I'm not much for being a dumb*** should get you victimized line of reasoning, but the thought of them getting pickpocketed while being a poke-head elicits a certain schadenfreude.

I'm just waiting for the first time a poke-head walks right into a baby stroller, or some equally rage producing situation. What's the law on provoking your own beat down?

Is it just me, or am I developing less tolerance for voluntary idiocy as I get older?

It's not just you...

What burns me is the idiot who insists he or she is right.

At the time I had an older TV with mono sound and a stereo receiver and I wanted to put together a home entertainment system. I studied and work with electronics so I know what I'm doing. I go into an electronics store, looking at their products. A store employee was so certain that she is right and that I'm wrong that I wonder if an actual demonstration would change her mind.

Let me throw out this simple challenge to see how many people are smarter than this store employee: You have a DVD player, a mono TV, a stereo receiver and a pair of speakers. The video cable goes from the DVD player to the TV. The audio cables go directly from the DVD player to the stereo receiver. If the DVD is recorded in stereo, will you get mono sound or stereo sound from the stereo amplifier and speakers?

Jeanette Isabelle

Stereo. I had this system for years. Furthermore, if the player outputs 5.1 audio, and your audio receiver accepts 5.1, you get 5.1.

Back in the day, I was told by a store employee that I could not record (on the new VHS recorder) and watch at the same time!

Definitely stereo. I too did this years back using my Kenwood 9600 receiver (still have it and it still sounds great) and two sets of Bose speakers -- an old pair of 301's & what I think were the first version of Acoustimass® speakers (no longer available). The 301's were near the TV, the Acoustimass sub-woofer sat in a corner and the Acoustimass treble set did their direct-reflecting thing -- great all-around sound.

But what does this have to do with the idiocy of Pokémon Go other than dating us as too old to understand the idiocy LOL (pronounced Loll)...

I'm glad we got some intelligent people here. The store employee was insistent the stereo equipment would not produce stereo sound (though the audio cables go directly from the media player to the stereo amplifier) because the video cable goes to a mono TV.


The conversation drifted slightly to voluntary idiocy. I could not think of a better example of intentional idiocy.

Jeanette Isabelle

This from some security people I know:

You may remember Pikachu and the rest of the gang from the 1990s Nintendo game. And you have most likely heard of the latest craze sweeping the globe – Pokémon Go which has revived the gamed and turned it into a reality app game. Attached is a description of the game if you aren’t sure just what it is. This article from The Atlantic addresses some of the Cyber Security/Identity issues associated with the game.

Though it is designed for fun and his getting people outside and moving around, it can be manipulated by those looking to do harm. It also has some inherent risks. Please heed these warnings and consider the risks before you decide to play

· The App uses your GPS to show you where the Pokémon are and thereby is collecting your locations.
· It uses and has complete access to your Google account – can send emails, retrieve pictures and information about you. They are reportedly working to fix some of these flaws.
· There are false apps that install Remote Access Toolkits (these allow your device to be hijacked)
· Users have reported being lured out to chase Pokémon and being robbed or otherwise disturbed
· Players have walked into traffic from being glued to their phones and oblivious to their surroundings – look up from your phone!
· Pokémon can be just about anywhere i.e. businesses, neighborhoods, woods, etc. Be aware of where you are going as you chase them as this could lead to trespassing or secluded areas where criminals could strike.
· Do not play and drive – enlist a co-pilot!
· Monitor your kids if they are going to play and talk to them about the risks and precautions to take


Just to make people aware.

... and for the players who need to capture points inside a fire station, Attention Pokémon Chasers: Police, Fire Officials Want You To Stop Calling 911 Really?

I take what I said back. Voluntary idiocy has reached a new level.



Jeanette Isabelle

I've been hearing similar. It's a massively intrusive piece of software, and with access to GPS and camera, a bit of a physical security nightmare.