The Only Reason I'm Addicted to Pokemon Go (Free Pokecoins)

Getting Free In-game Pokecoins

The only way to get pokecoins without spending real money to buy them is either taking down or fortify a gym. I have put together a step by step guide to help you do just that. 

Pokemon Gym

• Step 1: Make sure you are level 5 or higher. (Level up by walking around and catching Pokemon)
• Step 2: Find a gym and click on it. (Gyms are those large multi-tiered platforms with Pokemon on top randomly placed around the map) 
• Step 3: Join team (Mystic, Valor or Instinct) Check this link out for deciding which team to play because once you choose you can't change. 
• Step 4: Take down the gym or fortify it.



Fortify or Battle

•  If your team is already fortifying the gym (Note the color of the platform before clicking on the gym. Blue is Mystic, Yellow is Instinct, and Red is Valor) and there is an extra spot for one of your Pokemon you will see a little join button on the bottom left hand side of the screen. Click this button then choose one of your Pokemon to join the gym and *poof you have now joined the gym with that Pokemon.
• If another team is fortifying the gym the join button will not be available and you will have to battle to take down the team fortifying the gym. (The number of battles required to take it down depend on the gym XP level and the number of Pokemon fortifying it.) Click the battle button on the bottom right and choose your top 6 Pokemon for the fight, then click go. Once you have defeated all the Pokemon and knocked the gym XP down to "0" you will have the option to fortify it. Choose a Pokemon to place in that gym and *poof, you have claimed and fortified a gym for your team. 
• Step 5: Once you are back on the map screen, click on your level counter with your avatar's face next to it and it will take you to your avatar screen with leveling statistics, medals, team information and amount of Pokecoins you have. 
• Step 6: Click on the Pokecoin. It will take you to the shop. 
• Step 7: Click on the shield in the top right corner if it has a number other than "0". You will get 10 Pokecoins for every gym you are fortifying and a 21 hour counter will begin. Once every 21 hours, you’ll be able to go into the Shop and “cash in”. 



Leveling Statistics

• You get 10 coins and 500 Stardust for every Pokemon you have on a Gym. If you have five Pokemon on five Gyms, you’ll earn 50 coins and 2500 Stardust.
• You can have an infinite number of Pokemon on an infinite number of Pokemon Gyms. However, the “cash in” maxes out at 10 gyms.
• Because of this, you can earn up to 100 Pokecoins and 5000 Stardust every 21 hours!

Please be aware, that this means you will need to be aggressive and alot of your pokemon will need reviving and health boosts after battles. This will likely require lots of Potions and Revive capsules so stock up on them at as many Pokestops as you can. 

Happy Hunting from the Polar Bear. 

A Polar Bear Reviews Guardians of the Galaxy

The film is based on an obscure Marvel comic book about 5 random beings thrown together as a result of various circumstances. They are the epitome of unlikely hero's. As a matter of fact, it could have been the subtitle of this movie. The characters were shockingly deep and full of life and each one of these unlikely hero's stole my heart.  

Considering all the buzz I've heard over the internet and social media, I bought my tickets on-line and got to the theater 10 minutes early. However, the theater wasn't as packed as I thought it was going to be.  Where was everyone? A few more people slowly trickled in, but the theater was less then half full. I couldn't believe it. It seemed like everyone was talking about this film. Then I realized, not everyone was talking about this film. Only the geeks were talking about this film. They were talking so loudly that I hardly noticed the rest of society was completely silent on the matter and had passed it off as another potential flop.

I'll be honest, there are too many geeks out there, so it won't be a flop, but it doesn't have enough familiarity to entice the everyday house wife or the Sports Center watching businessman. However, I have to give it to the director, because he made it as palpable as possible for the non-geek. An adorable and yet strikingly handsome human played by Chris Pratt from Parks and Recreation and his nostalgic Walkman are both culture life-preservers in this Alien world on the other side of our galaxy.

As movies go it was out-of-this-world, and geeks around the world would applaud it as a good adaptation of the comic. If the mainstream public can set aside reality for the first 10 minutes of the film and not try to compare it to something that they know or recognize, then they will appreciate and come to love it by the second act. The plot was thick with action, humor, and drama. Subtleties like background action and irony make it a pleasure to watch. Character dynamics makes it interesting to follow, and directorial genius, make it one of those movies that you will want to watch again and again.

Bitcoin: What Is It and How Does It Work

There are approximately 12 million bitcoins in circulation with new bitcoins added to circulation every day. By the year 2114 there will be 21 million bitcoins in existance. Then the digital bitcoin mint will be shut down for ever, and we will have to survive on these 21 million bitcoins.  No amount of pretty girls or declarations of war can change this because this is part of the Bitcoin protocol. 21 million. That's the number they went with.  Not 42, (which we all know is the answer to life, the universe, and everything), but 21.

They, (and by "they" I mean, those who write thick books in small print) say this protocol will guard Bitcoin against inflation. But inflation isn't the only ogre that is hiding under the monetary bridge. Bitcoin is a digital currency based on the internet and computers and servers and laptops and USB drives and so forth. So naturally, the Bitcoin creators had to make sure they were guarding against the number one digital threat, 31337 H4X0Rs, or Elite Hackers. So how do they keep hackers from getting into their Bitcoin program? Easy, you hide your program in the Internet.  That's right. IN the Internet. Somewhere in the Internet, hidden behind a period on a humble blog post or sneaking around someone's Facebook page, is the one and only Bitcoin. "How do you hide an entire program on the Internet?" you may be asking. Technically, It's actually just one long chain of letters and numbers and symbols that when put together make up the phenomenon known as Bitcoin.  This simple act of hiding this Bitcoin "block-chain" is actually the key behind "printing" or "mining" bitcoin. The art of bitcoin mining is a simple system based solely on finding this program that is purposefully floating around the internet like a smart Lego in outer space.

If you get out your Bitcoin approved telescope and find this Lego roaming around the Andromeda Galaxy of the Internet somewhere, and you go get it before anyone else does, you can take another Lego piece and add to the one that's already there. When this is done, you release one bitcoin into the digital world. Apparently, this is happening at least 25 times every ten minutes, but the bigger our block-chain or Lego creation gets, the less you will be able to add to it. This is also part of the Bitcoin protocol. So what happens when one of these hackers tries to "Select All" and "CTRL C" this block-chain of ones and zeros and throw another identical Lego piece out there? Good question.

The answer is, they can't. Something about... blah blah blah blah... they just can't okay...
Yet.
All that Bitcoin has to do is stay ahead of the hackers for 100 years. Then when all the bitcoin currency has been released into circulation the giant Bitcoin Lego behemoth will self destruct, and all hacking attempts will be thwarted. Inflation will not exist and the world will be saved, the unicorns can finally come back, and the dolphins won't have to say, "So long! And thanks for all the fish."

One hundred years. That's a long time.  You can bet people will try to crack the code and ruin Bitcoin, but the cool thing is, most hackers and computer geeks want this thing to succeed. They want a currency they can depend on. Dollars and cents aren't cutting it anymore. If you haven't noticed pocket's don't jingle with change anymore. Wallets engorge themselves with plastic cards that have little magnetic strips on them. People are slowly moving away from physical cash. Most of our transactions occur through computers now, anyway. It seems everyday we move closer and closer to a cashless society. So I ask, why not Bitcoin? It's safer than what we have. It's not controlled by one country or one large bank or the price of gold. It's controlled by you and me. People on their computers, peer-to-peer (P2P). Whether it ends up working or not, I think the idea is pretty incredible.

Bitcoin is getting stronger and the almighty dollar is weaker than it's been in a long time. A dollar bill is just a sophisticated piece of paper now and it doesn't even have gold to back it up anymore. It calls itself a "note." We pass notes in class, that said, "Do you like me? yes, no, or maybe." I pass my "note" to the cashier and she looks at it and checks "yes." Then puts it in her drawer, and I walk out with a bunch of merchandise. What happens when the cashiers start looking at our notes and checking "maybe"?

The news is telling us Bitcoin is the next big thing. Many retail companies are accepting it as a currency now, and it's traded in over 200 countries and can even be exchanged at currency exchanges in airports and banks. It's slowly gaining momentum around the world. As I'm writing this 1 bitcoin (BTC) is worth $561.00 (USD), and if you click here, this link will tell you what it is worth right now, however it doesn't cost anything to set up a Bitcoin Wallet.

I set my Bitcoin wallet up through Localbitcoins.com. It's empty right now, but not for long. Soon I will be going in search of the Giant Lego in the sky hoping to mine a bitcoin or two. Not because I need it or even want it, but because I'm kind of a nerd and the whole concept fascinates me. I've included a link on the top of my blog page that, if any of you find yourself swimming in a vault full of bitcoins like Scrooge McDuck and you would like to contribute to my cause, you may click on and donate bitcoins to my wallet.

My money is not on Bitcoin just yet. I've done some research and am playing with it like a cheap toy. If it succeeds, great. A currency to beat all currencies. We could use a little hope in the financial world these days. But if it's not successful, someone will come along and develop something stronger and safer, and we will see if that catches on and becomes the next big thing. In the meantime, I will watch the worlds currencies, bend a sway with the times and the peoples, and enjoy earning, paying, giving and protecting what's mine. 

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“He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it.”
― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Government says "No" to Death Star Petition

 

A few weeks ago the galaxies relaxed when the US Government officially responded to a petition made on https://petitions.whitehouse.gov
Here it is:

Petition: Secure resources and funding, and begin construction of a Death Star by 2016
Response: The Administration shares your desire for job creation and a strong national defense, but a Death Star isn't on the horizon. Here are a few reasons:

• The construction of the Death Star has been estimated to cost more than $850,000,000,000,000,000. We're working hard to reduce the deficit, not expand it.

• The Administration does not support blowing up planets.

• Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship?

First of all, may I say, "Here Here", then may I politely stand and clap for the respectable stance that our administration is taking against the annihilation of planets.

Second of all, I would like to thank the current administration for taking the much needed time to explain why they would be taking such a stand.

Third of all, I would like to honor the Star Wars fans that work in the White House, with a characteristic Mandalorian handshake, and wish you well.

Fourth of all, I hope this does not mean that you will stop researching hyperdrive capabilities for the T-65J Advanced X-wing Starfighters that you plan to sell to the Egyptians and Syrians.

And last, but not least, thanks for proving that most of you still have your virginity.

That is all.

Now, enjoy these beautiful ads
   

A Geek's Valentine

If you are a geek and have a date on this Valentine's Day, you might think your woman loves you because of the sweet nothings you whisper in Elvish to her as you hold her hand walking through the Star Trek convention. It is not. Nor is it the sexy Batman underwear you've been wearing for decades over that flabby, geek physique. Could it be the annuls of facts about conceivable time travel that make her swoon? Sorry, but no. That stuff turns you on, but her feminine receptors respond to something a bit different.
"So what is it that makes my woman love me?" you may be asking your highly evolved self. It's your total ignorance to your own hotness that makes her loins shudder with desire.
Yes it's true. She thinks your hot. By "hotness" I mean a certain charisma, confidence, or sensitivity that supersedes geekiness. Here are some situations that might exemplify this phenomenon of hotness: 1) You are good with children and the mentally retarded. 2) You get choked up watching a movie, TV show or a cotton commercial. 3) You own a dog or cat or sea monkey, it doesn't matter, just something that proves something else can depend on you. 4) You know or can write a line of poetry.
However, on a more practical note there are certain superficial situations that can diminish this "hotness" factor: 1) Not using dandruff shampoo before donning your black shirt for the rave. 2) Breath that smells like a turd. You must always budget for Doublemint, and don't forget to floss. 3) Outer ear hair. 4) Bragging about your success hacking into the Hasbro mainframe or your alphabetized catalog of Lord of the Rings paraphernalia.
If she considers your geekiness cute, you are in and you are loved. Congratulations!
But, if you are sitting in your lonely apartment surrounded by action figures encased in their original packaging, reading this blog and wondering why you could not get a date this past Valentine's Day, consider investing in some charisma, confidence, and sensitivity. Stop giving women subscriptions to 2600 or texting l337 speak to their cell phones. Go buy a dog, a book of poetry, and the Curious George Box Set. Then prepare for the ladies to come running.

Blog P.S.
Poem for my Valentine
Wonder and amazement take my heart on a rapid but significant journey as I take in the vision of her beauty. I'd not seen it before, not like this. My thoughts stutter at the scent of her. How'd I get so lucky? The 21st century gladiators parade in the arena and the media vultures circle overhead, and I considered my Love, gently preparing a place for my return. Pushing every hindrance aside, "Outta my way!" I want, no I need to be with her. Heroes swear allegiance to the beauty she emulates, yet she has taken an oath for me. Her hand would be rosy with the kisses of suitors if her path weren't right next to mine. Heaven has favored me in this life. She sought me, and I pursued her. The wonderful thing is that it keeps getting better like a treasure trove saving the best for last. So thank you God for my unbelievably smokin' hot wife.