» Do we have any Geocachers out there?
While I am finally in possession of a real GPS unit as opposed to using the confusing one one on my cell phone, I still haven’t tried Geocaching. (Though I’d really like to.) Unfamiliar with the sport? From Geocaching.com: “Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment.”
The site has over 1.1 million geocaches indexed, and you can search for caches near you (or where you might be on vacation, etc.) via address or zip code.
Every cache has one thing in common- a log book for you to record your find. I had been pondering which Rhodia product might be best to stash in a cache, and was considering the small staple bound books when I coincidentally happened upon Kelly Ness’s image above on Flickr and saw that I wasn’t alone in my thinking.
Do you think those little Rhodia will make for good log books in a cache? Should I do a giveaway? Let me know your thoughts.
Comments
I’m a geocacher, yes. I love it! Rhodias would make a decent logbook….I think the best would be the write-in-the-rain paper, but I have definitely seen a lot of plain little memo pads, and a Rhodia would be MUCH better than that :) I will watch and see if you decide to do a giveaway!
Have you heard of LetterBoxing? It’s a kind of notebook/pen/ink variation on GeoCaching where one stamps/draws a unique design (and one’s LB’ing name) into a logbook instead of leaving a trinket in the hidden box. For more info look here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letterboxing
Nope! This one is totally new to me… A pen and ink game, oh goody! Thanks for sharing!
To really put your favourite GPS/notebook/pen combo to good use, there is also http://www.openstreetmap.org.
Well… you got me. I perused the site but don’t understand what it’s all about……
After taking a look at the web pages myself, I can see why you are getting confused…
Anyway, OpenStreetMap is a bit like Wikipedia, but for maps. While Wikipedia is creating a free encyclopedia, OSM is creating a free map of the world. Granted, there are many “free” map services around (Google, Yahoo, Multimap, MapQuest, …) but they all come with lots of strings attached. You cannot copy a Google map onto your web pages, let alone into your company’s marketing material, and you certainly cannot get hold of the underlying data if you’d like to perform your own calculations on it. With OSM, you can.
It is fairly easy to contribute to OSM (once you get past the initial confusion!), and a lot of it includes field work. Is there a road/cycleway/nice path through the woods missing from the map in your area? Drive/bike/walk down it with your GPS device, upload the track and draw the new way on top! Notebooks and pens are nice to have along to write down things like speed limits, access restrictions and road conditions that the GPS won’t record for you.
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