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Show them that they can use computers to make everything in their life more interesting and fun.

Go geo-caching! I don't do it myself, but I have a friend who's a new father and he says it's a great way to get the family outdoors.

Fire up googlemaps and track down your target, let them type waypoints into the computer, upload them into the GPS and go hunting. Take pictures, upload the pictures into the computer, make an album.

Then track your Geo-caching offerings online, keep a database of where that toy truck you put into a box near your house ends up (geo-caching uses encrypted serial ID's so that you can follow your contributions as they move around the world). Then get a (real)globe and put pushpins into it to chart its progress.

In short, break down the barriers between the real world and the information world. Let him/her see that it's all one big world, computers and the outside rolled into one.

I am in nearly the same situation as you are since my son is currently 9 months old. Introduce technology that encourages your child to go outdoors. One thing I plan on doing with my child when he is old enough is Geocaching. I will show him how to use a computer to pick out various geocaches, map them out, and research the areas. Once we've done that, I'll show him how to use GPS to hunt down the geocache. The end result is that my son will learn a bit of technology and we'll spend quality time in nature instead of in front of a computer screen or television. I think the important thing is to foster a love of nature in your child before he/she discovers the entertainment value of a game console or a PC.

obviously balance is key. i think the downfall we will see is crappy parenting more than the evils of technology. too may parents are too busy, just suck or are too paranoid and would rather the kids are in the den with a playstation then outside with kidnappers and drugs and terrorists.

i think most kids WANT to play outdoors. the thing is to find something THEY like. for example if you keep trying to play baseball and the kid would really rather ride a bike, they are going to resist. kids generally have an abundance of energy and if they don't get that out, they will end up overweight and/or medicated for having no attention span in the classroom.

if the kids show too much interest in technology you can always work that into outdoor fun. something like http://www.geocaching.com/ is total nrrd fun, and requires leaving the house and poking around.

i guess as much as i was not outdoors, i was not sitting in front of video games or a computer. i was taking things apart and making things. that seems to be lost on a lot of young kids today. the nerdlier ones are more likely to be computer kids. they will look up something online instead of taking things apart to see how they work. hopefully things like Make Magazine will spark a resurgence in DIY gadgetry? that seems to be vital to mechanical creativity. it's like reading about how to ride a bike instead of getting one one and doing it.

Who cares about satellites thrown into orbit from the window of the iss...

I wanna see a geocache thrown into orbit from the window of the iss!

You just found a great way to implement GeoCaching in this whole thing!

Great work!

I have bought many items over the years from Amazon as I'm always relatively pleased with their prices and ALWAYS pleased with their service... Just yesterday I purchased a new GPS for myself. Being an avid geocacher I am always upgrading my GPSr to make my life a little easier.

This particular upgrade wasn't just for geocaching but more for actual navigating. My fiancé needed to use autorouting to get around town with her sister dress shopping and autorouting would be the best way. What a great excuse for me to plop down $430 on a new GPS!

Ok, so I do some research with froogle and some of the other price watching sites and check Amazon just for kicks. They of course weren't showing me their price on the site so I add it to my cart to find out that it's $499.99 for the GPSMap76C. Eh, for kicks I check out the price on their 76CS (usually $75+ more than the C). I find it on sale for $428 and free STANDARD SAVER shipping. Estimated arrival sometime after the 10th and before the 15th.

With prices for shipping starting at $7.65 and me not really needing this for the fiancé until the end of February I took the free shipping. I am THRILLED I did. Last night I received word that even though Amazon.com original claimed the device wouldn't even ship until the 4th it was already out the door and en-route to me. This morning I check and find that the estimated ARRIVAL time from UPS is the 4th of February.

For no additional cost I just got 3-day shipping via UPS.

I guess Amazon's "Prime" service could be useful for families that order more than 7 items from Amazon yearly but don't spend enough to get the freebie shipping. I really can't imagine it paying off for many others but I am glad I held off on upgrading the shipping this time :)

1) Augmented memory. No more forgetting names or passwords.

Actually, mnemonic techniques give you that, you know, like those 'memory man' guys that can remember the names of the entire audience? That's how they do that.

2) Direct connect to the net

I already have that :-)

- the ability to check GPS to figure out what I might be looking at,

Geocaching and it's kin?

or the apocryphal doing google searches when asked a question would be very useful.

I used to do that in audio conference meetings, I would sit at my desk and be online at the same time. Really cool.

No geocaching for you!

Or you could just go to MAPTECH and find out "close enough" what your Lat & Lon is for any WX program. Surprise... it's accurate enough to play some geocaching - I found a cache near my house w/o any GPS using it.

I have two teenagers and I had this problem too.

We got a family Christmas present of a GPS and I introduced them to Geocaching and we've had many, many fun hours exploring and finding new places. We've even placed a couple caches ourselves.

I downloaded the 7-day trial version, and I have to say, I've had most of my office stopping by my room to check out the absolute coolness of Keyhole.

This product seems extremely useful to me. I'm a geocacher. (if you're a member, my username is "virosa") I have purchased several maps from Garmin, but their maps are fairly expensive (typically $100 or more), and don't have every little dirt trail clearly marked, which are usually what I wind up on eventually. The Keyhole maps may not have every road labelled, but you can visually SEE the dirt trails that are there. This is great for reconning a geocaching location for good ways to approach, and large hazards. After all, that thin line that says "creek" on my GPS may be an unfordable river, or it could be a dry bed. I don't have to guess with Keyhole.

I also like to travel to places that aren't your typical tourist fare. I try to pick one country a year and wander around backpacking for 2 or more weeks. This year was Turkey (OK, it isn't tourist fare for us in the U.S.). Last year was Romania. Garmin GPS maps SUCK for these locations, and for any location that isn't really metropolitan. While the Keyhole software doesn't have any resolution for Turkey (haven't checked Romania yet), the resolution for other backwoods places like Iraq and Afghanistan is remarkable! Places like these would maybe have one airport listed on them with Garmin maps, and here I get tons of detail, including topography!

Which leads me to another cool tie-in. I like first person shooter games. I also like watching current war events in the news. I went to Kumawar's website and learned to combine these two likes. Kumawar offers you missions that are based on recent world events, such as battles in Najaf, Sadr, and the assassination of Sadam's two sons. Kumawar has recreated these locals with real attention to the actual architecture of where these battles took place -- keyhole adds one more level of understanding to what was happening, since I can actually look at Sadr or Najaf and see how all the buildings are positioned. History always kinda bored me. With these two tools, it really cements current events into my mind.

If I'm going somewhere new by car, and I have the address, I used to use a free service like this one so that I could just GPS my way there. Keyhole gives me some more detail.

Did I mention the fact that most of these satellite shots are 6+ years more recent than Microsoft's terraserver images?

Now having said all that, there are a few things that Keyhole really has to work out.

1) No way to enter Lat/Lon coordinates. It will display them, sure, but if I really want to zoom in on 38N 77W, I have to do some tricky stuff with my mouse.

2) Puting in addresses is touchy. I have to say that Puerto Rico is the U.S. It will find "Kirby St", but not "Kirby Street". Little things like that.

3) Many countries have absolutely no resolution. I wanted to show some buddies of mine one of the most amazing sites in Turkey, but the entire country is a blur. Even a huge city like Istanbul has no imagery.

4) Right now, there's no support for any coordinate types other than Decimal degrees and Degrees/minutes/seconds. UTM and MGRS support would R0xx0r.

5) A way to export points of interest onto my GPS would double-r0xx0r.

I still think this is a winner. I'll definately be giving them my $30.

Not exactly. Try "treasure hunt". Someone leaves a stash of something somewhere, and you find it via clues and GPS coordinate "breadcrumbs".

It sort of sounds like a WTF? when you first hear of it, but I found some interesting puzzles and hiked in some areas I never knew existed in my own backyard.

Try going to the Geocaching website to check it out.

No, you're not mapping out the area when you geocache. Geocaching is a lot like searching for buried treasure. Generally, people hide boxes filled with random goodies in somewhat remote locations and post the GPS coordinates (the 'treasure map', basically) to websites like the one above. Then people go find the caches, record that they've been there on a log, and exchange an item in the cache for one they've brought.

If you had permission from the owner of the land on which the cave was built, you could combine geocaching with spelunking ... make it truly a quest for some buried treasure. Just make sure you don't go overboard ... not like the characters in the Knights of the Dinner Table when one of them set up a cache and then decided to defend it (issue 64).

I used to live in Bowling Green, OH and while I was searching around for caches to do in the area (and talking to someone I knew from Toledo) I was directed and half stumbled upon this cache. Basically you need to take pictures from the air of an assigned number. The cache owner didn't particularly care how you accomplished that (whether it was by plane or some more inventive means).

Well, this group did it with helium balloons, ethernet cable, and a webcam. Just as inventive, a lot less solder, and if your picture taking device falls you aren't completely out of luck as it may actually survive the fall.

The only difference I see is that you aren't going to be able to have pictures with the same quality which is certainly a bummer but the coolness/geek factor certainly is way up there :)

I used to live in Bowling Green, OH and while I was searching around for caches to do in the area (and talking to someone I knew from Toledo) I was directed and half stumbled upon this cache. Basically you need to take pictures from the air of an assigned number. The cache owner didn't particularly care how you accomplished that (whether it was by plane or some more inventive means).

Well, this group did it with helium balloons, ethernet cable, and a webcam. Just as inventive, a lot less solder, and if your picture taking device falls you aren't completely out of luck as it may actually survive the fall.

The only difference I see is that you aren't going to be able to have pictures with the same quality which is certainly a bummer but the coolness/geek factor certainly is way up there :)

Thanks for the link to geocaching. I didn't know about this activity. It's fascinating to dig into it.

Isn't this similar to geocaching? Previous /. stories here, here and here.

The official Geocaching website.

Isn't this similar to geocaching? Previous /. stories here, here and here.

The official Geocaching website.

Or you could always GeoCache it.

* Large playing area
* GPS coordinates are mapped
* Public land (hey, the taxpayers _pay_ for it)
* Who knows what goodies are at each site to be traded

Sounds like a good place for some geocaching to me! :)

Maybe it's a Geocaching or other outdoors / technology related activity. Many of the Geocaching organizations reguarily hold events.

Equal time to geocaching.

I know plenty of people that use a handheld and a GPS. Consolidating the number of devices I have to hold when geocaching would be a great thing... I currently have the GPS, a digital camera, and a Sidekick. I sometimes have to bring along other things like a headlamp, etc.

If I could have a reliable GPS unit that was attached to my PDA and it still functioned as well as a handheld one I would love it.

This technique of overlaying GPS trails on maps are the basis of most moving map programs, e.g. Oziexplorer

I recommend Geocahing.com for more fun and games, as well as other games : GPSGames

My little yellow Garmin, my Palm m130 and I keep ourselves quite happy thanks... GPS has quite a following in NZ - GPS.org.nz

Also, I'm a geocacher and used to have a Garmin eTrex GPS. I found that it cut out WAY too often and therefore was inaccurate with distance calculations. Since switching to the Magellan Meridian Platinum, I've never looked back at the Garmin. So, how does the Garmin GPS for jogging fare?

BFD. I routinely get the coordinates for addresses (usually geocaches but sometimes business addressses and residences) and make both standard Mapquest maps and aerial/topo maps of the location. Terraserver is quick and easy to use if you don't have access to some of the scripts out there for this...

How does this have far reaching implications? The information is freely and easily accessible. As databases grow? The information is out there now... It's not exactly as if magazines selling your name/address to others is a new/novel idea. It's been going on for ages.

Perhaps if they had your name and your CURRENT, exact, location on file I would be more concerned...

This is pretty much a twist on the idea of Geocaching. Very cool. I would love to give this a try, especially if I could use a PDA on a 1xRTT network. You would have decent speed and the functionality of the PDA. Give it a few years and we will likely see some amazing stuff!

To go Geocaching!

Its just you (and maybe some friends), no real pressure. Plus its an actual trek (ranges from in-city, to some caches are ones that need Scuba or moutain gear or whatever).

And with geocaching you've just got your GPS, a compass, and maybe a topographic map (if you can get one). None of this fancy cell phones with internet to tell you answers stuff ;-)

Googlecaching!

The sport where the cache searches for YOU!

(Searched for "geocache" within the default radius of my home. No hits.)

Geocaching from my phone. No more printing out paper logs, and I can even log a find from my phone. Cool stuff!

http://rtr.ca/geo

And if you don't know what Geocaching is, try http://www.geocaching.com

If they could bring the price down these would be perfect for Geocaching! I'm drooling at the thought. It would be easy to write some software to allow you to upload a GPX file and then have the unit load all the waypoints and be able to display the cache info. Anyone want to donate $12000 for me to test it?

True, but for the average nerd just using the thing for geocaching, I dont forsee any problems... except maybe complaints of back and foot pain from that thing.. whats it called, uh... exer..cise?

funny... U-Lands, Gopher Munitions the University of Minnesota "bought" this land from the government years ago after it was abandoned, unfinished, after WWII. Multiple parties have been interested in buying the land but have been ignored. So why should this particular "piece of history" be preserved w/o being torn down?

Side note, I visited the unfinished sister version of this structure in Rosemount, MN (see here and here). It's in ruins, covered in graffiti, and is just rotting away.

Why on our dime (the University of Minnesota is a state funded operation mind you...)?

funny... U-Lands, Gopher Munitions the University of Minnesota "bought" this land from the government years ago after it was abandoned, unfinished, after WWII. Multiple parties have been interested in buying the land but have been ignored. So why should this particular "piece of history" be preserved w/o being torn down?

Side note, I visited the unfinished sister version of this structure in Rosemount, MN (see here and here). It's in ruins, covered in graffiti, and is just rotting away.

Why on our dime (the University of Minnesota is a state funded operation mind you...)?

I don't want a dream job...

Dream jobs eliminate the one good thing about life. Vacation. Whether that be on the weekends, your random days off in the middle of the week, or the two weeks you spend lounging in Jamaica.

They don't call work "work" for nothing. If it was fun they would call it Vacation. Work gives me something to look forward to when I don't have to do it. It shouldn't be an escape from your family, it shouldn't be fun, and it certainly be something you overly enjoy...

My enjoyment everyday comes in the form of looking forward to the weekend when I spend my free time geocaching with my friends or myself. If I enjoyed work I would probably be sitting in my office working. What good does that do me?

We are a sad society when we put work in front of our "real lives".

Remember that before you go off in search of the job that you just can't wait to get to everyday. Family, fun, and vacation > work.

BTW - I don't mind my job in the least. I don't complain about it and I don't hate coming to work everyday. I just think it's better to enjoy yourself outside of your job.

I upgraded from the basic Garmin eTrex (aka "Old Yeller") to the Vista model 6 months ago, and it's 100 times better than I expected. I started using my GPS receivers for geocaching and expected the Vista to be an improvement, which it was. However, I use it more frequently when I drive to a new place. With the Mapsource software (about $90 online) I can pretty quickly set up a route from point A to B and it's completely accurate on the road. In fact, it's so accurate that I rarely need to consult a copy of written directions until I get down to a few last minute rapid street turns. The Vista seems comparable in functionality to the GPSMAP 76S.

With that said, however, there's one thing that I would still look for in a new model: autorouting. If you're going to seriously use it for driving, autorouting is a huge help. Without it, you can't easily plan a route away from your computer. Also, once you've downloaded a route into the non-routing GPS, the route displays over the road in a straight line, rather than following the road itself, resulting in a slightly shorter route and a hard to read map. Unfortunately, it looks like only the more expensive models contain autorouting.

Oh, and the Vista has a thumbstick control. That thing rocks. With that in mind, see if you can find a store or someone that will let you hold and try out the GPS before you buy it. The Vista feels very natural to me.

First of all, you should buy a GSPr with built-in mapping. Even for simple A->B uses (like geocaching), having a built-in map is invaluable. For example, a non-mapping GPSr will tell you that point B is 1.5 miles straight ahead. A mapping GPSr will show you that there is a stream and steep canyon straight ahead, and going a less direct route will be much easier. The only downside is cost - a mapping GPSr will cost about $100 more than a non-mapping model, and if you want detailed maps, you'll need additional software (~$100).

For a mapping GPSr, I highly recommend Magellen's SporTrak Pro. It is lightweight, durable, waterproof, and has been reported to be one of the most accurate GPS receivers available. It uses 2 AA batteries and has about a 16 hour battery life (using NiMH batteries). It also has 23MB of non-removable memory, which is enough for all of Southern California + the SF Bay area, for example. Some other receivers have more memory or removable memory cards (e.g. Magellen Meridian), but 23MB is plenty unless you will be travelling long distances with no access to a computer to upload new maps. The unit comes with some maps built in, but to get street level and topo maps, you'll need to buy the $100 MapSend Topo CD-ROM.

The SporTrak Pro also doesn't have a lot of the more gimmicky features, like a color screen, electronic compass, and barometers. All of those are more or less useless and just drain the batteries faster.

The less expensive alternative is a non-mapping GPSr. Look for a used Garmin GPS12 on eBay, or consider its new replacement, the GPS72 for around $150.

Finally, be sure to go to GPSInformation.net. It is an excellent source of information and reviews, and even an article which recommends various GPSr based on price and your needs.

• Etrex Venture
• Pro: Small, lightweight
• Pro: Easy to use
• Con: Does not work indoors
• Con: Put it in your pocket or walk under tree cover, *poof*, no more signal.
• Con: Almost too small of a display to read.
• Con: Joystick can be fragile.

• Magellan Meridian Platinum
• Pro: Can insert MMC cards to store maps, uncluding roads and topo maps
• Pro: Works indoors to some degree and works very well under treecover and in your pocket/backpack.
• Con: A bit larger/bulkier to carry around.
• Pro: Comes with an initial U.S. Map installed.
• Con: Doesn't have a neat "range ring" based on your satellite reception.

YMMV, but those are my observations. My father got an ETrex for Christmas from someone this year, and I told him not to even open the package, return it and get the Meridian. The Etrex's patch antennae works for sh*t in my experience.

Also be sure to check the forums over on Geocaching.com -- this subject has been talked to death there.

1. 5+ MP digital camera to replace the 2MP I dropped which is now taking fuzzy pictures

2. DVD Player that plays DVD+-R/RW and VCDs on both CDR and CDRW.

3. Both seasons of 24 on DVD, Family Guy season 3 on DVD (the divxs just aren't as much fun as the DVDs), and free tickets to LOTR3.

4. Gore-tex hiking boots (not too geeky unless you're a geocacher like me ;)

Give this assignment to the Geocachers. They'd actually ENJOY the work!

I still think Geocaching is more fun.

Its just you (and maybe some friends), no real pressure. Plus its an actual trek (ranges from in-city, to some caches are ones that need Scuba or moutain gear or whatever).

And with geocaching you've just got your GPS, a compass, and maybe a topographic map (if you can get one). None of this fancy cell phones with internet to tell you answers stuff ;-)

-Colin

What an odd bastardization of Geocaching!
Geocaching is exploring for objects other people have hidden using GPS. It's a blast and very addictive.

However, GPS does not send signals... it only receives... How are they going to track people?

Davak

And very useful for GeoCaching.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cac he_details.aspx?ID=36606

in Philadelphia PA:
13th and Chestnut sts.
N 39 57.021 W 075 09.725 ?

in Pittsburgh PA:
Smithfield St. and Oliver Ave.
South Corner nearest Mellon Bank
Oliver Ave Crosswalk
N 40 26.442 W 079 59.890 ?

in Baltimore MD:
By Peabody Conservatory . . . Mt Vernon Pl
N 39 17.832 W 076 36.937 ?

Answering my own question (sort-of) check this out. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx? ID=36606

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx? ID=36606

It is being Geocached!

Perhaps something like this?

here you go:
Geocache