Let's do away with containers

[+DavidMac]

So I was thinking this morning about all the issues that arise over geocaching and I came across the prefect solution: let's ban all containers. Think about it... it's the perfect solution to many of our problems. Here are just a few that I came up with:

 

- Cache containers just end up taking on water and holding moisture, making them a breeding ground for all things microscopic and slimy.

 

- The quality of swag is constantly deteriorating. However, if we do away with the cache container, we also do away with all the crummy swag! Putting all those McToys back into circulation would mean millions of happy children. Won't somebody please think of the children?

 

- Hamsters don't fare well for long periods when cooped up in airtight containers. Plus when the container inevitably takes on water the hamster just gets soggy and its fur starts to stink. So free the hamster from the confines of the cache container and it'll be far happier. Won't somebody please think of the hamsters?

 

- More than 2% of all posts in this forum have to do with angst over crummy micros. No containers means no micros... which means no more lame caches! Oh, and since nobody would be talking about them, it would speed up the forums too.

 

- Written log entries are getting shorter. Way back in the day you used to write a paragraph, then people shortened it to a sentence or two, and these days most visitors jut sign in with the date and their handle. At this rate in another 1.5 years we won't even be signing the logbook at all. Let's just go ahead and do away with them now and save all that paper. It's better for the environment.

 

- Doing away with containers would put an end to muggles calling the police to report a suspicious looking person hiding a suspicious looking "bomb" in their neighborhood park. Instead they'd just call police to report a suspicious looking person in their neighborhood park, which will save them alot of time and trouble. Well, the downside is that these forums would have no more pictures of cool looking robots at cache sites. But it does save police from having to go through the trouble of bringing out the robots and putting on all that body armor.

 

- Doing away with containers would do away with DNFs! If there's no container to be found then there's no container to not be found. Or something like that.

 

Of course, cache hiders, er, um, I mean cache place... I mean, um, yeah, they'd still want to verify that somebody visited a site, right? So how about this: we can ask cachers to do something to prove that they were there. Maybe they could take a picture of themselves and upload it to their log. Or how about answering a question that they could only know the answer to if they visited the spot? Of course we'd need a name for this new type of caching to differentiate it from traditional caching. I'm not coming up with anything catchy at the moment, but I wonder what we could call it...

[+Mom-n-Andy]

According to my local reviewer, what you're describing will become reality by the end of the year. So much better for the environment! TPTB is still working on the name, but the domain name www.geovisiting.com has been reserved by someone named "TheFrog".

[+Castle Mischief]

So how about this: we can ask cachers to do something to prove that they were there. Maybe they could take a picture of themselves and upload it to their log. Or how about answering a question that they could only know the answer to if they visited the spot? Of course we'd need a name for this new type of caching to differentiate it from traditional caching. I'm not coming up with anything catchy at the moment, but I wonder what we could call it...

 

Something that combines the poignancy of "waypoint" with the bright shiny sparkle of "markerfication"?

 

I know something will occur to me later today.

[+Cedar Grove Seekers]

Isn't it already covered under Waymarking.com?

 

Edit: This post was a response to the OP. I had not seen Castle Mischief's post which essentially makes the same point in a more subtle manner.

Edited April 1, 2010 by Cedar Grove Seekers

[+ArcherDragoon]

April 1st comes around and everyone is a comedian...I love this day!!!

 

Edit: Seriously...I do...no joke...

Edited April 1, 2010 by ArcherDragoon

[+KoosKoos]

I thought this was already rolled out? I submitted 5 geocaches this weekend that were all in five gallon or larger containers and our approver said they were no longer allowed under the guidelines.

 

It's a bummer, but I guess it was the only way the game could progress. It gets us out of the bomb scares and everything else at least.

 

I'm in the process of archiving all my current ones (the approver said they wouldn't be grandfathered past a few weeks) and trying to convert them over to virtuals.

[+humboldt flier]

I thought this was already rolled out? I submitted 5 geocaches this weekend that were all in five gallon or larger containers and our approver said they were no longer allowed under the guidelines.

 

It's a bummer, but I guess it was the only way the game could progress. It gets us out of the bomb scares and everything else at least.

 

I'm in the process of archiving all my current ones (the approver said they wouldn't be grandfathered past a few weeks) and trying to convert them over to virtuals.

Hmmmmmmmm, doesn't Gowalla already have this concept covered >>> complete with virtual trade items

[+Castle Mischief]

Isn't it already covered under Waymarking.com?

 

Edit: This post was a response to the OP. I had not seen Castle Mischief's post which essentially makes the same point in a more subtle manner.

 

You want subtle? Don't forget to flip the page on your calendar today.

[+HawkLawless1]

 

Something that combines the poignancy of "waypoint" with the bright shiny sparkle of "markerfication"?

 

I know something will occur to me later today.

 

I don't care where you're from...that's funny!

[+Chrysalides]

Maybe we can learn from the dogs. It's not a very well known fact, but dogs have their own game where they go out and visit a location. When they reach it, they sign the log by marking the location. I mean, have you ever wondered why they raise their hind legs all at the same hydrant? Yes, to us, it is just a source of pressurized water for putting out fire, but to the dogs it is a waymark.

 

Granted, we might need to petition to alter local decency laws before we can sign the log their way. But those too shy to sign the log on the spot can always use a sample cup. It'll be sort of like how some people right now use a stamp or stickers to sign a log.

[+palmetto]

And dogs could review the new Markification category! Dogs make the best reviewers.

 

Would the existing physical caches be Grandfathered, or required to switch to boxless in some reasonable time frame?

[+Vater_Araignee]

This is so preposterous!

Take away the containers.

What you are saying is that people with less money than Gates can't play.

People with that kind of money can only get one new found it, IF they can survive long enough.

I don't know about you but even if I had the money, I'm not willing to travel to some point in deep space with no gravitational field just so I can visit something without a container!

And that's assuming that the universe is not finite!

[knowschad]

Maybe we can learn from the dogs. It's not a very well known fact, but dogs have their own game where they go out and visit a location. When they reach it, they sign the log by marking the location. I mean, have you ever wondered why they raise their hind legs all at the same hydrant? Yes, to us, it is just a source of pressurized water for putting out fire, but to the dogs it is a waymark.

 

Granted, we might need to petition to alter local decency laws before we can sign the log their way. But those too shy to sign the log on the spot can always use a sample cup. It'll be sort of like how some people right now use a stamp or stickers to sign a log.

I like that idea. However, I think we should run it through Mtn-Man first.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

Maybe we can learn from the dogs. It's not a very well known fact, but dogs have their own game where they go out and visit a location. When they reach it, they sign the log by marking the location. I mean, have you ever wondered why they raise their hind legs all at the same hydrant? Yes, to us, it is just a source of pressurized water for putting out fire, but to the dogs it is a waymark.

 

Granted, we might need to petition to alter local decency laws before we can sign the log their way. But those too shy to sign the log on the spot can always use a sample cup. It'll be sort of like how some people right now use a stamp or stickers to sign a log.

Sample cup?? That would be cheating. What about on a team, can the driver just bring 566 sample cups and have one of the other team members mark for him? Does it have to be the same team member at each Cache? If my dog usually comes with me, and marks the spot too do I have to sign him up for an account? What should they do with the used sample cups?

Edited April 1, 2010 by WRITE SHOP ROBERT

[+Chrysalides]

Sample cup?? That would be cheating. What about on a team, can the driver just bring 566 sample cups and have one of the other team members mark for him? Does it have to be the same team member at each Cache? If my dog usually comes with me, and marks the spot too do I have to sign him up for an account? What should they do with the used sample cups?

Obviously a lot of details need to be worked out. But for those attempting a world record run, one way they might try to cheat is to collect for a few days prior to the run, then mark the site with a super soaker from a distance. So obviously an observer would be needed to verify record runs.

[+BCandMsKitty]

So I was thinking this morning about all the issues that arise over geocaching and I came across the prefect solution: let's ban all containers. Think about it... it's the perfect solution to many of our problems. Here are just a few that I came up with:

 

- Cache containers just end up taking on water and holding moisture, making them a breeding ground for all things microscopic and slimy.

 

- The quality of swag is constantly deteriorating. However, if we do away with the cache container, we also do away with all the crummy swag! Putting all those McToys back into circulation would mean millions of happy children. Won't somebody please think of the children?

 

- Hamsters don't fare well for long periods when cooped up in airtight containers. Plus when the container inevitably takes on water the hamster just gets soggy and its fur starts to stink. So free the hamster from the confines of the cache container and it'll be far happier. Won't somebody please think of the hamsters?

 

- More than 2% of all posts in this forum have to do with angst over crummy micros. No containers means no micros... which means no more lame caches! Oh, and since nobody would be talking about them, it would speed up the forums too.

 

- Written log entries are getting shorter. Way back in the day you used to write a paragraph, then people shortened it to a sentence or two, and these days most visitors jut sign in with the date and their handle. At this rate in another 1.5 years we won't even be signing the logbook at all. Let's just go ahead and do away with them now and save all that paper. It's better for the environment.

 

- Doing away with containers would put an end to muggles calling the police to report a suspicious looking person hiding a suspicious looking "bomb" in their neighborhood park. Instead they'd just call police to report a suspicious looking person in their neighborhood park, which will save them alot of time and trouble. Well, the downside is that these forums would have no more pictures of cool looking robots at cache sites. But it does save police from having to go through the trouble of bringing out the robots and putting on all that body armor.

 

- Doing away with containers would do away with DNFs! If there's no container to be found then there's no container to not be found. Or something like that.

 

Of course, cache hiders, er, um, I mean cache place... I mean, um, yeah, they'd still want to verify that somebody visited a site, right? So how about this: we can ask cachers to do something to prove that they were there. Maybe they could take a picture of themselves and upload it to their log. Or how about answering a question that they could only know the answer to if they visited the spot? Of course we'd need a name for this new type of caching to differentiate it from traditional caching. I'm not coming up with anything catchy at the moment, but I wonder what we could call it...

 

Virtual cache???

[Clan Riffster]

Won't somebody please think of the children?

Geocaching hates chilruns.

 

Dogs make the best reviewers.

Normally I would agree with that statement.

However, since PuppyMonster starting sporting those new sunglasses, he's become somewhat of a primadonna.

Not judgin'... just sayin'...

[Chumpo]

Won't somebody please think of the children?

Geocaching hates chilruns.

 

I believe it's spelled "Chinldren".

[+Scubasonic]

we can ask cachers to do something to prove that they were there. Maybe they could take a picture of themselves and upload it to their log. Or how about answering a question that they could only know the answer to if they visited the spot? Of course we'd need a name for this new type of caching to differentiate it from traditional caching. I'm not coming up with anything catchy at the moment, but I wonder what we could call it...

 

Dumb Idea I went out on Sunday and got 122 caches, trying to remember which picture goes with which cache forget it.

 

I'm for keeping the containers

 

Scubasonic

[+Scrabble Dogs]

Well while we do away with containers, we will need to change the name as well since "cache" refers to a storage space which would be a "cache" container. Maybe Geocacheless or Geo-wanderers would be a suitable name's.

[+The Jester]

Maybe we can learn from the dogs. It's not a very well known fact, but dogs have their own game where they go out and visit a location. When they reach it, they sign the log by marking the location. I mean, have you ever wondered why they raise their hind legs all at the same hydrant? Yes, to us, it is just a source of pressurized water for putting out fire, but to the dogs it is a waymark.

 

Granted, we might need to petition to alter local decency laws before we can sign the log their way. But those too shy to sign the log on the spot can always use a sample cup. It'll be sort of like how some people right now use a stamp or stickers to sign a log.

I like that idea. However, I think we should run it through Mtn-Man first.

"Through"? I'm not sure, given the subject, if that's appropriate wording. "By" Mtn-Man, yeah (maybe through PuppyMonster would be a better choice).

[+Team Black-Cat]

- More than 2% of all posts in this forum have to do with angst over crummy micros. No containers means no micros... which means no more lame caches! Oh, and since nobody would be talking about them, it would speed up the forums too.

 

Seriously? Less than one day after this goes into effect, we would have to weed through all of the "Bring Back the Micros" threads.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

Maybe we can learn from the dogs. It's not a very well known fact, but dogs have their own game where they go out and visit a location. When they reach it, they sign the log by marking the location. I mean, have you ever wondered why they raise their hind legs all at the same hydrant? Yes, to us, it is just a source of pressurized water for putting out fire, but to the dogs it is a waymark.

 

Granted, we might need to petition to alter local decency laws before we can sign the log their way. But those too shy to sign the log on the spot can always use a sample cup. It'll be sort of like how some people right now use a stamp or stickers to sign a log.

I like that idea. However, I think we should run it through Mtn-Man first.

Maybe instead, we should run it past him...Running it through him brings up images of pirates and swords.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

 

Geocaching hates chilruns.

 

Wow...that brings back some memories!!

[+WhoDis]

Maybe we can learn from the dogs. It's not a very well known fact, but dogs have their own game where they go out and visit a location. When they reach it, they sign the log by marking the location. I mean, have you ever wondered why they raise their hind legs all at the same hydrant? Yes, to us, it is just a source of pressurized water for putting out fire, but to the dogs it is a waymark.

 

Granted, we might need to petition to alter local decency laws before we can sign the log their way. But those too shy to sign the log on the spot can always use a sample cup. It'll be sort of like how some people right now use a stamp or stickers to sign a log.

Do you know how much athletes will pay for a clean urine sample? And you just want to pour it out? That's crazy! Maybe we could set up some sort of a trade system, trade dirty urine for clean.