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A Day at the Office Mystery Cache

Hidden : 3/25/2025
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size:   micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:


The cache is not hidden at the posted coordinates and it is not necessary to visit the place to get the final coordinates. 

The Ctrl, Alt and Delete keys lived on the same keyboard that was part of the office computer. Their role was simple, but essential to the user’s experience.

Ctrl, always the scheduler, took shortcuts and made sure tasks like copying and pasting slides ran smoothly. "Efficiency is my middle name," he said. Alt, a creative problem solver, stepped in when a user opened the wrong window and used Alt+Tab to guide him back. "Don't worry!" Alt said. "I can do it." Meanwhile, Delete quietly deleted errors and kept things clean and focused.

One Monday, a user, stressed over their sluggish computer that had finally frozen, desperately needed help. He groaned in frustration, frantically trying to meet a looming deadline. Ctrl, Alt, and Delete exchanged determined glances. "It's time," Ctrl declared. Together, they performed the iconic three-finger salute. In the early days of personal computing, this Ctrl+Alt+Delete combination would immediately reboot a frozen system - a drastic but effective fix. Modern systems, however, had evolved, offering a gentler solution. Instead of restarting, the command summoned the Task Manager, a lifeline in times of digital crisis. With a few clicks, the user identified and terminated the problematic task. The computer sprang back to life, and the user completed their presentation just in time. The deadline was met, and the three keys silently celebrated another day saved.

Story in cooperation with ChatGPT

How to find the final coordinates

David Bradley, one of the original engineers who worked on the IBM PC, devised a shortcut "Ctrl+Alt+Delete" to quickly restart the system during development and troubleshooting.

The IT community uses for this shortcut the lighthearted and informal term “three-finger xxxxxx”. Find out what word to use instead of the characters “xxxxxx” to complete this term. Enter this word into the Certitude checker to reveal the final coordinates and hint.


Just in case, a local cacher will provide maintenance assistance.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Va gur Pregvghqr

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)