New Year's Eve - 12/31/11

With today's puzzle from Texas, I wish you a very safe and happy:

New Year's Eve

Tomorrow we'll ring in the new year in Michigan.

Dr. Alberti - 12/30/11

Today's puzzle from Ohio reminds me of those hospital TV shows where you might hear in the background:

Calling Dr. Alberti To The OR STAT!

Tomorrow we'll celebrate New Year's Eve in Texas.

(Sorry this one went up a day early originally ... forgot that December has 31 days!  Another puzzle was posted for 12/29, in case you missed it.)

Bonus Blog #52 - 12/30/11

For our last regularly scheduled Friday "bonus" blog, I have an online image processing tool passed along to me by a reader. You could have some fun playing with:

Victor Image Processing Library, Online Image Processing

Bonus blogs may still appear periodically, if I find more interesting and useful sites to pass along.

Twelve Zeros - 12/29/11

Today's puzzle from California is:

Twelve Zeros

Tomorrow's puzzle will be from Ohio, and we'll have the last regularly scheduled "bonus" blog. 

Sorry for the confusion on today's date!  It's easy to get off track while you're on vacation. :)

Tetris - 12/28/11

Today's Colorado puzzle is based on a game I used to have a lot of fun playing.  Let's see if you remember:

Tetris

Tomorrow we'll check out a puzzle in California.

Just say NO! - 12/27/11

Today's puzzle was brought to my attention by a reader who suggested I check out this Arizona CO.  Get ready to:

Just say NO to SuDoku!

Tomorrow we'll be in Colorado.

Boxing Day 12/26/11

Today's puzzle from California will teach you a little about:

Boxing Day

Tomorrow we'll be in Arizona.

Merry Christmas! - 12/25/11

With today's puzzle from Ontario, Canada, I:

Wish You A Very Merry Christmas

Tomorrow we'll celebrate "Boxing Day" in California.

Holiday Letter - 12/24/11

It's Christmas Eve and I couldn't let the year end without sending out, from Canada, the traditional:

Holiday Letter

Tomorrow we'll head east to Ontario.

The Prime Directive - 12/23/11

Today's featured puzzle out of Virginia has a Star Trek theme.  If you were a fan of the show, you are sure to know the:

Prime Directive

Tomorrow we'll have a holiday puzzle from Canada's Alberta province.

Bonus Blog #51 - 12/23/11

I found today's site as a result of a reader's suggestion.  It is chock full of different mapping tools and information.  I bet you can find something useful at:

The GPS Resource Library

Next week will be our last regularly scheduled bonus blog.  Others may appear as I come across them.

Reindeer Games - 12/22/11

I couldn't resist sharing with you, from Ohio:

TTNBX

Tomorrow will find us in Virginia, and we'll have a "bonus" blog.

States - 12/21/11

I had a suggestion to check out the puzzles of this Nevada CO and decided to share with you one about:

States

Tomorrow we'll be in Ohio.

Dreidel - 12/20/11

In honor of those folks who will begin observing Hanukkah today, I offer this Vermont puzzle in which you get to play with a:

Dreidel

Tomorrow we'll visit Nevada.

Off Your Rocker - 12/19/11

At first glance I thought this South Dakota puzzle might be related to the series of caches featuring one of my favorite restaurant stops while traveling (I was wrong).  However, what I did find was a puzzle with a unique twist on a common theme.  I wonder if you will be:

Off Your Rocker

Tomorrow we'll return to Vermont.

One Week 'til Christmas - 12/18/11

With one week 'til Christmas I figured it was time for another seasonal puzzle, so I bring you from California:

Christmas Songs on the Grid

Tomorrow we'll be in South Dakota.

My Hero - 12/17/11

Today's featured puzzle from Pennsylvania is the first in a series with the fun name of "Puzzled by Puzzles."  I wonder if you remember:

0 My Hero

Tomorrow we'll return to California.

Solitaire - 12/16/11

Today's puzzle from Australia will have you playing:

Solitaire on the edge

Tomorrow we'll head to Pennsylvania.

Bonus Blog #50 - 12/16/11

Today's feature is a multipurpose reference site with oodles of information and tools just waiting for you.  It will bear some sifting through, but lots of goodies are available at:

Martindale's "The Reference Desk"

Next week we'll have another multipurpose reference site, and that will be the penultimate regular "bonus" blog.  The blog will be continuing, perhaps in a slightly different form, but bonus sites will be added only as I find them, rather than on a weekly basis.

A Good Magic Trick - 12/15/11

Today's puzzle from Pennsylvania features a good magic trick ... will you be one of the ones to figure out how it works quickly?  (I wasn't!)  Hope you enjoy the:

Magic Card

Tomorrow we'll visit Australia for another card-related puzzle and have another "bonus" blog.

Sokoban - 12/14/11

Today's puzzle brings us to the Netherlands.   If you've never played this little logic puzzle game before, you can translate the Dutch which explains the rules you'll need to follow to get through ten levels of the addictive game:

Sokoban

Tomorrow we'll be in Pennsylvania.

Peace - 12/13/11

Today's puzzle from Washington is the first of 42 entries in another puzzle series that forms a shape on the map.  Be sure to look at the map for:

PEACE SIGN SERIES #1: Can You Feel the Peace?

Tomorrow we'll try out a game-based puzzle in the Netherlands.

Dozen Day - 12/12/11

Today's puzzle in Ohio was chosen in honor of the pair of 12's in today's date.  Have fun with:

One Dozen Domeciles

Tomorrow we'll pay another visit to Washington State.

Merry Mary - 12/11/11

Today's puzzle is another one from New York, and was passed along by a reader in honor of the season.  The year is speeding by ... it's hard to believe that in just two weeks folks will be wishing each other:

Merry Mary

Tomorrow we'll celebrate 12/12 with a puzzle in Ohio.

Cryptology 101 - 12/10/11

Back to basics with today's cache from Utah.  Try your hand at:

Cryptology 101

Tomorrow we'll return to New York.

Good, or Lucky? - 12/9/11

News flash!  I noticed this in the forum, and I think it is a step in the right direction:  Referring to the updates on geocaching.com performed on 12/6/11: "In the last release we made it possible for Basic and Premium Members to add "corrected" coordinates to Mystery and Multi-caches. Visit the cache page and click the pencil icon next to coordinates, paste your new coordinates in the field and submit. That's it! The new coordinates will be hidden from others so there is no reason to fear spoiling the final location. When you download the GPX from the cache or generate a Pocket Query your new coordinates are included." 

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming:  Here's a New York cache I'd love to be able to find some day.  To make the find:

You'll Have To Be Good, or Lucky!

Tomorrow we'll be in Utah.

Bonus Blog #49 - 12/9/11

Today's tool will help you with transliterations in fifteen different languages:

Transliteration

Next week a multipurpose reference site.

Overboard! - 12/8/11

Today we find ourselves in Texas with:

Overboard Steed Ah Malty Keg

Tomorrow we'll be back in New York.

Snoopy? - 12/7/11

A reader sent me this link to an interesting map of dog-related puzzle and letterbox caches in New Hampshire which form an interesting shape:
http://www.geocaching.com/map/beta/default.aspx?lat=43.602433&lng=-71.3293

The unusual thing about the group is that it is set up so that the actual caches do not have to be within the usual 2 miles of the posted location ... they will be found in many different cities around the area.  What a fun idea.  Many of the puzzles are similar ... I chose this one because I like the string quilt the dog is napping on: 

SD ~ CAN'T SWIM

Tomorrow we'll be in Texas.

Geocaching by the Stars - 12/6/11

Some days it seems like I can solve every puzzle I look at, and other days I can't get numbers to shake out anywhere.  Some days I spot the cache in the first spot I look, and others, I go around in circles for what feels like hours.  Wouldn't it be great to have psychic knowledge of which days are good for puzzling or caching and which days to avoid?  Today's puzzle from Australia includes horoscopes for:

Geocaching by the Stars

Tomorrow we'll be in New Hampshire.

Can't See For Looking - 12/5/11

Today we return to Canada's Alberta province, and a puzzle which asks:  "Has this ever happened to you?"  In a word:  Yes.  We are definitely afflicted with the affliction of:

Can't See For Looking - CCARS08

Tomorrow we'll return to Australia for another puzzle related to geo-frustration.

In Memory of Lennie - 12/4/11

Today's downstate NY puzzle features a television show that the CO's wife enjoys.  I certainly hope she's not:

Wife #300

Tomorrow we'll return to Canada's Alberta province.

Geocursing - 12/3/11

We've probably all done it, but here's hoping that today's puzzle from Canada's Alberta province won't lead to much:

Geocursing

Tomorrow a TV-themed puzzle from downstate NY.

Joey-Jo Sheepsower - 12/2/11

Today we meet a character out of Virginia named Joey-Jo.  He's had several exploits chronicled as puzzle caches including:

Joey-Jo Sheepsower Horked His Dad's Car

Tomorrow we'll head back up to Canada.

Bonus Blog #48 - 12/2/11

Today's site will quiz you with (and give the answers to) some puzzles involving number sequences, and there is a link to the "Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences."  You might be able create a fun geocaching puzzle out of these:

Puzzle Sequences

Next week: a transliteration tool.

Happy Birthday A! - 12/1/11

Today is the birthday of one of our team members, so in his honor I'd like to feature the first puzzle he created, part of our "PIE" Series.  We've had a great time making them, and you can link to a bookmark to the rest of the series from:

Puzzled, Ithaca Edition: 3/3/11

Tomorrow, a return visit to Virginia, and another "bonus" blog.

This blog was originally conceived as a one-year project, which would give us one month left to go.  If you're interested in seeing it continue (in one way or another) please post a comment or contact me through geocaching.com, username teamajk.  Thanks -