Talk:Geohash by proxy achievement

Did you really mean to say CREATING a GPS-carrying device, i.e. you must both build the vehicle and navigate it to the geohash? You intend to exclude people who buy RC vehicles? -Robyn 05:15, 20 October 2008 (UTC)

Definitely not - I figured that combining a GPS with a carrier of some sort is a creative act. I didn't go with the RC Geohash idea because I didn't want to exclude kites, and I wanted to make it as general as possible. Any suggestions as to phrasing will be appreciated. --Pardey 05:20, 20 October 2008 (UTC)

Do you really need to actually send a GPS device in with the RC unit? There are plenty of geohashers who don't actually use a GPS (as for many locations in certain parts of the world it's quite possible to be extremely accurate using map data). What if, for example, you sent in an RC car / plane with a camera and took a photo of the RC unit at or over the hashpoint? For a normal geohash this would be suitable if you went instead of the RC unit (ie without any GPS)...--CJ 12:04, 20 October 2008 (UTC)

I think this should count, too. If you navigate any device to the hashpoint and return it to you (throwing stones doesn't count!), it shouldn't matter if it's a GPS device or not, as long as it could as well have been one (this implies a certain minimum weight and size). Bonus points if you let it leave a hashmark. --Ilpadre 14:19, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

I see your point, but I wasn't thinking of this as something that could be done at every hashpoint. On the talk page where the original discussion took place (Talk:2008-10-14_49_12), I gave the example of a water hash flown over by an RC plane (i.e. the hash couldn't be reached without the vehicle/device). That said, how about different ranks akin to the Air Geohash? We could have Ground, Air, Water, and Rube Goldberg (for exceptional weirdness of device). Maybe an additional modifier for the vehicle reaching a point otherwise inaccessible to the geohasher (Air Scout). --Pardey

The achievement description looks great. I think it's very clear and it's a good fair achievement. Ranks could be fun. Are they significantly better than flexible parameters for making the ribbon describe the expedition?

I think you may be right about the flexible parameters - I'm probably too hung up on the "exclusivity" of the achievement. This sort of ties into the discussion about not having a separate achievement for every activity that one can perform at a hash. I was approaching this more as something akin to the air geohash rather than the twister geohash, if that makes sense. --Pardey 22:14, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

I've been meaning to create an achievement for getting someone else (i.e. a non-geohasher) to geohash for you when you can't because it's a restricted area they can't let you into, or because you're out of town, tied up at work or whatever. Now I'll have to come up with a new name for it. -Robyn 16:41, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Why not "Geohash by Proxy (Person)" and "Geohash by Proxy (Device)"? -- Danatar 16:59, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Works, but kinda prosaic. I'm sure something more amusing will arise. -Robyn 21:31, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

"Borg Geohash"? "Puppet Master Geohash"? Actually, I kinda like the puppet master one... --Pardey 21:49, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

"Puppet Master Geohash" is great, I support it. -- Danatar 23:26, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

I like that one best, too. Thanks Pardey. -Robyn 01:08, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

It'd be pretty easy to claim, too. "Uh, mum, I can't get the hash in Sydney today, will you get it for me?" - UnwiseOwl 01:41, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Combination with No Trespassing

The page states that It is NOT recommended that Geohashers attempt to claim this achievement in an area qualifying for the No Trespassing Geohash - I disagree with that. While I wouldn't necessarily want to fly my paraplane over a military training area or a power plant, flying over a residential area at 200m, or over a field at 50m above ground seems like a reasonable, although terribly geeky way of avoiding trouble with farmers, and can be a good "plan B" in case you fail at persuading the residents to let you walk into their backyard after a day's worth of travelling. Thus, I would say it is positively recommended to serve as a backup plan in some - not all - cases of No Trespassing. ... ok, other proxy methods may not work that well... ;-) --dawidi 17:05, 19 February 2009 (UTC)

The aerial device works well for a fenced and posted field, but don't try it at a secure military installation. I read the "not recommended" more as an warning for the sake of the geohasher against sending remote control robots, cars, hovercraft and the like into an area where you've been told not to go yourself, and you'd be unable to retrieve them if there is a malfunction. -Robyn 17:29, 19 February 2009 (UTC)

Dawidi's Private Achievement

It's cool enough, challenging enough and xkcdish that it definitely deserves to be an achievement. Other people could certainly do it. We even discussed it on Sunday. It just so happens that you're the only one who has managed. It's on my list, and I'm sure many others'. The circumstances just have to be right. -Robyn 19:30, 31 March 2009 (UTC)