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Read Thread: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge

challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Jan 27, 2007 4:22pm
Thread (disabled) Board
I am just passing this along to whomever wants to join the challenge (the more the merrier, right)
Quote
Alright, since it looks like more folks want in, here's the official rules for this urban boxing game!

The challenge is to try and hide a letterbox in a megastore near you to see how long it lasts. The box that lasts the longest will get...uh...SOMETHING good! :-) For this game, we'll define megastore as any store that has a built in restaurant/snack bar/someplace where the finder can sit down and eat while they stamp and still be in the store itself (ie. Big K, Wegmans', Super Wal-mart, etc.). Malls are okay, so long as the box is in the mall itself, not one of the shops.

Rule # 1: To be involved in the plan, you MUST let us (The Sprite & the Highlander) know when you've planted your box and post it here on AQ so we can keep track of whose boxes are still active. Boxes must be planted by January 31.

Rule # 2: We'll check weekly on progress. The proof of the box's longevity will be the last finder. If no one has found it that week, you can check to see if it's there yourself and let us know. The Highlander and I will post the boxes still out there each week to keep everyone updated.

Rule # 3: Try to avoid posting the store's name in the clues so that people doing a search won't end up here digging up your box. Try and go with a thinly disguised clue (like Wig -i + e +man's!) After all, you want it to last, right?

Can't think if we're forgetting anything else, so ask questions, please!

The S & H


the date has been pushed up to a must launch date of Feb 5th (I think!)
Join the stealth and fun and this way we will have more indoor boxes to go for!
Six Stars
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #67025 by six stars
Jan 27, 2007 4:45pm
Thread (disabled) Board
One correction...we won't go weekly on these checks. Seems like the boxes will hold out longer than we thought, so checking once a month seems to be okay. We'll have a date on which everyone has to report on the box status by to stay in the game.

Like Six Stars said, the more the merrier! As long as your box has Challenge O' the Sprite in the title (thanks Turtle McQ for the title!), you're in the challenge. Here's the one's listed so far:

Challenge 'O the Sprite: ( 8-) by Lighting the Way
Challenge 'O the Sprite: Smilie by Cherith
Challenge O' The Sprite : The Bouncing Ball by team new hampshire
Challenge O' The Sprite: Toddler Phoenix Loves Food Shopping! by The Phoenix
Challenge O' the Sprite: AI by Warrior Woman
Challenge O' the Sprite: Behind Enemy Lines by chadams
Challenge O' the Sprite: bubbles are fun! by six stars
Challenge O' the Sprite: Give Baby a Kiss by B L3
Challenge O' the Sprite: Marvin by Dunhom5
Challenge O' the Sprite: Monsters of the Midway by Bikercats
Challenge o' The Sprite: Sunflower Seeds by Padfoot Treehuggers
Challenge O' The Sprite: The Persistence of Memory by FALLING LEAVES
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #67034 by Sprite and Highlander
Jan 27, 2007 4:57pm
Thread (disabled) Board
OOOOOHH! let the fun begin.
six stars
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #67038 by six stars
Jan 27, 2007 7:06pm
Thread (disabled) Board
come ON everyone else out there!! The more the merrier indeed!!!

Let's get some more boxes planted (particularly in the Buffalo, NY area!)

The Phoenix
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #67025 by six stars
Jan 28, 2007 5:26am
Thread (disabled) Board
Count me and Laney Bug in Ohio in! Woo hoo, I never thought of this, but just successfully planted my first library so....

Bring it on.

Travel'n Turtle
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #67034 by Sprite and Highlander
Jan 28, 2007 6:56pm
Thread (disabled) Board
I'm in too Sprite! Mine is Challenge O' The Sprite - Rollback Guy by Maiden
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #67034 by Sprite and Highlander
Jan 30, 2007 10:50am
Thread (disabled) Board
You may add mine as well:

Challenge O' The Sprite: Amazing What You Find
http://www.atlasquest.com/lboxes/showboxinfo.html?gBoxId=30704

Box will be planted tonight, clues posted tomorrow.
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #67826 by Cyclonic
Jan 30, 2007 5:25pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Add mine, too, please! I placed it today on my way home from work. Now to put the finishing touches on the clue... they'll be up soon!

http://www.atlasquest.com/lboxes/showboxinfo.html?gBoxId=30715

Happy Papaya
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #67826 by Cyclonic
Jan 31, 2007 3:53am
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote You may add mine as well:

Challenge O' The Sprite: Amazing What You Find
http://www.atlasquest.com/lboxes/showboxinfo.html?gBoxId=30704

Box will be planted tonight, clues posted tomorrow.


The box is planted and clues have been posted.

Enjoy.
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #68040 by Cyclonic
Jan 31, 2007 3:24pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote Challenge O' The Sprite: Amazing What You Find
http://www.atlasquest.com/lboxes/showboxinfo.html?gBoxId=30704


It may just be my screen but I can't read that font.It's not a big deal for me though because it's out of my area. I was just going to read it out of curiosity. :)

Shiloh
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #68199 by shiloh
Feb 1, 2007 4:12am
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote It may just be my screen but I can't read that font.It's not a big deal for me though because it's out of my area. I was just going to read it out of curiosity. :)


It just adds to the challenge. Actually, it prints out very nicely.
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #68271 by Cyclonic
Feb 3, 2007 12:35am
Thread (disabled) Board
here's my offering... got it in before the 5th!

http://www.atlasquest.com/lboxes/showboxinfo.html?gBoxId=30985

night writer
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #67025 by six stars
Feb 7, 2007 11:50am
Thread (disabled) Board
Any bets on who among you will be arrested first?

http://www.cityofportsmouth.com/POLICE/press020407.htm

SD
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #70009 by Silent Doug
Feb 7, 2007 12:08pm
Thread (disabled) Board
I read the news release at the link you provided. It makes me sad to think that letterboxing may become labeled as suspicious, dangerous and felonious. It makes me even more aware of how careful we must be when planting and hunting. Thanks for the link,
In Cahoots Gang
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #70009 by Silent Doug
Feb 7, 2007 12:11pm
Thread (disabled) Board
You would think that after (how many years is it now? 18?) so many years the police would have caught on a bit earlier... and then this would not be causing the panick it seems to be causing. Some people are way to jumpy for their own good though. At the same time, I could understand how some actions would raise suspicions.
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #70030 by System
Feb 7, 2007 1:50pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote (1) I prefer the people who are protecting me to be way to jumpy.
(2) Anyone who is not just a little bit paranoid these days is not paying attention.
(3) I hope all boxers will take into account the terrorist situation that exists in the world, and use common sense when planting


hear hear!

I figure that common sense would, or should, include not placing a box where it would appear to be a threat to
a) integral public structures (such as bridges, tunnels, etc)
b) electrical boxes of any sort
c) any other place where, if it were a bomb, it could inconvenience/kill a great number of people.
d) near any mas transit, including buses, planes, trains, and their respective terminals
e) or any buildings such as post offices, court buildings, government buildings, places wher security is high.

anyone with eys can se wher security is tighter and wher it is looser. we need to keep leterboxing to "safer" areas so we are NOT suspected of being terrorists. also so that terrorists don't plant sometheing that looks like a letterebox, and it gets ignored by the cops and then hurts people. we need to become even more stealthy, without looking like we're stealthy.

how to do that? like Han Solo said... "fly casual!" it's a lesson we all ned to learn, and to teach our children and newbies we bring in...or we will find letterboxing outlawed.

night writer, putting away her "paranoid soapbox"
Re: Geocache found behind supermarket
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #70018 by The Gillespie Tribe
Feb 7, 2007 2:14pm
Thread (disabled) Board
The biggest issue seems to be the choice of placement. Letterboxes or cashes placed in the woods are not likely to be considered a threat to anyone (although there are exceptions there as well). Anything placed on an electrical panel could be suspect.
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #70018 by The Gillespie Tribe
Feb 7, 2007 2:17pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote You would think that after (how many years is it now? 18?) so many years the police would have caught on a bit earlier... and then this would not be causing the panick it seems to be causing.


Actually, this is the flip side of the "no publicity" coin. If we've chosen to be quiet about our hobby, then we can't expect every local police force to be "in the know."

I prefer to be quieter, and only talk about the hobby if approached by the authorities, so I will deal with these issues as they arise. Gotta plant smart though. Check out the Yahoo Urban Letterboxing group for tips.

LW PhD
"Nice Counts"
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #70009 by Silent Doug
Feb 7, 2007 2:19pm
Thread (disabled) Board
I'd rather be arrested for planting anurban box that looks suspicious but turns out to be obviously harmless, then be arrested for deliberately leading people to a dangerous location and have them get hurt.

LW PhD
"Nice Counts"
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #70035 by Romana
Feb 7, 2007 2:56pm
Thread (disabled) Board
I agree. I was thinking the same thing taht terrorists would plant boxes that look like Letter boxes. What if they did this and replaced a letterbox with a dangerous thing?? That is scary to me. Again, I am paranoid.
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #70050 by KBgirl
Feb 7, 2007 3:12pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote I was thinking the same thing taht terrorists would plant boxes that look like Letter boxes.


I wouldn't think that terrorists, whom I presume want their explosives to go unnoticed, would make them look like a geocache or letterbox (or a cartoon character Lite-Brite, for heaven's sake), which have been noticed as suspicious in the past. They would more likely try to make it look ordinary, like a backpack or briefcase or garbage can or something usual, I should think.

Anyway, yes, terrorists could plant a bomb anywhere (they always could have, even pre-9/11). We could also get hit by a car, have an earthquake or hurricane, or any number of sudden things that can happen. Life is precious, but there is no way to make it completely secure. And I value the ability to enjoy letterboxing (in safe, legal locations) over whatever security might be gained by banning it entirely.

Mariette
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #70030 by System
Feb 7, 2007 3:22pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote (1) I prefer the people who are protecting me to be way to jumpy.
(2) Anyone who is not just a little bit paranoid these days is not paying attention.
(3) I hope all boxers will take into account the terrorist situation that exists in the world, and use
common sense when planting


In many ways I agree with this thinking... I guess I am just saddened that this is necissary at all. I completely understand why people are a bit jumpy and I also understand the need for the jumpiness, but isn't this exactly what the terrorists are hoping to create? A completely paranoid society where someone cannot even forget their lunchbox in the park without creating mass panick and landing that person in jail for "terrorist" activity? Congrats, they have already won in that sense.

I am sure some flaming is going to come my way... and yes, no one has actually been arrested for forgetting their lunch, but isn't that the direction we are headed? The mental game they play is far more effective than the physical threats...

Please do not misunderstand me, I am just a bit upset over what our world has become and why it had to go there...

Rhea
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #70009 by Silent Doug
Feb 7, 2007 6:38pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote Any bets on who among you will be arrested first?


Well, the Sprite has just called off the challenge, so I imagine that many people will pull their boxes. I intend to pull mine, actually. A few others have posted that they plan to leave theirs in place, but remove any references to the Challenge and to AQ.

I do think it's sad that our society has come to this. But people are jumpy right now. The climate here in Boston on the day the "lite-brites" were discovered was really scared and tense. After the truth was discovered, there were a variety of other reactions (anger, humor, embarrassment), but that initial fear made a strong impression, here and in other parts of the country. It's important to be extra-careful, especially if you're planting in urban settings.

The Dread Pirate Queen
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #70058 by The Gillespie Tribe
Feb 7, 2007 7:58pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote I am sure some flaming is going to come my way...


Oh gosh, I hope not. Flaming is just so non productive.

Actually, I was just saying to Robert how I love AQ because there's little if any flaming going on here. Everyone is supportive, understanding, and open minded. I just love that about the people here at AQ, the Letterboxing family. **insert warm fuzzies here**
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #70054 by SubRosa
Feb 7, 2007 9:09pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Quote We could also get hit by a car, have an earthquake or hurricane, or any number of sudden things that can happen. Life is precious, but there is no way to make it completely secure.


I agree here, you never know what tomorrow will bring. I say that we letterbox smart and try not to live in fear. Being paranoid or fearful just means that they have won.

Mystic Dreamer
Re: challenge o' the sprite: big box store challenge
Board: Traditional Letterboxes
Reply to: #70009 by Silent Doug
Feb 9, 2007 5:33am
Thread (disabled) Board
Oh MY!! I go to Southgate Plaza at least 3 times a week, to pick DD up from school. She is the keeper of the "Hair I Am!" letterbox, which I was considering planting outside of the school, when she graduates. Guess it will just have to be retired, if none of the other students want to take it over. I was wondering why there have been more hits than usual, to the clue, in the last few days.