Geocaching

It's like archaeology but not old and someone tells you where the artifacts are (and still you can't find it sometimes!). Geocaching: the world is our playing field. Yeah I know it's dorky but it's the fun kind of dorky and you get to play outside and look for treasure. There are worse cults to belong to I suppose, plus you can limit your dorkiness to a minimum by not getting super intense about the whole thing. Just remember that every outing doesn't have to turn into an excuse to geocache and just because a new cache goes up on the website at 3am doesn't mean you have to go out and find it at that time! Yeesh! However, it is kind of interesting and fun to know that these things are cleverly (or less cleverly) hidden all over the place and only a few people know about it.

Geocaching has been around for 8 years now, the very first geocache was placed on May 3, 2000, just 2 days after the removal of Selective Availability from the Global Positioning Sytem. The improved accuracy of the GPS allowed for a small container to be specifically placed and located by the public. While geocaching is generally harmless it has sometimes caused problems for local law enforcement, bomb scares and such, when geocachers fail to clearly identify their caches or when they are caught acting shifty. It's a fine line between trying not to tip off "Muggles" (geocaching slang for people who don't geocache - dorkiness clue#1) as to the locations of caches and looking like drug dealers/terrorists. Case in point: the 24-hour geocaching event participated in by a large group of geocachers in Saskatoon this weekend. We were alright during the day but from about 11pm to 4am I am pretty surprised we weren't stopped and questioned. I guess we don't make a very threatening picture even if we are skulking in the bushes in deserted parks at 2am. On the whole I would say great time and I would totally do it again.

Here is a good glossary of terms with all the common abbreviations. Check out geocaching.com if you are curious about geocaches in your area. Join the cult! One of us! One of us!



Above:View from near the first cache we found on our 24hour geocaching odyssey.

ipawd and itoonz

I finally broke down and got myself an ipod. It's a 80 gig iPod video classic. That's it on the left. It is about as thick as a CD case and about 2/5 the size. I also got the protective cover to the right (surprise surprise) which just came today (I bought it off eBay, I was worried it wouldn't come but it did! Huzzah! I don't think I like eBay though, too much stress). I know iPods are very bandwagon-y but I looked into it and there literally is nothing that comes close in terms of size. There are other mp3 players on the market that can match the nano or the shuffle but Apple is the ground breaker when it comes to big memory in a small package (it's only 20 gigs smaller than my laptop!). There are a lot of features to go with it and it is very user friendly. I had already switched to iTunes (because Windows Media Player pissed me off one too many times!) so that wasn't a thing, even though I was reluctant to do it at first I find it works better and it organizes the music and album art automatically. Good times.


Useful links (there are a few problems/mousetraps with iPods associated primarily with the man trying to keep us all down but nerds have come up with programs/mice to solve most of these problems):
Convert mp3s to ipod audiobook files
Alternate platforms to iTunes (in case you want to fight the power)
Free games for your iPod
Rip DVD movies for your iPod
Convert video files to iPod video
Get files off of your iPod or backup your iPod.
Some other applications here and here.

p.s. I also got a FM transmitter and car adapter. It plugs into the cigarette lighter hole and you can set the radio station to whatever you want and play the iPod through your car stereo. Screw you areas of Saskatchewan with no radio! Ha!

My new baby

This is my new Olympus Stylus 7.1MP Waterproof Digital Camera (770SW). It is shockproof up to 5ft and I can take pictures in the rain (or underwater). The instructions even recommend that you immerse it in water if it gets dirty! See, I wanted an indestructable camera because, you know, besides being accident prone I work in the field. Anyway, the salesguy picked up the display camera of this and smashed it on the counter! Cool stuff. They even knocked $50 off but it was because he wanted me to buy the 4 year warranty. Also it takes video and has really good macro even if the zoom could be better. I brought it with me to do my helicopter work and I was pleased. And of course, cameras are better with the Simpsons (this time in italiano, no more english Simpsons for you).The guys who run this blog are pretty funny, in their profile they have an audio clip of them singing the "Oh Mindy" song. Hahaha, those wacky Italians.

What an age we live in!

Ahh the webcam! What a wonderful invention! I recently purchased the model pictured to the right. It is a Logitech QuickCam® Communicate STX with 640 x 480 VGA quality and RightLight™ technology (which provides improved image clarity in low light) and integrated microphone with RightSound™ technology (about $50). This is the most StarTrek-esque piece of technology I have (aside from my cellphone/communicator but everyone has those so it isn't as neat). In essence I have a video phone now and it is free (all you need is an internet connection). Truly we are in the golden age of communications. I know that it kind of looks like a borg appendage of some sort but it isn't scary once you accept it (resistance is futile). If my Mom can figure it out then anyone can (no offense Mom but you definitely have a Mom-level of techno-savy). I had lunch with her the other day and she lives in BC (for those of you who aren't clear, that means free long distance too).

Now, there are some naysayers out there who apparently find some sort of creepiness factor in videoconferencing. Well yeah obviously there is if you are a voyeur or worse if you don't know the camera is on you. I suppose the issue comes down to privacy and control, anyone would feel violated if they new someone was watching them without their knowledge (but that sort of thing was around long before the webcam and has to do with deeply ingrained prey instincts). However, my webcam has a nice feature, an attached privacy screen that you slide over the lens, like putting on a lenscap. I think we will be safe as long as we remember that we in fact can turn the technology off if we want to. End of story. So embrace the novelty and the fact that now we can be just a little bit closer to our loved ones far away.

Cellphones and the like

Look at my shiny new cell phone! I am all about the jumping on bandwagons lately it seems, first cell phones then blogs. The acquisition of the phone was due to a combination of factors including my old shared phone becoming "unreliable" and the random mangling of various friends. I have therefore determined that cellphones are not the devil, but text messaging still is (even though it turns out I have that too). Especially the comercials that want you to text them and then they will send you a "yo mamma" joke or love advice or something stupid every day and charge you like a dollar per message. What kind of morons do that?! Wow, that started off OK but went to a bit of a bad place at the end there. Here, I'll put something funny to even it out:



I'm hoping the new free wireless access in Saskatoon will also include my new apartment (wherever that ends up being).