Difference between revisions of "User talk:Thomcat"

Latest revision as of 21:34, 7 July 2023

I moved all the old comments to User talk:Thomcat/OldTalk in February of 2014.

Meet up 2018-08-18 47 -122

Hi Thomcat, it's Quaternary here. I am over in Seattle for a wedding this weekend, and it looks like there is a hash tomorrow (2018-08-18 47 -122) in case you want to meet up. With the wedding, it would be most practical for me to meet sometime late morning, so there is time to get there, and then time to get home again (we're staying in Madrona). We caught the train in from the airport last night, so I'm guessing it'd be pretty straightforward to retrace our steps back out there on the same train, and then either bus or Uber to Tacoma. Quaternary (talk) 15:36, 17 August 2018 (UTC)

2/6 Globetrotter

Hey Thom -- thanks very much for the ribbon, but I don't like to claim part-achievements for myself (eg partway to minesweeper or centurion) so I will take it off my homepage. You can still keep me on the Globetrotter achievement page, though! Thanks for maintaining that. I still believe I may get the full achievement someday... -- OtherJack (talk) 17:25, 9 May 2016 (UTC)

Europe 2016

Every late February, my job has me attending Embedded World. This year I will be spending the night in:

21 Feb - Bad König
22 Feb through 25 Feb - Nürnberg
26 Feb through 29 Feb - Milano
1 Mar - Frankfurt am Main
2 Mar - Seattle :-)

Drop me a message here if you want to meetup; I will also be posting on individual graticule pages if a geohash shows up near transit options. --Thomcat (talk) 12:07, 16 February 2016 (EST)

Europe 2015, part 2

Yes, I've been to Europe once in 2015, and hit two geohash points. Now I'll be back and teaching a class (Logic Academy Days) on Thursday 18 June (in Eindhoven), then Tuesday 23 June (in Hannover), then Thursday 25 June (in Munchen). Spending the weekend in and around Amsterdam (the Hague is not out of the question); spending Friday after the class visiting Neuschwanstein. Will be watching the Geohash points, of course, and wouldn't mind meeting up in the Netherlands or greater Germany. Until then, catch me on IRC around the time the hash points are announced. --Thomcat (talk) 10:15, 8 May 2015 (EDT)

Germany 2014

Thomcat is in Frankfurt on Feb 22 for a Star Trek convention, and then must travel to Nürnberg on Sunday Feb 23. Is up for a geohash meetup anywhere in between, indirect route acceptable. Will have a backpack and one medium suitcase (it is a business trip after all). Potentials discussed so far include the following. Up for a meetup? Edit below or add suggestions. --Thomcat (talk) 11:07, 21 February 2014 (EST)

Current discussion centers around...

Mannheim

On a parking lot of a large shopping centre near a motorway junction. Might not be a very romantic location. Near former american barracks.

Accessibility: Almost certain.

2 km from the tram stop "Vogelstang Endstelle" (Mannheim municipal tramway), 2.5 km from "Käfertal Wald" (OEG suburban railway/tramway).

Ticketing

The trains in Deutschland are not free. My routing is flexible, and purchasing all or part of a 44 € group ticket is within the budget. Exact route planning requires our destination, but feel free to suggest a common starting point here. --Thomcat (talk) 11:19, 21 February 2014 (EST)

Timetables

I think we should drop the idea of a multihash and go for "fun meetup with as many people as possible" instead. That might bear a little chance to convince me to join. A stressful "just another two hashes visited but not seen" day certainly won't. --Ekorren (talk) 18:09, 21 February 2014 (EST)

Seconded, and checked in to the hotel Meininger in Frankfurt. --Thomcat (talk) 06:51, 22 February 2014 (EST)

Right, that's settled. Which graticule is it gonna be then? And what time? And are you going to wear your Star Trek outfit? ;) - Mampfred (talk) 06:55, 22 February 2014 (EST)

Outfit is just a t-shirt, but yes I will wear it. --Thomcat (talk) 16:36, 22 February 2014 (EST)

If I depart Frankfurt (Messe or Hbf) at 9:06, I transfer at Weinheim (Bergstr) and arrive at Käfertal Wald at 10:33. The next later option for that same station is 12:03. I depart from this same station for Nürnberg Hbf at 11:23, 11:53, 12:23, 12:53, 1:23, 1:53, etc. as is appropriate. Further discussion on the meetup page.

Hey Thomcat, I'm unfortunately busy on Sunday, otherwise I'd be down. Let me know if you are out my way in the future. --CBos (talk) 1519 (PDT), 18 July 2014

Lewiston 2015-09-26

Thanks for the invite. It's an interesting location; I didn't think it was very doable at first but on closer look see that it probably is. But it's a seven-hour drive from the City of Roses, so, although technically possible... not this time, I don't think. Bon chance! Michael5000 (talk) 23:12, 25 September 2015 (EDT)

Meetup graph update

Hey Thomcat,

Hijackal has resurrected the meetup graph, as you may have noticed. This led to a bit of discussion about the rules. In the end we decided that you have to meet each other at a geohash or during a geohashing expedition. It doesn't have to be the first time you meet, but you have to meet while actually hashing.

As your meetups with me and the other Europeans in Utrecht and The Hague did not include any hashes, we had to remove those connections. Hope you don't mind. --CO2 (talk) 10:38, 21 November 2015 (EST)

Absolutely fine - just emphasizes the need to geohash with you the next time we meet :) --Thomcat (talk) 12:37, 21 November 2015 (EST)

Requesting your thoughts on an update to the Algorithm

Hey Thomcat, Sourcerer recently threw out an idea to update the algorithm and there's some serious debate going on to discuss options. I wanted to directly reach out to you as you are still somewhat active and have done a lot of hashing in the past. It would be good to have your thoughts and comments here. Pedalpusher (talk) 21:37, 10 September 2017 (UTC)

A Late Answer

Hey Thomcat, in August 2008, you reminded me of providing the 2008-07-30 53 8 story (see here). Okay, I'm done now! ;-) --Alaska (talk) 17:57, 2 July 2020 (UTC)

Indeed, awesome! As an active wiki editor, I was trying to tie up all the loose ends. Welcome to the knot! --Thomcat (talk) 16:04, 10 July 2020 (UTC)

2023-05-06 45 -120

What happened here? From the pictures I'm assuming Mother Nature, but you never know. --Fippe (talk) 21:33, 7 July 2023 (UTC)

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-== Geohash Goals ==
+I moved all the old comments to [[User talk:Thomcat/OldTalk]] in February of 2014.
-Having edited wiki for one quarter of our Three Graticule Tall state, I firmly intend to visit a geohash in each Graticule - eventually. Going to be tough to catch those two coastal ones (Forks and the one south of it).
+== Meet up [[2018-08-18 47 -122]] ==
-:Update - I've got the whole state as a table on my user page now.--[[User:Thomcat|Thomcat]] 17:15, 22 July 2008 (UTC)
+Hi [[User:Thomcat|Thomcat]], it's [[User:Quaternary|Quaternary]] here. I am over in Seattle for a wedding this weekend, and it looks like there is a hash tomorrow ([[2018-08-18 47 -122]]) in case you want to meet up. With the wedding, it would be most practical for me to meet sometime late morning, so there is time to get there, and then time to get home again (we're staying in Madrona). We caught the train in from the airport last night, so I'm guessing it'd be pretty straightforward to retrace our steps back out there on the same train, and then either bus or Uber to Tacoma. [[User:Quaternary|Quaternary]] ([[User talk:Quaternary|talk]]) 15:36, 17 August 2018 (UTC)
-::Did you know that the Portland graticule is labelled "Vancouver"? --[[User:Jevanyn|Jevanyn]] 14:28, 6 August 2008 (UTC)
-:::Aye, and Victoria is labeled "Port Angeles". I basically chose names within the great state of Washington. When visiting those graticules, I won't be satisfied until I've geohashed on my side of the border. --[[User:Thomcat|Thomcat]] 15:14, 6 August 2008 (UTC)
-::::Fair enough, I didn't realize there was a Vancouver, Washington, or that it was close to Portland.  -- [[User:Jevanyn|J]]
-------
+== 2/6 Globetrotter ==
-------
+Hey Thom -- thanks very much for the ribbon, but I don't like to claim part-achievements for myself (eg partway to minesweeper or centurion) so I will take it off my homepage.  You can still keep me on the Globetrotter achievement page, though! Thanks for maintaining that.  I still believe I may get the full achievement someday... -- [[User:OtherJack|OtherJack]] ([[User talk:OtherJack|talk]]) 17:25, 9 May 2016 (UTC)
+== Europe 2016 ==
+Every late February, my job has me attending Embedded World. This year I will be spending the night in:
+* 21 Feb - Bad König
+* 22 Feb through 25 Feb - Nürnberg
+* 26 Feb through 29 Feb - Milano
+* 1 Mar - Frankfurt am Main
+* 2 Mar - Seattle :-)
+Drop me a message here if you want to meetup; I will also be posting on individual graticule pages if a geohash shows up near transit options. --[[User:Thomcat|Thomcat]] ([[User talk:Thomcat|talk]]) 12:07, 16 February 2016 (EST)
-==Ribbons==
+== Europe 2015, part 2 ==
-"Earliest" is a good rename. Going to use a sunrise?
+Yes, I've been to Europe once in 2015, and hit two geohash points. Now I'll be back and teaching a class (Logic Academy Days) on Thursday 18 June (in Eindhoven), then Tuesday 23 June (in Hannover), then Thursday 25 June (in Munchen). Spending the weekend in and around Amsterdam (the Hague is not out of the question); spending Friday after the class visiting Neuschwanstein. Will be watching the Geohash points, of course, and wouldn't mind meeting up in the Netherlands or greater Germany. Until then, catch me on IRC around the time the hash points are announced.  --[[User:Thomcat|Thomcat]] ([[User talk:Thomcat|talk]]) 10:15, 8 May 2015 (EDT)
-The only point the cherry has in favour of the moon landing for Virgin, is that it is clear to see in icon form. I initially uploaded a version with too much whitespace, but I replaced it with a full sized one in a circle. However the original image persists in the ribbon, and I can't find the page (Virgin geohash.PNG) at all. I like the pun, but I also think xkcd art should take precedence, so I won't sic [more] raptors on you if you get it to work with the new art.
+== Germany 2014 ==
+Thomcat is in Frankfurt on Feb 22 for a Star Trek convention, and then must travel to Nürnberg on Sunday Feb 23. Is up for a geohash meetup anywhere in between, indirect route acceptable. Will have a backpack and one medium suitcase (it is a business trip after all). Potentials discussed so far include the following. Up for a meetup? Edit below or add suggestions. --[[User:Thomcat|Thomcat]] ([[User talk:Thomcat|talk]]) 11:07, 21 February 2014 (EST)
+:Current discussion centers around...
-== Raptors! ==
+=== [[Mannheim, Germany|Mannheim]] ===
-Likewise disappointed to have missed you, but we had to get home to Canada before dark because the motorcycle headlight doesn't work properly. We almost certainly passed you on the way back to Granite Falls. I'm glad you saw our message. I often wonder at a hash if I have missed someone, or if someone is about to come along.
+On a parking lot of a large shopping centre near a motorway junction. Might not be a very romantic location. Near former american barracks.
-I definitely look forward to the next opportunity to meet you. [[User:Robyn|Robyn]] 05:09, 20 July 2008 (UTC)
+Accessibility: Almost certain.
-P.S. Thanks for the category help on my pictures. I'll try to get that right next time.
+km from the tram stop "Vogelstang Endstelle" (Mannheim municipal tramway), 2.5 km from "Käfertal Wald" (OEG suburban railway/tramway).
-== Oi! ==
+=== Ticketing ===
+The trains in Deutschland are not free. My routing is flexible, and purchasing all or part of a 44 € group ticket is within the budget. Exact route planning requires our destination, but feel free to suggest a common starting point here. --[[User:Thomcat|Thomcat]] ([[User talk:Thomcat|talk]]) 11:19, 21 February 2014 (EST)
-Sorry I missed you at Cosmo's. One of these next times, though, for sure.--[[User:Nukewaste|Nukewaste]] 02:14, 13 June 2008 (UTC)
+=== Timetables ===
+:I think we should drop the idea of a multihash and go for "fun meetup with as many people as possible" instead. That might bear a little chance to convince me to join. A stressful "just another two hashes visited but not seen" day certainly won't. --[[User:Ekorren|Ekorren]] ([[User talk:Ekorren|talk]]) 18:09, 21 February 2014 (EST)
+::Seconded, and checked in to the hotel Meininger in Frankfurt. --[[User:Thomcat|Thomcat]] ([[User talk:Thomcat|talk]]) 06:51, 22 February 2014 (EST)
+:::Right, that's settled. Which graticule is it gonna be then? And what time? And are you going to wear your Star Trek outfit? ;) - [[User:Mampfred|Mampfred]] ([[User talk:Mampfred|talk]]) 06:55, 22 February 2014 (EST)
+::::Outfit is just a t-shirt, but yes I will wear it. --[[User:Thomcat|Thomcat]] ([[User talk:Thomcat|talk]]) 16:36, 22 February 2014 (EST)
-== Thanks ==
+If I depart Frankfurt (Messe or Hbf) at 9:06, I transfer at Weinheim (Bergstr) and arrive at Käfertal Wald at 10:33. The next later option for that same station is 12:03. I depart from this same station for Nürnberg Hbf at 11:23, 11:53, 12:23, 12:53, 1:23, 1:53, etc. as is appropriate. Further discussion on the meetup page.
-Good job on making the Active/Inactive graticule categories! I think it's awesome. [[User:Booberfish|Booberfish]] 05:31, 14 June 2008 (UTC)
-== Categorization Scheme ==
+Hey Thomcat, I'm unfortunately busy on Sunday, otherwise I'd be down. Let me know if you are out my way in the future. --[[User:CBos|CBos]] ([[User talk:CBos|talk]]) 1519 (PDT), 18 July 2014
-(discussion moved to [[:Category_talk:North_America]])
+== Lewiston 2015-09-26 ==
--------
+Thanks for the invite.  It's an interesting location; I didn't think it was very doable at first but on closer look see that it probably is.  But it's a seven-hour drive from the City of Roses, so, although technically possible... not this time, I don't think.  Bon chance! [[User:Michael5000|Michael5000]] ([[User talk:Michael5000|talk]]) 23:12, 25 September 2015 (EDT)
--------
-== [[Spokane, Washington|Tyler]] hash ==
+== Meetup graph update ==
-There was one in Tyler?  Too bad I don't go to school near there anymore! --[[User:BenPop|BenPop]] 00:35, 31 May 2008 (UTC)
+Hey Thomcat,
-== Categories ==
+Hijackal has resurrected the meetup graph, as you may have noticed. This led to a bit of discussion about the rules. In the end we decided that you have to meet each other at a geohash or during a geohashing expedition. It doesn't have to be the first time you meet, but you have to meet while actually hashing.
-I know only about as much as you do, but I've tried something out, and left a message on the category page where you asked your question. [[User:AshleyMorton|AshleyMorton]] 14:42, 11 June 2008 (UTC)
+As your meetups with me and the other Europeans in Utrecht and The Hague did not include any hashes, we had to remove those connections. Hope you don't mind. --[[User:CO2|CO2]] ([[User talk:CO2|talk]]) 10:38, 21 November 2015 (EST)
+:Absolutely fine - just emphasizes the need to geohash with you the next time we meet :)  --[[User:Thomcat|Thomcat]] ([[User talk:Thomcat|talk]]) 12:37, 21 November 2015 (EST)
-== Cape May graticule ==
+== Requesting your thoughts on an update to the Algorithm ==
-I think it's closer to 99.5% water.  :-) Since Jan 1st, the geohash has been on land 3 times, and twice it was wetland. On the other hand, a lot of people in the area own boats, so close-to-shore spots are fair game for weekend meet-ups. --[[User:Jevanyn|Jevanyn]] 15:34, 12 June 2008 (UTC)
+Hey Thomcat, Sourcerer recently threw out an idea to update the algorithm and there's some serious debate going on [[Talk:Main_Page#Tenth_Anniversary_Anti-Discrimination_Algorithm_Upgrade| to discuss options]]. I wanted to directly reach out to you as you are still somewhat active and have done a lot of hashing in the past. It would be good to have your thoughts and comments here. [[User:Pedalpusher|Pedalpusher]] ([[User talk:Pedalpusher|talk]]) 21:37, 10 September 2017 (UTC)
-== Deleting redirects? ==
+== A Late Answer ==
-Hey there -- why are you deleting redirects?  They help people who are searching for shorthand (eg, "San Francisco") find what they're looking for faster.  What's the point of deleting them? --[[User:Tapin|Tapin]] 17:15, 6 July 2008 (UTC)
+Hey Thomcat, in August 2008, you reminded me of providing the [[2008-07-30 53 8]] story (see [[User talk:Alaska|here]]). Okay, I'm done now! ;-)
+--[[User:Alaska|Alaska]] ([[User talk:Alaska|talk]]) 17:57, 2 July 2020 (UTC)
+:Indeed, awesome! As an active wiki editor, I was trying to tie up all the loose ends. Welcome to the knot! --[[User:Thomcat|Thomcat]] ([[User talk:Thomcat|talk]]) 16:04, 10 July 2020 (UTC)
-:I can't know which redirects are in active use and which aren't, so I deleted the ones that no longer fit the naming convention of "city name, statename". I expect the ones that are in use will be recreated, which is a simple enough process. The majority of older redirects were created when pages were moved, and (once the references were corrected) were never being used.
+==[[2023-05-06 45 -120]]==
-:A caveat - I hope the ones that are "in use" aren't actually bookmarks or browser cache. Those usages should, IMHO, also be corrected. Why hit the wiki for the extra lookup? It causes a slowdown (small, but not non-zero) for other users. --[[User:Thomcat|Thomcat]] 15:56, 7 July 2008 (UTC)
+What happened here? From the pictures I'm assuming Mother Nature, but you never know. --[[User:Fippe|Fippe]] ([[User talk:Fippe|talk]]) 21:33, 7 July 2023 (UTC)
-== Reverting spam ==
-Hey, how do you revert several spam attacks at once? Is there a clean copy of the page somewhere, that you can just cut and paste? --[[User:Joannac|Joannac]] 23:52, 3 August 2008 (UTC)
-:View the page History, then select the last "clean" revision, then compare differences. Up near the top of the comparison page there is an "undo" link - select that, then save changes. No default "Summary" - I've been using *yawn* because I am '''really''' tired of deleting the spam. --[[User:Thomcat|Thomcat]] 04:37, 4 August 2008 (UTC)
-==Virgin Graticule==
-In answer to your question, I don't quite grasp the difference between Virgin Graticule and first geohasher in a graticule, so I don't think it needs a new ribbon. [[User:Robyn|Robyn]] 19:41, 4 August 2008 (UTC)
-== Statistics ==
-Wow, thanks a lot for your effort in classifying all the expeditions in the blink of an eye! (or two)
-To automate future classification, maybe an expedition template (which contains all the stuff you need anyway to describe your venture; maps, photo gallery, ''and'' categories to choose from) could help that people automatically add these categories to their pages.  When it comes to updating the numbers, I don't know.. some wiki template function "category size" could be helpful, if it exists, but I'm still just learning the syntax. -- [[User:Relet|Relet]] 18:38, 6 August 2008 (UTC)
-I was giggling about how the Pacific NW was taking over the wiki, with you and me and Moose Hole making so many edits, and then you go and single-handled classify all the expeditions. Well done. I'm stuck [[Slave Lake, Alberta|here]] for a month with no bicycle and hardly any roads, anyway, and I take off at six am so I can't air hash, so I just sit and watch you. -[[User:Robyn|Robyn]] 20:52, 7 August 2008 (UTC)
-:I don't think Nevada counts as Pacific NW, and I haven't really made many edits recently.  Maybe the Pacific NW really '''is''' taking over the wiki, since I'm not making many edits. -- [[User:Moose Hole|Moose Hole]] 21:07, 7 August 2008 (UTC)
-Hey Thomcat, thanks for all your efforts in going through and classifying all the expeditions as completed / failed etc. You must have been reading a lot of interesting stories! --[[User:CJ|CJ]] 05:17, 12 August 2008 (UTC)
-:Heureka! As of Mediawiki 1.13 there [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Variables#Other should be] a variable called <nowiki>{{PAGESINCATEGORY:...}}</nowiki>. This could automage our statistics. Where do we apply for an upgrade? -- [[User:Relet|Relet]] 14:18, 19 August 2008 (UTC)
-Wow, right now as I'm looking it's 200x [[:Category:Coordinates reached|Coordinates reached]] vs. 200x [[:Category:Coordinates not reached|Coordinates not reached]]. -- [[User:Relet|Relet]] 18:52, 21 August 2008 (UTC)
-::401 to 222 actually... that "next 200" link, you see. --[[User:Thomcat|Thomcat]] 19:15, 21 August 2008 (UTC)
-:::Doh! Now I see. :D -- [[User:Relet|Relet]] 19:21, 21 August 2008 (UTC)
-== Hey, I'm sorry... ==
-I just wanted to apologize for my messy page yesterday. I feel really bad that I didn't spend enough time figuring out what the proper format was, and then forcing you to clean up after me. Please be patient with the newb, I'll do better! -- [[User:FlagPoleSitta|FlagPoleSitta]]
-==Cold Geohash==
-Do me a favour and bring a thermometer to your next geohash. I'll enter you as [[Cold Geohash|coldest]] and then let the competition begin. :-)
-==Active and Inactive==
-CJ is busy removing the Active and Inactive graticule designations from pages. I had for some reason added one,a nd I wondered why, and then I realized that you were putting them on. You might want to get together.
--[[User:Robyn|Robyn]] 04:03, 14 August 2008 (UTC)
-:The only pages that I have removed them from are pages that were redirect pages (ie both the actual page '''and''' the redirect page were showing up in the category list). I figured there was no need for the duplication. --[[User:CJ|CJ]] 04:09, 14 August 2008 (UTC)
-::The only category I could see belonging on a redirect page is state. Somebody (Moose?) made an argument that ''Vancouver, Washington'' which redirects to ''Portland, Oregon'' should have a [[:Category:Washington]], and that makes sense to me. Active/Inactive? I don't think those belong on redirectors... --[[User:Thomcat|Thomcat]] 06:05, 14 August 2008 (UTC)
-==Success/Failure==
-I'm having difficulty categorizing hashes where I don't have much time left in the day, but ride as far as I can anyway, and then have to give up and go home in order to be in bed at 8:30 to get up at 4:30 and start work at five.  Mother nature didn't defeat me: I could have kept riding. The technology is okay, it's just  that I have to go home. I see you classed [[2008-07-19_49_-123|this similar one]] as mother nature, but I can't blame mother nature for a ten and a half hour work day. Shouldn't there be a [[:Category:Failed - Ran out of time]]? -[[User:Robyn|Robyn]] 02:48, 16 August 2008 (UTC)
-:Hmmm... I classed that one as M.N. from the description of the ravine. Guessing you don't plan the ride that closely, but just ride, and a midnight hash is out of the question - or at least incompatible with employment. My vote is for [[:Category:Failed - Technology]] (your transportation is lacking), but I'd be fine with inventing a new case also.  --[[User:Thomcat|Thomcat]] (remote)
-::My transportation isn't all that good because it cost $100 at Wal-Mart, but it didn't let me down. And yes, it's illegal for me not to get 8 hours sleep, so midnight is out of the question.-[[User:Robyn|Robyn]] 10:52, 16 August 2008 (UTC)
-== Land usage. ==
-You're welcome. ;) Tell me if you think it's correct, and if I have interpreted the Fort Lewis area correctly. Is it military? The script just differentiates between everything white (uncharted land, usually agriculture and wilderness), everything gray (industry, airports, military), everything dark green (natural reserves, parks) and so on... I think I should detail on that on the description page.  -- [[User:Relet|Relet]] 18:45, 21 August 2008 (UTC)
-==Heather and 16th==
-[[2008-09-25 49 -123|If you have to ask]] you can't afford to attend. :-)
-P.S. What are you doing this weekend? Is the Whidbey Island location doable? -[[User:Robyn|Robyn]] 16:16, 26 September 2008 (UTC)
-==Categories==
-Yes, I missed [[Expedition]] when I was putting things in the Wiki Stuff category because it already had one category.  For all my sneering at Wiki Stuff, it was the best name I could come up with, and at least I knew one person thought it intuitive. I hope I get to actually geohash this month, else I'll have created every possible ribbon by November. -[[User:Robyn|Robyn]] 19:56, 4 October 2008 (UTC)