|
To call it tough out there
would be something of an understatement. Drivers are reporting
waits on London taxi ranks that would have been more akin to the
Heathrow car park in better times! Why it is happening is no
longer relevant, but this recession is now here and a fact of
life. Hopefully, drivers will realise that we are all in the
same boat and not try to pull one over on each other. If empty and you overtake another empty cab and see a hand go up, please remember that it was the other driver’s job. However, that doesn’t mean that you can drive along at 15mph and expect everyone to stay behind you forever. If another empty driver lets you out into the traffic, please remember that and don’t pick up |
HARD TIMES! |
|
 Addison Lee cars “against the wall...” |
||
|
the job that would have
been theirs. And please don’t pick up within close proximity to
a rank with cabs on. Following Mike Son’s article in this issue regarding minicabs also having it tough, we took a look around and sure enough Call Sign found Addison Lee cars parked in long, neat rows off |
Granby Terrace, obviously finding that with work no longer there, attracting drivers is not quite so easy; or in taxi terminology, they were up against the wall. Things aren’t going to get better by tomorrow, but they will eventually and so far as taxis are concerned, we must all hang in there and do our best… | |
|
In a world where technology moves at an astounding pace, DaC Network Administrator Jonathen Winterburn takes an occasional look at the latest gadgets… JON ASKS WHAT’S NEW? |
||
Geocaching: Keeping the
geeks amongst us fit and sane! Happy New Year 2009 to you all. During that odd few days between Christmas and New Year, I was bored and found myself mindlessly browsing Facebook when I came across a wall post from another member who mentioned Geocaching. Wondering what on earth that could mean, I immediately Googled the word and found a link to www.geocaching.com and followed that. So began my plunge into a whole new world of high-tech treasure hunting! Geocaching is best explained by the blurb from the front page of the GC website. I quote: "Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers called geocaches outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and environment support." So I went and bought myself a personal GPS unit – not to be confused with a SatNav. This is a handheld, highly sensitive and accurate GPS navigational unit often used by hikers and anglers. After signing up to the website - free for basic use and $30 a year for premium membership, which is recommended - and loading the coordinates of my home into my online profile, I was then presented with all the geocaches within range |
 of my home. Using Google Earth, I was able to locate hidden geocaches all over Essex and London. I then simply downloaded the closest 20 into my GPS unit and started hunting with my son! I’m writing this on day 2 of our geocaching adventures and have so far discovered four geocaches within the local area and failed to find a fifth - too many people around and I didn’t want to give the location away! The rules are simple; when we find a hidden geocache (and trust me they are really well hidden – only a member with the coordinates stands any chance of finding them and even then it’s not easy), you can take an item (i.e. a key ring) but you must then also leave an item (ie a small toy) and sign the log book (usually a little jotter). All of this is stored in a waterproof Tupperware lunchbox-sized container and stashed close to the coordinates. Sometimes a microcache is used where there would not be room for a larger cache (like in the city) and this is usually a 35mm camera container with simply a tiny logbook contained therein. You then update the online log for the cache, which shows that you have discovered it and then move on to the next. For additional fun, there are often items within the geocaches called travel bugs. These are uniquely coded trackable dog tags, which are usually tied to an object (a small figurine or teddy |
 bear
or GeoCoin for example, but could be any type of object)
and these are tracked online. Every time a geocacher
finds one of these, they are to remove it and then drop it in
one of the next caches they find. Often the owner of the travel
bug will stipulate rules - for example a mini-figure of a
footballer must be taken by the finder to a football match and
photographed there before moving it on to the next cache they
find (which could literally be anywhere amongst the 750,000
worldwide geocaches). Within one geocache we found
a trackable Cursed Pirates Booty GeoCoin, which we will drop off
in the next cache we find.I must say that as mad as geocaching may sound, it really is great fun for all the family and a perfect way of getting the kids to exercise in the great outdoors whilst hunting for treasure. And for techies like me, it’s the best of both worlds – high-tech gadget meets outdoor adventures! Please visit www.geocaching.com and see what you think. If you like the look of it, I can recommend the Garmin Etrex Venture HC navigational unit which I bought as per recommendations from other geocachers and which is reduced to £99.99 at: www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obi-dos/ASIN/B000UNDLQ2 Happy Geocaching – if you become a member, let me know!
Jonathen Winterburn |
 |
Powered by NetXPosure |
| Copyright 1997-2009 Dial-A-Cab Ltd, All rights reserved. |