Threads is the new Twitter (X)
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The Legend of Zelda – Tears of the Kingdom
May 12th is the big day! After six years Nintendo has finally released a new Zelda game. Yes I admit I am one of the loyal followers/gamers who is anxiously awaiting the new game release/launch. For many, millions of already downloaded the digital version of the game and we are just waiting for the clock to hit midnight so we can all start exploring once again. I had no idea there were so many millions of gamers. Friday is the big day. I’ll be playing at midnight just like everyone else! Game on!
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Dolby Atmos
Are you an audiophile? One who … appreciates music? Then perhaps you really enjoy going to the movie theater and hearing the magic in Dolby or IMAX. Those systems have hundreds of speakers and it just immerses you in a wall of sound. So if you didn’t know, Dolby has evolved and it is more than it ever was with sounds bouncing off the ceiling and wrapping around you in a total 360 experience. Well believe it or not — you now can get that at home if you are willing to put out some cash and upgrade your system. My receiver went out awhile ago but it still sort of worked … the center channel and the subwoofer worked but pretty much that was it. I honestly don’t know when the last time it worked right. Anyway, I took the plunge and bought a Sony receiver at Best Buy for about $500 USD. I have to say I love it. It is like I was watching movies with no sound effects for the past however many years. Where were the birds, water and wind before? Not in my home theater. All I can say is wow. If you are like me and watch a ton of movies, then you really should have a top of the line sound system. Hopefully my readers have just been reading my tweets, which are semi regular. Twitter .. meh, it’s a whole different beast. Unlike the website and other social media, there is little interaction. On a positive note with Twitter, I do have an official verified checkmark next to my name. I know, how cool is that? Anyone can get one, so I guess now I’m anyone. At least you know I am not a RObot. Or aka a bot. So if you decide to get some cool new sound, make sure your receiver had Dolby Atmos, and you will need 7 speakers and one subwoofer. I swear I am never leaving the house now that I have this amazing sound. Watching every favorite is like watching it for the first time. Btw, all your streaming services have Dolby Atmos content encoded, like Disney+, Amazon Prime, Netflix and of course HBO Max. GOT is in UHD high format so it looks and sounds amazing. If you aren’t following me on Twitter you really should, I do post a few interesting tid-bits here and there that I don’t post anywhere else. I try to keep content different on the other platforms.
Apologies for not posting more here, but as I told one reader, there literally days of reading on the blog and there is no way you read all of it. Or go back and read it again. I do — and continue to be amazed at some of the enlightening things that come out of it. As a reminder, many times I am just the scribe and the message comes from a higher power. Sometimes one of my readers needs to hear something and they won’t listen to anyone else, … like mom or dad. Sometimes YOUR guardian has something to tell you.
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So years ago when I built this site I incorporated some code to pull my tweets from Twitter to show up on the main page. It is kind of a cool trick that makes your static website appear to be active, other than your blog. Up until recently my Twitter posts have been few and far between. I only have a couple of thousand followers on there, and for some strange reason the demographics are of … older people, like adults. Not kids or teenagers. Just so you know, “most” of my readers are 14-35, and mostly guys. In the however many years that I have had/used Twitter, no one ever likes or retweets me. So why bother right? Well, as of lately I got tired of seeing Twitter posts (tweets) on my Facebook newsfeed, so I just decided to go to my own Twitter and see them myself. BUT I had to delete anyone that I followed that I didn’t know. There literally was thousands of tweets every few minutes and it just overwhelmed me seeing things I didn’t even really know why I was following.
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So now I followed a hand full of friends who followed me, some news sources, a couple of politicians and some celebrities. I have this theory that kids and teenagers don’t use Twitter. Every “group” has their own social media favorite. Facebook, Instagram, Snap Chat, Tik Tok, Podcasts, YouTube … I’m sure I am missing a lot. Especially in other countries, like China bans Facebook and YouTube so their citizens can’t get news and information. Yes seriously. The logs don’t lie and my fans/readers come directly to the site. This one.
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So I am making a concerted effort to post on Twitter at least 5 times a day. I am using my computer and not the app. Yeah I’m kind of weird that way. I really only use “social media” on my computer and only use my smartphone for music and gps mapping. If you aren’t following my Twitter, you can check it out here. https://twitter.com/aaronmstephens
Or you can keep reading them on the main page.
And on a holiday note, did you know that apple music has every “A Very Special Christmas” version available for your enjoyment. I still love the very first one. I’m sure Alexa will play it for you as well.
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Mystery Shopper
So this past weekend I ventured out to buy some holiday gifts/Black Friday specials. I had no idea what I was in for, but I knew what I had experienced in the past. First stop, Best Buy. I guess that the big box retailers still think that no one has a tv. Since that is ALL they seem to have. That and air fryers are all the rage, but it doesn’t seem like customers feel the same way. With streaming devices everywhere dvds and blu-ray discs are no longer marked down to ridiculous prices like before. It has been 2 years since the PS5 released and still there is no gaming consoles to be found. If I was a mystery shopper all of the stores would have failed. I know why they are down in sales. They don’t even say hello to customers, let alone shoplifters. The funny thing is Best Buy rearranged their layout, so loss prevention now faces the front door, and customers can see all their cameras in plain view. And a weird thing is they don’t give you a receipt unless you ask for it, so you literally walk out the door with no proof you paid. Yeah, I don’t get it either. Can we say “shrink problem”?
I tweeted to Best Buy and let them know of the epic fail on their part. They were very concerned and I gave them more detail in an email. I don’t know why they don’t sell things people actually want as gifts.
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The Butterfly Effect
They say don’t step on a butterfly as it has a domino effect. Or something like that. Anyway my point is that there is one certain individual that did a certain act that had insane effects. That person would be the former president of the United States who gave the republicans their supreme court the crappy judges who are there now. I’m talking about Roe V. Wade. If that didn’t happen, the midterm elections would not have turned out like they did. For some reason the experts thought that Colorado would be controversial and that our new house representative would have been republican. Yeah, the 8th district, like where “I” live are just normal people. It is mostly suburbia with normal somewhat non-white folks. Thornton Colorado … remember home of the Walmart shooting? Yep, that is the district that was “up for grabs” as they say. As far as I can tell it is mostly democrat in this district as all the democrats won their seats in Adams county. Also keep in mind, the newly minted voters, especially the Tik Tok gang — were out in full force voting to save their reproductive/body rights. Republican women voted democrat. Yes, you read that right. Independent voted democrat. So if you are looking to point a finger to blame the current state of the nation, you can point it at Trumpty Dumpty. HE did this.
And for the record I DID like Black Panther 2/Wakanda Forever. I just had my own criticisms of what I liked and didn’t like.
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Black Panther 2 Review
I decided I am going to use the personal blog for reviews. If you have the WordPress reader, in theory if you are subscribed — the new blogs will just show up in your reader. I keep my reader open so I know that my blogs are live. Just go to WordPress.com and register for an account, and then all your favorites in one place.
So if you want to hear/read my thoughts on the new movie,
Go here:
Black Panther 2/Wakanda Forever
I also want to use the other site as there isn’t a lot of content, yet there are quite a few readers. Obviously this is the site that has thousands of readers. But I think that you will like the fun pictures and design of the “old” site. A long time ago, that site had its own domain “aaronsafterthoughts-dot-com” but it got hacked and I had to tear it down. I kept the content and moved a lot of it to the free wordpress.com version, which does not have a lot of functionality, but if you are just looking for a place to read and write, that has enough features for the average person.
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The world needs new content writers. So maybe that person is you. What do you know that makes you an expert that you can share with the world? Great, can you put it into words and share it with the world? Go to WordPress.com and sign up for a blogger account and start writing. I started with one reader (me) and then a few decades later it turned it something much more amazing than just me. After you have started your blog and you have at least 8-10 good articles, then start sharing that with your network and see if anyone wants to read it. Write on a regular basis or have lots of content for readers. Keep it conversational and keep it interesting.
And if you are going to Black Panther 2, be prepared for a LONG movie. Lord of the Rings kind of long. I will be writing more, especially product reviews, … on the other site. So be sure you are subscribed as I won’t keep informing this site or on social media when there are new posts. I honestly don’t know what social media my fans use other than Facebook and Twitter.
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The other blog
So this morning I couldn’t get into this blog. So I submitted a trouble ticket and then proceeded to go to my personal blog, which I have not posted literally in years. I think I will write using both, I like the different format and fonts. If you haven’t checked it out via this websites menu, you can find it on WordPress.com.
https://aaronsafterthoughts.wordpress.com/
Black Panther 2 opens today, technically yesterday. I really think I want to see it. I hear that the villain rules Atlantis and is attacking Wakanda. I know, sounds like fun right? And today is Veterans Day in the United States. If you served in the military you get free stuff today.
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Colorado adds a seat in congress
Did you know that Colorado scored an additional seat in congress? Yep, all the new residents that moved here allowed a totally new district, technically representing me — Thornton & north. New York lost one of its seats, and we elected an ethnic female pediatrician doctor as our representative. Colorado joined six other states to gain seats. Texas picked up two seats, while Florida, North Carolina, Montana and Oregon also gained one. Doing the census survey is important and could ultimately shift the balance of power when it comes time to those votes in the electoral college. While it appears that most of the country is done with the election, there are still five states that have an additional election to determine the final and ultimate winner.
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So if you are one of my readers and you are in one of those states. Vote. Use your voice and make a difference. Go with your friends and vote for your future. There was low voting turn-out, and they know how many are registered and how many show up. So vote. You need to think in a hive like mindset. YOU are part of the hive. WE have all voted, and some of us will vote again, in huge massive numbers. WE are a force of power. The minorities now outnumber the majority.
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Election Highlights
Here is the big news. The former press secretary for the White House is now a governor. Arkansas you are doomed. And the Lt. Governor of Pennsylvania is now a senator. Dr. Oz was viewed by 55% as someone who wasn’t a full time resident who just tried to steal a senate seat. I hope it cost him millions. Nebraska, my home state, had a minimum wage issue on their ballot … and amazingly it passed. What? I know right? Well I looked up the numbers and it appears that the number of “not republican” is increasing. So much that if you took all of the other parties vs. the republicans there are actually 29,307 MORE if everyone voted. What happened? Well, COVID killed off a lot of voters and non-vaccinated folks helped to spread the death even faster. No one is wearing masks. There literally are thousands of brand new voters who went to the polls this time. The power struggle in the senate is real and there will be at least a handful of run off elections. Colorado created a new congressional district, amazingly it is where I live, and that means a new seat in congress. I could have run, and probably would have won. My unethnic name would have scored me a seat, but then I’d actually have to get up and go to work, report to someone and that just doesn’t sound like fun at all. And who wants to be a target? Look at poor Nancy Pelosi’s husband who was attacked and beaten with a hammer. Damn. Although it would be fun to travel back and forth to D.C. The $174k salary wouldn’t be bad either. What would be MY issues? Well if you have read the blog, I have shouted out a lot of things to “Biden”. If I was in congress I’d focus on education, career development and helping citizens find meaningful career choices. Well, maybe next election. Yeah right. But, if I really wanted to make a difference, going into politics is one way of making things happen.
I saw Black Adam last weekend and the new Black Panther 2 comes out this weekend. Since the main character died of cancer, they have to somehow rewrite him out of the story and write in his sister. The dude wore a mask and a costume when he is a hero so how hard is it to recast? They did it with Thor when they wrote in Jane Foster as a Thor. There wasn’t a ton of people at Black Adam opening weekend, so we will have to see how Black Panther 2 does. If I see it I will let you know my two cents. You know it will eventually make it to Disney+, so you decide.
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