The Water Cooler has been operational here for a couple of months now, so I thought I'd give a quick update on it.

As of right now, a few changes have been made based on feedback of the folks who have used it. The big one that's still out there is the inability to delete comments. At this point, there's a tradeoff between how we want the forum to look versus deleting comments. If we want to maintain the look linearly, I have to lock down the ability to delete comments, because deleting a comment right now results in all of the replies also get deleted, which would majorly screw up comments in a linear fashion.

That all said, I'm working on migrating the forum posts from the forum archive section of the database into the main site management system. This consists of several steps:

First, the archive contained posts from nearly 6000 unique user id's. Some of these were simple where a poster had an account at all three of the archive sites. They were easy to consolidate. The same was true of users, particularly at ableminds and PF who had survived through database compactions and rework so that, at one point they had one id in the database, and at a later point they had another. What was more interesting was consolidating folks whose user names had changed over time as they forgot passwords and created new accounts. Sometimes it was obvious, sometimes it took looking at taglines. Finally all of these users had to be imported into the account database here. By the time I got to this point, we were down to some 3800 unique posters. Over half of those posters had made only one or two posts. The vast majority of those users got condolidated into a "No user information available" user, although a few, who we know to have come back to the group, made the cut.

As a result of this step, you may find that you have an account at this site that you can't access. If you do, hit me up via the contact form below and I'll adjust things to give you access. If you need an account, do the same thing.

Step two is to actually consolidate the posts into comments on the site here. Since its our "bread and butter", so to speak, I'm starting with the archive of the Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt threads. The 1998-2002 threads were quite easy. The PF Archive is taking a bit more work. Since the forum was a free-for-all, we had public and private threads, which I decided to consolidate into a single thread for archive purposes. As a result, what looked like a Joe originally may not look like it now. I'll work my way back through the other hunt threads, and then the more heated or more fun discussions. Its an iterative process, since I want to clean up the links within the various posts to previous posts (easy) and posts in other threads which is not so easy since it will require two passes through to link up posts with their new comment ID's. Once I get through one thread it should be a matter of figuring out which threads to consolidate and creating an individual forum topic.

We don't have an archive of file attachments from Ableminds, and because of the database loss there we probably never will, but we do have four years worth of them from PF, which I do intend to incorporate here after the discussions are imported.

With all the technical details aside, let me just say that I think we're finally home. Yes, we've said that before, but the forum here is within the site. As long as its up, the forum is up. For the moment, the only way to access the threads that have been imported will be to have an account and be logged in, but that's how you can see the clues for in-progress medallion hunts too, so its a bonus.

Have a look around, kick your feet up and stay a while. I know I am.

If you're still active on Ableminds, you know that for the past few weeks it hasn't been well. The latest update we have from them, as of Saturday is as follows:

The Ableminds Forum database is corrupt and we have been unable to find a way to recover it. We consulted a few other experts and there were a couple of suggestions offered, but unfortunately it doesn't seem possible to recover most of the information that was in the database.

We have a copy of the user database we created when we recently had the last crisis. It's not 100% up to date, but it provides a starting point to restore some user information. We will have to go through our paypal records and checks that were sent in to sort out any changes since then. The plan is to create a new empty database so folks can get back to posting again. Initially it will be free of charge for a period of time. We will offer refunds to anyone who asks. We will add in time for the payments we identify for those who stick around so that paid users will have posting privileges for the free period plus their paid period.

Unfortunately we have also lost information that was in the database regarding forums and privileges for co-hosts etc. All of that is gone so it will need to be recreated for those who want to keep on with the forum. There is some information in scripts that were not lost so some of the functionality of the site itself is preserved.

We researched options for a new server environment and we will be running on a new server soon that should avoid future problems.

What happened? Basically there was some issue on the old server that we don't fully understand, but it was filling up the disk on the server and corrupted the database. We had a backup at that time and were able to free up space at the time the first outage was reported, and so we started web crossing again, but within a few hours before a backup completed, the issue occurred again corrupting the only database we had on the server that wasn't corrupt. With a new server, we will be taking greater precautions to have as many backups as possible which will be possible with the larger disk drivers that newer servers now have.

First of all, rest assured that the Cooler Crew site is safe from this sort of problem. The "disc" that the database is on is less than one third full. If it ever filled more than that, I have plenty of disc space available to expand the data into. I have mechanisms in place to keep tabs on the available and used disc space so that I can take action if it gets too bad. I put "disc" in quotes above, because the site doesn't run on its own server. It runs as a virtual machine on top of redundant physical discs. If I ever had a problem I could pull a bad disc out and replace it, and no one would ever be the wiser (except me). 

From what it sounds like in this report, *all* of the backups that Ableminds had of their databases were on the same disc in the server as the main one, so that when discs filled up it was game over. I could be wrong. The Cooler Crew database and files are backed up nightly to a different server with completely different storage. If the discs the site were on should fail completely, we'd be able to "quickly" reimport the database on a new virtual machine and be up and running relatively quickly. I say relatively because it does take time to get a new virtual machine installed and configured.

As far as I know, the only backup that Ableminds has is what's available here in our archive. Fortunately, I ran my archive script relatively recently. Unfortunately "recently" means "before the 2018" Pioneer Press Hunt. As a result, the 350 or so posts that were made in the 2018 hunt thread are lost forever.

Several of you know that I've been toying around with the idea of a forum within the site for quite some time. I've been hesitant to go forward with it because I wanted to get things in place to nail the style that we had with the WebCrossing software at Ableminds, which if you've ever looked at other forum software doesn't quite match what's out there. When Ableminds first went down, I started putting a few modules together in the playground environment that I have set up. With the last update that Ableminds posted, I decided to make them live on the real Cooler Crew site, even if things weren't perfect.

And so, with that, I encourage you to check out the newly-reborn Water Cooler. It isn't perfect and there is still plenty of room for improvement, but it is there. In order to maintain some of the features of Ableminds, general users are restricted from creating new topics (what were discussions at Ableminds) or folders. If you want something, feel free to ask; there's a forum discussion thread just for that purpose. If there are features you want to see added, suggest it. This is something I won't take any criticism, good, or bad, as an affront to me. I cobbled together a bunch of stuff other people had done within the framework to get this together, so I'll blame them for any shortcomings.

One thing many of us have wanted at Ableminds was the ability to "like" a post, like you can on Facebook. Guess what? You got it here.

So how do you get into the Water Cooler? First you have to have an account set up on the site. Apart from me, 90 or so of you already do. I think all of them are related to old screen names. You may have forgotten your screen name or password. If you did, that's fine. Hit me up with a message on Facebook or through the contact link at the bottom of the page and I'll get you set up. If you don't have an account here and want one, contact me in one of those same ways and I'll set you up with an account. Gotta do this to keep spammers from posting on the site until there's a more reliable way to control access.

And please, once you're in, if you have problems, or a suggestion, or whatever, use the forum discussion board to say something!!

Happy hunting (and happy posting)!

You dig?

The hunt has been over for nearly two weeks now. Rob scored his third Winter Carnival Medalllion find just after the 12th clue came out.

I was destined to be a weekender this year. With schedule changes and project plans at work I just couldn't get the time off. So, settling for nightly meet-ups in the bar and Friday night, Saturday and Sunday afternoon digging was the plan.

As they always do, however, plans changed.

By the time Saturday rolled around everybody knew it was Harriet Island. Of course everybody knew it was there in 2003 as well, and this hunt was bringing up some really bad memories of that red herring. By the time the Nagasaki Road clue came out, we're sitting there trying to figure out how we could fit the Plato clue to Como, just in case, but fortunately that one was for naught. 

I'd said before the hunt that I'd gladly be out through the 11th clue, but would call it a hunt if we got to the 12th clue and watch from the comfort of my bed.

Again, plans changed.

Sunday night. Monday night. All of a sudden its Tuesday night, and we're out there until the clue comes out. We didn't get any closer to the puck. It was a night.

The only problem was, I was once again hooked. The adrenaline was pumping like crazy. I made a decision.

The last times I was really out when it went to clue 12, 2003 and 2004, I'd sat in line at the Pioneer Press waiting for the newspaper so I could call the clue out into the park. I was going to be at Harriet Island when the clue came out.

Observing.

The night the "who hears a who" clue came out in 2003, I remember the line of cars up Wabasha, across 6th and then 94, and up Lexington to get to Como. Observing that from the air would have been amazing. Observing the mad rush on clue 12 would have been just as amazing.

Or so I thought.

On Wednesday afternoon, I came home from work, grabbed a quick bite to eat and decided to take a nap.

Don't worry, I had the alarm set for 8:30 so that I could get to the park in time for the clue to come out and be strategically positioned with a decent parking place. Again, to observe. I'd never seen the 12th clue mad rush, let alone taken part in it.

Miraculously, I ended up with a spot in the west parking lot of Harriet Island. It was surprisingly dead. There were sporadic headlamps here and there, but the sound of locusts traditionally associated with the final night of the hunt wasn't there. People must have been taking a break before the mad rush. Ironically, I was unknowingly parked within 50 yards of the coveted puck that night.

Cluey and me2 were warming up in their van, parked next to mr mn mikey. Having spent the time hunting with me2, I made my way over. Kitch was patiently waiting at Shamrock's for the clue to let us know what it was. When the scrambled clue came out there were 6 of us in that van. Bundled up as much as we could get, a good word to describe it would be "tight".

The scrambled clue came out. This was it. I was gonna be part of the mad rush I'd said I wasn't going to take part in. We unscrambled it as best we could, grabbed our hunting tools and left the van for the stage. We looked for the only trees we could find in the east parking lot that were shaped like v's. We moved snow. We chopped ice. We moved more snow. We chopped more ice.

And then me2's sister met up with us and said she heard someone had found it. Sure enough Brassmonkey (and his impromptu crew of Cooler fame), turned it up under a huge snowbank at the far end of the other parking lot.

Less than 150 feet from the van.

It was over. People started to head home. 

I did it. I was there for the mad rush. Unintentionally at that.

We didn't find it that night, because we picked the wrong side of the coin, unscrambling one line of the clue. It happens.

What I did find, however, was a renewed fervor, a renewed infection for finding this thing. For the camaraderie of it. For the highs of being so close. And the lows.

Having it back in St. Paul after three years in greater Ramsey County helped that a lot. The trek from Apple Valley to Bald Eagle/Otter Lake at the north end of the county is a long one.

I've said for quite some time that I'd love to one day be a Vulcan, and one day I'm sure I will. One of the requirements however is that Vulcans must miss work for the duration of the carnival. Missing work? Yeah, generally no problem there. I was able to get time off last year to hunt, and honestly I think I spent more time out this year than i did in Keller.

Missing the hunt however? I don't quite think I'm ready to give that up. This year, this Harriet Island hunt (a hunt for which I think the Pioneer Press redeemed themselves after 2003), reassured me of that.

Sure, the 10 grand would be nice. If anyone ever found the thing and didn't know what to do with the winnings they could certainly give them to me.

But in the end for a lot of people, myself included, the goal is to outsmart the clue-writer. Sometimes the thing is found "too early" with dumb luck. This year though, the press got us, and they got us honestly. Nobody touched that pile of snow until 10:30 the night the scrambled 12th clue came out. Nobody. Why? The general consensus of the masses was that they'd be foolish to put it in a snow bank in a parking lot, even though they told us they did right under our noses in several clues!!!! They practically gave away the park in the first clue, and no one picked up on it.

There's always a few clues that aren't great. A few that when the meanings come out make you think "well that's a bit of a stretch". This hunt was no different, e.g., the 2-3-2 clue. But none of the clues brought out anything that wasn't directly related to the park (as opposed to a school a good distance away from Como). You could debate the Irvine/Walnut Street clue, but it makes sense, and you can see it from the park.

I heard more than one person this year say this was the most fun they've had on a hunt in a long time. I wholeheartedly agree.

Some people think we had a new clue writer this year (some people always say that though). If we didn't, I offer my congratulations. You've graduated to a new level. Keep up the good work. If we did get a newbie. Holy cow. I don't think you realize how big the shoes are that you need to fill. Because you made them that way! Also, keep up the good work (and don't let the compliments go to your head)!

This hunt really is infectious. It gets in your blood, screws with your mind. This year proved that for me.

And because of it, I'm definitely looking forward to next year.

Some general thoughts

I've always subscribed to the school of thought that you really need to get out there and scout things out. You're not likely to put a hoe or a shovel into snow on clue 1 or 2, but you at least need some bearings.

Treasure Chest and I were talking about it this year as we often do. She wondered why I wanted to go out looking early on because you don't really have an idea where to look. She's right. But there are some things that you can't see from Google Maps; you actually have to be there to see it. Walnut street from the glib ghoul this year is one of those things. The 2-3-2, while obscure, was another. 

This goes to something I've said for years. No one ever found the medallion while sitting on their sofa. Or in front of their computer. Or whatever. The only way to find it is to get out there and look.

20 years!!!

Wow! We made it to 20 years. Yes, the Cooler Crew really formed 20 years ago on a cold Sunday morning in Chair-O-Key. A lot has changed since then.

Back then we knew each other only by screen name. Some of us still use those names; some of us only know other people by those names. As our online community has evolved, a lot of those screen names have gone by the wayside though;  for many of us, the group isn't just about the hunt anymore. For many of us the group isn't on a Pioneer Press Water Cooler-like discussion board anymore. We get together for weddings, and funerals. We get together to celebrate graduations, and birthdays and friendships, or to put on a flash mob surprise proposal. We get together to have a game night, or to watch the Vikings. We're more than just treasure hunters. We're lifelong friends; some of us managed to become life-long husbands and wives.

But still, some of our traditions continue strong! We still have the Predig Gig and the Rehash Bash, and both are incredibly well attended. Thankfully the Rehash has evolved into an indoor potluck instead of an outdoor one.

We had 60 people in the group pic at the Predig, with likely more than that who had to leave before the picture, and 47 in the Rehash pic, where a lot of folks ended up leaving before the picture. Pretty awesome turnouts if you ask me.

As always, the smorgasbord and the prizes were awesome! And so were the organizers!

The next 20

After 20 years I think its safe to say we're not going away. As I discover them, I'm continuously adding hunts to this site across Minnesota and Wisconsin. I've even got leads on hunts in other parts of the country too, which I'll add as time allows, but since they're not local, they're not a priority. I'd love it if we could find enough to fill up the calendar from January 1 to December 31 of each year. We're getting there this year. The only month last year we didn't have anything at all scheduled was November.

And let me tell you, I did the math last summer. While the prizes vary from $100 to $5000 depending on the hunt and the festival, the total purse for last year was in the neighborhood of $18,000 in cash or other prizes. That's nothing to sneeze at. But more importantly these hunts provide a way to hone your skills. Sure, you're not going to pick up St. Paul landmarks to put to use for the big show, but solving the clues helps you think outside the box, a skill that directly translates to searching for any medallion.

For those keeping score, this blog entry marks the 1700th entry on this site.

Until next year, when I have a site status update to report, happy hunting! You dig?