Talk:No Batteries Geohash

I propose a new extension of this: the "X-TREME!!!!! No Batteries Geohash": In addition to the basic No Batteries requirements, additional, you must calculate the coordinates by hand. Using something electronic to fetch the input data (Dow opening price) is permissible, though if you can get it through smoke signals or something, so much the better! After that,may paper, pencil, and the Force be with you! --Kyevan 05:12, 29 June 2008 (UTC)

Uh... doing MD5 by hand?! That sounds like a whole new category, to me. Wow. That makes my head hurt... 64.74.213.98 06:31, 29 June 2008 (UTC)

We had a discussion about this on the IRC channel. It was to be an extreme version of the endurance geohash. Rest assured if any person or team of people calculates the geohash by hand and reaches the coordinates on the same day, we'll make sure there's a ribbon for it. -Robyn 03:22, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

Clarification... Are you eligible for this achievement if you use no tools at all for the actual trip? Most city dwellers can easily locate the precise hash position on a map prior to leaving the house, then reach and stand directly on it without any further assistance.

No batteries + Digicam?

I wonder how some people here did fabricate their proof. -- Relet 07:32, 1 August 2008 (UTC)

Well I guess the batteries weren't needed for reaching the geohash, just documenting it -- Kriechstrom 15:17, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

...but one can never prove a negative, in this case, that one didn't have a GPS.... -- Jevanyn 20:04, 9 April 2009 (UTC)

Vehicle Batteries?

Is it ok to use a vehicle battery? Watch? Camera? Media player?

In other words, I think the requirements should be clarified. --193.254.155.48

The achievement was written with the idea of using only pre-GPS technology to locate the point, but I like the idea of expanding it to mean no batteries whatsover. I guess that allows you to use your computer plugged in to find the coordinates, and then use non-battery-using transportation and technology to get there. Perhaps it could have a second rank. -Robyn 17:14, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

using Google maps

Most people (including me, I hasten to add) are taking this achievement after visiting a geohash using a Google maps aerial view print-out instead of a GPS. I suspect most are doing this because they don't *own* a gps. And that's fine -- people should be able to geohash without having to buy gadgets, if they can, and if they wish to. But really, what's the point of having an award for that? I think the spirit of the No Batteries award is to do what a few people have done (such as NCBears in their 2009-01-03 36 -77 expedition) and find the hash point using map, compass, tape measure, etc. Should the award be changed? Should another award -- the primitive navigational technology geohash achievement? :) -- be created? What do others think? -- Benjw 15:34, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

I understand exactly what you mean. There are three options:

1. leave it the way it is and allow people to chose the extent to which they embrace the spirit of the award
2. grandfather the people who have taken it with Google Maps consultation, but rewrite it to disallow any use of Google Maps, including the peeron tool. After receiving the raw coordinates, winners will have consulted only paper maps.
3. leave it as it is for an easy achievement non-GPS-owning beginners can get, but create a new one as you suggest

I'm okay with #1, think #2 could cause problems because so many people have it, and I would support a thoroughly worded #3. You'd have to specifically forbid the technique of going to the approximate coordinates and then just walking over to where the people you are meeting are. You would need a rule for checking the accuracy of the primitive navigation: if the person carried a GPS and turned it on when s/he arrived, how close does s/he have to be? If the geohasher doesn't bring a GPS at all what verification method should be used? What kind of proof of navigational method would be needed? If you create a proposal page, move this paragraph over to the talk page. -Robyn 19:09, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Others with GPS leave a marker

Just came to my mind, as I thought of my 2009-10-18 52 13 geohash. I didn't use a GPS and didn't even need Google maps for more than a rough approximation, because others (with GPS) had been there earlier and left a marker. Eligible or not?! --HiroProtagonist 21:59, 10 February 2010 (UTC)

From the wording, I don't see why not. -- relet 22:30, 10 February 2010 (UTC)