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Geocaching 102

Posted by Hemos from the fun-for-everyone dept.
TwP writes: "Looking for something to do with your GPS receiver besides finding your car in the grocery store parking lot? Try Geocaching. The idea is simple: take some item and hide it somewhere in the world, record the latitude and longitude using your GPS receiver, post the location to the Web so that others can find your stash. Most people leave a five gallon plastic bucket with a few items inside and a logbook. When someone finds the bucket they take an item, leave an item, and sign the logbook. Take a look at the original (read "non-pretty") page."
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Geocaching

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  • Webcam (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Of course, some inventive soul will train a webcam on that site just to see how many times people walk right *OVER* it!

    Seriously! It'd be --far-- more interesting than most webcams i've seen to date! ;)

    Tom
  • instead they would build a GPS guided missle to blow the damn thing up. ok, non-violent geeks could build a GPS guided lego robot to find the bucket and sign the guide book.
  • Go on Yahoo and look up "Letterboxing"

    Its quite popular, but (un)fortunately, these GeoCaches make it a bit easier for those who are navigationally challenged :)
  • You're entitled to your opinion, but I won't consider said opinion a well informed one until you've actually spent some time investigating the sport.
  • Hey Mike, good to see you in on this too. I just was about to go off to sci.geo to let you know about this post here. If anyone can answer some of the questions, it's definately you.
  • Thanks for the info. I just realized that this is the conflict between the analog and digital worlds.:)
  • Bruntons are geological/transit compasses that are great but very pricey. They are similar to some of the better Suunto's (compass, lid with a mirror, sighting capabilities). Now that I think about it, the Bruntons are probably overkill; the Suunto's will do just fine. But the Bruntons have been around for a long, long time. In fact the term Brunton is sort of generic like the term Kleenix (to me at least).

    If you are using a topo map, then you would need the Silvas or Suuntos with a clear delineated base.

  • ... anybody know where you can get them? I noticed the claim on the original page: "almost everyone on earth can buy [a GPS receiver] for for under $100"... Now, all the GPS units I've seen have been at least £200, but I'd buy one if it was £65...
  • This sounds like the sort of thing I might want to get into. There don't seem to be any pots in or around St. Louis, MO, but placing and checking up on them seems like a pretty cool idea.

    Schools (high schools) might want to get in on this activity as well. In grade school, our class used helium-filled balloons, tied stamped postcards to them and asked that whoever recovered it mail it back along with their address. Then we mapped the results. Typical young geek fun.

    So I decided to go look up GPS devices and see what I was getting in for. From what I can tell, most of the cheap units seem to be fairly basic in their accuracy. The ones I've seen only seem to go to 6 sig-digs, which translates to about a 100 meter radius - which isn't near accurate enough. 10 meters, I'll buy.

    So, what units do fellow geeks suggest?

  • I've used Silva and Suunto brands. Is Brunton designed similarly (for topo maps) or is it some form of digital beastie? (Ick, if so.)

  • Gambit Thirty-Two wrote:
    Just so you know, as i write this, right next to me is a stash. Ive been putting it together for a week. 2gallon bucket.

    Bad bucket choice. Use an army surplus ammo canister. They come in various shapes and sizes and are totally waterproof. Uh, although they might rust eventually.
  • Think about it though... most people aren't going to go on a web site, look up their local area, find a local stash. drive for a half hour to the general area, and spend another hour looking for a small sealed bucket in a relatively well hidden area unless they plan on writing in the log book and following the rules.

    Mostly enthusiasts have GPS now, but that will change. A kill-joy won't bother driving for half an hour, but there will be those who realize "hey - this thing is right here! Lets go get it..."

  • (Funniest bit of all: we're all into server and box security. We don't want anyone touching our files or seeing what silly little sites we've been to. But we leave our physical goods out in the open for others to scavenge? :) Talk about mixed up principles).

    Not mixed up, really. It's not like you're giving someone the coords to your house and unlocking your doors. (Of course, that'd be funny to give someone else's house's coords... ;) ) You're _choosing_ to leave something. To keep on the same line of anologies, it's like putting up a web page or using gnutella.

    Oh, and about the scary stuff in the bucket... once/if this gets big, I'm sure there will be a couple of red herrings deployed. (Maybe even some sick or dangerous stuff.) Hell, there will probably be some f'n spam in the buckets. A flier reading: "H0t t33n pr0n!". Damn spammers.

    \//
  • I heard someone broke into the CBS website and already found out who the winner is of next season's CBS hit show "GPSurvivor!"

    \//
  • I know, I know... It's coming, but school's first priority. Sign the mailing list and I'll let you know when it's done.
    Kevin Fox
  • http://www.triax.com/yngwie/newyork1.txt

    This one appears to have prizes in zip-lock baggies for whoever finds it. :)
  • We used to do this with radio transmitters and a home made dopler radar scanner. We would drive around within a 50 mile radius (we were using 2meter radio at the time) and try to find the target. what would be really neat, is if someone figured out how to build a cheapo beacon on some public radio band that beeped or squeaked. You could use gps to aproximate the location down to that 50 mile or so radius, then radio locate the can or stash or whatever you want to call it. I think that would be alot more fun.
  • actually drug dealers have been using this for several years already. I saw a report on it over at the Open Source Solutions website a while
    back.
  • How amazingly cool.

    I was reading that for an hour (the one about the paris catacombs) before I realized I should be working. :)

    How does one go about getting into this? I never knew others were into this sort of thing, thought I was a freak. I guess given a large enough group you can find at least two people interested in everything.


    _______________
    you may quote me
  • I read about letterboxing in an issue of Smithsonian magazine and it sounded fun, but time-consuming and Anglocentric. Not a racist or cultural problem, but a geographic one; I live in California, USA, and letterboxing sounded like a European phenomenon.

    Then, of course, there's the fact that I'm trying to boycott the MPAA...</obscure

  • ...I-love-you infected floppy disk into the stash...
  • You know, that's what really makes me mad about all this... Sure, it CAN be used for evil, but alot of people don't. So what does Congress do? They try to destroy the technology. Hey, what if these allaged Drug Lords are using the internet so send the lat and long of the stuff? Maybe Congress should bal all internet routers in/to the US - THAT might fix it.
    There are numerous things that can be used for evil instead of good, but that doesn't mean you should stop making good things, like, for example - GPS.
    Hey, why not get congress to ban DRUGS in the US? That'll fix it. :)

    -Brandon
  • ... Or worse, plants a bomb in it... Open it up... BOOM!
    Maybe this isn't as fun as it originally sounded.

    -Brandon
  • Looks like your page said you'd be publishing on august 25... I didn't see any photos.
  • Well, I have just had bad experiences with moderators on crack who enjoy modding down people who disagree with their opinions. And Its not a troll!!! (hehe)
  • This sounds like a very good idea for people other than me! Its not like I am going to travel a couple of hours (at the least) to go rooting through someones garbage. No, this is not meant to be a troll, but I don't waste my time with useless scavanger hunts (I go on /. instead :) ... And with the current state of gas prices now I am sure one is going to have to take the bus or pay through their teeth. (Hopefully a little constructive criticism to add to the discussion, and this is not a troll!)
  • If you get a GPS unit that outputs raw data via RS-232 serial port (most do), you can plug it into the hotsync port (at least on the non-Visor types) and get some software and you're good to go.
  • Geo Scavenger Hunts?

  • It has all the classic elements of guy fun ... An adventure, a prize, cool gadgets (gps units), hiking, shovels, and sweat blood & tears!

    My only concern is that the handy gps unit for visor seems to be unavaliable!

  • Wouldn't it be more of a challenge to give map/terrain descriptions.

    Challenge? Harrr! You'll have to kill me, shave me and scalp me to find my treasure map! To add insult to injury, it's written in my own secret code. I killed the tatoo-er. No one shall find my burried treasure, not even me. Ha Ha Ha!

  • What's so hard about this? You know exactly where the thing you are looking for is, so what's the challenge in finding it?

    Something along the lines of "60 feet north of the third twisted elm to the south of the castle's shadow at sunset" would be much more fun!
  • Are Palm Pilots capable of using GPS? If not, will they be in the future?

    Any info is appreciated.

  • Now, if I only had a GPS transmitter, I might be able to take part in this. Ah well, anyone care to donate one?

    Gah... sorry to nitpick, but if you had a GPS transmitter, you would be in orbit. What you want is a GPS receiver.

  • I'd have a little more respect for the Olympics.
    --
    Peace,
    Lord Omlette
    ICQ# 77863057
  • Saying "this is not a troll" repeatedly does not mean that it is not a troll. I can say Im a duck all I like, and I won't be one.
  • I got modded as -1, troll in an earlier post, so I lost 3, fell to 28, then got two posts modded up to 4, so I'm back up to 31.

    Yes, I'm a karma whore. 5 more points and I get 2 free extra large pizzas at papa johns, although I think I'm going to save up for the harrier, only 6,999,969 points to go.

    Popcorn! Peanuts! Beer! Karma!

    Mike

    "I would kill everyone in this room for a drop of sweet beer."
  • "behind the graveyard"
    located at:
    N 32deg 43' 44.5"
    W 97deg 07' 2.3"
     Close to the V shaped tree with twisty vines running through it. Concealed under two red bricks! Three ceramic tiles are (hopefully) on the opposite side from it.
    good luck!
  • Now we could have data havens inside green five gallon buckets . . .

    Go to N40 23.4312' W105 83.1452' and locate stash. Inside you will find the DeCSS source code and the latest Metallica album ripped to MP3.


    -----------------

  • Hmp. When I first glanced at this, I thought it was going to be something about how to cashe files at Geocities.

    Now, if I only had a GPS transmitter, I might be able to take part in this. Ah well, anyone care to donate one?

  • spring loaded fecal launcher in a bucket

    That's either going to be the next big slang expression ("Spring loaded fecal launcher in a bucket, Dave, the damn transformer is on fire!") or the ultimate RonCo product ("Operators are standing by. At a respectful distance.").

  • (Funniest bit of all: we're all into server and box security. We don't want anyone touching our files or seeing what silly little sites we've been to. But we leave our physical goods out in the open for others to scavenge? :) Talk about mixed up principles).

    Think of it as "Open Source Matter" and it will seem less mixed up. Free-in-the-junk-sense.

  • Though I suppose it would only ruin the person's MIND...

    What if someone just burned a CDR with a complete archive of the Stile Project and put it into a GPS stash?

    "So future generations could know what was so screwed up about our time."

    I suppose you could also confuse 'em pretty bad if you burned a weird mix, like Rotten.com and disney?

    ---END EVIL HERE---

    Or I suppose if you wanted to do something USEFUL, you could burn up a disc in ISO-9660, and fill it with MP3s, and a player for most OSes.
  • HAHA
  • I don't know *anything* about GPS's, but as a corrolary to what someone said about hooking a GPS up to a Palm Pilot.. is there some kind of 'data out' port on a GPS that you could hook up to some kind of computerized device?

    Then a website could be created that stores data on all available Geocaches, and you could run a program that checks your GPS data against that data and says: Nearest Geocache: 30 miles away or whatever. That'd be cool.

    But then again, you could also use it to register other stuff... like a Personals site that hooks up compatible people. There's a 75% match 25 miles away. There's a 99% match 100 miles away.

    I don't think that's a new idea, though. But the point is, GPS+internet has a LOT of possibilities.

  • Post some bogus locations ;-)

    What do you mean you can't find the cache?? You blind or sumptin???

    Or:

    Why are you digging up the Whitehouse lawn sonny?

    'Cause OzPeter said there was a GPS cache here
  • Lordy! Mod this up! Score 5 (Funny, Insightful)
  • This whole thing sounds like a great idea, but people just aren't trustworthy or not. I can just imagine some gimp's idea of a 'prize' would be taking a hard shit in the bucket...
  • Wow, me speak good England. "or not" is meant to be "enough".
  • I exactly tought the same, it's not even 50 miles (more like 50km)...except that I don't own a GPS device :-( So, no way to play :-(
  • this sounds like a job for macgyver or something (sp?)
  • hey i resent that remark i'm 15 and i'd like to go find one of these just to sign the log book i wouldnt even think of messing anything up.
  • Charlie Babbage: Ok, Raymond. The next object we need to find is a pair of underwear. Where are we headed off to?
    Raymond Babbage: Latitude 82 82" 82' N, 41 27" 17' W
    Charlie Babbage: Are you sure, Ray?
    Raymond Babbage: Yea. Definitely 82, 82, 82.
    Charlie Babbage: Do you know where that is, Ray?
    Raymond Babbage: Yea, 82, 82, 82.
    Charlie Babbage: Where is that, Ray?
    Raymond Babbage: 400 Oak Street. Definitely 400 Oak Street.

    --
  • Is that really your ass there BTW? If so you may wish to lead by example, you're drawing houseflies.

    -Sincerely
  • Holy shit! If Lenin had a funny hat, scarf and cane he could be Col. Frikking Sanders. I just thought that was rather funny.

    -Sincerely
  • Less than proper health care, you whiny little choad.

    -Sincerely
  • They might smoke it all. ("Say-a Boo-boo, get out of my stash")
  • Do a search on the web. Here in the States, GI Joe stores (an outdoor stoor) carried the magellen units for about 80 USD this summer. Good luck.
  • theres a cache within 50 miles of my house, i should try finding it.
  • Yes then DC shall sue you for infringing on thier "ip". Those basterds!
  • I don't know *anything* about GPS's, but as a corrolary to what someone said about hooking a GPS up to a Palm Pilot.. is there some kind of 'data out' port on a GPS that you could hook up to some kind of computerized device?

    Then a website could be created that stores data on all available Geocaches, and you could run a program that checks your GPS data against that data and says: Nearest Geocache: 30 miles away or whatever. That'd be cool.

    The GPS itself can do this. You could store the locations of Geocaches as waypoints in your GPS. The GPS will give you the location of the waypoints that are the closest to you.

    Those websites listing Geocaches exist. Just follow the links in the original posting...

  • Or, if it's [a] somewhat controlled course, put the gps in the third or forth bucket, and require map/compass/altimeter to find it.

    Hey, cool idea! I wish I'd thought of that. 8')

    Another thought. It seems that orienteering would be a perfect activity to get computer nerds outside. Math and problem solving. Seems like the natural outdoor sport of geeks.

    Plus, cool electronic toys [sharperimage.com]. ;}

    I think you're on to something [corsini.co.uk] here. I wonder if User Friendly [userfriendly.org] would sponsor such a geek orienteering [treesfortomorrow.com] contest. There was a series of strips there on the gang heading outdoors, but for the love of Dust Puppy [userfriendly.org], I can't find it [userfriendly.org] again. Geez ....

  • i really dont understand how it would work. i could so see some little 15 year old coming along and messing someones stash up. its a shame people always have to ruin cool things.
  • Now I've seen it all!
  • MRE = Meal Ready to Eat It's what the military dudes eat when they're in the field.. A sealed pouch with a full meal and various other accessories like toilet paper and matches..
  • It's actually harder than it sounds.. GPS only tells you the location. Not how to get there. And once you're in teh vicinity, GPS will if you're lucky only get you within about 10 meters. And you're trying to find something that is actually hidden from view. Not to mention the sometimes several mile hikes off-trail thru forests, up hills, etc. USGS maps are generally USELESS in actually helping you locate them. The game was born of GPS so thats what we use.. I've placed several of these stashes up here in Washington (several up on mount St Helens, on lava beds, etc.) and searched for several as well... It sounds much easier than it is... for instance my lava bed cache.. your gps will tell you you're 200 meters away, but go ahead and try going directly at it.. just dont fall into the 20 foot chasms in the lava.. so close yet so far away... you never know what you'll come up against.
  • Good luck bro.. You dont realze where these things are actually hidden.. 7.5' quads are basically worthless.. there are not enough features on them to get a bearing from.. i've spent a good 2 hours searching an area of about 2500 square feet for a cache before I found it.. And the only reason I kept searching is because the GPS told me I was there. Finding a buried bucket or other container thats maybe a foot wide in a vast forest is no small challenge even when the GPS has got you within 10-20 meters.
  • Good call.

    You can take our karma, but you can't break our spirit!

    Signed,

    The Slashdoterrati


    ---
    pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate [ncsu.edu].
  • So, combine this sport with this one [infiltration.org].
    --
  • Didn't you know? We're Communist now. Putting a monetary value on karma isn't really applicable anymore. I myself am "giving to the poor" so to speak. My fairly high karma is dwindling a couple points a day, thanks to comments such as this one. Sure, I could post insightful comments like I did in the good old days when the Czars ran the place, but now, what's the point? To each according to his need, from each according to what Cmdr "Stalin" Taco dictates. I am happy to live on my ration of 50 karma, for the good of the glorious future of the Slashdot Union. Please be sure to do your duty and acquire an approved work of art. [ebay.com]

  • And you can describe the secret hanshake and birdcall in the logbook so that when you meet at the Old Tree you can tell the good guys from the bad guys. The battle WILL be won - your mom WILL let you use the rickety treehouse, even if it IS dangerous.

  • Me, I paid UKP360 for a Garmin eMap thing in Maplins, http://www.maplins.co.uk/ , earlier this year. Good thing it is, too. Like it lots, even works on planes and has a decent map facility.

    If you're really desperate, have a look at <http://spodzone.org.uk/temp/gps_ani.gif>. That's based on real data of me approaching Gatwick airport and doing the loop before landing ;)
    ~Tim
    --
    .|` Clouds cross the black moonlight,

  • ...has a contest just like this. During this years' Death Valley Torture Test, they hid four MT license plates in Death Valley. They give you the coordinates in the issue, and the first people to find the plates get a prize of some sort.

    It's a neat idea - I just wish I lived closer to Death Valley.
  • It just seems like people are more likely to do deviant things out in the middle of the woods than in a parking garage where there's a greater chance of being seen.

    Or maybe it's just Blair Witch that made me afraid of the outdoors. :)
    --

  • Yeah, and besides that, the thing about the guest book? Hrm. What if those "direct marketing" types got a hold of it. Argggh.

    It's another cool, although useless idea, foiled by spammers!!

  • Or, if it's somewhat controlled course, put the gps in the third or forth bucket, and require map/compass/altimeter to find it.

    I dig this stuff. I use the gps a lot for backroads travel, and a couple times a gps/compass was vital to finding the car in the dark in the desert. Not quite a life or death situation, but it allowed us to walk in a straigh line back, instead of a over-corrected but guarenteed route that would have had us walking until dawn, with no water.

    Another thought. It seems that orienteering would be a perfect activity to get computer nerds outside. Math and problem solving. Seems like the natural outdoor sport of geeks.

    Jason
  • Ruthie hollers across the house, laughing, "Hey! I've found a neat new hobby for us."

    Response: "Woman! We play that game every damn day, only without the help of any GPS."

    I blush and twitter nervously and next I know, the guys are talking about putting my key/wallet/cell IN a stash bucket so they can find them more easily AND get help from other stash hunters!

    WTF?!?!?!?

  • Actually, I know who you are Mr. 243.165.9.43 By the way, is your mother at home?

    (From an old phone ad. :) )

  • What, a broken website? :)

  • A target for my Poor Man's Cruise Missile* [slashdot.org] project!

    *To stave off the confusion of last time, I was talking about a model airplane or jet, not a real one.


    --

  • You know what's bound to happen: some twit who wants to spoil everyone else's fun reads the coordinates off the web, goes to the place, and walks off with the bucket. End of experiment.

    I guess there's a bad apple in ever bunch.

  • For the old-schoolers, or if you want to handicap: lose the GPS and get your USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) maps out. Navigate using a compass, or, for an additional challenge, on pure terrain association. That's actually quite a bit more fun than using a GPS -- it's actually *possible* to get lost.

    -------------

  • This used to be called orienteering. Give a person a map and compass, and let them loose. Ever hear of a Brunton compass?

    I wonder if a hybrid sport might arise from this. Use a GPS unit to find one bucket, then use a compass and map to find another bucket that isn't so far that a newbie might get seriously lost, but far enough to require skill with the compass and map. (The instructions for the second bucket are inside the first).

    This would have the advantage of luring some otherwise hestitant newbies into the more challenging sport of pure compass and map navigation, with the GPS unit handy to help out if they get lost and really need to find the car. :)

  • ...before drug dealers are using this? If they aren't already? After all, a freaking mini-sub was confiscated last week...

    NecroPuppy

  • Geo-Prostitution (Score:3)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 25, 2000 @04:55PM (#754983)
    I can see it now.

    For a good time, meet me at Latitude 38 34" 16' N, 98 56" 23' W. Caw like a raven twice.

  • Now I just need... (Score:3)

    by Steve B ( 42864 ) on Monday September 25, 2000 @05:03PM (#754984)
    ...a GPS with at least 1m accuracy, so I can note where I left stuff around here.
    /.

  • Re:Biological issues? (Score:3)

    by The Cookie Monster ( 129545 ) on Monday September 25, 2000 @06:24PM (#754985)
    An AIDS infected syringe wont stay AIDS infected for long once outside the body, and time between geocache visits would probably(?) be measured in weeks not hours. (Also, unless I had AIDS, I wouldn't want to play with AIDS infected needles when constructing public area booby traps)

    That aside, ruling out your example scenario obviously doesn't rule out your underlying concern so I'll have a shot at that too.

    Now why would somebody do that? Presumably they get a kick out of knowing they've completely fucked up the life of someone they'll never meet - or something along those lines.
    If this is their motivation, then why would they wait until Geocaching to satisfy it? They could string piano wire accross a downhill section of a cycle path at neck height at night, they could pour arsenic into the town drinking water, they could release the front wheel quick-release of bikes parked in a bike stand (this has happened to me), they could snip the break cable of a car while the owners are camping, they could smear cyanide on a stairway banister rail...

    If you want to make yourself safe from all the hypothetical things sick-fucks could do, then you're going to have to pull out of life.

    Feel safer?

  • Biological issues? (Score:3)

    by Fervent ( 178271 ) on Monday September 25, 2000 @05:19PM (#754986)
    Anyone concerned about what some asshole could do to ruin the fun? Like, I don't know -- place an AIDS infected syringe under the pile of goodies.

    The stuff of urban legends, I know, but there's still a lot of strange people out there.

    (Funniest bit of all: we're all into server and box security. We don't want anyone touching our files or seeing what silly little sites we've been to. But we leave our physical goods out in the open for others to scavenge? :) Talk about mixed up principles).

  • Re:And the point of all this is...? (Score:3)

    by g_mcbay ( 201099 ) on Monday September 25, 2000 @07:53PM (#754987)
    I'd keep the bucket there but remove all the contents in it. Then I'd write a new "First Post" on a piece of scrap paper and toss it in. Then I'd toss in some pictures of Natalie Portman. Then I'd pour in some hot grits. Then I'd buy some buckets of the same type, string them together with shoelaces and label them "Beowulf Cluster of Buckets".

  • Not new (Score:3)

    by pausz ( 218832 ) on Monday September 25, 2000 @05:14PM (#754988)
    Geocaching has been around for some time. It should be a lot easier, now that Selective Availability is turned off.

    Another one of these GPS hunts is the degree confluence project. [confluence.org] The object is to log integer longtitude/latitude positions with a GPS and to get a picture of that location.

  • Kinda fun actually... I should know, I'm doing it (Score:4)

    by Gambit Thirty-Two ( 4665 ) on Monday September 25, 2000 @05:24PM (#754989)
    This has been around since the beginning of May when SA was turned off. It evolved from another sport calld 'letterboxing' where they did stuff like this but with maps, compasses, etc.

    I've been following the sport for quite a while, right since it started up, and so far theres been next to no problems with 'people walking off with the bucket' so to speak. Some people choose to leave 'prizes' in the bucket, while some choose to leave just a log book. One of the first stashes held a used GPS unit (i guess the guy upgraded and put his old one in the pot). One of my best friends is gonna go plant one in the middle of the desert with a pad and a couple of pens. not every bucket is going to house a pot of gold.

    Think about it though... most people aren't going to go on a web site, look up their local area, find a local stash. drive for a half hour to the general area, and spend another hour looking for a small sealed bucket in a relatively well hidden area unless they plan on writing in the log book and following the rules.

    The people who fuck shit up like this are the one who find it without knowing what it is. Some jerkoff is going to go chasing after a missed frisbee and find it. come to the conclusion (in a drunken stupor of course) that this thing is full of all neat kinds of goodies! lets steal it!

    You dont have to worry about people doing shit like that if you put it in a good place. Dont put them where the average schmoe is going to find it. The only people who will find it then are the ones who WANT to make an effort to find it. And I dont know about you, but i dont know of many people who will waste 3 hours of time just to steal a bucket with some batteries and some MREs.

    Just so you know, as i write this, right next to me is a stash. Ive been putting it together for a week. 2gallon bucket. a log book. some extra pens, and some 'goodies' which in total arent worth more than about $10. I spent a couple of hours in a bookstore looking at hiking/backpacking guides, and another two hours scouting sites in the local area. This sucker is probably getting planted later this weekend. There arent any for me to find yet, so I'm going to do MY best in putting one down so someone else can find it.

  • Brunton Compass (Score:4)

    by craw ( 6958 ) on Monday September 25, 2000 @05:10PM (#754990) Homepage
    Nice concept that looks like fun. However, why GPS? Wouldn't it be more of a challenge to give map/terrain descriptions. This is how these types of "Easter Egg" hunts used to be conducted in the past. I participated in one of these hunts many, many years ago. Go to the tree that looks like Bugs Bunny, go NNE 85 ft, go ESE 227 ft, etc...

    This used to be called orienteering. Give a person a map and compass, and let them loose. Ever hear of a Brunton compass?

  • Looking for geocachers and letterboxers (Score:4)

    by KFury ( 19522 ) on Monday September 25, 2000 @05:04PM (#754991) Homepage
    I'm looking for a handful of people who have done this before, and are as geographically diverse as possible, to help me out with a small adjunct to Project Cameo [fury.com].

    If you're interested, please drop me a line at cameo@slash.fury.com.

    Thanks!

    Kevin Fox

  • TRAIN SPOTTER !! (Score:4)

    by bushboy ( 112290 ) <lttc@lefthandedmonkeys.org> on Monday September 25, 2000 @06:06PM (#754992) Homepage
    Yes, and while I'm locating buckets with my GPS, I may just don my green raincoat, head on over to my local train station and jot some of the train numbers down in my little book. After that, I retire at home with a cup 'o tea and a sarnie and go through my extensive stamp collection. An exilarating game of rummy might be good too.

  • Translation (Score:4)

    by bushboy ( 112290 ) <lttc@lefthandedmonkeys.org> on Monday September 25, 2000 @07:21PM (#754993) Homepage

    The Train spotter dons a green anorak and no matter what the weather, heads on over to the local train station to spot trains.

    Often the trainspotter takes along a packed lunch in a tuppleware container or wrapped neatly in wax paper. Lunch usually consists of white bread sandwiches with the crusts neatly sliced off.

    The excitement mounts as the trainspotter nears his destination, knowing that today is special !

    Arriving at the train station, notebook clutched tightly in hand, the trainspotter gets ready for the 8.30am from wigglesmouth, heading to barkleydale - there it goes ! - right on time ! The train spotter jots this down in his little notebook and munches on a sarnie.

    Nearby, a crowd of excited youngsters whoop in joy as they find a green bucket !

    The trainspotter wonders over to see what all the fuss is about and one of the youngsters starts chattering wildly about his new GPS gadget and how it enables him and his friends to have great fun finding hidden stash !

    That's it, cries the trainspotter, my trainspotting days are over, GPS hide and seek is a lot more fun.

    He knew this day was going to be special, but had no idea just how extra-ordinary it would be !

    Ahh, he sighs, it's a good job those youngsters read slashdot every day !

  • Re:Whats next? (Score:4)

    by dizee ( 143832 ) on Monday September 25, 2000 @04:59PM (#754994) Homepage
    Hi, I represent CBS, and we already own the rights to "Geo Scavenger Hunt" (tm) and would ask that you refrain from using that trademark in your posts, even though it's completely within your rights, but we don't care because we're a corporation.

    The premise is the team that finds all of the items last has to pick someone from the team to strip down naked and run a gauntlet of fly swatters while people line up on each side and shoot them with rubber-band powered paper bullets. The hunts will be repeated until nobody is left on one team.

    Mike

    "I would kill everyone in this room for a drop of sweet beer."

  • Re:Make it more difficult... (Score:4)

    by dizee ( 143832 ) on Monday September 25, 2000 @05:02PM (#754995) Homepage
    I am Slimey Lawyer representing Digital Convergence, and you just posted our Intellectual Property to a public forum. We are suing you for $780 million in punitive damages, even though we haven't lost a damned thing but our minds.

    "I would kill everyone in this room for a drop of sweet beer."

  • Make it more difficult... (Score:4)

    by don_carnage ( 145494 ) on Monday September 25, 2000 @04:58PM (#754996) Homepage
    Like take the coordinates, encode it with base64, XOR by 67d and then reverse the case on all of the letters. No one would figure that out!

    .C3nZC3nZC3nYCxfZE3b0CxnX.fHmc.C3T0ENz7DNTZD Nf2.

    --

  • Smacks of _Treasure Island_ (Score:4)

    by Froid ( 235187 ) on Monday September 25, 2000 @05:46PM (#754997)
    [...] The next ten or twelve pages were filled with a curious series of entries. There was a date at one end of the line and at the other a sum of money, as in common account-books; but instead of explanatory writing, only a varying number of crosses between the two. On the 12th of June, 1745, for instance, a sum of seventy pounds had plainly become due to someone, and there was nothing but six crosses to explain the cause. In a few cases, to be sure, the name of a place would be added, as `Offe Caraccas;' or a mere entry of latitude and longitude, as `62 degrees 17' 20", 19 degrees 2' 40".' [...]

    Arrr, me mateys, there she lies. 'Neath a Walmart parking lot, where Captain Flint stopped to take a leak!

  • Comment removed (Score:5)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Monday September 25, 2000 @04:59PM (#754998)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

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