Geocaching... A geeky hobby.

I recently learned of an activity called geocaching which consists of using a Global Positioning System (GPS) to find hidden "caches" that people place all over the globe and publish the coordinates on web sites for people to find.  A cache typically includes a log book at a minimum so people can document that they found it.  Geocaching.com is the home of this amazing hobby - it was created on May 3rd 2000 by Dave Ulmer, a computer consultant, who wanted to test the accuracy of GPS by hiding a navigational target in the woods and posted it in an internet GPS users' group. The idea was simple: Hide a container out in the woods and note the coordinates with a GPS unit.  He placed his own container, a black bucket, in the woods near Beavercreek, Oregon, near Portland. Along with a logbook and pencil, he left various prize items including videos, books, software, and a slingshot.

Within a few days a few readers used their GPS units to find the container and post their experience online. Within months people were hiding their own containers and sharing the coordinates and geocaching.com was born.

Containers

Containers vary in size from Micro to Large containers.

• Micro - Less than 100ml. Examples: a 35 mm film canister or a tiny storage box typically containing only a logbook or a logsheet. A nano cache is a common sub-type of a micro cache that is less than 10ml and can only hold a small logsheet.
• Small Cache Size Icon Small - 100ml or larger, but less than 1L. Example: A sandwich-sized plastic container or similar.
• Regular Cache Size Icon Regular - 1L or larger, but less than 20L. Examples: a plastic container or ammo can about the size of a shoebox.
• Large Cache Size Icon Large - 20L or larger. Example: A large bucket.

What is in a geocache?

As mentioned earlier, at a minimum there is a log book of some type that geocachers can sign with a date/time to "document" that they found the cache.  For larger cache containers people sometimes put trinkets like unique buttons or keychains.  I have seen some geocachers print up business cards with their contact info and geocaching.com userid so the cache owner can contact them.  Finally a unique item that you may find in geocaches are trackables which are discussed below.

Trackables

Trackables take many forms, from metal plates to coins or buttons, but what they are essentially is an item that has a tracking code on it.  A person will purchase or be given one as a gift and they will register it on a web site to report it's location, a goal the owner wants to accomplish, and track it's movement.  The owner will place the trackable in a geocache in close proximity to them (let's say in Virginia), then post on the site that they want to get this trackable to Paris, France and back.  Someone who finds the geocache with the trackable in it may be on vacation from Florida so they take that trackable home, report on the trackables web site that they have it, then place it in another geocache in Florida somewhere and report that location on the trackable web site.  This way the owner knows it moved to another location.  Someone in Florida may be going to Naples, Italy - maybe they are military and getting stationed there - they pick up the trackable from the cache in Florida and report on the web site that they are transferring it to Italy.  Another geocacher in Italy is taking a trip to France and grabs it from the geocache in Italy...  you get the point, and so on until it gets back to the owner.

Common Terms (copied from Geocaching.com)

BYOP - Bring Your Own Pen/Pencil. An acronym often used by cache owners to communicate to other geocachers that you will need to bring your writing utensil in order to sign the cache logbook.

CITO - Cache In Trash Out is an ongoing environmental initiative supported by the worldwide geocaching community. Since 2002, geocachers have been dedicated to cleaning up parks and other cache-friendly places around the world. Learn more at www.geocaching.com/cito.

DNF - Did Not Find. An acronym used by geocachers to state that they did not find a cache. This is also a type of online log on Geocaching.com and is useful for alerting cache owners of potential issues. Cache owners who repeatedly receive "Did Not Find" logs should check to see that there cache has not been removed.

FTF - First to Find. An acronym written by geocachers in physical cache logbooks or online when logging cache finds to denote being the first to find a new geocache.

GPS - GPS stands for Global Positioning System. It is a system of satellites that work with a GPS receiver to determine your location on the planet. For more information on GPS, FAQs.

Ground Zero (GZ) - The point where your GPS device shows that you have reached the cache location. At Ground Zero, you are zero feet (or zero meters) away from your destination.

Muggle - A non-geocacher. Based on "Muggle" from the Harry Potter series, which is a non-magical person. Usually this term is used after a non geocacher looks puzzled after befriending a geocacher searching for a cache, or when a non-geocacher accidentally finds a cache. Geomuggles are mostly harmless.

TFTC - Thanks For The Cache. An acronym written by geocachers in physical cache logbooks or online when logging cache finds.

TFTH - Thanks For The Hide

TNLN - Took Nothing. Left Nothing. Usually written in cache logbooks by geocachers who do not trade for material contents in a cache.

TNLNSL / TNSL - Took Nothing. Left Nothing. Signed Logbook / Took Nothing. Signed Logbook.

Why Geocache?

The hobby of geocaching has really taken off and people have begun to sponsor events where large groups of geocachers get together to enjoy each others company, share experiences techniques, as well as pass around trinkets they find unique.  Often these events center around a common theme like cleaning up a beach or park area or fixing trails in a secluded area.  Being the fist to find (FTF) a cache is an honor many geocachers take very seriously.  Some people like to generate a coded sequence to find their caches or setup multicaches where the first cache you find is a clue to the second/third/fourth, etc.

The bottom line is it is something fun to do and a way to meet other people with similar interests.

Give it a try, I'm sure there is one in your local area that you pass by everyday and don't even know it.

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Lordy, Lordy, I'm turning 40

In a few weeks I will be turning 40 and have started to analyze what I am considering the "first half of my life".  On the bright side, I can say that I have accomplished allot and have tons of great memories and friends to show for it.

Before I go too far let me thank my wonderful parents - I would not be the person I am today without their love and support.  Thanks Mom and Dad!

To my lovely wife, I have spent almost half of my time on this earth with you, building a family, and I look forward to many more.

Some highlights:

Won Rhode Island State High School Football Championship (Portsmouth High School Class of 1992)

Played All-Marine Rugby (Pensacola, FL - 1997)

Played Rugby in Australia with the Gladstone GRUFS (awesome experience)

Traveled to six foreign countries (Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Australia, Kuwait, and Iraq)

Learned to scuba dive in Okinawa, Japan

Participated in several dive trips in Australia at the Great Barrier Reef.

Spent a year in a war zone in Baghdad, Iraq and came home safely.

By comparison to some of my friends and colleagues, I have accomplished allot.

My early life has been focused on having fun, travelling, studying and learning a profession.  I started delivering newspapers in grade school, moved to stocking shelves when I got my license and car, then joined the Marine Corps when I graduated High School.  All of these jobs have lead me to my current exceptional career in information technology that allows me to take care of my family - I consider that mission accomplished for a career.

Now I want to expand my interests into activities that will enhance my lifestyle.  I keep a Bucket List, where I maintain a list of things I want to accomplish before I die.  Some examples are listed below.

 Learn to Dance
 Run a Marathon
 Go Hiking/Backpacking
 Write a book
 Have family Disney vacation (completed in April)
 Camping with family
 Learn Permaculture Design
 Take CPR Course
 Obtain a Concealed Carry Permit
 Purchase a handgun for EDC

I hope to continue posting interesting things I discover in my journey and contribute my experiences to the internet as a whole.

I'm back!! No idea for how long.

I started this blog in 2007 without any idea of what to really do with it or what I wanted out of it.  I picked a catchy name that I liked and wrote a couple articles, then I lost interest and it died.

I'm not sure what I expected but apparently it wasn't all I thought it would be.  I'm going to attempt to pick up where I left off four years ago and see if I can generate at least one post per week to see how it goes.  I don't really have a direction I want to take it at this time but I know it will be technology-centric with a focus on Windows automation and scripting sprinkled with dry humor and geeky sentiment.

I look forward to feedback from the few who may stumble onto my electronic rambling thoughts.

Newsgator - RSS Heaven

I have been using Newsgator (www.newsgator.com) for the past 2 years now and I love it.

Prior to Newsgator, RSS Bandit was my RSS reader of choice and served me well, but as my life requirements changed so did my reader requirements. I could no longer rely on a piece of software installed on my Windows computer to manage my ever-growing list of feeds. I began using Linux system more often and needed a cross platform solution. Plus if I read something at work I would have to remember to skip it at home since there was no communication between my work system and my home system. Eventually RSS Bandit added state tracking where I could upload the state of my feeds from one computer and on another system it would know that I had read a message and not present it again. But all of the coordination was difficult to setup, cumbersome, and annoying.

Eventually, I stumbled onto Newsgator which, for me, was a great mix of features, accessibility, and beauty. I was able to import all of my RSS feeds seamlessly, and being web-based Newsgator keeps track of which messages I have read or not. It's also available to any modern browser regardless of operating system. I can sort by date or group by feed. I can assign my own tags to articles, and I can save clippings for articles that really pique my interest.

One of my favorite features of Newsgator is being able to create folders to place feeds in so I can group things my way. For example I have 3 groupings at the top level that all of my feeds fit into. @Home, @Work, or News. This allows me to focus on different content depending on my location or mood. Within these groups I can sub-divide the categories further. For example, within my @Work category I have Scripting, Books, and Security. Some feeds are listed under @Work and not in a sub-category just yet. Within my @Home grouping I sub-divide into Blogs, Comics, Entertainment, and Health. The News grouping has, of course, Slashdot and Yahoo News (and during elections Yahoo Politics).

One feature that some might find annoying is the limit of 200 messages per feed. I enjoy this "feature" as anything more than 200 messages is just overwhelming to keep up with. I enjoy that the messages roll over and I no longer see older messages.

Newsgator allows me to select topics I want to read quickly and selectively, and it's free. Try it out. You will not be disappointed.

Welcome to my Blog!

I know everyone these days has a blog and many are completely worthless. I am an avid RSS reader and I subscribe to many blogs that I find useful. Most blogs I read stick to one particular topic and try to cover as much about that topic as possible. I thought about this a while and that scenario doesn't fit my personality at all. I am a jack-of-all trades kind of guy. So my intent is to discuss and analyze all kinds of topics from computers and system administration, personal finance, organization skills like GTD, and maybe some parenting thoughts. Anything that I night be dealing with at the time. Our lives these days are very diverse. In years past it was not uncommon for someone to work at a job for 20-40 years doing the same thing over and over again. Those times have gone away, and we require diversity to maintain our interest.


I hope many will join me in this journey. I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you, I hope you enjoy them and share your own.

-Steve Correia