Monday, February 23, 2009

Wikipedia Updates

I have chosen to update the poorly represented Fort Carlton Wikipedia entry.

The link to the updated file is as follows: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Carlton

To see the "before" version, please send me an email at mrhyland@me.com, as I can't figure out how to publish the .pdf on this blog.

Read the Rest!

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Treasure Hunting

Are you looking for something to get you out of the house? Needing something more exciting than endless readings? Looking for a way to get some exercise, but don't want to tell your friends that you go "walking"? Do you like searching for hidden treasure? I've got JUST the new adventure for you.

Cue the Indiana Jones music.


This new sport is called Geocaching.


Much like Indiana Jones, you must use all of your stealth, creativity, and treasure hunting skills to search the globe, or your own community for "geocaches". By logging on to the www.geocaching.com website, you gain access to the over 730 000 caches that are currently hidden around the globe. A quick search reveals that there are 10 in close proximity, or actually on the U of S campus, and 419 within 40 kms of my house.

419 treasure-hunting opportunities. To someone like me, who grew up pretending to be Indiana Jones, and who currently is staching a legitimate Indiana Jones hat in his closet, waiting for the appropriate time to bring it out, this was a very exciting discovery.

The process is quite simple. First you need a computer with internet access. Log on to the website to find a "cache" near you. Second, print off the cache description and coordinates. (If you are lucky enough to have an iPod touch or iPhone, there are applications that you can download to store all of this on your iPhone to save trees) Now, you need your GPS. Match the coordinates on the cache description to the coordinates on your GPS. Once in the location you must use your wits to figure out where the cache could be. Sometimes it's obvious. Sometimes it's not. It's all part of the fun.

Check it out on the World Wide Web, grab your GPS, your coat, and your sense of adventure and get out there. Who knows, the nearest cache might be in your own backyard.


Read the Rest!