CacheCaster.com

Unlucky number 13! After getting a pile of emails asking when the heck I was going to come out with a new podcast, I finally did it. I won't tell you the gory details - just listen to it.

Now, there's something a bit different about this. I've gotten rid of the old RSS feed file that this program generated and I've created a new one. SOoooooo, if you're getting this from iTunes or Juice, things should probably be just lovely, especially if you subscribed to http://cachecast.podbus.com. If you want to hear the file without going through one of those podcatcher applications, not to worry. Just click here!

While I was at MacWorld Expo last week, Garmin announced their support for Mac OS X. As far as I'm concerned, that can't come fast enough, although I am currently using MacGPS Pro and it seems to do the job with my new Garmin GPSMAP 60CS. I did some looking around and found the press release:

Garmin Announces GPS Product Support for Mac OS X

MACWORLD EXPO, SAN FRANCISCO/January 10, 2006/PR Newswire — Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN), today announced that it will immediately begin to make its line of GPS and mobile electronics devices compatible with Mac OS X version 10.4 "Tiger." This makes Garmin the first major GPS designer and manufacturer to announce direct support for Mac OS X.

“We are very excited to be supporting the many tech-savvy Garmin users who are also Mac devotees,” said Min Kao, Garmin Ltd.’s chairman and CEO. “Mac users have been encouraging us to make our GPS units Mac compatible, and we’ve listened. We hope this brings the many benefits of GPS to current Mac users and invites future Apple customers to the Garmin fold.”

"The popularity of Mac OS X is attracting many first time developers to the Mac and driving astonishing innovation," said Ron Okamoto, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “We're thrilled to welcome Garmin to the platform and look forward to exciting new applications that take advantage of its GPS-based products and Mac OS X."

Beginning in spring 2006, Garmin will offer a Mac version of its popular Training Center software. Used with Garmin’s line of Forerunner and Edge series of fitness products, the Training Center software lets users plan and analyze workouts. Fitness enthusiasts can create their own workouts or use workout templates that can be downloaded into the unit for any level of personal training. The software also offers interactive analysis tools that will now allow Mac users to chart their performance information like speed, heart rate, cadence, elevation, and pace.

Also in spring 2006, Garmin will make the www.MotionBased.com upload interface Mac compatible. MotionBased.com translates GPS data into performance analysis, online mapping, and route sharing for endurance and outdoor athletes. Data collected by a Garmin GPS device is uploaded to MotionBased.com where time, distance, speed, elevation, cadence, grade, and heart rate analysis is displayed through charts, illustrations, and reports. This activity data can also be displayed as a route and replayed on street, photo, topographic, and elevation maps as well as the popular Google Earth service. Members can also use the TrailNetwork database to seek out and download new activities in their region, to find popular routes while traveling, or to engage in "virtual races" with other MotionBased users.

By the end of 2006, Garmin intends to have made all its popular hardware and software applications Mac OS X compatible. This includes the ability to load MapSource map data to Garmin units via a Mac, as well as waypoint and trip planning applications. Additionally, the Garmin nRoute application will allow Powerbook and iBook users to turn their laptop into a powerful street navigation tool with Garmin’s GPS 10 or GPS 18 sensors.

Well, it's a whole new look and feel for CacheCaster.com. Mambo, the Content Management System I had been using for the site, wouldn't work any more and I just got tired of fighting it. Instead, I'm using this wonderful Macintosh tool called RapidWeaver. Great stuff. However, I'm wondering if it will be worth the time and effort to move all of the old content to the site, so if things don't look right over the next couple of weeks, you'll know why!



I've also had to do some quick dancing with setting up the RSS feeds for the site. This software created its own location for the feed, so I made sure that the existing feed URL points to the new feed file. Let me know if you have any problems with this!

WOW! It's an entirely new CacheCast - finally!

I'd like to get together with CacheCast listeners while I travel the country this year, so be sure to listen to this episode to hear where I'm going to be in the next four months. If I'm coming to your town, send me an email if you're interested in doing some geocaching and being recorded for a future CacheCast.

To listen to the CacheCast in your browser, click here. Otherwise, subscribe to our RSS feed at http://cachecast.podbus.com to get the latest info on a regular basis.

Fall is beautiful here in Colorado. The days are warm, the nights are cool, and most of the time the skies are clear. Since we know that winter is on its way, Colorado residents love to make the most of the outdoors in the fall.

My wife was volunteering to sell food at a festival today, so I decided to drop her off and go find a few caches. Since I had already found the cache that is right next to the festival site, I drove a few miles east to another large park where Geocaching.com told me there were at least two caches...

To listen to Episode #11, click here or subscribe to the CacheCast feed at http://cachecast.podbus.com .

This week, you can join me on my hunt for BluePearl's Pirate Cache #1 and #2! I'm reporting live from the field, so you can listen in as I try to find these caches in Littleton, Colorado. If you just want to listen to today's CacheCast, just click here. And if you want to subscribe to the CacheCast, be sure to enter http://cachecast.podbus.com into iTunes or your favorite podcatcher software.

For reference, the waypoints are GCPYZB and GCQGN8. I also blab about my first Waymark, "Ellie" at WM1E8.

Episode #9 of The CacheCast is finally here, and host Steve Sande has a lot of mail to read. We hear from one of our listeners who sent an MP3 file talking about his latest puzzle cache in the Bay Area and from another listener who is building his own take on the Tangerine Dream micro caches. Dan Boitnott is starting to work on a Mac-based geocaching app and has already done a great job creating a GUI for an existing Linux application (check http://igcache.sourceforge.net for details). Steve also has information about SiRFstarIII and Waymarking.com.

To listen to The CacheCast here, just click on this link!

Want to subscribe so you're notified every time there's a new CacheCast? Enter http://cachecast.podbus.com into iTunes (Advanced > Subscribe to Podcast) or iPodder.

If you're a premium member of Geocaching.com, you probably got an interesting email today. If not, you're going to hear about something new that will be coming your way soon.

The folks at Geocaching.com are setting up a new site called Waymarking.com. At this time, it's only available to users who are premium members of Geocaching.com. What it's all about is virtual caches, or what the Geocaching.com folks call locationless caches. They've had a moratorium on virtual caches for a while, but now you'll be able to have a TON of fun with waymarks.

Speaking for myself, I already found a couple of categories where I want to log certain structures and places that I find interesting. I'll be posting an article here soon and on the CacheCast about using Waymarking.com. Here's the letter from Geocaching.com:

Dear Premium Member:

Everyone at Groundspeak thanks you for your ongoing support. Without your help we would have been unable to provide for the growing needs on the Geocaching.com web site. Each year we have doubled in site visitors, machines and server space to maintain the site and accommodate new geocachers and veterans of the activity.

Today we'd like to thank you by providing you a sneak peek at the new solution for locationless caches. As many of you may know we have had a moratorium for new locationless caches for some time. After a lot of work we have created, not a new section, but an entirely new web site called Waymarking.com. Although it does have its roots in the concept of locationless caches it takes a different look at the activity.

While locationless caches would have a log for each location, a waymark becomes the log entry and that location can actually be logged. We also added a feature that allows new waymark category managers (which are like locationless cache owners) the ability to provide variables for new waymarks (locationless cache logs). So a maze category might ask a new waymark what kind of maze it is, or a lighthouse category manager would request that you provide the height of the lighthouse you mark. Eventually this information will be searchable and displayable in many ways on the site.

This is an entirely new concept and, as in the beginning of geocaching, will create many exciting challenges. Hopefully you can stop into the forums and provide any constructive criticisms or questions about the new site.

The site is now only available to Premium and Charter members. The site will be open for viewing by anyone in the next few weeks. Stop by and let us know what you think!

http://www.waymarking.com

Thank you again for your support. We hope you enjoy waymarking!

Jeremy Irish and the Groundspeak Team