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Pokémon GO Madness

A lot of people making fuss about Pokemon Stops or Gyms being at memorials, today - after I won the Memorial R Kelly Gym - I Googled the story of Sgt Lawrence R Kelly.

He was a WWI veteran who had vowed to be the first American in liberated Paris but was shot by a Frenchman as he drove his jeep across the Pont Saint Cloud after he had been mistaken for a German.

Had it not been for Pokemon GO I may never have heard his story and his memorial would have been another plaque on a wall ignored by nearly all passers by.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KidYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DvcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=972,649195

https://doyle.com/auctions/14bp04-r...41-world-war-ii-we-remember-important-tribute
 
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A gym named after R Kelly?
Isn't he a dodgy rapper with questionable tastes?
 
A lot of people making fuss about Pokemon Stops or Gyms being at memorials, today - after I won the Memorial R Kelly Gym - I Googled the story of Sgt Lawrence R Kelly.

He was a WWI veteran who had vowed to be the first American in liberated Paris but was shot by a Frenchman as he drove his jeep across the Pont Saint Cloud after he had been mistaken for a German.

Had it not been for Pokemon GO I may never have heard his story and his memorial would have been another plaque on a wall ignored by nearly all passers by.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KidYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DvcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=972,649195

https://doyle.com/auctions/14bp04-r...41-world-war-ii-we-remember-important-tribute

I've found a few very minor historic sites that I had no idea where there. Really nice.
 
Calvin Riley, a 20-year-old college student, was shot dead on Saturday night in an apparently random attack that has left his family and friends reeling and investigators scrambling to gather further information.

According to reports, he was playing Pokémon Go in San Francisco’s Aquatic Park on Saturday night when, shortly before 10pm, he was shot in the chest by an unknown assailant. Paramedics attempted to revive him, but Riley was pronounced dead at the scene.

ABC News reported that one of the friends there with him told police they had noticed someone suspicious watching them from the top of a hill overlooking the park, but that they did not get a good look or see if that was where the shot came from, since it was dark and they were looking at their phone screens.

Riley, who would have been entering his second year at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, CA in a few weeks, was originally from Massachusetts and was a talented baseball player with a promising future as a pitcher. ...

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Fu...tm_campaign=Best of IrishCentral - 2016-Aug-9
 
I've found a few very minor historic sites that I had no idea where there. Really nice.

You've got me wondering now if Aul Abba Well has made it onto there, which is a pretty obscure site on the road between Whitby and Robin Hoods Bay.

If so, probably best not visited on foot at 10pm.
 
I've not been following this thread, so this bit of Trivia will probably be my only contribution here:
Everyone is searching for them - but did you know Pokemon is actually Cornish?
By RWhitehouse | Posted: August 10, 2016

Pokemon are once more a worldwide phenomenon thanks to the smartphone game Pokemon Go.
But while people are searching for Pikachus and Jigglypuffs they are unwittingly using 19th century Cornish language.

Dr Kate Wiles, a researcher of medieval scribes and manuscripts, has revealed that the word Pokemon actually originates from 19th century Cornish and means clumsy.
It's a million miles away from Japanese anime which has adopted the word Pokemon as a shortened version of pocket monsters.

The words revealed by Dr Wiles are formed when English words were mixed in with Cornish language and dialect.
The result is words which are English but with Cornish grammar and Cornish vocabulary.

And Dr Wiles has also revealed some other elements of 19th century Cornish dialect which have been recycled into modern day language, including Dumbledore.
Better known as the head of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and mentor of Harry Potter, Dumbledore also has Cornish origins and means a thorn or bramble.
The word also appears in early modern English meaning bumblebee which is believed to have been the inspiration for JK Rowling using it for her character.

Other interesting words mentioned by Dr Wiles include:
  • Eggy-hot - Hot beer whisked with eggs and sugar, sometimes flavoured with rum
  • Tiddleywinks or Kiddliwinks - A pub. Innkeepers would keep smuggled brandy hidden from the law in a kettle. Those in the know would then wink at the kettle when they wanted some. It's likely that after an evening's hard winking at the kettle, it didn't stay secret for long
  • Ear-bosoms - Glands in the neck - when swollen you would say "my ear-bosoms are down"
  • Bowldacious - Brazen or impudent, as in "You bowldacious hussy".
  • God's Cow - A ladybird.
  • Airymouse - A bat
  • Nestle-bird, Choogy-pig and Piggy-whidden - The smallest and weakest pig in a litter.
http://www.westbriton.co.uk/everyon...ally-cornish/story-29605252-detail/story.html
 
I was reading this study of Boggarts this afternoon.

It dates from 2011, so it long predates the Pokemon GO craze.

Pokemon however is mentioned along with a host of other goblin, troll and elfin-infested material from modern popular culture.

The study examines folklore in the area adjacent to Boggart Hole Clough in North Manchester. The author comes to the conclusion that the younger generation are actually more steeped in Boggart lore than their elders. In interviews, she found that the older folk wanted to reminisce about the park as a social amenity which they perceived to have declined. The younger generation were likely to have been exposed to far more boggart-related material, courtesy of teachers, park-events and commercialization of the Clough in the form of a brewery.

When I visited the Clough a week or two back, there were a number of geeky-looking hoodies lurking around, gaping into their mobiles. Probably just playing the silly game but that doesn't mean to say they wouldn't mug someone if the opportunity arose! :p
 
More daft berks mucking about near Weston Super Mare (dangerous tides et al) trying to catch the blighters, but this time involving a full RNLI call-out

"A lifeboat crew had to be dispatched to rescue a group of Pokemon Go ‘trainers’ who almost became stranded on an island.


The six teenagers were searching for Pokemon at the Old Pier on Birnbeck Island, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, shortly before 9pm on Thursday."


http://metro.co.uk/2016/07/29/lifeb...ost-stranded-on-island-6037308/#ixzz4H45Ntuve"
 
Tonight there were about a dozen 20/30-something years-old Pokemon chasers, gathered near my office building. And maybe 8 in cars.

This craze, it's like train-spotting, but with invisible non-existent trains. The spotters, they've all got that shared suspension of sensibilities, like as if they're all at Comicon, as plain-clothes cosplayers.

Or all like nude prisoners in the shower together, keep these eyes pinned to chin of the person in front o'ya....no lower, y'hear???

Let's all shuffle about like pithed penguins (frontal cortex half mashed-up, just basal breathing and avoidance of knocking each-other down). And work these fingers, on that smart phone, as you slowly pace your space.

Weird. But perhaps the shape of our future....augmented reality, I never expected it to seem quite so unrealistic.
 
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Police have charged Ruslan Sokolovsky, the video blogger who filmed himself playing Pokemon Go inside a Yekaterinburg cathedral, with committing extremism and offending religious sensitivities. Sokolovsky has been detained and awaits trial on Sept. 3 to determine if he will be arrested, his lawyer says. If convicted, Sokolovsky could face several years in prison.

On Aug. 11, Sokolovsky published a video on his YouTube channel showing him entering the Church of All Saints in Yekaterinburg and playing Pokemon Go on his iPhone throughout the cathedral. In a short speech at the beginning of the video, Sokolovsky says he rejects warnings reported in the media that playing Pokemon Go in churches could result in a prison sentence.

“This is complete nonsense,” Sokolovsky said, standing outside the Church of All Saints. “Who could get offended if you’re just walking around with your smart phone in a church?” ...

https://themoscowtimes.com/news/pokemon-go-church-55200
 
Definitely think Bot use has crept in via the gyms. I've taken the 3 local gyms at various times of the day only to have them taken minutes later by the same guy which is pretty much impossible as you have to be physically close to the gym to take it and there is never anyone around.
 
Definitely think Bot use has crept in via the gyms. I've taken the 3 local gyms at various times of the day only to have them taken minutes later by the same guy which is pretty much impossible as you have to be physically close to the gym to take it and there is never anyone around.
For those of us who don't know Pokemon Go, you may want to explain what you mean by a 'gym'.
 
If the rest of the world was more like Japan it would be a darn sight better place.

Perpetual economic stagnation, high taxes, inert and corrupt political system, nationalist, ultra-collectivist, high suicide rates, high rate of people feeling lonely and isolated, people working themselves to death, sexist, xenophobic...

:)
 
Perpetual economic stagnation, high taxes, inert and corrupt political system, nationalist, ultra-collectivist, high suicide rates, high rate of people feeling lonely and isolated, people working themselves to death, sexist, xenophobic...

:)


they also have that weird shimmery mist that hangs around Japanese women's lady-parts in certain nature videos o_O
 
Someone was Pokemon Going in Central Park, N.Y. after midnight. It was streamed lived on Twitch.

Embedded media from this media site is no longer available
 
The Norwegian prime minister has been caught playing Pokémon Go during a debate in Norway’s parliament.

Erna Solberg was pictured playing the game during a debate in the Storting on Tuesday. It’s no secret Solberg is a big fan of Pokémon Go. During an official trip in Slovakia, she took some time out to play the game, telling reporters she was keen to hatch some of her 10km eggs.

This isn’t even the first time a Norwegian politician has been caught playing the game while in parliament.

The leader of Norway’s Liberal party, Trine Skei Grande, was seen playing the game during a meeting on national security back in August, at the height of Pokémon Go-mania.

And who happened to be speaking while the PM attempted to catch ‘em all? None other than Grande herself. ...

https://www.theguardian.com/technol...ht-playing-pokemon-go-parliament-erna-solberg
 
The Norwegian prime minister has been caught playing Pokémon Go during a debate in Norway’s parliament.

Erna Solberg was pictured playing the game during a debate in the Storting on Tuesday. It’s no secret Solberg is a big fan of Pokémon Go. During an official trip in Slovakia, she took some time out to play the game, telling reporters she was keen to hatch some of her 10km eggs.

This isn’t even the first time a Norwegian politician has been caught playing the game while in parliament.

The leader of Norway’s Liberal party, Trine Skei Grande, was seen playing the game during a meeting on national security back in August, at the height of Pokémon Go-mania.

And who happened to be speaking while the PM attempted to catch ‘em all? None other than Grande herself. ...

https://www.theguardian.com/technol...ht-playing-pokemon-go-parliament-erna-solberg

And over the border :

A Swedish MP has marked the opening of the country's parliament by playing Pokémon Go during the Prime Minister’s speech.

Social Democrat Monica Green tweeted a picture of a pesky Psyduck peeking out from behind no less than Prince Daniel’s back while Stefan Löfven addressed the Riksdag on Tuesday afternoon, provoking a wave of retweets, as well as a mixed response.


CsPIkHCXgAAHh28.jpg


https://www.thelocal.se/20160913/swedish-politician-hunts-pokmon-during-pms-speech
 
Wow! I didn't realise that this fad is still going. I thought it had run its course some time back.
 
From The Telegraph...

Man walks into stranger’s house whilst playing Pokemon Go

A man walked into a stranger's house in pursuit of monsters while playing the gaming craze Pokemon Go, Norfolk Constabulary have revealed.
When the man was questioned about the incident, which took place in Norwich, he told police it was because he was playing on the app and was attempting to capture a virtual creature on his phone.
The incident follows the news this week that two men have been charged with murdering a 20-year-old Pokemon player outside a toy shop in Kent.
Carl Gregory was killed last week after he had a row with his girlfriend while playing the popular mobile game outside a toy shop in Broadstairs.
Mr Gregory, who was a keen player of Pokemon Go, died in the arms of his girlfriend, 19-year-old Chloe Lemare.
 
Article on the BBC - apparently the much lauded exercise potential of Pokemon Go was never actually a thing.

As cynics derided the popularity of Pokemon Go a few months ago, some tried to seek out the positives.

Sure, hundreds of millions of players were wandering around, eyes glued to smartphones, putting their energies into "catching" imaginary creatures in the augmented reality game.

And yes, okay, maybe the quest to "catch 'em all" meant they occasionally strayed into less-than-appropriate locations. Like Holocaust museums.

The risk of being so distracted while playing that you hurt yourself, or others, also proved very real.

But at least, said optimists, those players were getting a bit of exercise while doing it.

Now though, a study from Harvard University, published in the British Medical Journal suggests that the fitness boost was a short-lived phenomenon.

More at link
 
Article on the BBC - apparently the much lauded exercise potential of Pokemon Go was never actually a thing.

As cynics derided the popularity of Pokemon Go a few months ago, some tried to seek out the positives.

Sure, hundreds of millions of players were wandering around, eyes glued to smartphones, putting their energies into "catching" imaginary creatures in the augmented reality game.

And yes, okay, maybe the quest to "catch 'em all" meant they occasionally strayed into less-than-appropriate locations. Like Holocaust museums.

The risk of being so distracted while playing that you hurt yourself, or others, also proved very real.

But at least, said optimists, those players were getting a bit of exercise while doing it.

Now though, a study from Harvard University, published in the British Medical Journal suggests that the fitness boost was a short-lived phenomenon.

More at link


I still play and the game gets me down to the beach more often than if I didn't play it.
 
Child uses sleeping mom's fingerprints to buy Pokemon gifts
When you want to buy $250 worth of Pokemon presents, desperate times call for desperate measures.

A fingerprint-ID locked phone wasn't going to stop this 6-year-old from catching 'em all.

Online purchases have been a pain in the wallet for parents, with the Federal Trade Commission hitting Apple, Google and Amazon with complaints accusing the companies of making it too easy for kids to make in-app purchases.

Kids buying online without their parents' consent has cost these companies millions in settlements. For Bethany Howell, in Arkansas, her daughter's unsolicited shopping spree reportedly cost her $250 in Pokemon presents.

The wannabe Ash Ketchum -- or maybe Team Rocket is more apt -- used her mother's thumb to unlock a phone and open the Amazon app as mom napped on the couch just days before Christmas, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Little Ashlynd ordered 13 Pokemon gifts for herself, and told her parents she was "shopping" when they thought their Amazon account was hacked. The 6-year-old at least reassured her parents though that she got the shipping address right.

Howell was only allowed to return four of the items, after her daughter's scheme was foiled. She told Ashlynd that Santa Claus learned about her fingerprint folly and wouldn't be bringing her all the gifts.

Apparently Saint Nick isn't the only one who sees you when you're sleeping. So parents, start wearing gloves to bed.

https://www.cnet.com/news/child-uses-sleeping-moms-fingerprints-to-buy-pokemon-gifts/
 
That is a dangerously smart kid.
 
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