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Post by Fenwick on Jul 11, 2016 19:00:29 GMT -6
Off subject but inevitable that it shows up in the park...Pokemon Go. I put in 5.5 miles every day at Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano, Tx. and this weekend the preserves trails were suddenly overrun by dozens of mid teen to mid 20-somethings transfixed by their smartphones. What the _ is going on? As I go by I overheard one in a group exclaim that he has a weedle on his device. A weedle. OK, I made a mental note to Google that when I got home. As I was driving out of the preserve at 8:45 PM or so I spot another group of teens huddled together with their faces aglow in smartphone illumination. I thought it mighta been one of those crazy flash mob things but when I Googled "weedle" it all came out. Sunday was worse with more mid teen to mid twenty-somethings all over the place, their smartphones guiding the way...in MYYYY nature preserve where I go to unwind and be offline. There's enough open sky, natural surroundings and wildlife to take in without electronic critters running amok on screens...in MYYYY nature preserve. Mine! It's a sign of the times. Soon enough Beavers Bend Park and the LMF will have Pokestops where the electronic critters will gather. Are they to be considered electronic invasive species? Will the shop guides know the best spots where the most Pokemon are to be found aka Pokestops? The new shop deck? Which run on the Spillway? Where along the shore of the Cold Hole? Which ledge of the Bluffs and which stump at the Evening Hole? And what lurks under the Evening Hole bridge? Maybe we'll need to direct smartphone transfixed park visitors to the David Boren trail instead to get them away from the water. This silly game is gonna pose a problem for the Park Rangers having to handle wayward players getting lost. Don't say I didn't warn you: www.cnn.com/2016/07/11/health/pokemon-go-guide-trnd/index.html |
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Post by mirvc17 on Jul 11, 2016 19:10:11 GMT -6
Good grief. Sometimes I hate technology.
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Post by Fenwick on Jul 11, 2016 22:07:29 GMT -6
Why was I not surprised to find them out in droves again at sunset when I went to the nature preserve to put in my miles. That news article linked above mentions the game gets players off their duffs and outdoors. That it does. Thing is, you have to constantly watch your smartphone's live camera view on your screen while you are moving about outside in order to see the electronic critters show up wherever you are. Take your eyes off your screen for a moment and you might miss one. God forbid you should instead see a baby armadillo or bobcat or Texas brown tarantula or hear the whippoorwills or owls. The knuckleheads cutting across the meadow while wearing shorts are gonna find out what chiggers are. I hope it's a passing fad.
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Post by golferjeff on Jul 12, 2016 7:41:22 GMT -6
4 days of itching and scratching may inhibit future Pokestops. One Moccasin bite will put an end to it as well.
I wonder if they have a device or repellent for creatures like Fenwick? |
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Post by dannys on Jul 12, 2016 8:48:01 GMT -6
And when someone is hit by a rattler/moccasin/copperhead, hit by a car or walks in and disappears by wading in below Old Park Dam during generation, the law suits will surely follow. Wonder if the litigation will be against the park or the app?
Remember the woman who walked into the mall fountain pool? Dangers were much less in there compared to the wild areas (one would think).
Sounds to me like Fenwick has a much better (and tons safer) activity to get out doors.
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Post by Fenwick on Jul 12, 2016 11:02:21 GMT -6
These Pokemon players transfixed by their smartphone screens up at Arbor Hills might indeed step on a copperhead but are more likely to blindly walk right in front of a fast moving mountain biker.
And Jeff, don't you have a plane to catch to somewhere far far away? Ya know, I hear it brings good fishing luck to run towards rogue bison and bears seen near the waters edge. The best luck of all is attained by running towards baby bear cubs while mama bear watches you approach. Yep, that's what they say to do! Good luck!
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Post by golferjeff on Jul 12, 2016 12:53:09 GMT -6
I see the same things when I bike thru River Legacy in Arlington. Some people either talking, texting, or pokemoning and oblivious to other trail users. SOmetimes they even let their dogs run free while they use the phones. Grant - yes I do! But I will ignore your advice on bears, bison, and offspring. I will stick to the drift boats and our comfy lodge on the river  |
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Post by Fenwick on Jul 12, 2016 13:09:32 GMT -6
Ya just never know where those Pokémon Go critters will show up in the wild.
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Post by golferjeff on Jul 12, 2016 13:22:51 GMT -6
South Muddy River near Creede, I know that place!
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Post by Fenwick on Jul 14, 2016 21:12:57 GMT -6
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Post by kingnothing on Jul 15, 2016 8:11:49 GMT -6
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Post by dannys on Jul 15, 2016 11:50:56 GMT -6
Whoa!! Guess I called that one! Our first Copperhead bite! Hospitals having to keep these people from their helipads? This is one crazy craze!
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Post by Fenwick on Jul 15, 2016 12:46:05 GMT -6
The number of mid teen to mid twenty-somethings playing this game within Plano's Arbor Hills Nature Preserve has skyrocketed to the point the crowds make it hard to find available parking. Discarded drink containers and snack food wrappers now litter the landscape. I'm concerned for the preserves small sized wildlife that by chance finds itself in close proximity to these meandering teens because of the "hey everybody, watch what I'm gonna do to it!" factor. I was wondering how these electronic game critters got placed at various locations within the nature preserve. I was guessing associates with the game creator must've surveyed the nature preserve at some point. Thanks again to Google I found out how it's done: www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/07/where-did-pokemon-go-get-its-map/490799/There's a firehouse/rescue squad adjacent to the preserve and a hospital a half mile away. Wreck yourself in the preserve and the firehouse dispatches a customized industrial grade golf cart ambulance rigged with a long flatbed to come fetch you. An ambulance ride is roughly $1,200 in the city and antivenin runs from $1200 to $2400 per vial depending on what medical facility you visit. ER's are gonna see an uptick because of this game. Beavers Bend Park will surely be the big Pokemon Go draw for the youth of Broken Bow. Cha-ching! |
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Post by golferjeff on Jul 22, 2016 14:48:43 GMT -6
I can't find the article, but a Montana kid was shot by a rancher who was defending his private property. All the guides shared a laugh on that one.
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Post by dannys on Jul 22, 2016 16:20:03 GMT -6
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Post by breeden3 on Jul 22, 2016 16:42:58 GMT -6
I can assure you that the guides with the shop are doing everything they can to learn where only the most rare/most powerful pokemon are. We will know where they are and what kind of pokemon treats to throw to catch them.
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