Pokemon

Appleseed wrote: No. Just no.

Hear, hear!

Last night we took the dogs to a riverside park for a walk. Aside from the soccer game going on in the field there was about 50 people of all ages sort of congregating at a spot near a bridge. I correctly guessed pokemanning as the activity and as we walked through it I saw a bunch of strangers smiling, talking and interacting. Yeah, they all had a phone in their hand but they were out on a beautiful evening, meeting new folks.

It was honestly the most welcome that park has felt on years.

I would absolutely make fun of all of those idiots, but I play Tag-O-Rama on ADV in, seriously, about... 6 tag games. Which is like the same thing as this without an app or backstory, instead, with motorcycles and cameras... over distances as large as New England or the entire US. Short explanation: Even more ridiculous, but really fun.

I am only avoiding knowing more about this because I don't need any more reason to go looking for pointless artifacts people have hidden.

The game became popular after I had grown to like other things, so for many years I didn't get it. And I refused to learn anything about it or try the game because it seemed dumb to me.

I was in my 30's the first time I played the Nintendo game. And after trying it, I really liked it.

This is a principle I still try to follow to this day. Life is too short.

It's great that people are getting out, meeting people, and getting exercise!

But can they avoid crowded sidewalks? And make sure that they don't walk out in front of traffic when the light is red? It's bad enough with people actually paying attention.

Maybe have audible notifications when you are close to something.

In reply to paranoid_android74:

The principle of trying something or there's a principle to pokemon? If there is- what's the underlying principle of pokemon?

alfadriver wrote: In reply to paranoid_android74: The principle of trying something or there's a principle to pokemon? If there is- what's the underlying principle of pokemon?

To be the best like no one ever was.

alfadriver wrote: In reply to paranoid_android74: The principle of trying something or there's a principle to pokemon? If there is- what's the underlying principle of pokemon?

I was thinking of the principle that I should try something before I decide I don't like it. Within reason of course.

But since you mention the principle of Pokemon, there is one. Mainly it is to go out into world and explore new places, meet new people, and learn to appreciate them. And of course find as many different Pokemon as you can.

That's from one of the games, I don't recall which one

Somebody already mentioned it, But....

This app has some really bad security issues. On the news this morning they were talking about how it has FULL access to your google account.

There is the possibility it can be used to locate single individuals in real time.

I am not sure about all of the possible issues with this, but it is WAY different than most apps that use bits and pieces of your info. Apparently, this one has access to everything.

Also, the company that put this out is headed by an ex intelligence person.

In other words, check it out before you simply check "I have read....."

paranoid_android74 wrote:

alfadriver wrote: In reply to paranoid_android74: The principle of trying something or there's a principle to pokemon? If there is- what's the underlying principle of pokemon?

I was thinking of the principle that I should try something before I decide I don't like it. Within reason of course. But since you mention the principle of Pokemon, there is one. Mainly it is to go out into world and explore new places, meet new people, and learn to appreciate them. And of course find as many different Pokemon as you can. That's from one of the games, I don't recall which one

Ok.

I have tried many times doing video games. Never took hold to me. Tried a few other games on my iphone, but the only one I do is solitaire to just blow time.

Great that there's a game that forces people to get out and live. But one doesn't need a game to do that.

wvumtnbkr wrote: ...There is the possibility it can be used to locate single individuals in real time... Also, the company that put this out is headed by an ex intelligence person.

berkeleying Hydra, always gettin' up in my E36 M3.

wvumtnbkr wrote: Somebody already mentioned it, But.... This app has some really bad security issues. On the news this morning they were talking about how it has FULL access to your google account. There is the possibility it can be used to locate single individuals in real time. I am not sure about all of the possible issues with this, but it is WAY different than most apps that use bits and pieces of your info. Apparently, this one has access to everything. Also, the company that put this out is headed by an ex intelligence person. In other words, check it out before you simply check "I have read....."

Pokey Go company said: We recently discovered that the Pokémon GO account creation process on iOS erroneously requests full access permission for the user’s Google account. However, Pokémon GO only accesses basic Google profile information (specifically, your User ID and email address) and no other Google account information is or has been accessed or collected. Once we became aware of this error, we began working on a client-side fix to request permission for only basic Google profile information, in line with the data that we actually access. Google has verified that no other information has been received or accessed by Pokémon GO or Niantic. Google will soon reduce Pokémon GO’s permission to only the basic profile data that Pokémon GO needs, and users do not need to take any actions themselves.

http://gizmodo.com/can-pokemon-go-really-read-all-your-emails-1783479136

alfadriver wrote: The principle of trying something or there's a principle to pokemon? If there is- what's the underlying principle of pokemon?

The original games were basically a cross between an old school Final Fantasy type turn-based RPG, and an easter egg hunt/collecting game.

World is full of little monsters you can shrink to fit in your pocket (Pocket + Monster = Pokemon). They have different powers. You train them to fight each other. Many of the most powerful ones are the hardest to find, so you have to work to catch them all.

I liked the original game. I'm trying out this app. Not sure how into it I'll be, because I liked the exploring and combat from the original games more than the collecting.

Back when I was a teacher, I enjoyed giving the kids a hard time on the rare days they were allowed to play with game boys to school. Whenever I saw a kid playing Pokemon (there was always at least one), I would always ask:

"So, did you catch 'em all yet?"
They'd roll their eyes, "No."
"You gotta catch 'em all."

I was the right age when the original games came out and enjoyed them immensely. I kind of want to get Pokémon GO, especially after seeing that a friend of mine found a Slowpoke on the hood of a Scion XB, but I'm afraid it will be too much of a distraction from things that are much more important.

We'll see how long I can hold out, it sure looks fun.

Update now for the security fix:

https://www.wired.com/2016/07/update-pokemon-go-app-now-fix-privacy-mess/

I'm not a "gamer" by any stretch, but if this helps get kids outside--breathing fresh air and moving under their own power----I'm all for it. Sure beats the heck out of kids being couch potatoes.

Who knows--- once they are outside they may even find they like the sunshine, and decide to play baseball, or soccer, or something that doesn't require a battery. (although that may be a bit much to ask....)

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ wrote: I was the right age when the original games came out and enjoyed them immensely. I kind of want to get Pokémon GO, especially after seeing that a friend of mine found a Slowpoke on the hood of a Scion XB, but I'm afraid it will be too much of a distraction from things that are much more important. We'll see how long I can hold out, it sure looks fun.

Part of our current collection

<img src="" />

Honestly, I don't have the time to play like many folks around here do (read college age folks), but it's fun. Over the weekend we met and talked to probably a dozen different people playing. Some of them were older than me.

With peeps complaining . . . I found this appropriate

In reply to Strike_Zero:

Good point. I've seen memes on the Book of Faces, about "Am I the only one that doesn't give a E36 M3 about PokeGO?"

My thought is, "hey, you post stuff about hunting, flying, (motor- and bi-) cycling, knitting, etc... Perhaps there are people that don't give a E36 M3 about your hobbies. Leave them the hell alone."

I've spent 2 nights out past midnight playing this game. Lots of other people in their 20's and 30's out there.

Downloaded it last night, my excuse being that I had to walk somewhere anyway. Promptly caught a Charmander in my garage, which was amusing.

The game is clearly geared toward more populated areas- my walk to the farm we're currently housesitting for was pretty devoid of Pokémon, despite being full of real animals (why can't I catch this frog?).

There was something pretty magical about walking through the woods at dusk with the music I remember from the original games chirping away, it felt like a dream that 10 year old me might have had.

Witnessed yrsterday in a busy medical center parking lot:

Young 20 something girl pulls in to parking lot snd stops right in the center of the access. Blocking anyone else from entering or leaving. She is oblivious to the WRX that was trying to lesve and is now stopped 15 ft from here but unable to go around. After 30 seconds of her sitting there looking st her phone, she opens her door, exits the car and wanders into a little grassy area where she walks around aimlessly holding her phone out in front of her. After a minute of that she must've caught one because she got back in her car and moved on. Still totally oblivious to the person in the WRX who was stuck waiting for her. I guess I should be happy she's having fun? I can say I'm glad she didn't decide to catch pokemon out on the highway and get herself killed. People have lost their minds. Pokemon go is the zombie apocolypse minus the feasting on the living.

In reply to T.J.:

These same dipE36 M3s are normally on Facebook/Twitter/Snapchat/etc while driving, this is just another app for them to use. Not the game's fault that there are stupid people out there.

In reply to ¯_(ツ)_/¯:

That is very true.