Geohashing Conquers the South Pole

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Geohashing Conquers the South Pole

Posted by timothy on Tuesday February 28, 2012 @02:46AM from the another-reason-to-want-to-visit-the-pole dept.

New submitter Kjellander writes "Randall, of xkcd fame, and inventor of Geohashing, has commented on the recent successful expedition of a Globalhash less than 1 km from the Amundsen-Scott research station by 5 brave scientists staying there over winter. The last continent has been conquered and many records broken."

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No comments? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-28 02:56 · Score: 1

People must be frantically looking up exactly what "records" were "broken"
Winter? by Eevee · 2012-02-28 03:01 · Score: 5, Insightful

staying there over winter
It may be cold at the South Pole, but it's Summer there.
1. Re:Winter? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-28 03:04 · Score: 0
  
  ... and they will be staying there over the winter...
2. Re:Winter? by L4t3r4lu5 · 2012-02-28 03:05 · Score: 2
  
  It may be cold at the South Pole, but it's Summer there.
  The information would have been here sooner, but it was carried IP over Spheniscidae Carrier, and the polar bears kept eating them.
  
  --
  Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
3. Re:Winter? by vlm · 2012-02-28 03:09 · Score: 1
  
  staying there over winter
  It may be cold at the South Pole, but it's Summer there.
  No winter lasts from mid feb thru mid october at amunseon-scott. I donno anything about the schedule this year specifically, but its almost March... last trip out was probably a couple weeks ago and they're stuck there until almost Halloween. They have limited internet access, so I'm told, would be hilarious if someone there posted in this thread.
  
  --
  "Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
4. Re:Winter? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-28 03:10 · Score: 1
  
  Polar bears in Antarctica?
5. Re:Winter? by vlm · 2012-02-28 03:11 · Score: 1
  
  They have limited internet access, so I'm told, would be hilarious if someone there posted in this thread.
  Dang its early in the morning here. Of course they have access, or we wouldn't have seen their uploaded picture...
  
  --
  "Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
6. Re:Winter? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-28 03:13 · Score: 0
  
  Hello... Hello... Freezing our butts off here at the South Poll. Just dug up a strange looking creature in a box that looked a bit like the devil from classical literature from the ice. There was a warning on the box in an ancient script that someone translated as "do not open this box or you will die"- we figured we would open it for a lark.
  One of our crew mates are missing- we would guess he nipped off to the pub if there were any around- can't think where he has gone.
  Holy Crap! Gotta go...
  NO CARRIER
7. Re:Winter? by L4t3r4lu5 · 2012-02-28 03:14 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Polar bears in Antarctica?
  Yet penguins carrying data packets to mainland US is fine, right? That's what you're telling me.
  
  --
  Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
8. Re:Winter? by Oswald+McWeany · 2012-02-28 03:16 · Score: 1
  
  There are polar bears in the Southern hemisphere and penguins in the northern hemisphere.
  True, they're all in zoos... but they exist. Maybe there are polar bears in the South Pole national zoo. I wonder how long till penguins became extinct if someone released a breeding pair of polar bears in antartica.
  
  --
  "That's the way to do it" - Punch
9. Re:Winter? by Oswald+McWeany · 2012-02-28 03:20 · Score: 1
  
  I wonder if the devil from the South Pole can cross-breed with the one that will be discovered by the Russians at lake Vladivostokilokkilakkiooohahhh (or whatever it is called).
  
  --
  "That's the way to do it" - Punch
10. Re:Winter? by vlm · 2012-02-28 03:21 · Score: 1
  
  There was a warning on the box in an ancient script that someone translated as "do not open this box or you will die"- we figured we would open it for a lark.
  If truth in advertising laws were enforced, that would be on engagement ring boxes.
  
  --
  "Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
11. Re:Winter? by SMoynihan · 2012-02-28 03:28 · Score: 2
  
  Funnily enough, our penguins are the second of that name. The originals (now often referred to as Great Auks) lived in the northern hemisphere, and were eaten by polar bears. Unfortunately, they were also eaten by humans - who drove them to extinction.
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Auk
12. Re:Winter? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-28 03:35 · Score: 0
  
  jeeze you're touchy
13. Re:Winter? by rocket+rancher · 2012-02-28 03:46 · Score: 2
  
  There was a warning on the box in an ancient script that someone translated as "do not open this box or you will die"- we figured we would open it for a lark.
  If truth in advertising laws were enforced, that would be on engagement ring boxes.
  ...and religions would have to find some other way to market their product.
14. Re:Winter? by Errol+backfiring · 2012-02-28 03:47 · Score: 2
  
  Off coarse not. There is a router at South Africa. There the packets are routed to swallows (African ones off course. Everyone knows they are stronger than European ones).
  
  --
  Nae king! Nae laird! Nae yurrupiean pressedent! We willna be fooled again!
15. Re:Winter? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-28 03:51 · Score: 1
  
  Wouldn't it be on basically every box everywhere?
16. Re:Winter? by nitehawk214 · 2012-02-28 03:54 · Score: 1
  
  There are polar bears in the Southern hemisphere and penguins in the northern hemisphere.
  True, they're all in zoos... but they exist. Maybe there are polar bears in the South Pole national zoo. I wonder how long till penguins became extinct if someone released a breeding pair of polar bears in antartica.
  There are zoos in Antarctica?
  
  --
  I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
17. Re:Winter? by Gilmoure · 2012-02-28 04:20 · Score: 1
  
  Apparently. They're at the National Zoo.
  
  --
  I drank what? -- Socrates
18. Re:Winter? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-28 04:51 · Score: 0
  
  Although it is still Summer, the Summer staff is leaving or left already. The staff there is now down to those who will stay for the next nine months and "over winter" at the pole.
19. Re:Winter? by C0vardeAn0nim0 · 2012-02-28 05:10 · Score: 1
  
  that they're faster is an established fact, but what's their unladden air speed ?
  
  --
  What ? Me, worry ?
20. Re:Winter? by pianosaurus · 2012-02-28 05:46 · Score: 1
  
  Off coarse not. There is a router at South Africa. There the packets are routed to swallows (African ones off course. Everyone knows they are stronger than European ones).
  But then, African swallows are non-migratory, aren't they? That explains your 100% packet loss.
21. Re:Winter? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-28 06:48 · Score: 0
  
  +1 for the strange double-{geek-logic,sexual}-entendre ...
22. Re:Winter? by Sulphur · 2012-02-28 06:50 · Score: 1
  
  There was a warning on the box in an ancient script that someone translated as "do not open this box or you will die"- we figured we would open it for a lark.
  If truth in advertising laws were enforced, that would be on engagement ring boxes.
  And you found a lark in it?
23. Re:Winter? by readin · 2012-02-28 07:18 · Score: 1
  
  Polar bears in Antarctica?
  Immigration laws are notoriously weak in Antarctica .
  
  --
  I often don't like the choices people make, but I like the fact that people make choices. That's why I'm a conservative.
24. Re:Winter? by Kjellander · 2012-02-28 09:01 · Score: 1
  
  staying there over winter
  It may be cold at the South Pole, but it's Summer there.
  No winter lasts from mid feb thru mid october at amunseon-scott. I donno anything about the schedule this year specifically, but its almost March... last trip out was probably a couple weeks ago and they're stuck there until almost Halloween. They have limited internet access, so I'm told, would be hilarious if someone there posted in this thread.
  Exactly. It is still light there but the weather is so tough they can't fly in or out. So it is technically winter there already.
25. Re:Winter? by Kjellander · 2012-02-28 09:03 · Score: 1
  
  They have limited internet access, so I'm told, would be hilarious if someone there posted in this thread.
  Dang its early in the morning here. Of course they have access, or we wouldn't have seen their uploaded picture...
  They have very low bandwidth and only connection when a satellite is overhead so it is very spotty.
26. Re:Winter? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-29 05:52 · Score: 0
  
  Summer, technically, but winter season has started -- the last flight for several months departed a few days ago.
Geohashing and Bikes by TheNinjaroach · 2012-02-28 03:58 · Score: 1

I forgot all about the concept of geohashing. With spring on its way, I'm daydream about getting my motorcycle back out and cruising around for hours.

Geohashing on a Saturday afternoon sounds like the perfect compliment!

--
I went to eat some animal crackers and the box said, "Do not eat if seal is broken." I opened the box and sure enough..
TFS is bullshit. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-28 04:04 · Score: 0

I took a quick glance at the globalhash page, and the category page, and it looks like "The last continent has been conquered" is false. I'm seeing other globalhash hits in Europe and North America, but none in Africa, Asia, Australia, or South America.
1. Re:TFS is bullshit. by schitso · 2012-02-28 06:40 · Score: 1
  
  From the page you linked to: Google Maps
2. Re:TFS is bullshit. by schitso · 2012-02-28 06:43 · Score: 1
  
  Whups, that's the wrong kml file. Scratch that.
Global Hashing????? by MountainLogic · 2012-02-28 04:51 · Score: 1

When I read the headline I knew I must have misunderstood as /.ers never get off the couch. I thought they were talking about the Hash House Harriers. A drinking club with a running problem.
Bikes != Motorcycles by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-28 04:55 · Score: 0

You, sir, need to begin calling them 'cycles, to prevent Bicycle Enthusiasts from having their sacrisanct 'bike' being usurpated; YOU INSENSITIVE CLOD!
Well... it's not like anyone cares... by denzacar · 2012-02-28 05:39 · Score: 1

Now, had he planked, batmanned and plumbked the South Pole, all at the same time...

--
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
Can someone explain it to me? by Pausanias · 2012-02-28 07:24 · Score: 1

What is the advantage of geohashing over longitude + latitude.
1. Re:Can someone explain it to me? by muridae · 2012-02-28 08:05 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  geohashing is creating a random lat/long pair based on data that can only be known a little while ahead of time. Take the string "YYYY-MM-DD-#" where # is the opening of the DOW stock exchange, and create a 32bit MD5 checksum of that string. Convert the first 16 bits to decimal 0.XXXXX (convert hex to decimal, prepend 0.####) and the second 16 bits to 0.YYYYY. Now, take your current location, say 37.4215 -122.0855. Well, the location for that day's gathering near you would be at 37.XXXXX by -122.YYYYY. So you can see it isn't really a replacement for latitude and longitude, it's just a way to find a random place to gather.
  Globalhashing is nearly the same. Take (180*0.XXXXX)-90 for latitude, (360*0.YYYYY)-180 longitude. Greater than a 70% chance that the day's globalhash will be in the ocean.
what is the point? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-28 22:11 · Score: 0

geohashing, geocaching what exactly is the point of any of them?
if you want to go out for a walk or meet at a random place why do you need GPS equipment?
it just seems retarded to me - grown-ups with toys playing at adventuring
That's... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-29 22:57 · Score: 0

lame.