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The Da Vinci Code


MissJenn

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I recently finished reading The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I'm bringing it up here not as commercial advertising - although that is the inevitable result. (Sorry!)

 

It's simply a really fun book for any geocacher that likes novels! I thought it might be a good gift for yourself or for a cacher on your list this year. The storyline contains so many aspects of our hobby ;) : leaving something for others to find, putting clues together, being observant, trying not to be observed by others, and so many other cool similarities.

 

The protagonists are searching for a puzzle multi-cache, as it were, that starts in the Louvre. The cops suspect they are doing something bad ;) (sound familiar????) so the cops start using GPS to track the suspects!

 

A quick search on the web will reveal lots of write-ups about this book. Try not to read too many of them please, as some of them are spoilers: they will tell you too many of the surprises before you get to them on your own time!

Edited by MissJenn
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I just popped over to my local library's web site to request this book, and found that all the copies are either checked out or on the hold shelf, and there are 96 (!!!) other holds on it ahead of me! Must be one popular book! Thanks for recommending it. I should get a chance to read it sometime in the next few years.

 

SylvrStorm

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The book is good, but I was bothered by the fact that the author did massive amounts of research, but totally blew it when it comes to GPS technology (which plays a small part early in the book). He makes the rookie mistake of thinking that GPS devices send a signal to the GPS satellites.

 

Chapter 12: "GPS tracking dot," Sophie said. "Continuously transmits its location to a Global Positioning System satellite that the DCPJ can monitor. We use them to monitor people's locations. It's accurate to within two feet anywhere on the globe."

 

And this is a device the size of the shirt button. Working inside a massive building. Had to laugh at that one.

Edited by Prime Suspect
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If you like books with a code theme, Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon can't be beat.

I just went and requested this one from my library too. They're all out too, but this time only one person has a hold ahead of me. Incidentally, in the two hours or so since I requested The Da Vinci Code, another person has requested it, bringing the total to 98 outstanding holds. Wow.

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If you like books with a code theme, Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon can't be beat.

Reading "Snow Crash" now, his (first?) novel. Cryptonomicon also has some geocaching related content in it, including some GPS work. It is a long read, but a good one.

 

I spoke to a geocacher over the phone a few weeks back in his 70's, and he said Measuring America is one of the best books he ever read. If you're a benchmark hunter you'll especially enjoy this book.

 

I'm currently flipping between Snow Crash and Measuring America.

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I just popped over to my local library's web site to request this book, and found that all the copies are either checked out or on the hold shelf, and there are 96 (!!!) other holds on it ahead of me! Must be one popular book! Thanks for recommending it. I should get a chance to read it sometime in the next few years.

 

SylvrStorm

I did the same thing and I am only #86 on the list! (Richmond, BC) However, I'm #9 for the CD Audio Book. May have to bite the bullet and buy it at Chapters...

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If you like books with a code theme, Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon can't be beat.

Thanks for the recommendation. I had not heard of this book.

 

Prime Suspect is right to suspect the technology behind the aforementioned GPS dot. I just figured I'd leave it to "temporary suspension of disbelief" and just be happy that GPS was even mentioned! :P I think the author could have thought ahead to criticism like this simply by mentioning that this dot was indeed a type of device that transmits location to a remote receiver and that it was so top secret that only the top notch French police have it, not available to the general public, blah, blah.

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DaVinci Cache

You just missed it.

 

I, too, enjoyed the work of *fiction*. How about making virtuals of some of the hidden secrets in the novel? Or, traditionals, if you can actually hide something at one of the sites.

This cache looks (looked?) like MUCHO fun! I hope they unarchive it at some point ...

 

Perhaps our French and UK friends can go with the theme of The Da Vinci Code .... enough people in this country have certainly had some fun with The Shawshank Redemption!

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I'm not much of a reader, but I was interested in the DaVinci Code, bought it and read through it in a week. I loved it. For my birthday, my mom got me "Angels and Demons" and "Digital Fortress," both by Dan Brown.

 

I'm in the process of reading "Angels and Demons" and it is great. It is the first adventure of the main character of the Davinci code.

 

After reading the "DaVinci Code" I started thinking of putting together a cache to be similar to it. I see someone has already done that.

 

I was thinking about the Football TB thing the other day too and see that someone has beat me to that idea.

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Check out Foucault's Pendulum, by Umberto Eco. This novel has lots of stuff about coded messages and mysterious secret plans. I just finished reading it. It is a little long, but very good.

The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography by Simon Singh

 

Is an excellent history of Crypto.

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I loved Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, Digital Fortress was a good one though not quite a Da Vinci Code. Snow Crash is my all time Favorite. Crytonomicon is an excellent book too. I still need to go back to Zodiac and In the beginning... I have a 1 hour commute to work and fly once or twice a month as well. Audiobooks are my saving grace. Premium member at Audible.com for $20 a month I get 2 novels. Can't beat that deal. Quite time for me only happens on the road as it would seem. Download a book or two to my PDA and hit hte road. Much better than the crap that is on the radio over and over and...

 

GeoGargoyle

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MissJenn - Thoroughly enjoyed the book. Have you read his 'Angels and Demons'?

It's also a good read. Glad to see you hype reading to the cachers. Erasmus said, "When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes." I bought a GPS instead - so now I geocache hungry and naked.

Orion 47 :D

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Have you read his 'Angels and Demons'?

Not yet but the same person who got me to pick up The Da Vinci Code also just recommended Angels and Demons - I will likely follow her advice a 2nd time.

I bought a GPS instead - so now I geocache hungry and naked.

Orion 47  :D

You should cache around here: people are always constantly leaving food in caches. As for the other problem, well, I don't consider that too much of a problem. It's easier to spot deer ticks that way.
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In case you missed it, Quicksilver, a prequel of sorts to Cryptonomicon, came out a few months ago. I haven't got to it yet. Cryptonomicon is an excellent book, although it's wordy (the author writes by hand to hinder this tendency), a little technical, and pretty bent in its humor (a funny bit about the Hindenberg and a multi-page explanation of how to eat Cap'n Crunch stand out in my memory).

 

Younger cachers may enjoy the Moomintroll series by Tove Jansson.

"Listen Moomintroll," said Snufkin. "I have an idea. What about going to the top of the mountain and making a pile of stones to show that we were the first to get there?"

"Yes, let’s," said Sniff, and set off at once so as to get there before the others.

I think that tiny blurb says it all. Since these creatures are Finnish, I presume "the others" here are Divine and Captain Morgan.

 

Besides liking FTFs and loving nature and quests, the characters do battle with an overly-strict park ranger in one of the books. I even recently noticed coordinates in one of the books' illustrations.

Edited by Dinoprophet
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Just started reading Angels & Demons, it grabs you right off the bat, and by page 20 you are truly hooked. The author says this is a prequal to The DaVinci Codes, in that it introduces the main character for both books. Look forward to getting some of the books mentioned in this thread...Thanks to all for the suggestions. :D

 

lulu

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ot:

Does BookCrossing frown on Books in Caches like Where's George?

 

It is a misconception that Wheres George frowns on WG items in geocaches. As long as the dollar goes in and out of the geocache in normal fashion (the exchange is not pre-arranged), they are good with it. They don't allow geocached WG money to count in their 'most handled' list because of abuse by a small number of WG members who are also geocachers. (big whoop, imo). That's it.

 

Bookcrossing doesn't care. considering how difficult it is to realize any money from used books these days, it's a great way to spread the joy and free up some shelf space at the same time.

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Snow Crash is actually Stephenson's third [and perhaps best?] novel. His first was The Big U, a very forgettable weird story that required a big explosion to wrap up loose ends. His second novel, Zodiac is an ecological thriller that is not all that thrilling.

 

One of the amazing things about Snow Crash is all that Stephenson predicted about the Web way back in 1992. It carried on the spirit of The Shockwave Rider by Brunner that was published in the late 70's. Without the web, geocaching wouldn't be what it is.

 

In 1995, NS put out The Diamond Age which is also fairly interesting. In 1999 came the massive and very interesting tome Cryptonomicon which covers a lot of ground. There was also the non-fiction piece in 1999 called In the Beginning... was the Command Line in which he discusses operating systems and points out that perhaps the biggest idea of Bill Gates is/was the notion that it is possible to sell an operating system. Before Bill, everyone thought that only hardware could be sold. Software was something to help you sell the HW. How the world has changed!

 

For those who like Stephenson, you might also like Stephen Bury. NS uses that pseudonym for political science fiction written with J. Frederick George.

 

Maybe I'll put a copy of Snow Crash in my next cache!

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Younger cachers may enjoy the Moomintroll series by Tove Jansson.
"Listen Moomintroll," said Snufkin. "I have an idea. What about going to the top of the mountain and making a pile of stones to show that we were the first to get there?"

"Yes, let’s," said Sniff, and set off at once so as to get there before the others.

I think that tiny blurb says it all.

Thanks so much for this suggestion, Dinoprophet! I, for one, am using it as a gift idea.

Since these creatures are Finnish, I presume "the others" here are Divine and Captain Morgan.
:):D:D
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I ignored this topic because I rarely read novels, but today we received a package in the mai from my mother-in-law, opened it up and it was the Da Vinci Code on tape.

We're driving out to visit the in-laws on Friday (7.5 hrs), so she thought we'd like to listen to it enroute. I showed my wife some of the posts in this thread and she's looking forward to it.

Edited by briansnat
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I've read both Angels and Demons and the Da Vinci Code. Loved them both. Something about the treasure hunt theme that I like. Must be why I like geocaching so much. I recently started working at a different location and now have a 20+ mile commute. I just started getting into books on tape and they really make the drive go by quickly. Unfortunately, the local library has a very limited selection of books on tape.

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