POST #2 - Augmented Reality

In the aftermath of both the Republican and Democrat National Party conventions, cops being killed, terrorist attacks, North Korea firing missiles and the Chinese annexing the South China Sea, the folks at Niantic bring us the newest way to forget the world with Pokemon Go.  Who is Niantic you ask?  They are the folks that brought us another augmented reality game called Ingress.  Niantic is a spin-off from Google and has taken the cellphone gaming market by storm.

This social experiment with Augmented Reality has looked more like a Darwin Awards competition.  With players walking off cliffs, driving cars into trees, driving cars into police vehicles, walking into telephone poles and even quitting the job that supports the family, you have to wonder if the barrel with the gene pool of life is empty and we are now trying to capture the leakage remaining on the ground.  These people aren' putting their very lives in danger to save a loved one, the safeguarding of humanity or anything like that.  They are taking these risks to capture enough Pidgeys to evolve into some other digital creature to achieve virtual greatness playing Pokemon Go.  You cannot go anywhere without seeing a throng of Pokemon Trainers running around trying to capture a digital Magikarp flopping on the ground like a fish out of water. I would like to say this is a fad for the young but it has infected Uncle All, Auntie Em and hell even Grammy.  It is like a social experiment seeing kids, hipsters, hippies, gamers, surfers, senior citizens and their caretakers wandering aimlessly looking for something called a Charizard suddenly change direction like a school of bait fish when they hear someone scream, "Garygos."  

Now I will admit, who am I to question this digital phenomena when it has done more to get our obese society off of their couches and out exercising than all the heart attacks, stern doctor lectures, nagging housewives and even surgeon general warnings combined.  Why did it take some virtual digital augmented reality experience to get families to spend time together again hunting Pikachu's together?  When before parent would lament losing the younger generation to electronic gaming, today they are taunting and bragging to each other over their collection of imaginary combative pets.

Whatever the case, if just for a moment, these people have found an escape from the insane polarized world we live in and the harsh reality that life isn't always fair and for some almost never enjoyable anymore.  So to hell with homework, bills, work and even common sense, I need to lean over that cliff's edge as I can almost reach that prized...........splat!!!