to the smartphone/send a team of ninjas to the GPS user" feature, should the mechanical and electrical engineering considerations of the self-destructing nano prove insurmountable.  I do not know the cost accounting for this.

As a man-of-many-talents with a black jumpsuit and hood, my travel costs are $0.75/mile from home, with a minimum departure fee of $300.00, with other fees negotiable based on the target in question and the tool of the trade needed for the 'find'.

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As others said, I don't think there is a fix for the fundamental issues with moving caches so I can't see them ever coming back, and that won't bother me. I have found a few but they were always in the hands of someone who was carrying them round, usually to events.

 

The best travelling cache I ever came across was a different beast. It was in the boot (trunk) of the guy's car and would transmit it's co-ords back to his own webpage every few minutes, where they were then displayed on the cache page. If you managed to intercept the car and he was in it he would open the boot for you to log the cache, if he wasn't there he provided a mobile number on the cache page which you could text and he would come back to the car and open it for you; there were a few caveats on the cache page about when and where he wouldn't respond to the texts (e.g. between 20:00 and 07:00). Unfortunately it was archived before I managed to intercept it. This idea could work back in the very early days when there was probably only a few hundred or so cachers in the South of England and everyone played nicely together, but it would be a nightmare now with thousands of cachers and so many who are prepared to trample over their compatriots to play the game.

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10 hours ago, Keystone said:

He's saying that Reviewers could pre-approve the boundaries of a polygon, in which the cache could freely move.  The boundaries would need to steer clear of railroad tracks, airports, dams, highway bridges, schools, government buildings, military installations, hospitals, private residential properties, and any parks/forests/preserves that are covered by a published land manager permission policy.

 

So, the reviewer would only have to do the review once, but it would be for a big area - not for a single set of coordinates.  I think that $100 would be a reasonable fee for this.

 

Of course, post-publication, there will be squabbles, misunderstandings and disputes of the types chronicled above.  Reviewers could be called upon to moderate those situations, for an Umpire Fee of $25 per incident (payable by the party at fault/in the wrong).

 

Once the cache owner has paid all the Reviewer fees, there is still the matter of funding the "self destruct" feature built into the nano, or the "send an electric shock to the smartphone/send a team of ninjas to the GPS user" feature, should the mechanical and electrical engineering considerations of the self-destructing nano prove insurmountable.  I do not know the cost accounting for this.

I’m gonna make a self destructing nano in honor of this man.

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11 hours ago, The Jester said:

The biggest problem I saw with moving caches was trying to keep the co-ords updated (x picked it up, placed with y standing next to him, who then picked it up and moved to where z could grab it - where is it?).  If any them are slow to post logs...

 

And how do you mark them 'in transit' (between placements/in somebody's hands)?  It was getting to be too much of a hassle and messed up.

I'm sure I have no idea how many problems moving caches caused, and I'm sure a lot of people saw the ones you mention as major ones, but I actually saw these as advantages, not problems. It was such a challenge to figure out what was going on and have a chance to jump on a possibility, yet, at the same time, I was continually reminding that stuff changes, that a cache not being where I'd hoped it was wasn't the end of the world, and geocaching is a game of fooling and mistakes. That's why I was following a couple moving caches looking the rare chance of being able to find one. I accept that GS had good reasons to get rid of the last ones, but it made me sad because they provided a different and uncommon challenge that put the normal ups and downs of geocaching in perspective.

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1 hour ago, dprovan said:

I'm sure I have no idea how many problems moving caches caused, and I'm sure a lot of people saw the ones you mention as major ones, but I actually saw these as advantages, not problems. It was such a challenge to figure out what was going on and have a chance to jump on a possibility, yet, at the same time, I was continually reminding that stuff changes, that a cache not being where I'd hoped it was wasn't the end of the world, and geocaching is a game of fooling and mistakes. That's why I was following a couple moving caches looking the rare chance of being able to find one. I accept that GS had good reasons to get rid of the last ones, but it made me sad because they provided a different and uncommon challenge that put the normal ups and downs of geocaching in perspective.

You are so right. Geocaching is exactly like that. Groundspeak should at least add a new cache type or aspect to the game.

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