The Hubsan X4 with camera

After losing one yesterday i had to order a new one today, £25 a pop is cheap for these things but not a cheap hobby if you have to keep replacing them. Anyhow I got an old keyring camera, took off the mic and took it out of its keyfob case before strapping it to the hubsan with electrical tape. Considering it ways a bit considering the weight of the hubsan it lasted on its two minute flight with battery left. Next thing i need to do is change the camera angle as it was positioned at a 45 degree angle and found it didnt get as much as i wanted, around 2min 10 sec you will see what i wanted to get, but then this a learning curve and something to do next time. http://youtu.be/HVlKU4DvGyc

Onion pi ap anonymity

Decided to last night try this project.

Firstly I downloaded a fresh raspbian image before following adafruits how to make an access point with pi. Once this was done I could move onto the OnionPi project. Followed the guide on adafruit site and bingo.

Finally using ipchicken.com to check my IP address is different.

Just a word of warning, this can spark off auto lock of your google mail as I found last night as you will be getting new ip addresses from around the world. According to google my account had been opened in the USA, Japan and France in a space of a few minutes but as I knew I had been accessing it there wasn't a problem. 

So there we go stop prism following you and take this ap with you to plug into your mates router so you can connect anonymously there too (no need for their wifi password).

A cure for cache saturation ???

Something I've been thinking of for a while, sooner or later many places will be so full of caches that no new ones will be allowed, but many of them crappy micros thrown down in crap locations just for the sake of it.

Now after talking to a few cachers today of which a couple have already reviewed their caches archiving a few which they felt were crap and no benefit I thought I would say what came of it.

Everyone I spoke to agreed that if you find a place a regular cache could fit within 500 ft of a micro that the bigger container takes prescient and is allowed with the owner of the micro given time to get the old cache back or allow the new cache owner to collect the old one.

This would also work in the event of a regular cache being upstaged by an extra large cache.

After all how we supposed to get new people interested when most of the caches out there are micro film pots often with mouldy paper within? If I had found one as my first I don't think I would be caching now, however my first cache was pooky Luke's a regular size ammo box with lots of swag inside.

Lets get the quality back up, nice location and a good size cache, banish the crappy micro.

So what do you reckon ?

Lockinge kiln cache

The on going saga on this cache, its not a 5/5 if you have experienced 5/5 caches but its not easy either but challenging.

Whilst one cacher blantently slagged off the cache and sent me abusive emails he made it clear it should be lowly graded and from chats with other extreme cachers found he had annoyed enough extreme cache setters that they have lowered 5/5 ratings to something less? Why seems pointless going for 5/5 caches if you telling the owners and getting abusive to that it should be rated less.

So today I get the following from another cacher:

How is Lockinge kiln not a 5/5? Stood at gz now and there is not a chance of me getting down. And out without equipment.

Well let me explain its not difficult you can see the cache in sight. Yes it's down a 2-3 metre shaft but its not hard to get thus why it isn't a 5/5 although those who haven't done 5/5s will think it is and I've seen some 5/5 s that are up an embankment and shouldn't really be more than a 2/3 rating.

For my fellow blog readers I will tell you three ways you can get the cache. 1. Rope climbing gear 2. Ladder (telescopic ones are good and about 30 quid) or 3. A net on a cane stick or some scoop tied to one of the long branches that are lying around nearby (notice I didn't remove them so it gives cachers available equipment if they choose to think out of the box) ;).

I know a retired school teacher is going out to it soon and can't climb, won't be carrying a ladder so will leave one option left ;) we will see.

Don't forget also have a walk around the site it's quite a nice place that many locals don't even know exists.

Mega event

Today was the mega event at gaydon, which I had been looking forward to all year.

We started the day off doing drive by caching and completed a huge loop before doing a short walk.  Using stickers with t.t. On each small dot sticker we soon worked our way through them. We then arrived at the motor heritage centre and headed to the entrance to be told no dogs, hmmm that's a problem, no where to tie them up and no signs on the door technically meaning dogs can enter, luckily Lilian came out with a clipboard and sign in sheet.

After finding a safe and shady spot for frodo I popped in and bumped into many cachers I know. Figures with his leg problem, heff and his wife, podcache crew Pete and Tracey, metal Bijiou and family, welsh mummy, sheep doctor and loads more that I can't remember off hand (sorry). Whilst in here a member of the mega committee was seen walking through with his dog clearly not a guide dog. 

Then it was off to do a nearby loop a little way into it met the two motts who I teamed up with till we got to the half way point and we went our own ways. There were many cachers out on the trails and some good caches as well as bad.

We did enjoy the walk but didn't the event. I know a lot of hardwork went into the event but found that there was no why to find all the side attraction events. Although we litter picked around by our car and placed it in a bin (surprising the mess some cachers make) we couldn't find the actual cito event. We also couldn't find the dog area and later found out there had been a flash mob in Coventry along with a 11 icon challenge of which had I known would have participated in.

 

Whilst speaking to cachers who were camping (I was planning on staying tonight but didn't in end), I found that there was no atmosphere on the campsite and that the committee instead of mingling with the crowds on Friday sat away from everyone on their own table, not very welcoming.

I hoped after the success of the geolympix that all the positives would have been taken on board, sadly not.

However I will make a few suggestions for the organisers of next years mega.

1. Dog friendly place.

2. List all the events and itinery on the mega event cache page, you will get more turn out.

3. Don't be unapproachable its you the organisers that makes it what it is, sat away from everyone or ignoring anyone's requests gives all the committee the same look from us the public, get in there mingle, be approachable.

4 you don't need a town hall or conference centre, just hire out a huge field and big marquee, this is what cachers want after all that's why they cache they don't want to be cooped up.

5 lastly remember lots of cachers have dogs, like me I often come with just me and the dog, families have to take turns to dog sit and children who are the future of caching want to be made to feel special.

So at the end of the day around 50 caches done, a tired doggy and now back at home, maybe next years event will be back on par for standards.

Piratemania

Arrrrrrrrrr last weekend it was piratemania  so me and frodo went for one night and day. Not really up to it after the recent deaths of friends and colleagues I however went but found it emotionally difficult. Whilst there were many new caches and some good quick drive by caches we didn't participate in to much of the shanaghans after queuing for and hour and half for a jerk chicken meal that really did dampen things and then the storm so me and frodo went back to the tent.

The following morning we got penned in as race for life was on and all roads leaving the campsite had been closed for it. But then we were in no rush as we had to dry the tent porch that was under an niche of water which had come in under the canvas during the night, but sleeping compartment was well dry.  At least we now know the high gear tent which was about twenty quid can survive a night of tropical storms.

Hope we did you proud

Yesterday was the final journey for my friend who decided he wanted to go to eternity. Up at the crematorium about 60 people had gathered, half of them from work. When spence arrived we got one of our battery power lorries to lead the convoy along with us walking two by two in front. I was proud to be at the front leading the journey along the 500ft or so to the chapel.

Once inside it wasn't any normal celebration of life, there was talk of my friend through his life, his caring and unselfish character and how we all wanted to know why he did it and how his family hopes it will stop someone else doing the same.

At the end we were allowed to go and touch the coffin instead of the usual disappearance through the curtains.

With over 60 people it showed how popular he was and how anyone of us could have been approached, none of us wanted to be there if we could help it as he was only 41, but we were to say goodbye to him.

His dad thanked us for our procession to the chapel as spence loved his job and the people he worked with and I felt proud to have been part of it, to help my friend on his final journey.

I did visit him in the chapel of rest at the start of the week, spent around twenty minutes with him telling him what I had been up to at work, telling him off for leaving us, as well as the speck of dirt on his finger. But asked him why why why and told him how he could have talked to anyone of us, before placing a card I had made for him with a message in his hand to take with him.

The only comfort I got was to know he was at peace, lying asleep in his now resting place and knowing that he was looking down and no doubt wishing he had actually talked to someone, but knowing how he left us I knew it wouldn't have been painful unlike the pain he left his family and friends in.

So spence mate, at least now you're at peace and I hope we did you proud, just wished you talked to us, but at least now you know that actually their was a second option.

Rest in peace mate

Geocaching is getting crap

Yes I know negative but let's look at the facts. I rarely cache these days, have two caches within 500ft of my house which I haven't even bothered looking for, why?

Well simple, it's unfun to look for crappy micros hidden in any place that can fit into an already cache flooded area. They are not well thought out, often co ords well over 20m out and often with soggy logbooks. When I started a few years ago caches were large and if not large had enough room for swappable swag for the kids. These days anyone starting will be put off very quickly with the poor quality caches.

Maybe an idea is if a larger cache can be fitted within 524ft of a current cache then the reviewers should archive the existing one and allow the new one instead, but what about the crappy micro? Well two options (well fits into one) the old cache owner should collect and remove it and if they don't then the cache owner of the newer bigger cache should remove it and place it in their new cache with a note for the attention of cache owner x

Maybe in a few weeks I will feel different, but know I'm getting fed up with it.

Wipi radio

I found on twitter the other week a link to adafruit s pidora wifi radio and thought I would have a go.

I already had the lcd shield, just not assembled so last night I assembled it and bodged a case together with electrical tape to protect it.

I followed the instructions as per guide on adafruit and it wouldn't work, so I erased the card reinstall adafruit Occidentals onto the card and ssh d into it to install and edit what was needed, this time worked fine once I had sorted out a pandora account.

Pandora is an American only Internet radio type service like spotify or last.fm so I had to get a us proxy address so I could sign up on the site and edit my router so the dns would use unblock us a service I have used to view the American netfliks which is tons better than the Uks.

So now I have a nice little Internet radio player, just now looking for a way to play various radio stations as well.

Rest in peace mate

To a wonderful friend and colleague, Spencer Kell who sadly is no longer with us after deciding to end his life.

You were a great asset, a wonderful friend and invaluable colleague, not only that but a great dad to two wonderful kids who I know you adored.  Two kids that will now be without a dad and won't be able to share their lives with, their weddings, graduations and passing their driving tests.

Spencer you were without a doubt someone who cared for others, could have a laugh and a joke. You enjoyed cycling and recently told me about your time in swinley forest mountain biking. You always had a smile on your face, enjoyed banter and lots more.

I could always rely on you for help, for someone to answer a question and someone who would go that extra mile.

You were not just a traffic clerk, you were a first aider, fire warden, forklift driver and a lot more. You were a hard worker and always keen, something I hope your children and family will be proud of.

May you rest in peace and hope that whatever it was that caused you to do this is now not bothering you, just wished you could have talked to us and not take what you thought was the only option.

You might now be gone, but never forgotten, rest in peace.