Archive of ‘augmented reality’ category

08
Jul
2022

Baby Bub, Pokemon-spotting before the pandemic.

categories: augmented reality; word count: 171 words

Even though he wasn’t an actual baby when I took this picture, this was still one of the last pictures that I got of him playing Pokemon Go with me prior to the pandemic. I’m not sure if I’ve posted it here yet but figured that it couldn’t help to post it. I haven’t really played Pokemon Go since the pandemic started, even from the comfort and safety of my own home — recent updates elongating the “white flash” that is present at some parts in the game could cause and have caused migraines and seizures in susceptible members of the population, and I felt that it was too much of a risk for me to take. Until I know for certain that it has been fixed in such a manner as to reduce the severity of either one of those things happening, I can’t in good faith pick the game back up. It’s a shame, but you do what you have to do to stay safe, even when it’s not fun…

26
Nov
2021

(insert Kansas lyrics that fit on one line, literally)

categories: augmented reality, MMORPGs; word count: 335 words

Ever since my mother passed away, I don’t really celebrate Thanksgiving.

Given the actual history of the holiday, I see absolutely no need to… that, and Bub is partially Native American on his father’s side (and one hundred percent complete sass on my side). We ate food as normal, had snacks as normal, and I got some time in getting our sorceress through Hell mode in Diablo 2: Resurrected. Once I gain some more levels past that by doing Ancients runs, Baal runs, and Cow runs — since when are cows not enjoyable in this game? — I’m going to start hunting on my own for a Shako, which is probably one of the best things I can get our sorceress at this point, not to mention having it on hand for other characters that may need to borrow it when their levels and stats are high enough to be able to equip it. Put a Perfect Topaz (…how many can you fit in this thing, anyway?) in it and it will serve more than one purpose. I just need to pace myself though because my brain will not let me play hours and hours of a game that I enjoyed in my adolescence and early adulthood, and at that, one that Bub enjoys. He likes both Diablo 2 and Diablo 3. I’ve never tried World of Warcraft on him because you have to pay to play it, and that would be the time that my migraines strike or my seizures become… more prominent, and I wouldn’t want to waste money on something that I can not reasonably commit to for periods of time even if Bub might like it. I don’t know. I’d rather pay once to cover the costs of owning a copy of the MMO and then play when we can. Yes.

Luckily though, this game doesn’t have any sudden, more persistent flashes like Niantic made Pokemon Go.

I miss playing Pokemon Go with Bub, but we have this pandemic, and was the “flash” problem even fixed?

29
Jun
2021

I have more or less kicked the stomach bug from hell!

categories: augmented reality, personal; word count: 265 words

I know that it’s not proper nomenclature to call them the “stomach flu”, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t feel every bit as miserable as someone who actually had the flu. Then again, I was immunocompromised when I caught this. I caught it because I was so severely immunocompromised. ’round and ’round the wheel turns.

In Pokemon Go-related news, I’ve had to put that game down for the foreseeable future because a recent update to the game extended the amount of time that “the white flash” is present on the screen for the normally brief instances that it is. As a result, more people are being exposed to it who are at risk for adverse neurological events such as migraines or seizures… and I meet both of those criteria, or have both of those things happen to me, admittedly one more than the other. Until I’ve been given word that this is no longer the problem that it has become, I don’t think that I can safely play this game. And I’m definitely not going to want to get myself hyped up for new patches or releases if I am only able to play the game for very brief periods of time if it even manages to work out like that. I’ve liked this game since release, so this is a shame.

I suppose Bub and I can play more of the console games that we have in the interim to make up for this.

Fortunately, though, Bub hasn’t really been asking for this game… but we’re still in the throes of a pandemic.

21
Jul
2020

Nope, we are not breaking quarantine for this.

categories: augmented reality, personal; word count: 394 words

Apparently you can “safely exercise” (our governor is a dunce who can’t even comprehend basic science) around here as long as you wear a mask and maintain proper social distance, but no, we are going to continue to quarantine as long as there is a pandemic going on and… not leave the house unless we are embarking on necessary travel. Bub and I could, if there weren’t a pandemic going on, by this logic play Pokemon Go and go to the nearby PokeGym and Stop because it is a cemetery and it is doubtful that we would interact with anyone that isn’t in our household, but… again, there is a global pandemic going on, I am at high risk if I do manage to catch this, I do not want my child catching this, and this is an unnecessary risk to even consider taking, so no. We are going to continue to quarantine for as long as there is a global pandemic going on and I do not care what “advice” our foolish, ludicrous governor, his “strike force team”, or anyone equally as asinine has. None of these folks displays a clear and thorough understanding of science.

I do miss the walk to the nearby cemetery, though. My lungs start off strong after I’ve medicated them with albuterol prior to the walk, then as we turn off of our road and begin walking down the old farm road and I’ve taken the outside position nearest the farm road for safety reasons and my lungs realize what we are doing (again). Then when we get to the gazebo in the cemetery that allows us to access the Gym and the Stop, begin accessing those things, wait for my lungs to stop having the opinions that they are assuredly having, use my inhaler as needed. And when we were done at the cemetery doing everything that we needed to do and I had completely rested, make the walk back down the farm road, then turn and walk back down our road, at which point my lungs would resume having opinions at the distance that we had walked, then go home and I would rest again from the distance that we had walked. My lungs don’t like exercising…

When this pandemic is over, we’ll resume playing Pokemon Go no matter how much albuterol I have to use.

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