geocaching
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'Destiny 2' puzzle leads to a real-world reward
Bungie is well-known for including cryptic references in its games, but it's not often those references lead to real-world gains. A massive team of gamers investigating an area in Destiny 2's new Warmind expansion decoded an elaborate cipher puzzle that, in the end, produced a message with geographical coordinates in upstate New York (conveniently, near the home of Warmind developer Vicarious Visions). That, in turn, led to a very tangible prize that included not only coins (one for each person who visits), but a life-size replica of the Valkyrie weapon from the game -- the only example you'll find outside of Bungie and Vicarious Visions.
Server capacity delayed Japanese 'Pokémon Go' launch
Pokémon Go may be a smash hit in the US, Canada, UK, New Zealand and about 20 other countries -- but did you know that nobody is playing the game in the Japan? It's not for want of trying. Despite being the franchise's homeland, Pokémon Go still isn't available to Japanese users. What's the deal? According to Niantic's CEO, Japan's servers just aren't good enough to handle the game.
Dear Veronica: Geocache hunting and cord killing
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-595677{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-595677, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-595677{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-595677").style.display="none";}catch(e){} This week, we're having fun with geocaching! Are you a fan of these urban treasure hunts? If you want to learn more about the geocache I mention in the video, head over here and happy hunting! We also welcome Tom Merritt back on the show to talk about places where you can find amazing content after you've finally cut that cord. Speaking of great content, I share my favorite podcasts for your listening pleasure! Just make sure you subscribe and watch mine first. Keep sending in those questions on Twitter using #DearVeronica, or via email! See you next time.
Geocaching: A fun and high-tech way for kids to learn
It's back to school time, which of course means that the kiddos are gearing up to fill their brains with all sorts of new things. Parents who are looking for ways to keep the kids entertained -- yet still learning -- on weekends, after school and on vacations need look no further than their iPhones and the Geocaching app (US$9.99). Geocaching is all about trying to find containers called caches that have been craftily hidden by others. Some of those containers only hold logbooks for you to sign, while others contain swap items. When someone hides a cache, they give it a name, determine the precise location of the cache using the GPS receiver in their iPhone, and then upload that information to the Geocaching.com website. Other geocachers in an area can attempt to find the hidden cache by using the app to determine what caches are nearby, then looking at maps to determine the rough area where the cache is hidden. It sounds simple, but many caches are truly hidden in plain site and are ridiculously hard to find. Once you've finally found a cache, you sign the logbook, add a swap item (if applicable) and take one with you, then upload your find to the Geocaching.com website. If you're not sure if geocaching sounds like a lot of fun, you can always try out the free Geocaching Intro app, which "guides you through the adventure of finding your first few geocaches." So, it sounds like a big game, right? Well, your kids can end up learning a lot by playing this "game": Map reading: To find their way to a nearby geocache, your kids will need to figure out how to read a map. Figuring out where they currently are and how to get to a cache isn't always as easy as walking in a straight line, so they'll have to be able to "see" geological features like streams, lakes, trees, marshes, cliffs and more, and try to avoid them. Oh, and you can also teach them about things like longitude and latitude while you're at it. GPS and satellites: Your kids are going to get their current position from the Global Positioning System (GPS) constellation of satellites. What better way to get them interested in what makes GPS tick, how satellites stay in orbit, how satellites are launched, and more than to tie geocaching and GPS together? Geography: Caches are hidden all over the world. Have a family vacation planned to somewhere exotic? Have the kids do some pre-trip planning on caches to find that are within a reasonable walk of your stopping points for the night. Biology: Many caches are located in parks, fields and wooded areas, although you'll find a lot of them in urban areas, too. But this is a perfect opportunity to have some fun with biology. How many different species of birds can your kids find? What insects are common in the area? Are there any poisonous snakes that might be hiding near the cache? What kind of trees, grasses, and other plants are in the area? Camouflage: Have an artsy kid or two? Have them look into the art of camouflage, how to make something disappear into its surroundings. They can help create a cache, then find a place to hide it and get the coordinates so that it can be added to almost 2.5 million active caches. The list goes on and on, and is limited only by the imagination of the parent -- or educator -- who uses geocaching as a springboard for getting kids interested in a variety of subjects.
App lets you attach digital messages to real-world objects... for fun?
For those who don't know, Project Tango is a Google-built prototype smartphone jam packed with Kinect-like 3D sensors and components. One of Mountain View's software partners involved in the project, FlyBy Media, has built what it's calling the first consumer app capable of utilizing Tango's image recognition skills to... chat with friends. Dubbed FlyBy, the app allows users to share text and videos messages by attaching them to a real-world object; like a menu at your favorite restaurant or collectible from your honeymoon. Recipients are notified once they're in close proximity, then they need only to scan said object and voila, message received. While the concept isn't new -- or popular... yet -- the company believes that this time people will catch on. Just think of it as geocaching your conversations. That could be fun, right?
The Silent History e-book requires iPhone, iPad users to travel
The Silent History is not your typical science fiction e-book. It's a serial narrative from Eli Horowitz and Russell Quinn that uses geocaching to add to the story line. The ability to discover additional information about the plot from clues in your local environment sets The Silent History apart from other e-books and makes it incredibly interesting. The e-book tells the story of children who are born silent, but possess powerful skills. It's narrated via daily updates called testimonials. Each update gives you a glimpse into the characters as the story unfolds over the course of a year. Besides testimonials, the e-book also includes field reports, which can only be read in specific geographic locations. These field reports can be found in alleys, buildings and include other small items in our surroundings. One reviewer describes finding a field report when she passed by a name carved into a cement sidewalk. The first wave of field reports were created by the makers of the book, and they have invited fans to contribute their own narration for the the next round of field reports. The Silent History is available for free from the iOS App Store, but you will need to purchase the volumes in order to read the book. You can buy all the volumes (1-6) for US$8.99 or try out the e-book by purchasing just volume 1 for $1.99. If you decide you like it, you can then buy volumes 2-6 for $7.99.
Soapbox: In defense of achievements
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. I've heard all the arguments before, trust me. Achievements are a waste of space. They're frivolous, meaningless numbers -- a Skinner Box within a Skinner Box for the weak-willed. They can be far too spammy. And then there's that hoary chestnut: They take precious development time that could be used for better purposes from something you personally want. Achievements are a blight upon our games, binding us to the most base of gamer crowds, the yokels on Xbox Live. We should cast off the chains of achievement oppression and live as free men, women, and Elves once more! OK, enough with the histrionics. Many of these points come down to personal preference, and that's impossible to refute. You like what you like, and I like what I like. Still, I'd disagree that the overall notion of achievements is useless. In fact, I fully embrace them in my gameplay and hope that they stick around for a good long while.
The Game Archaeologist: Richard Garriott's haunted cache
Whenever you get really into a new hobby, it's natural to want to blab about it to anyone who drifts into your gravitational field. That's why we all talk about MMOs, right? It's also why any friends, family members, and coworkers have had to put up with excited rambling about my discovered love for Geocaching. Some of you probably know Geocaching, as it's been around for over a decade now. For those of you who haven't, it's a worldwide treasure hunt that involves over a million and a half "caches" of various sizes that are hidden and then marked with GPS coordinates. Players head to the official site or one of the open-source projects to get the coordinates and go hunting for them. There's a useful two-minute introduction to this hobby on YouTube if you're curious. I noted on our Massively Speaking podcast that Geocaching has a lot in common with MMOs: Both encourage questing and exploration, both have treasure to be found, and both plug you into a community of adventurers. Listener Terrence heard this and send in an email with an interesting revelation that ties these two hobbies even closer together, as a game developer brought his online world to a real-world location. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you Richard Garriott's haunted cache.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: i-oniq hybrid, spherical solar cell and an incredible LEGO printer
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. This week epic green transportation initiatives kicked off around the world as Inhabitat reported that Shenzhen, China launched the world's largest electric vehicle fleet and London's brand new Eco-Routemaster hybrid bus hit the streets for the first time. We also showcased an earthquake-proof Japanese building system capable of levitating an entire house, and we brought you sneak peeks at the hottest eco vehicles that will be unveiled at next week's Geneva Motor Show, including Hyundai's sexy i-oniq hybrid and Infiniti's Emerg-E plug-in. Audi also turned heads with its souped-up R18 E-Tron Quattro hybrid Le Mans racer, and Perave's 350 MPGe MonoTracer electric motorcycle hit the market.It was also a bright week for renewable energy with a revolutionary spherical solar cell capable of capturing light from all directions, and Austria Solar sending out a "sun-powered" annual report that only appears when exposed to sunlight. Meanwhile, we said goodbye to the polluting energy technology of the past as Midwest utilities shuttered 10 fossil fuel-powered plants and the world's oldest nuclear reactor closed up shop in the UK. Brilliant designers also chased away dark winter days with a sunflower-shaped heliostat that can flood any house with natural light and a cheap, photovoltaic Little Sun lamp for the developing world.Green tech also wired the world in exciting new ways as the Smithonian Institute announced plans to replicate and share its collection with the world using 3D printing tech and a 14-year-old boy invented an incredible LEGO printer. We also watched HP launch an all-in-one workstation that pops open for easy DIY upgrades and repairs, while Huawei unveiled a soaring Pegasus sculpture made from 3,500 smartphones. Last but not least we brought you a look at Google's new Terminator-style augmented vision goggles, and we shared a fun tutorial on geocaching with your children.
Tomb Raider to be promoted with real world geocaching treasure hunt
Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics have announced a partnership with Geocaching.com to promote Tomb Raider. What's geocaching, you ask? Essentially, it's a modern day form of treasure hunting, in which participants use GPS to uncover "geocaches" hidden across the globe by other enthusiasts. Later this year, the promotion promises "a series of unique location-based adventures" in the spirit of Lara's own lust for precious artifacts. The promotion will use a combination of Geocaching.com's own app and "a photo-based adventure project" called Geocaching Challenges from Groundspeak.com. Presumably, would-be tomb raiders will be hunting for objects related to Lara and her adventures, though there's no hint as to what these treasures will be -- we can only hope that scions are involved.
Nominate your favorite iPhone navigation app for TUAW's Best of 2011
During December and January, The Unofficial Apple Weblog is soliciting your nominations and votes for the best products for Mac, iPhone/iPod touch, and iPad. We'll start with nominations in a category, and then tally your votes for the top-nominated products a few days later. The winner in each category receives the highly-coveted title of TUAW Best of 2011. Today's category for nominations in the TUAW Best of 2011 awards is iPhone navigation apps. These are the apps that give you turn-by-turn directions as you make your way around town, and they've been getting better as time goes by. Perhaps you are a fan of the free crowdsourced nab app Waze, which has a 4 out of 5 star rating on the App Store with over 29,000 user reviews. Or maybe you love the TomTom U.S.A. app ($39.99) with its ability to guide you with celebrity voices (Homer Simpson, anyone?). GPS by TeleNav is another popular and free navigation app, and there's always the MotionX GPS Drive app ($0.99, with one year of Voice Guidance for $9.99). Maybe you're a geocacher who doesn't care about getting from point A to point B, but you do want to find all of the caches in your area with the official Geocaching app ($9.99). And then there's always Navigon, with a host of features like in-app purchases of Zagat information. TUAW wants to hear from you -- what's your favorite iPhone navigation app? Leave your nomination in the comments below. Voting will start soon! Nominations close at 11:59 PM ET on December 22, 2011.
5 apps for geocaching
Although I'm much more likely to spend a lovely summer day with my butt glued to the chair working on a new TUAW post, I do enjoy the sport/hobby/game of geocaching. If you're not familiar with the term, geocaching is defined as "a global treasure hunting game where participants locate hidden physical containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share their experience online." When I first started geocaching, smartphones didn't exist so I'd print out a map, grab my Garmin GPS, and head out to the field. For the last few years, there has been a boom in iPhone apps for geocaching. Here are five apps to help you enjoy finding those hidden caches. Geocaching Intro (Free) GroundSpeak is the company that runs the Geocaching.com website, the world's largest repository of geocache location information with over 1,450,000 active caches listed. As a for-profit organization, Groundspeak has a vested interest in getting new members into the hobby. The app is a way to get you hooked on geocaching by letting you find three geocaches near your current location, provide you with the requisite coordinates, hints, and description, and help you navigate to the cache. A bonus is that the app alerts you when you're getting close to the cache location by vibrating and making a sound. It's a wonderful and free app for deciding whether or not geocaching captures your attention. Geocaching ($9.99) If that free intro got you hooked, you may want to graduate to a Geocaching.com premium account so that you get access to some special caches and features that aren't open to the general public. The official Geocaching app was the first caching app for the iPhone, and it has improved over the years to become the tool for finding and reporting caches. The feature set is incredible. Over a 3G data connection you can pick up information about any of the caches worldwide, log your finds, save listings for offline use (helpful in backcountry caching), navigate to caches with a compass arrow, browse photo galleries and cache attributes, and more. You'll even know if you've been to a cache before or if a cache is currently inactive. Since I've had this app, I haven't had to print out maps and I sold my old Garmin GPS. The app and iPhone work great together, although you'll probably want to have an external battery pack on hand while caching. %Gallery-128899% Garmin OpenCaching (Free) OpenCaching is a user-powered caching community started by GPS giant Garmin earlier this year. While the database of caches is only a small fraction of those available through Geocaching.com, the ability to have access to all services for free and a novel graphical method of providing a rating for caches seem to be resonating with some cachers. For free, it's well worth the time to download. Geocaching with Geosphere ($7.99) If you're not happy with the Geocaching app but would like to use the GPX "Pocket Query" files that can be generated with a Premium membership on Geocaching.com, the Geocaching with Geosphere might be the answer. Geocaching with Geosphere reads GPX and LOC files, and can import multiple GPX files that have been compressed into a ZIP archive. It displays a compass showing the direction to the cache you're seeking, can store description information and images for offline viewing, and let you create field notes to upload as log entries later. If you're online, you can access satellite images showing cache locations, or create a GPX file on the fly. Geocaching Toolkit iGCT (Free) Geocaching Toolkit won't help you get to a cache directly, but it could help you with the more advanced "multi-caches". Many times, multi-caches involve complicated puzzles, calculations, or finding a point using distances and bearings. That's what Geocaching Toolkit iGCT is for: making waypoint and text calculations, decrypting hints in geocache listings, and more. For cachers who are well beyond the "dash and grab" type of easy geocaches, Geocaching Toolkit is a must-have. Finally, I'd like to close out this post with a recommendation for a podcast that has been one of my favorites for years. The PodCacher podcast has been around for years (the last show was number 328), and is the product of a San Diego couple, Sonny and Sandy. It's highly recommended for anyone who enjoys geocaching, and you can subscribe here.
Garmin announces redesigned line of eTrex GPS handhelds with enhanced geocaching
Lost hikers and outdoorsmen will soon have yet another arrow to add to their navigational quivers, now that Garmin has decided to upgrade its eTrex line of GPS handhelds. The refresh, announced this morning, will bring three new models to the eTrex family during the third quarter of this year. First up is the eTrex 10 -- a basic, $120 little guy that carries a global database of locations, as well as a monochrome display that can be read under the sun. The $200 eTrex 20, on the other hand, displays images in 65k color on a 2.2-inch screen and can support topographic, roadway and marine maps. At the high end of the spectrum is the eTrex 30 ($300), which offers all the features you'll find on the eTrex 20, plus a tilt-compensated electronic compass, barometric altimeter and wireless data transfer capabilities. All three models allow users to download geocached information directly to their devices and boast a lengthy 25-hour battery life -- giving you plenty of time to find your bearings before calling in the rescue squad. Full PR after the break.
Nixie tube reverse geocache box makes us long for the 80s, our very own spy card
This reverse geocache box reminds us of something out of Mission: Impossible -- the second-run of the TV series, not that dreadful Tom Cruise franchise -- only it won't self-destruct in five minutes. It will, however, unlock when it reaches a pre-programmed location. Like the Deluxe Reverse Geocache, this box gives its holder a mission should they choose to accept: use the display to find the box's final resting spot. Unlike its predecessor, this one uses three nixie tubes, not an LCD screen, to track the box's distance from its destination. A built-in Arduino GPS sensor does all the tracking, and a servo motor pops the top when triggered. The refashioned French army medical box operates off of three D-cells, and can do about 600 GPS fixes before powering down. We're definitely fond of this throw-back treasure chest, we just wish it had a built-in audio player for bumping the MI theme. Yeah, we said it.
The Tattered Notebook: Eleven ways to ring in 2011
The stockings might be stretched and frayed from being stuffed with presents, and the Frostfell tree might be shedding all over your Halasian home, but that doesn't mean the celebration is over! While the holidays are winding down, things are hopping in EverQuest II. If you're looking to dodge those post-holiday blues, look no further! I've composed a list of fun things to do in EQII during the month of January, and all are doable no matter what your level. Read below for a look at 11 for '11, and ring in the New Year in EverQuest II.
Garmin launches OpenCaching community, pushes caching closer to the mainstream
What's that? You've never heard of caching? For shame! In all seriousness, we're surmising that quite a few of you out there may have overlooked this up-and-coming jewel of recreation, but Garmin's doing its darnedest to change that. The GPS maker has just opened up a new online community at OpenCaching.com, hailed "a completely free online community for creating, sharing and finding geocaches around the world." For those out of the loop, caching is akin to a sophisticated game of hide-and-seek, where individuals download GPX files and then head out on adventures that'll lead them to various surprises and / or treasures. A two-month old honey bun, an original script from Step Brothers, or maybe even a sealed bag of Deutsche Marks from last century -- you know, things of that sort. The site even lets users rank the 'Awesomeness' in addition to size, terrain and difficulty, and while it's obviously hosted by Garmin, it's platform agnostic in nature. Head on over if you're looking to blaze a few trails over the holiday break.
Garmin's $23 Chirp wireless beacon brings geocaching thrills to Oregon, Dakota GPS units
Looking for an avenue to join millions of others in geocaching, eh? We know, there's hardly a better way to spend a weekend than by playing a sophisticated game of hide-and-seek, and Garmin's right there with us. If you, like it, are stuck in Kansas with nary a Jayhawk game in sight, this here pebble is the answer to all of your boredom woes. The Chirp is a wireless beacon that's designed to work with any compatible wireless-enabled Garmin handheld (the Oregon, Dakota and the recently announced GPSMAP handhelds are mentioned by name), and once you've set it up to cooperate with your device, it'll automatically transmit program coordinates so other cachers can find each stage of your multicache -- it's touch-and-go in its simplest form. The whole thing measures just 1.3- x 0.9-inches, weighs under an ounce and can be had for just $22.99. So yeah, good luck sticking to Segway polo with an offer like that. Update: Video after the break!
Safari extension highlight: Better Geocaching
Although I don't get a chance to do as much geocaching as I'd like to, I still check the Geocaching.com cache maps on occasion to see what's new in the area. Usually, I do this by checking with the US$9.99 Geocaching app, but sometimes I find myself logging into the Geocaching.com website to do my searching. Carlos Fonseca has developed a nice Safari extension that smooths out the rough edges on the Geocaching.com site. Better Geocaching, as the extension is called, adds two features when you're visiting Geocaching.com. First, a click on the View Map link immediately displays a fullscreen map instead of the usual partial page map. The second feature adds a Tweet This button near the cache code on the description page, so you can share your find with friends. The extension is also supposed to revert the map back to normal view by clicking a Better Geocaching button, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find that button. Fortunately, the Safari Extensions Gallery includes links to developer pages, so I quickly determined that that button was simply a small arrow in the upper right corner of the fullscreen map. The extension adds nothing to your toolbar and works silently behind the scenes. If you're a geocacher who uses Safari, you'll definitely want to head out to the Safari Extensions Gallery and install Better Geocaching.
Deluxe Reverse Geocache is reusable, really awesome
You're familiar with geocaching, right? One person hides a "cache" somewhere in the world and hands out the coordinates; the first person to locate it via GPS wins. How about the "reverse geocache"? This one is a little more difficult to get together: you have to design a box of some sort that contains the necessary hardware to enable it to be opened only at a certain GPS coordinate. You hand the dude your box, and they traipse around the woods until they get to the right spot and the box opens. Well, the operator of the imakeprojects.com website has developed a little something called the "Deluxe Reverse Geocache," a locked, electronically enhanced Pelican case that unlike other reverse geocaches, is designed to be reprogrammed and reused after completing its journey. But that's not all! It also gives the user hints regarding the desired location, along with a limited number of attempts to solve the puzzle -- after which the player is downgraded to one attempt per hour. Want to play? Hit the source link for all the details. Happy hunting!
Geocaching Version 4.0 features UI redesign and new functions
As a longtime fan of the pastime of geocaching, I've been following the evolution of the official Groundspeak Geocaching app (US$9.99) since the painful early days. With the release of Geocaching version 4.0 yesterday, it appears that Groundspeak has raised the bar with a new design and additional features. If you're not familiar with geocaching, it's a location-based hobby where you seek caches (usually small containers with a logbook and goodies inside) based on hints, latitude and longitude coordinates, and a keen eye. You can also hide caches for others to find. GroundSpeak has a free Geocaching Intro app available if you're interested in learning about the hobby but don't want to make the $10 investment in the full app. So what's new in Geocaching v.4? A lot. The user interface has been redesigned to make it much more streamlined. I found that actions that formerly took a number of screen taps are now usually no more than one or two taps away. Although I'm not fond of long lists of features, there's no other way to show all of the additions and improvements: -- Google Maps integration (now have choice of Google Maps, Bing, or OpenStreetMap) -- Ability to take photos and submit them with geocache logs -- Ability to submit logs for trackable items such as geocoins and travel bugs -- A logs tab with displays of pending and sent logs -- Better reliability downloading pocket queries -- Online / offline indicator -- GPS acquisition status and location display -- Listen to iPod app during caching -- Support for home location (specified in geocaching.com user profile) -- Notepad for every geocache listing -- View any list of caches on map -- View trackables inventory Geocaching 4 has not been specifically rewritten for iOS 4 or the iPhone 4, so if you want to see the map graphics in all of their glory on your Retina Display, you're out of luck. A few screenshots of the revised app are included in the gallery below. %Gallery-96979%
