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Anyone Know "hardware" In Minnesota?


WascoZooKeeper

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Is anyone familiar with a cacher named hardware who seems to be in the Eden Prairie, Minnesota area?

 

He appears to have picked up about 17 TBs in December and as far as I can tell has not released any of them. One of the bugs is supposed to be in a race and has now been out of circulation for four months. It sure would be nice if the bug had a fighting chance by at least being available in a cache somewhere.

 

I've sent e-mail and gotten no response at all. :unsure:

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Well, this is weird. He did reply today to another inquiry about the TB, but I don't know that this tells me anything:

 

Thanks for the inquiry about your travel bug. Due to circumstances beyond my control I am unable to drop your travel bug at this time. Your travel bug is safe and sound, and as soon as I am able to drop it, I will do so.

 

I am waiting for a resolution to geocaching.com inquiry #156707. Once the matter is resolved, I will be able to return to active geocaching. (I am surprised at how long it is taking for geocaching administration to resolve the matter.)

 

If you have concerns, please contact geocaching.com directly to find out how soon inquiry #156707 will be resolved.

 

Looks like he's holding a bunch of bugs captive. The part about "return to active geocaching" seems hollow, because he logged some caches in Las Vegas last week.

 

If any of TPTB see this, is there any way to shed any light on what's going on here? ;)

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I have personally delt with Hardware before. Two friends of mine have met him in person, but I have not.

 

My recommendation is to listen to what he says and take him seriously.

 

I am not familiar with issue #156707, but I highly doubt his intention is to hold bugs. He probably just cannot visit a geocache listed on geocaching.com. If I were to make a suggestion, try having him drop them in a geocache listed on Navicache or another listing service. Not sure if he'll be receptive to that or not.

 

Good luck.

 

-Aaron

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I have personally delt with Hardware before. Two friends of mine have met him in person, but I have not.

 

My recommendation is to listen to what he says and take him seriously.

 

I am not familiar with issue #156707, but I highly doubt his intention is to hold bugs. He probably just cannot visit a geocache listed on geocaching.com. If I were to make a suggestion, try having him drop them in a geocache listed on Navicache or another listing service. Not sure if he'll be receptive to that or not.

 

Good luck.

 

-Aaron

Thanks for the info, though I'm not quite sure just what it is I'm supposed to take seriously. I'll take him at his word that the TBs are safe, and that he intends to release them "someday".

 

The tone of his message to me definitely makes them sound like hostages. I can't imagine any gc.com issue that would prevent someone from dropping bugs back into a cache.

 

But keeping a bug out of circulation for any reason short of personal emergencies (health problems, major job issues, etc.), especially after a specific request to return one to circulation, just seems contrary to the spirit of geocaching. :(

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it sounds more like a complaint issue, maybe he/she was ban from the web site for a violation or a complaint of one against the user name?

Except that he just logged two caches under that user name about 10 days ago, both in Nevada, far from home (Minnesota). :(

 

Also, he had to log in to gc.com to reply to my message as I had not included an e-mail address. So he clearly has access to the site.

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good point! I wounder if it has anything to do with a lot of Forest preserves removing caches without any notification, as I been reading the forums it seems this is happing across the country.

 

would be nice to know what issue #156707 was all about.

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His email was addressed to another user, we were only listed in the copy line. I do not get involved until the email comes addressed to us, until then I assume that we were only copied for informational purposes and the two individuals are still working out their issue.

 

The user account has full access to geocaching.com so it appears that he is attempting to hold TB's hostage until he gets his way. <_<

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The user account has full access to geocaching.com so it appears that he is attempting to hold TB's hostage until he gets his way. <_<

That is an unfair assumption.

 

I guess it's in hardware's court to let us know what his beef is, if the official Groundspeak answer is that they aren't involved.

 

-Aaron

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The user account has full access to geocaching.com so it appears that he is attempting to hold TB's hostage until he gets his way.  <_<

That is an unfair assumption.

 

I guess it's in hardware's court to let us know what his beef is, if the official Groundspeak answer is that they aren't involved.

 

-Aaron

It may be unfair and if it turns out that I was incorrect that there is some other reason why he cannot physically drop TB's into a cache then I will apologize. But seeing that he logged in today and has logged geocaches since he picked up those TB's I doubt I am wrong.

 

I would be happy to look into any issue that is sent to me. But as I said, I don't get involved in things that are sent for informational reasons. Emails of this type are something that I received often, and in most cases they resolve themselves.

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The user account has full access to geocaching.com so it appears that he is attempting to hold TB's hostage until he gets his way.  <_<

That is an unfair assumption.

 

I guess it's in hardware's court to let us know what his beef is, if the official Groundspeak answer is that they aren't involved.

 

-Aaron

I agree with you that Hydee's statement seems to be based on assumption rather than established fact, but . . . .

 

. . . . I don't think the word appears is inappropriate, either. Whether "hostage taking" is what hardware means to be doing or not, it's certainly the impression that is created.

 

I've looked at a number of his past logs, and his two most recent ones. They have the hallmarks of what most people consider a "good" cacher. His comments show thought, appreciation for the cache owners' efforts, description of his search, and so on. None of them are a simple "TNLNSL" or "Took flashlight, left golf ball, signed log, TFTC."

 

Except for the last couple weeks of December, when it appears he swept down on a number of caches solely to grab travel bugs and left nothing in the log except the notation "TTB". And then the bugs have effectively disappeared ever since.

 

I am sincerely interested in, and receptive to, a different interpretation.

Edited by WascoZooKeeper
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hydee 

Posted: May 4 2005, 01:08 PM

(s4xton @ May 4 2005, 10:56 AM)
(hydee @ May 4 2005, 12:52 PM)

The user account has full access to geocaching.com so it appears that he is attempting to hold TB's hostage until he gets his way.  signalmad.gif

 

That is an unfair assumption.

 

I guess it's in hardware's court to let us know what his beef is, if the official Groundspeak answer is that they aren't involved.

 

-Aaron

 

It may be unfair and if it turns out that I was incorrect that there is some other reason why he cannot physically drop TB's into a cache then I will apologize. But seeing that he logged in today and has logged geocaches since he picked up those TB's I doubt I am wrong.

 

I would be happy to look into any issue that is sent to me. But as I said, I don't get involved in things that are sent for informational reasons. Emails of this type are something that I received often, and in most cases they resolve themselves.

 

I don't see any unfair assumption at all. Even you, Aaron, said, "what his beef is." You assume, yourself, that he is disgruntled, and the evidence would indeed indicate that. Now, he euphamistically uses phrases like "Due to circumstances beyond my control I am unable to drop your travel bug at this time," but it appears to mean, "I refuse to let them go at this time," and he has definitely linked that whole issue to "a resolution to geocaching.com inquiry #156707."

It appears you have claimed Hardware as a friend, as you seek to defend him.

 

The obvious question: "Why are you, Hardware, picking up t.b.'s at this time, if NOT for an incorrect purpose?" Stomping your foot???

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My message via e-mail to hardware tonight:

Here is what Hydee of Groundspeak had to say about your issue #156707 (and this is an exact quote):
His email was addressed to another user, we were only listed in the copy line. I do not get involved until the email comes addressed to us, until then I assume that we were only copied for informational purposes and the two individuals are still working out their issue.

So if you are waiting for Groundspeak to respond to your message, I would suggest that you address a new copy directly to them and specifically ask for them to act on whatever it is you need.

 

In the meantime, for the sake of sportsmanship and as a courtesy to the TB owners, I think it would appropriate for you to return the bugs to caches. If, as you stated in your earlier note to me, you are UNABLE to put them in caches, I will be glad to provide an address where you can mail them to me, and I will even reimburse you the cost of the postage to do so.

 

Thank you for your earlier response to my inquiry, I am looking forward to hearing from you again.

 

Regards,

WascoZooKeeper

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I don't peruse the forums a lot and also don't post much, but I just wanted to weigh in on this.

 

From the information provided on this thread, it is obvious that the TB's are being held hostage. Again, that is assuming all the information provided herein is accurate.

 

Hardware is still active and still has access to geocaching.com and the caches listed therein. He also obviously has a personal beef with the approver with which he is dealing because of the issue of approving this one particular cache. And he obviously deliberately went out and grabbed those travel bugs for the sake of the bugs, not visiting the cache. It seems clear he is trying to use people's TB's as a way to leverage support for his position.

 

What baffles me is that someone would go to these drastic measures just because a cache was not approved. I have had a cache declined by the reviewer before, and just dedcided to find a new place to put it. No big deal.

 

Any way, none of this matters but I just wanted to chime in for fun.

 

If I am basing my comment on inaccurate information, I appologize.

 

Kyle

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