I’ve Been Thunderstruck

Icenrye has posted Episode 29 of the Geocaching Videozine, and it’s a pretty darn good one! Done in his new wide screen format with a shorter episode, Icenrye presents and outstanding video review of the Garmin Colorado 400t done by DarrylW4 of Cache-A-Maniacs. The review is superbly done, and unfortunately ends with an accomplished geocacher taking his new GPSr back to REI for a refund. Why? Check out the videozine and find out!

There is an awesome review of the Garmin Colorado 400t done by xpunkx and Darrylw4 on Episode 44A of the Geocaching Podcast. Darryl has significant time on the Colorado 400t, and walks listeners through the good and the bad of the new unit. Unfortunately, despite all the cool new features it has, it sounds like it’s not quite there yet with respect to geocaching features. I’ll probably wait for v2 of the unit, and keep using my 76CSx…and maybe pick up a 60CS since I hear the prices are going down! If you are at all thinking of getting a Colorado 400t for use in geocaching, I highly recommend you give this podcast a listen.

The post reads "[HOAX] ‘ET’ False Flag Operation to Begin in August [HOAX]," and I’ve got to admit, it’s both engaging and interesting. It’s engaging because of how the post starts…an admission by the original poster (OP) on how the post as a whole was a hoax…contrived as a study on how Internet hoaxes get started. He’s not apologetic in any way, as he believes he gave plenty of clues (which some people caught onto) which would lead an average reader to the conclusion the post was a hoax. If you start from this point in the forum, and read through many of the pages, you can’t help but be amazed by how many people got that it was a hoax, but, on the other hand, how many people bought into the whole thing. I read quite a few pages of the material, and was really quite mesmerized to read replies from people who believed the post in whole, people who weren’t sure what to believe (but wanted to believe), and others who really wanted to believe, but needed proof.

The string overall is interesting because it shows, to me at least, that conspiracy theories are alive and well in the world, and that people truly believe (or want to believe) that aliens from other planets have visited, and continue to visit, Earth. I could have easily followed dozens of related but tangent posts about supposed proof on what the OP had written. Simply amazing stuff.

For a look into the mind of what I believe to be a large segment of the population of the world, click on over to AboveTopSecret.com. There you’ll find theories on aliens, governments, and just about anything else you can think of. Taken with a realistic amount of skepticism, it’s quite interesting reading.

Got this image from Paradice who took my Geocaching Podcast CD Travel Bug with him on a cruise to Asia. Pretty cool!

Stop reading this post. Immediately go to your GPSr and put your contact information either on or in your GPSr.

Go. Do It. Now.

Tonight I was attempting a First To Find on a new micro cache in the area. The listing actually came through around noon, but nobody had logged it by the time I got home from work. The rest of the family was out and not expected back for a couple hours, so I loaded the coords in my GPSr, grabbed a flashlight and my keys, and was out the door.

To sum things up, here is my log entry for “What is that buzzing?”

Well, nobody had claimed FTF in the logs when I got home, so I ran to give it a shot. NWFlyCaster beat me to it, but I got his GPSr as a consolation prize! Imagine my surprise when I hit the area and find a sweet GPSr just laying there waiting for me! After fumbling around in the dark, cold night, looking for the nano, I made the find, signed second place in the log, and then headed to the car to figure out who my great swag belonged to. Fortunately NWFlyCaster has his name and address in his unit, so I was able to track him down and return the unit. All in all a very eventful night! TFTH!

I have yet to leave my GPSr at a cache, but I can see it happening someday. With all the things going on when we look for and find a cache, especially if it’s in the dark, leaving the tool of our trade somewhere doesn’t seem all that improbable. Hopefully the person who finds it is another geocacher, or at least somebody honest. If you have your contact information available, you might just get it back!

If you’ve gotten to this point in the post, and you still haven’t put your contact information on or in your GPSr…seriously, what are you waiting for?

A four man British science team has begun the exploration of an ancient lake hidden deep beneath Antarctica’s ice sheet. The lake, located at a depth of 3.2km below the ice, occupies about 18 square kilometers and has a depth of approximately 105m deep. The lake, because of it’s depth below the ice sheet, is an ideal site for future exploration missions to detect microbial life and recover climate records.

Professor Siegert is already planning the lake’s future exploration. He continues, "Around 150 lakes have been discovered beneath Antarctica’s vast ice sheet and so far little is known about them. Getting into the lake is a huge technological challenge but the effort is worth it. These lakes are important for a number of reasons. For example, because water acts as a lubricant to the ice above they may influence how the ice sheet flows. Their potential for unusual life forms could shed new light on evolution of life in harsh conditions; lake-floor sediments could yield vital clues to past climate. They can also help us understand the extraterrestrial environment of Europa (one of the moons of Jupiter)."

There are numerous other lakes residing beneath the ice sheets of Antarctica, many of which have teams ready to explore them as well. One thing that scientists need to be very aware of is the introduction of microbes from the surface into these lakes, as well as the retrieval of microbes from the lakes themselves. Imagine if a science team exposed the world to a virus that had been living in the lakes for centuries!

How could I forget to blog about the best directory of outdoor recreation links ever?! Since 1995, Outdoor Resources has been helping Internet users, like you, find the greatest links to outdoor recreation web sites possible. You’ll find categories like hiking/camping, fishing, hunting, geocaching, skiing, sailing and more! If it’s an outdoor activity, it’s very likely to have a category. If you don’t see one for your activity…suggest one! So, take a break, head over to Outdoor Resources, and plan your next outdoor adventure!

[Full disclosure : The creator of "I've Been Thunderstruck" is also the creator of Outdoor Resources. Shameless advertising? Yes! But it's my blog!]

Darrylw4 has been playing around with the new Garmin Colorado 400t, and here is a Colorado 400t Review from a very active cacher. Sounds like Garmin has some work to do!

Three great videos from IKEA on why it’s important to keep your house clean and tidy!