Disappointment; Pokémon Go

There have been recent releases about Nintendo and Niantic's upcoming augmented reality baby. Between game footage, and Nintendo's release of information.

Given that the original video clips couldn't possibly be the reality of the game, but did have us all excited about, I did hope this Pokémon game would stay true to the ones I grew up with; battling wild Pokémon to increase your Pokémon's levels. Evolution by experience points. Actual gameplay with other people.

Unfortunately John Hanke showed us that the new Pokémon game would be closer to Niantic's original, mobile, augmented reality game. Ingress. And Nintendo's official release made the truth of the game sting even more.

PokéStops like portals; placed in areas of landmarks and such. Gyms acting like portals, Pokémon battling for teams' rights to them. Trainers gaining experience as opposed to their Pokémon. Pokémon not battling wild Pokémon; the world essentially being one big Safari Zone. Throw rock, bait, or ball.
And evolution? Catch multiples of one Pokémon to make one evolve.

What happened to Pokémon guys? Who broke this game that was so amazing, it had everyone wishing they could go out to become a Pokémon Master?

In the original games, a trainer's experience was based on their collection of gym badges, and Pokémon's experience was created through battle. This whole game - if all information currently released is true - is no longer Pokémon. It's a farce. Made to be a revamped version of Ingress.
I get that Niatic aided in creating this Pokémon game, and parts would be similar. But they've removed the whole side of Pokémon that people played the game for. It's like N64's Pokémon Snap, on steroids.

They really need to rethink what they're doing to the Pokémon franchise.

Changes Coming in 2016

I'll click these through in chronological order.

Nate Ebner, the ace of the New England special teams, is taking time off to go for the American Rugby team in Rio this year.
Huh...

Chandler Jones traded off to the Arizona Cardinals for Jonathan Cooper and a 2nd round draft pick this year. Jones a good pass rusher being what the Cardinals were in search of. And Cooper drafted 7th in 2013, and ranked 50th offensive guard in 2015 being a help to the Patriots' aging a frail quarterback.
Brady rushed and making bad decisions last season cost the team quite a bit when they needed him to be the offensive leader the most. Cooper putting pressure on the other guards (Shaq Mason and Josh Kline) to play better, may give Brady more time to think in the pocket come 2016. But Cooper has yet to truly live up to his expectations. So we'll need to wait and see.
The trade is contingent on both players passing their physicals, as Jones was hospitalised in January for some sketchy weed.

After reading Jones, Patriots signed free-agent, defensive end Chris Long to a one year contract. As the 2nd pick in the 2008 draft, Long has some experience, and has proven his worth. Unfortunately with age in that position comes injuries. But he's looking to join a team to get himself a SuperBowl ring. This would be the right place.

Martellus Bennett of the Chicago Bears is welcomed into the offensive ranks of the New England Patriots. They also grab themselves a 6th round pick to boot, in exchange for their 4th round pick.
Martellus will stand with Rob Gronkowski as a 1-2 punch as a tight end on the Patriots offensive line.

Ignorance and its Blissfulness

I've seen some pretty ignorant people in my life. But in this day and age, racism still shocks me.

Yeah, the current US election is kind of being run on rear and racism and ignorance... but this is Canada. That is... like Germany before World War II, where Hitler used his words, the people's fear and ignorance, and his charisma to be elected.

Anyway, this is not a blog about that election. I'm here to talk about the laymen who still hold that ignorance.

I have several co-workers that are (trying really hard to be as politically correct as I can while still painting a decent picture) the visual stereotypes that are seen as immigrants, which have been placed upon groups of people in an unfair way. Like people who's race or religion requires them to dress a certain way, or wear certain things.

When I'm not writing, or running my own business, I work at a department store that is known throughout North America. So I see many people and customers, and interact with them when they're both positive or negative impact on everyone's day.

I had a gentleman come in who was being a bit unclear of what he was looking for. Saying he wanted to go through cash, but people were trying to kill him. Upon further investigation, he was refusing to go to the cash register because our only cashier at that time in the morning was someone who again, was being seen as an immigrant because of a visual stereotype that had been given to the way she looked, and what she wore.

The customer was refusing to go to her cash because "they have books that tell them to kill me, and I can't have her touch my food because she wants to kill me."
This fellow had a trenchcoat on at 7am which sported Canadian flag eplettes, and the whole outfit was finished off by... slippers, which the backs had been broken on as he clearly put them on repeatedly by not sliding his feet all the way in.

It took everything in my power to not reach across the counter and beat the man for his level of ignorance.

The point of freedom is having the power to free speech. Yes. But it also allows people to dress as they choose, and worship those they choose, and follow the religion they choose. Yes, he's free it be ignorant, just as I'm free to want to kick the shit out of him and think he's an ignorant pig. Just as my cashier is free to be the person she is without penalty of persecution.

The situation has been remedied, thank goodness. We learned that we are to remove people who are going to be out and out rude and disrespectful to those around them, from the building.

The experience is a shock to my system, as where I'm living is such a diverse city.

Those Pesky Apps

We've been lead to believe that closing our apps in the background on our phones is saving us battery life. Google and Apple have confirmed this is nonsense. Closing open, unused apps doesn't change the battery life on your mobile device.

Mobile devices - both android and iPhone - have programs within them to do that work on their own. They have algorithms that will close apps that are unused and are using excessive amounts of power and memory while dormant. Closing apps that are in the background won't extend your battery life, but restarting the apps you close will decrease it.
Like putting your computer to sleep, as opposed to a complete off before turning git back on; restarting an app from scratch can make your phone lag while pulling all the information back up, making the process consume more power.

Keys to saving your phone's battery would be decreasing your screen brightness, and turning off that pesky background app refresh. There's your power killers.

2016 Just Got Brighter

I'm sorry, but I'm a bit giddy currently.

As we all know Peyton Manning retired as the quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Anyone who wasn't paying attention, and/or wasn't a Broncos fan also knows that Brock Osweiler also left the Broncos ranks for the Houston Texans, leaving Broncos General Manager John Elway to rebuild his quarterback roster from the ground up.

Can you see why I'm buzzing?

Broncos have brought aboard veteran quarterback Mark Sanchez from the Philadelphia Eagles, for a 7th round conditional draft pick in 2017.
Do then need someone there? Yep. Is this guy the fix they need to return to the SuperBowl? Maybe, but I doubt it. They didn't trade a player AND a draft pick. They traded a conditional SEVENTH ROUND draft pick.

Patriots fans, 2016 looks so much brighter.

Peanut Butter Problems

Anyone who knows me, knows I preach about the bodies ability to build an immunity to things it's exposed to. Such as "guys with beards get sick less often," "breast fed babies get antibodies for everything their mother was exposed to," and my favourite "kids that play in the mud are healthier."

Peanuts are the same; who knew.
"Peanut allergy theory backed up by new research." Studies have been done to show that babies early exposure to peanuts on a regular basis cut the chances if an allergy by 80%. And if fed peanuts and peanut butter on a regular basis to the age of 5, they can go 1 year without peanuts and still maintain their resistance to the allergy.

As usual, people who think they know everything have created a food fear within parents and made them believe things without the proper studies being done beforehand.

So again, let your damn kids play in the mud.
Breast feed if you can. Some believe the formula is better; I'm sure it has aspects that are better. But in my eyes LONG TERM HEALTH is the only aspect that truly matters. And I realize not all mothers CAN breast feed; that's not your choice or fault, and you shouldn't be treated differently because of it.

And for heaven's sake, do hour research before jumping on a bandwagon.