Category: Funny

Why I am not too old to play Pokémon Go

Toni2 Comments

I must confess that I have never seen an episode of Pokémon. But when I saw my social feeds cluttered with news that the Pokémon Go app had launched in Australia, and had friends ask me if I wanted to go hunting, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

Here is why I got caught up in all the fuss that is Pokémon Go:

      1. It is easy to learn. If you can swipe up or left and right, you can play. Collecting Poke balls is easy as PokéStops are plentiful in CBDs and in most suburbs. If you played Paper Toss back in the day you know how to throw a ball at a target – in this case a Pokemon.

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2. A sense of community.If you have been out and about, the reality is that you have noticed groups of teens and adults that are hanging out in cars, and around the city or certain landmarks in the suburbs. They are not just snap-chatting, tweeting or texting – they are huddled around PokéStops to either collecting Pokemon or stock up on Poke balls for their  next hunt. Seeing groups of people of all ages, all races and genders huddled together makes it feel like a sense of unity is taking place. The wave of excitement that you hear when someone spots a rare Pokemon has to be seen to be believed. And, while you are at Stops, you will be hanging out with other Pokemon Trainers, and while you are in between collecting Pokemon you can have a chat to the person beside you while you are geeking out. Make sure that person wants to chat though!

3. Your world is the landscape of the game. This is the first augmented reality mobile game and boy, did they do a good job of it. Seeing your house, workplace, school or surrounding suburbs as a backdrop to sprouting these creatures makes your world new again. It is getting even the most introverted gamer out of their house and walking – and that can’t be a bad thing. So many normally Vitamin D deficient young people are clocking up kilometres in order to get their ‘egg’ to hatch or to head to the nearest PokéStop.

4. The camera mode. This is me collecting a Pokemon in the loungeroom:

 

Pokemon Go

And at a PokéStops:

Catching Pokemon

5. It is not really about Pokemon at all – I may not know what any of the Pokemons are called (but how cute is the Pikachu? and my favourite – Ponyta) until I they pop up on my screen, but I still get the same level of excitement. It is addictive. You want to catch them all – just like the tagline says.

So give it a go and you may find yourself getting out and collecting Pokemon – and loving a reason to explore your neighbourhood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tales from an adult camper

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Patonga Caravan Park is nestled along Ettalong beach and Patonga Creek – just 5min from Umina and 90mins from Sydney. It has clean and modern amenities, and the front office comes complete with a kiosk that serves snacks, milk, bread, bait for fishing and refreshments.

As a newbie when it comes to camping, it could not have been more perfect as a way to transition this self-confessed lover of creature comforts to the world of outdoor activities.

But first I needed to be kitted out. I headed to Kmart and invested in a Jackeroo 5 person tent (I like my space), camping stove, cutlery and pots – all for under $200. That way if I decided camping is not for me I will not have to take out a loan to pay for my newly founded hobby.

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We arrived at the caravan park and set up camp. Things to consider before pitching your tent – or so I have learned is:

  • keep away from overhanging branches
  • aim for as flat ground as possible
  • try to keep out of the wind if possible

After setting up camp, we called the local Kayaking company to organise kayaks for rental and then headed down for a walk along Ettalong beach. It is good to keep active during the day so you are not too cold once the sun goes down. Or take a stroll with as many layers as possible!

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Fire pits are permitted in Winter at the caravan park – firewood is BYO. When you are camping in cold temperatures, this is your best friend for the night:

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It was that night when my sleeping bag failed me. The temperature dropped to 8 degrees and i had three layers of clothes on but my sleeping bag was a hand-me-down from my brother that was from the 80s. Lesson learned – try a sleeping bag that was designed for colder temperatures, and better yet, stuff your sleeping bag with your spare clothes to keep you warm. As a novice,  I brought an air mattress to sleep on which stops the cold coming up from the ground, however I have been told that a self inflating mattress is a must-have.

Failing that, you can always sleep in the car, and learn from your mistakes for the next camping trip.

Why the Kardashians have more business sense than you think

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They are the family at the centre of more Entertainment news than the Royal family. In fact, they are the Royals of Hollywood – or to be specific, Calabasas, California. And they built their empire through a series of business savvy, strategic business decisions and controlled news streams. But how exactly did they do it and do they deserve more credit?

Here are 4 reasons why the Calabasas family are so darn media smart.

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Source: http://girlshideout.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/kardashians.jpg

  1. Controlled news messages

Each time there is a proposal, wedding announcement, new baby or even a new business venture, the news is broadcasted via one of their now numerous businesses – their TV show Keeping up with the Kardashians which is in its 11th season, their clothing lines or their individual social media accounts. They give themselves the scoop, before it hits mainstream news. Fans, media and the public are kept on tenterhooks until the news is released on their own channels. Last month the Kardashians released a series of individual mobile apps, one for each sibling, each designed and tailored with content and branded individually to each Kardashian girl. How was the app launch announced and promoted? Via the TV show and individual accounts, all cleverly cross promoted.

2. Diversifying

Khloe just announced her own TV talk show, Kocktails with Khloe. Kourtney, Khloe and Kim launched their Dash stores years ago, the youngest girls – Kendall and Kylie have their own fashion label with Forever New and Kim nearly broke the App store when she announced Kimoji – her own Emoji icons. They are involved in multiple show spin offs – Kourtney and Khloe take Miami and I am Cait with Caitlin Jenner, there are the nightclub appearances and Kim even has her own App game.

kardashian-app-launchSource: http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/kardashian-jenner-family-divided-after-6458532

3. Innovation

This year each Kardashian female released their own digital news hub, with regular tailored subscription content.

4. We can relate

No matter how rich they are, we can all relate to that sibling rivalry, sisterly fights, being embarrassed by your parents and even setting each other up on dates or simply telling each other when they are being losers.

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Source: http://giphy.com/search/keeping-up-with-the-kardashian

They have built a $65million brand empire on a business model that no one else has yet mastered, as much as they are mocked by the high-brow of society, the Kardashians have shown that they have more business sense than people give them credit for. And they did it their way – the K Way.