Talk:Achievements

This page was getting crowded with suggestions that have already been implemented. I've deleted/condensed a lot of old talk so that we can FIND the new talk. If I deleted something you were attached to, you know where the history tab is. -Robyn 15:38, 10 December 2008 (UTC)

Award Icons

Matt suggested icons. DONE. Discussion of various now-implemented icons and templates deleted.

Proof

Proof criteria determined.

If the author of an achievement wants to limit it, they can. If not, not. It's all pretty-much honor system, anyway. Ted 02:32, 3 June 2008 (UTC)

Am I correct in assuming you have to reach coords to claim most of these awards? "Reach" being a subjective term anyway, depending on your brand/age(/lack of) GPS. Awards you don't have to reach coords for:

Consolation prizes

• Correct: I don't think you qualify for these if you DO reach the coordinates.

Hashcard

• Correct, from the Hashcard proof section: "You can earn this achievement without reaching the coordinates, but not without seriously trying to get as near as possible."

Admit One

• Correct, "You are still eligible for the award even if the exact location was ultimately inaccessible, e.g. inside the lion enclosure at the zoo, or on the actual playing field at a sports event."

Counting towards XKCD-centurion

• Sort of correct: you must either meet people or achieve the coordinates.

Please add any others.

• Or conversely if you have "sponsored" an award and intended it to be only for people who reached the geohash, make sure that it makes that clear in the achievement text.

Oh, and reaching. So if you have a GPS, then within the margin error of your GPS. If not, identifying the location in some way via google maps or similar. --joannac 00:56, 16 February 2009 (UTC)

• I'd be somewhat unimpressed by someone who claimed a major award, like Centurion, or some very difficult geohashes without a GPS unless there was some very strenuous proof involved. I know from experience that "250 m into the bushes from where this road meets that one" can be way way more than 250 good paces into the woods. It's all honour system, really, but one honours some claims more than others. -Robyn 03:01, 16 February 2009 (UTC)

Organization of Achievements Page

Page reorganized a couple of times as the list grew.

If you are going to add an achievement add some explanation of what you mean, and create a page. Evil Monkey 11:35, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

If you're not sure if your idea is a good one, suggest it here first for comment, then if people like it, add it appropriately.

Ideas

Check to see if your idea has already been suggested, implemented, rejected or ignored.

Seems kinda silly to me to have an award for every single mildly interesting situation that might happen during a geohash. Looking at the list below, I think perhaps Double Geohash is the only one worth keeping, maybe not even that one (no offense to whoever came up with them). What's the point of having five hundred achievements? Keep it simple. --Joel 20:13, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

I disagree, at least for now. Let's let this evolve in "brainstorming" mode, and let it self-organize for a while. After some time has passed, we can see how things are shaping up and then present ideas for organization. For now, though, I'd hate to quash anyone's creative muse just because someone else thinks it's too silly. Heck, it is the Spontaneous Adventure Generator, after all, and a silly-grin is part of the proof-photo requirement...! Ted 02:28, 3 June 2008 (UTC)

• I would like to suggest a Time-Travel Geohash Award.
  

If the coordinates fall in a "renaissance faire", or a historic re-creation town (like "Colonial Williamsburg"). But not for some place that just looks (or even is) outdated. -- m5rammy 8 June 2008

Actually, a time-travel geohash should be for going to a geohash site of some date in the past, preferably in period garb. Since the algorithm is based on the Dow, how about BlackMonday, 1929? -- Jevanyn 10 June 2008

• This one's out there, but here goes: My friend coined the abbreviation "GHH" for GeoHasHing, also because GH is guitar hero. But what if the geohashers play guitar hero at the point? GHHGH! That should be an achievement for sure. Maybe if you're in the Golon Heights you could get it a bit easier. --MarkTraceur

This will probably be driven by a handful of geohashers who really push the envelope, not just us thinking of stuff to try. Jevanyn 17:07, 29 July 2008 (UTC)

No matter how many awards you have it will still be clear that the people who parachuted onto the geohash seriously outcool the people who wrote a postcard at the geohash, but it's all fun.

How about something like a Kevin Bacon achievement -- that would be, I suppose, a variant of the meet-up achievement, where you meet a complete stranger at the geohash and then discover an acquaintance that you have in common. (E.g., Darcy and Zarah met at the first LA geohash and discovered that a friend of Darcy's from grad school was a friend of Zarah's from undergrad.) --Darcy 09:45, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

An award for playing some kind of ball game at the hash? I personally am a large fan of Jasper Fforde (anyone know the author?) and would like to have a time dialation prepardness ribbon. (Time dilations are stopped from becoming really bad shit by throwing a sphere through them. . .I don't know, obscure references seem in the spirit of the thing.)

I'm a bit of a Jasper Fforde fan, but if anyone wants to play Croquet Ffrodian style I'll have to go looking for some body armour. Let there be sport. -- UnwiseOwl 10:08, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

I've created a (Almost) Lost Something While Geohashing Consolation Prize/honorable mention ribbon - what do you think? the ru 09:34, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

That's amusing. You need an icon from XKCD#71, or Lost, Lost in Space, maybe Land of the Lost. --Jevanyn

I'd support a Lost consolation prize. Is this for people who do or do not reach the geohash, or both? You need to make an achievement description page too showing requirements for proof and whatnot. The standard geohahshing icon is pretty boring for the ribbon, though. How about from one of those bubble in space comics? Might be #71, I didn't heck Jev's link. -Robyn 16:43, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

71 is "I lost you in the trees". IMO it could be used for any expedition, successful or not. It would be hard to reach the coordinates if you had lost the GPS receiver, for example. It's more intended for amusing trivia than as a serious prize though. I'll make a real icon if enough people are interested. The only problem is where I should put the ribbon - maybe I shouldn't clutter the Template: namespace with silly things, yet keeping it under a User: isn't very elegant. --the ru

"Serious" doesn't describe many of the achievements, so I wouldn't worry about that. It could either be in Achievements#Challenge Achievements#Single Geohash Challenges for "reaching a geohash despite getting lost/losing something" but I think it would best fit in Achievements#Consolation Prizes for "losing something while geohashing, even if you did get to the point." -Robyn 18:33, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

• There should be an award for walking on water; that is, for arriving at a water geohash on foot. (This is easier in the winter.) I want to call it a JesuHash, but that might be a little over the top/offensive to some. Alternatives include Chauncey Gardiner Hash, Being There Hash, or just Walk On Water Hash. --starbird 21:10, 10 February 2009 (UTC)
  • BTDT. Stay tuned at 2009-02-10 52 12. -- relet 21:16, 10 February 2009 (UTC)
  • I actually thought we already had that one. Perhaps I thought of it earlier and didn't make it. Now it's really too bad we didn't make our last Surrey hash across the frozen swamp. I favour simply "Walking on Water Geohash" it still implies Jesus without alienating anyone. Is the achievement for the HASH to be on frozen water (lucky location), or simply the approach (getting there)? Include a safety disclaimer and a link to ice-rescue techniques. -Robyn 18:33, 11 February 2009 (UTC)
    • I think the hashpoint itself should be a water location, a la Water Geohash. Frozen water should not be part of the requirement; maybe somebody has really big inflatable shoes, or something. --starbird 00:30, 13 February 2009 (UTC)
• As an incentive not to trespass, I think there should be an award like the centurion for no trespassing. More on the No trespassing talk page. -Robyn 15:55, 19 February 2009 (UTC)

How about something for those special dates? Pi Day (3/14), Mole Day (10/23 between 6:02 AM and 6:02 PM), Darwin Day (2/12), Square Root Day (3/3/09), Earth Day (4/22). Or any other " special" date deemed significant by the masses. Mr. Bow Tie 01:48, 22 February 2009 (UTC)

Implemented Suggestions

• Double Geohash - reaching two in one day - Multihash
• Blind Geohash achievement, for getting to the exact place without a GPS unit - No Batteries Geohash
• International Geohash - go to a different country (easiest for people in say 43, -79) - Border geohash
• Martyr - injured reaching a geohash - Trail of Blood
• V.I.P - geohash in a members-only or pay-to-enter location - Admit One Geohash
• Restricted Area Geohash - legitimate access to restricted area
• Holy Hash achievement, when geohashers arrive at coordinates and find a place of worship?
• Golf Geohash - on golf course
• Hashcard achievement - send a postcard of the hash from the hash
• Cross That Bridge Geohash - geohash accessible while on a bridge.

Not Implemented

Summary of ideas that have been suggested and then ignored or just not yet implemented.

• Passing Through - went through geohash but couldn't stay. Examples include going through it on a train, plane, or chased by wild animals
• Party Crasher - Interrupted a social event (i.e. wedding) - Good idea
• Hammer Time - Reached geohash using the MC Hammer Slide
• Tape Measure Geohash - Have a tape measure extending contest at the geohash
• Cross Country Geohash - Travel from point A to B at the rate of one Lat/Lon quadrant a day, reaching the respective Geohash each day.
• Wedding Geohash - Get married at the geohash. Wouldn't that be hilarious? Issue invitations that explain the algorithm, but no one knows exactly where it will be until the day of. You might have to rent a boat, even a helicopter. Obviously I'm not serious.
• Close but No Cigar / Close Enough for Government Work consolation -- You get within about 100m and decide you're "close enough" (I see a lot of these on weekday meetup pages
• No "There" There consolation -- Your GPS can't decide if you've found the hashpoint or not

• This actually just happened to Danatar....2008-12-14 50 9

• Midnight Madness Multihash -- special multihash for going to a geohash for Friday or Saturday), then at midnight travelling to the Saturday/Sunday geohash as quickly as possible.
• Discover something of previously unknown historic importance / a new species / a UFO while geohashing.
• Idol Geohash: meet a famous person, such as a band member or an actor.
• "D20 Hash" or something of the like for role playing or a "Board but not bored Hash" for playing board games at the hash site.

Deleted, Merged, Rejected or Downgraded Achievements

Achievements that have been actively removed or rejected.

I think it's not a bad idea to go through the list from time to time. You'll often come up with an idea which seems good enough for an achievement, and notice later that it's just not being accepted. -- Relet 00:25, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

I totally support deletion of the subjective achievements. -Robyn 26 August 2008 (UTC)

I support deletion of superfluous and unused achievements. Nemo 13:43, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Don't just delete unused achievements if they are hard. They can be something to strive for even if someone hasn't got them yet. -Robyn 01:55, 20 February 2009 (UTC)

• Strip Club Geohash - boring (probably unless you actually hit one). But then you could just create one of these for anything you visit.
• Smoking Geohash - not actually difficult to achieve, and not that unusual that it could be called interesting.
• The underpants geohash which was merged with Geoflashing
• The MacGyver and Maker awards were partly merged.
• The Easy Geohash which was degraded into a [term needed] (subjective achievement? I'd like to remove the term achievement).

Award Suggestions

Recent suggestions still being debated. Make a subsection if you have lots to say about your suggestion, else short description below.

Highlander Geohash Achievement?

As a fencer, I may be biased in considering this idea mildly awesome. Further, there are definite safety, liability, and standardization concerns which need to be considered before it could be successfully implemented.

Off the top of my head: (no pun intended)

-Safety concerns being most important, it should go without saying that only practice weapons are permitted. Standard padded practice attire (or acceptable analogues thereof) and facemasks for both participants are also a necessity. There are some concerns specific to fencing outdoors like weather conditions, ground conditions, heat stroke in the warmer climates, and public safety which must also be considered. Further, it stands to reason that attempting to attain a Highlander achievement would increase the likelihood of the geohashers involved satisfying the requirements necessary for a Police achievement. Thus, it would behoove any such geohashers to know their rights beforehand, and conduct themselves with the dignity, honor, and respect that their noble schools have no doubt instilled in them. Note, however, that it is always unwise to challenge an officer of the law to any duel or fencing contest in response to a perceived lack of the above mentioned virtues on their part.

-Different weapons and scoring techniques would make competition between foil and sabre practitioners (for example) difficult to judge. This problem would only be compounded by the inclusion of Kendo or other fencing traditions, yet their inclusion is essential to a true replication of highlander conditions. Possible solutions might be standardized rules of engagement, inclusion of other geohashers as arbiters, or agreement on specific terms before the contest. A combination of these solutions may be ideal.

-Really, anybody who bouts at geohash coordinates deserves an achievement, yet there can be only one. Perhaps there might be one achievement ribbon for the victor, along with a slightly less cephalic ribbon for the less fortunate participant?

-Depending on the size and population density of the naval craft being used as a venue, it may be inappropriate, unsafe, or illegal to attempt to earn both the Water achievement and the Highlander achievement in one go. That said, given the existence of a Restricted Area achievement, a "Swashbuckling" achievement for the few pirates who have the means (Oil drill workers? Cruise ship crew? Messiahs?) seems to be indicated.

I look forward to the day when graticule pages come complete with the names of local duelists, so as to facilitate travel for epic battles in far-away lands ^_^

James Castle Award

I saw an exhibit of James Castle art at the Philadelphia Museum last year, and he's been featured on television once or twice. He was a self-taught artist who specialized in making things out of found objects and other materials most people would consider trash. This got me thinking: how about an award for art made from stuff found at/around a geohash?

Zoological Awards

• Heffalump award: for getting a picture of an "unusual" animal. Unusual as in, squirrels and alley cats don't count. Animals in a zoo also don't qualify, unless the geohash is in their pen :-)
• Old McDonald award: for farm animals
• Audobon award: for pictures of birds taken near the geohash. Minimum 3?
• Jacque Cousteau: for pictures of aquatic life taken near a geohash. The geohash doesn't have to be in the water, but should be relatively close by.
• Go Diego Go award: for helping a wounded animal near a geohash.

BTW, I'm also looking for pictures of animals to add here. With geohashers on 5 continents, we should get a pretty good assortment :-). -- Jevanyn 16:31, 19 February 2009 (UTC)

I'd support an award for finding an animal at the geohash, but I think cats and squirrels should count. An animal just on the way, meh. I was also thinking of a more general "Look What I Found!" achievement, for when you get to a geohash and just want to tell the world what was there, without having to create an achievement for every bizarre thing that could be at a geohash. Maybe divide it into Animal, Mineral & Vegetable? -Robyn 17:35, 19 February 2009 (UTC)

I don't think we need an achievement for interesting things/animals found at the hash. Also, even seemingly ordinary soil could be exciting for a geologist. Such an achievement would just be too subjective. If you stumble upon something unusual during your expedition, write about it in your expedition report. If it's unusual enough, you'll get a place in the Hall of Amazingness anyway. But I wouldn't oppose creating a "Look What I Found!" gallery page (similar to that recently created Wildlife gallery page). --Ilpadre 17:50, 19 February 2009 (UTC)

I understand the desire to put the brakes on too many "what's the point?" achievements, but you've just expressed an interest in a gallery of 'hey look at that' stuff. One of the advantages of achievements is that people like them, they collect them and thus without even knowing it, add themselves to a list on the category page. Compare the number of people listed in the "Winners" section to the number of Users linked to the category for any award, and you'll see what I mean. Perhaps we need a new category of ribbon that isn't an achievement, isn't a consolation prize, it's just there Serendipity Ribbon? It would include the Easy Geohash the Animal (and Mineral & Vegetable) ribbons and so one. I don't see anything wrong with a geologist having a ribbon on his page commemorating a special kind of granite. Once upon a time I said that the relative difficulty or specialness of the achievements doesn't matter because people can compare for themselves the difficulty of parachuting onto the geohash versus writing a postcard there. And then someone independently created a postcard achievement and it's great. -Robyn 18:20, 19 February 2009 (UTC)

Handshake

Perhaps some sort of achievement for most people met? Many of the late Boston crew might be tempted to return to Geohashing to claim it ;) This seems different than Kevin Bacon (above), but somehow related... --Thomcat 21:03, 23 February 2009 (UTC)

Tracking Awards

I visited the "Centurion" page only to sadly discover it's part of XKCD-100. Seems like we need some sort of Hash Counter and Saturday Hash Counter (or awards). I just hit my 5th hash (with only one Saturday meetup), and I'll keep going to 100, even if they aren't all Saturdays (or all at 4:00pm or ...) Thomcat 13 June 2008

I agree. They are getting hard to count, and I've only attempted 14.

Recommend starting a user-page and putting your hash-participation in a section, there. Then it should be a simple matter to demark 5, 10, 25, 50, etc... Ted 21:44, 25 July 2008 (UTC)