User talk:Thepiguy/archive09-1

Hey Look - Clean Page

Wow, all the comments are gone. It's so bare and naked here. -Robyn 06:29, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

<senseless vandalism>Naked?</senseless vandalism> Juventas 08:32, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

Nude. --Meghan 12:31, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

But it didn't take me a half hour to find the new comments! Thepiguy 15:34, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

I use the history tab to read new comments on my page. That way I can also spot who is OC enough to correct the punctuation in other people's comments. -Robyn 15:41, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

[[User_talk

What's OC? -- Benjw 18:03, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

Obsessive compulsive. -Robyn 18:26, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

Thankyou. For some reason that didn't spring to mind, although I did decide that you meant something along the lines of "anally retentive".  :-) I generally leave other people's comments alone, although ordinary wiki pages are entirely fair game. By the way, I took various bits off my bike today. The aim is to clean, oil, repair and replace so that I can actually use it for geohashing. It had no working brakes, and one gear wheel was bent so the chain fell off if you tried to go faster than about 20kph. I'm kind of a lapsed cyclist.  :-) -- Benjw 18:35, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

I've got to get myself I new bike. The one I have now is also an ICWB, but it's about 8 or nine years old, and the brakes have finally gone beyond repair, not to mention a bent wheel. -- Meghan 19:10, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

I'm so excited to buy a new bike when I get to Germany! I can't wait. I've already got a name picked out! Thepiguy 20:23, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

March 21st

Don't forget.

Birthday Geohash

So PiGuy, The. What are the birthday Geohash plans. It appears the actual hash will be way up north on the water, so, anyone got a boat? Arbron 21:04, 27 March 2009 (UTC)

The epic plan is as follows: head to Horseshoe bay, ferry to Nanaimo, drove to Comox paddle 3km in a kayak, have cake. If you're free from 6:00-22:00 on Sunday, I might have an extra seat in the van. I'll let you know when I find out. Thepiguy 20:25, 27 March 2009 (UTC)

Hmm, 3km in a Kayak. I just may have to take you up on this offer. Reserve me a space. Now, to get a waterproof case for my camera. Arbron 06:45, 28 March 2009 (UTC)

Put your pictures up already. Like before Sunday scrolls off the Main Page? Also, I got you a gratuitous ribbon:

thepiguy earned the Kayak Balancing Achievement by not having to pay the deductible on two kayaks en route to the (49, -124) geohash on 2009-03-29.

Sorry I take so long :P The main page is up, and I'll put a bunch more on later tonight! Thepiguy 01:49, 1 April 2009 (UTC)

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Archives: User_talk:Thepiguy/archive08

eXplorist 500 of doom

Have you been happy with yours? Mine has been a love/hate thing. Some of it has been learning, so I'll share. Maybe you can teach me something.

Batteries If you have the "LE" model like I do, it uses three AAA batteries. The AAA format is a bad start, they cost more than a AA and have less capacity. Standard alkalines seemed to last 3-5 hours of mixed use/idle time. I could burn through 12-packs more than once a month. I wanted something else. The Source wanted over $100 for the li-ion pack and AC adapter. On eBay I bought two packs and the adapter for less than $30. They worked good the first couple times, but by the next month they were holding 1/3 of their original charge. I'm guessing this is because they were cheap generic versions--into the garbage with the spent alkalines. My previous experience with NiMH was that they self-discharge down to half if you don't use them within a month of charging and have problems with cold weather and being dropped. I heard about these new "low self-discharge" NiMH [1] and thought I'd give them a try (mine are branded Sony Cyclenergy). I was also concerned that having to charge them in pairs would mean always charging a full capacity cell with three empty ones, and what effect that would have. I've had them for about a month now, and besides the fact that it throws off the battery meter on the GPS (starts at 3/4 and stays at 1/4 forever), they seem great. Juventas 02:17, 14 April 2009 (UTC)

I completely agree with you on the batteries. They could easily have fit some AA in there and the rechargeable battery that it didn't come with is ridiculously expensive. When I was making tracklogs of earlier expeditions I went through a Costco pack of 30 AAA in 2 months! I've sinced switched to rechargeable batteries from MEC. I have noticed that they loose charge, but I've built up a big enough stock that I should be able to swap them out, until I start using them regularly that is. I'm using this charger, which came with 2 AA and 2 AAA and I've bought 2 packages each of AAA and AA, giving me 10 of each.

Good choice. Even though most aren't, those rechargeables are also the also the "LSD NiMH" type. Basically any that claim to be "pre-charged" are. Juventas 02:17, 14 April 2009 (UTC)

USB-ish First off, the connector will screw on in two directions but only works one way (with the cable facing down). This isn't explained in the manual, but other users have echoed this. Once you have it in the right direction, it will sometimes work. I now only use the rear jacks on my PC and no hubs or extensions. If this doesn't work I rub the contacts with an eraser and try screwing it down again. If it does detect properly, be patient. Apparently it uses an internal adapter from RS-232 (old school serial) to USB, meaning it's very slow. Lastly, make sure you've set the communications method in the menu. Juventas 02:17, 14 April 2009 (UTC)

Sadly I had the exact same problem. It took me days to figure out that all I had to do was fill the cord around. I haven't had any connection issues though. My only beef with the connectivity is that file system is unintuitive. The default folders and the navigation on the unit seem awkward and I'm never sure if I'm looking or storing files in the proper place.

Perhaps not as sad as I, who used a YouTube video to discover the orientation. I've been using it more lately, and the thing consistently needs to be plugged-in and unplugged three times before I can read the file system. I dare not attempt to write things like you have. I grab my .log file and consider myself lucky. Juventas 02:17, 14 April 2009 (UTC)

Fuzzy-logic-automagic-power-saving As far as I can tell, if it has a good signal, and has been used a bunch, it will stay on as it should. However, if it has been recently turned on and/or is having trouble acquiring a signal, there's about a 50% chance it will turn off without warning. I don't know what else to say. It gets to the point where I stop my car, find a clear spot, and tap any button every 30 seconds until I feel like it's happy. Juventas 02:17, 14 April 2009 (UTC)

I also haven't experienced this. I only use the LCD brightness feature that sets the display to minimum after 30 seconds or so. Is that what you're using?

Nope. It's not just the backlight, it shuts off. To end on a positive note: the shoulder pocket on the MEC Air daypack couldn't be more perfect for the eXplorist. :) Juventas 02:17, 14 April 2009 (UTC)

Kayaking

I have new appreciation for your epic bike/kayak hash. I could barely drive home after all that kayaking. If I had had my bike I would have slept in the parking lot. -Robyn 06:18, 9 April 2009 (UTC)

Things that are amazing

Look! I just found this, looking for categories that needed fixing. Isn't it astonishing?

Missing Minesweep

The nw minsweep candidate we couldn't think of was Cortes Island, British Columbia. Huh, what? Have you ever NOTICED that graticule before? You would have to take three ferries to get to the only roads in the graticule. -Robyn 00:26, 20 April 2009 (UTC)

Or a plane... Thepiguy 01:31, 20 April 2009 (UTC)

Yeah. Looks like that's our candidate. It's about an hour flight in a small plane from where I could rent one, to the southern edge of the graticule. But once a point fell on that southern edge, we could get two or possibly three graticules hashed in one sweep. -Robyn 01:39, 20 April 2009 (UTC)

Bicycle geohashes page

It has been suggested (see Talk:Bicycle geohashes) that the name of that page is a bit misleading -- the name implies it is a list of geohashes which meet the requirements for the bicycle geohash achievement

Hoo-ra

Congratulations with the overseas opportunity. I am disappointed that it eliminates any chance of a meetup for us this year. For the record, I fully endorse you as the official Canadian geohashing representative to Germany. Juventas 01:21, 23 April 2009 (UTC)

Thanks! It's nice to know I have the support of my country! I'll do us proud! And I'm sure we'll meetup eventually, you have my word. Thepiguy 05:27, 23 April 2009 (UTC)

Before we go, would it be possible for me to borrow snowshoes? It would be nice to be able to do a high altitude expedition without slithering on my belly. And I'll go meet Juventas to connect him in. -Robyn 06:13, 23 April 2009 (UTC)

I checked out all the local stores for end-of-season clearance--found nothing. However, I did get waterproofing wax for my boots! In a few weeks it won't matter much, so I'll worry about snowshoes next winter. If you're still interested, MEC has 25% off some models, as well as a "gear swap" used section. Btw, what does "connecting me" involve? Juventas 07:02, 23 April 2009 (UTC)

I promise it won't be painful. Well not any more painful than a typical geohash. -Robyn 15:29, 23 April 2009 (UTC)

I'd really love too, but they don't actually belong to me, they belong to a group I volunteer with. I'll see what I can do though. Thepiguy 06:15, 23 April 2009 (UTC)

Ah don't worry about it then. I thought it might be something like that, the way you said, "have access to" and not "have." Perhaps I can get some cheap at a rummage sale. -Robyn 06:21, 23 April 2009 (UTC)

Your first assignment as our representive

I recently spoke with a like-minded individual from Germany who does geocaching there. I subtly tried to convert him to our ways, and he expressed a specific interest in a meetup with you if you were attempt the 51 8 graticule. His blog is located here, as well as his email address. Good luck Mister Pi.

Can you take a call?

I thought I'd phone you tomorrow a.m. to find out if there are any coordinates that Rhonda and I should get on the way home from this expedition. -Robyn 17:23, 23 April 2009 (UTC) P.S. Can't find your phone number.

I wish I'd seen this before I went. The Friday Bellingham geohash was cruelly close to the Anacortes ferry terminal. -Robyn 02:02, 25 April 2009 (UTC)

Golf Geohash

I'm sorry to report that you didn't win it, unless you too rented clubs and hit a ball to the geohash location. You do, however, earn the Category "Golf course." -Robyn 15:44, 29 April 2009 (UTC)

Woah, the requirements say nothing of clubs, only a ball! :p I think I'll reorganize my achievements later and sort them into a few categories. Thepiguy 21:39, 29 April 2009 (UTC)

Okay then, but Elbie did a better job. Especially the part about confessing to knowing nothing about golf and getting a refund. -Robyn 21:58, 29 April 2009 (UTC)

Yeah. I'll put this one under my "kinda-sorta-maybe" category. Thepiguy 22:01, 29 April 2009 (UTC), but actually it's a list of all expeditions, whether the coordinates were reached or not, that involved a bicycle for all or just some of the journey. I have re-written the introduction to that page to make it clearer, but would appreciate knowing if you have an opinion about moving the page to something like "cycling geohashers" or similar. I'm consulting the people who cycle most! Thanks for your time. -- Benjw 20:59, 21 April 2009 (UTC)