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So how does this program work? Do you get a list of new caches and check to see if they are within the areas that users enter, or does your site look on GC.com at different times of the day for each users request?

The reason I'm asking is that I don't want to put a huge additional load on the GC.com servers which could happen depending on the way your service works.

 

"The best way to accelerate a Macintosh is at 9.8m/sec/sec."

-Marcus Dolengo

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quote:
Originally posted by smithdw:

So how does this program work? Do you get a list of new caches and check to see if they are within the areas that users enter, or does your site look on GC.com at different times of the day for each users request?

The reason I'm asking is that I don't want to put a huge additional load on the GC.com servers which could happen depending on the way your service works.

 

"The best way to accelerate a Macintosh is at 9.8m/sec/sec."

-Marcus Dolengo


 

I had the same concern when I wrote this... so it doesn't matter if there's 10 people, or 10,000 signed up ... the same load is put on the GC.com servers... which is very little.

Basicaly what I do is watch for new cache id's (not the waypoint id, but it's numeric equivilant that you usually see in the URL) to get used up, and then periodicaly check that ID to see if it got approved yet. If so, then I check to see if anybody signed up for the alert needs to be notified of that cache. Sometimes, the program doesn't notice a new cache is approved until several hours after the actual approval took place, so the alerts aren't exactly 'real time', but it's still a lot better than once a week.

 

skydiver-sig.gif

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"We never seek things for themselves -- what we seek is the very seeking of things."

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)

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If you are a Priemium Member then you can do a pocket query. This will potentially give you an update every day, and put it into EasyGPS format for downloading directly to your GPS if you have that capability. It appears that one of the criteria that you can search for are caches that have not been found. If you want to be the first finder, then I think this is your ticket.

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quote:
Originally posted by skydiver:

I've got a http://www.rusticweb.com/geocaching/ncalert/ that does exactly that. Enjoy.

 

http://www.skydivergear.com/

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"We never seek things for themselves -- what we seek is the very seeking of things."

_Blaise Pascal_ (1623-1662)

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That's totally cool! Thanks! icon_biggrin.gif

 

Team Kender - Willow and Dan exploring the Bay Area backroads!

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quote:
Originally posted by skydiver:

quote:
Originally posted by smithdw:

So how does this program work? Do you get a list of new caches and check to see if they are within the areas that users enter, or does your site look on GC.com at different times of the day for each users request?

The reason I'm asking is that I don't want to put a huge additional load on the GC.com servers which could happen depending on the way your service works.


 

I had the same concern when I wrote this... so it doesn't matter if there's 10 people, or 10,000 signed up ... the same load is put on the GC.com servers... which is very little.

Basicaly what I do is watch for new cache id's (not the waypoint id, but it's numeric equivilant that you usually see in the URL) to get used up, and then periodicaly check that ID to see if it got approved yet. If so, then I check to see if anybody signed up for the alert needs to be notified of that cache. Sometimes, the program doesn't notice a new cache is approved until several hours after the actual approval took place, so the alerts aren't exactly 'real time', but it's still a lot better than once a week.

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Cool, I didn't want to sign up for anything that would slow down an already loaded system. Thanks for the service and the info. I'll see how it works...

 

"The best way to accelerate a Macintosh is at 9.8m/sec/sec."

-Marcus Dolengo

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quote:
Originally posted by Cannonlaw:

If you are a Priemium Member then you can do a pocket query. This will potentially give you an update every day, and put it into EasyGPS format for downloading directly to your GPS if you have that capability. It appears that one of the criteria that you can search for are caches that have not been found. If you want to be the first finder, then I think this is your ticket.


 

And by the time I get my Pocket Query results, there could have been 2-3 cachers already there grabbing all the first finder goodies. We have several that it seems that they spend the day looking through the cache pages and jump right in the truck to head out when one shows up. I have done that, but it's a little harder when I'm at work and they are retired.

 

"The best way to accelerate a Macintosh is at 9.8m/sec/sec."

-Marcus Dolengo

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quote:
Originally posted by Team Kender:

not to sound like a total moronicus, but when I click "update" it changes the last 2 coordinates that I input for both lat and long. is it supposed to do that?

 

Team Kender - Willow and Dan exploring the Bay Area backroads!


 

Nope you don't sound like a total moronicus to me. It shouldn't be happening for MOST people, but you're not seeing things.

 

That's acutally a unfortunate side effect of the fact that I convert the lat/long you provide into strict degree/decimal format before putting it in the database. Then when the page loads, for display purposes only, it reconvertes it back to NS,EW/Degree/Minute/Decimal format. And due to a little rounding that takes place in the conversions, some coordinates change a little bit. But the overall difference shouldn't be more than few feet in one direction or another, which on the scale of searching a 100 mile radius from that point, isn't significant.

 

skydiver-sig.gif

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"We never seek things for themselves -- what we seek is the very seeking of things."

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)

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I have been signed up for this for quite a while, and it works better than trying to continually process the gpx files. As an added bonus, I spend much less time checking geocaching.com for new caches, which, I would suspect, could result in less traffic on the servers in the long run- especially as more people use it.

 

May you have the hindsight to know where you've been

and the foresight to where you're going

and the insight to know when you're going too far.

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quote:
Originally posted by Team GPSaxophone:

Now, can I get you to page me when a new cache shows up...? icon_smile.gif


 

Maybe. If your phone/pager can recieve text messages at an email address. Just be sure to set the notification format to Brief.

Seems like most cell phone and pager companies require text messages to be sent via a web interface they provide, which won't work for this. But there are a few of us with phones that can recieve email (mine's through Verizon... my-phone-number@vtext.com), and in those cases, it works very well.

 

skydiver-sig.gif

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"We never seek things for themselves -- what we seek is the very seeking of things."

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)

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quote:
Originally posted by RPaske:

I have been signed up for this for a week. There have been new caches within my search criteria. Is there a problem with the notification process?


 

According to my logs, 22 alerts were sent to you since the 23rd, but I do have a question for you. I'll email you privately so we can try to figure out the problem.

 

skydiver-sig.gif

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"We never seek things for themselves -- what we seek is the very seeking of things."

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)

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quote:
Originally posted by dawgspit:

Is there a way to be notified other than once a week when a new cache is available in my area? I'd like to be 1st finders once in a while. icon_biggrin.gif

 

"Nothing helps a bad mood like spreading it around." Calvin of Calvin & Hobbes


Well, just click on your state link in the regional forums. E.g. I live in Washington so I usually go to hte northwest forums and next to that link is a link for the states in that region. I click on Washington and get hte newest caches. That's how I do it.

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I worked on a tool like this for my own personal use a while back. But after reading the terms of use for the site I backed off...

 

"This website is for personal and non-commercial use. You may not modify, copy, excerpt, distribute, transmit, publish, license, create derivative works from, or sell any information, or services obtained from this website." (emphasis mine)

 

I realize that it's not being sold, but 'creating derivitive works' is a serious issue when it comes to intellectual property law. I'm not trying to be a killjoy either. Just be aware.

 

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Searching through the cave. Team VaxCave.

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