A familiar icon

So, I've been meaning to post about icons for awhile but have never gotten around to it. Koko has been an icon-making machine and is just pumping those cute little 1/4 inch wonders out as fast as she can.

I can't help but brag about the "Freestanding Arches" logo, though. Doesn't it look a bit like the photo I've added to this post? That would be my oh-so-cool Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Arch, a Civil War memorial that we waymarked in Hartford, Connecticut. I'd love to think it is so awesome that it deserved to be the category logo/icon, but if you check out the more recent additions to the category you'll notice that the European arches have definitely got this one beat. I think it was more the fact that it was the only old arch that was in the category when she was looking for icon examples. Or maybe it was the fact that I am such a kiss ass about icons. :)

Some other icons that I've noticed lately -

Beaches: Did you notice that the "Beaches" icon is the "Nude Beaches" icon , but she added clothing to the the people?

Roller Skating Rinks: How about those disco lights behind the skate? Tres groovy!

Tattoo Parlors: Doesn't this one just make you wince?!

Other detailed masterpieces: The closed drive-in icon with its tattered screen, the whitewater rafting icon that shows 6 paddlers working the water, the miniature landscape painting for the Natural Springs category icon, and last but not least, the Noodle Shop category's noodle bowl, complete with chopsticks - I swear you can see the chopped scallions and bean curd in that one!

Grid Chat: The latest and greatest on the grid

Did anyone notice that if you click on one of the grid squares that instead of just opening the category's page it opens the category's page with a filter to only show the waymarks you've posted in the category? It's just a simple thing, but very handy, that's for sure.

And yesterday row 28 of the grid was finished off with the new National Trust, UK category. To me this category is a big step. Regionally specific categories are so interesting - they focus on waymarking things that are important to a specific culture and its history. For the hobby to continue to grow worldwide it's important to encourage waymarkers in countries outside of North America to create a few of their own regional categories that speak to the people of their country/region. So a hearty thanks to Brentorboxer and her team of officers.

Lastly, a few new icons I've chuckled over on the grid. The used video game store icon now has an NES controller perched above the storefront - go Nintendo! The Independent Diners icon is near and dear to my chain restaurant hating heart. It's a knife and fork with the word "chain" above it crossed out in red. Heh-heh-heh. :) And as a dog lover how can I not just love the Self-serve Pet Wash category's icon? A dog all sudsed up. Just plain cool icons? The new stained glass flower for the Art Deco/Art Nouveau category, and the Sydney Opera House for my 2 Master Architect categories. And one more thing - did any one notice that it looks like the soldiers on the icon for "Battlefields" are doing Tai Chi? It's a slow motion battle, I guess. :)

Post-Vacation Backlog

Okay, many of you already know that I'm a slave to the icon. The cool grid and all of the Website's awesome icons really get my compulsive side going. I'm not really excited about the bingo - I just like seeing the grid fill up and this trip has definitely added a bunch of icons to my grid. My guess is that when all is said and done, I'll have icons for close to 50 new categories. Weird how a 1/4" picture can get a grown woman all excited. It's like back in elementary school and getting gold stars on your homework (only much more stylish :)

The quest for categories has caused me some hemming and hawing as to which waymarks to post first. I'm torn between the waymarks that will get me a new icon and the waymarks that are just really cool or are in my favorite categories. I opted to post the new category waymarks that are hard to find and that might be posted out from under me (take note Bruce, Farkle and NevaP.) So rare or regional waymarks like Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple, my Mies van der Rohe IBM Building for the "Master Architects: International Style" category, my state historic marker waymarks, and Historic Survey Stone have been waymarked. Next, I've been trying to post the waymarks that I think are really cool (or weird) - Frank Gehry's Pritzker Pavilion, the Jolly Green Giant, the Spam Museum (an oddball museum - you can't get much odder than Spam), famous sculptures by Picasso, Calder, Miro and Chagall, and oh so much more.

It's gotten to the point where I have to limit myself on computer time. I get so excited about posting the waymarks for some of these places that I'm not getting any work done. I swear I must have spent about 6 hours total on the computer the other day. I took most of today off from the computer to catch up, but watch out - tomorrow I'm back, baby!

The above photo is a detail shot of the coffered stained glass ceiling of Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois. It is one of my favorite buildings and it was an awesome experience to get to wander around the building and soak it all up. He was truly a genius. I went overboard taking pictures of the church so be sure to check out the gallery.

Iconography: a top 10 list

If you are new to waymarking let me explain the website's icons. Each category on waymarking.com has its very own tiny square icon. Each waymarker has their very own profile page and on that page is a tab that shows you a large grid. Each square on this grid represents one category. The square will be filled with the category's icon once you have posted or visited a waymark in that specific category. We waymarkers, already a compulsive bunch, have become even more so since Groundspeak introduced this grid feature to the waymarking user profile.

Anyhow, I was looking at the Waymarking category grid and there are some of the icons that just make me laugh and some that I think "how does she do that with so few pixels?" Groundspeak's icon creator extraordinaire, Koko, goes above and beyond the call of icon duty at times. I believe the following are her top ten masterpieces.

1. The waymarking whore (aka Dance Club icon) - need I say more?
2. Beatlemania - fab
3. Nude beaches - hilarious! - I came upon a similar scene when I was hiking in Olympic NP last year.
4. Martial Arts - It's a Shaolin showdown!
5. Pet Cemeteries - I love Fido's ghostly head floating above the tombstones
6. Japanese Gardens - Okay, not funny, but very cool icon. I'm especially partial to it since I created the category.
7. Shoe tree- this is one of those where I wonder how she got that image with so few pixels. Very cool.
8. Postcards - This icon perfectly captures the category
9. Disney Benchmarks - How can you resist a benchmark with ears?
10. Ginormous everyday objects - A giant hot dog - what more can you ask for?

There are probably some great ones that I missed, but you have to admit, these 10 are classic.