Alolan_Apples
“Assorted” Collector
Happy New Year y’all! As 2019 is already here, we should be following the new year. Like every year, it starts out fresh in January, is still early in February, the mid-year begins in May, the late year begins in September, is very late in November, and passes away in December. But two-thousand nineteen is going to be a bit different. Here’s what I know will happen:
- It’s the end of the decade, wrapping up the Obama years, the age of rising social media, the years of the 7th generation and 8th generation gaming, and the time of drastic changes. Later this year, I plan on writing a series of blog entries that mark the highlights of the 2010s decade, including the best events, the worst events, and many others.
- The Democrats will take back the House of Representatives. After eight years of dominance in the lower chamber of Congress, the Republicans will finally lose control. However, they still have control of the upper chamber of Congress, where they gained seats rather than lost seats. This mirrors the 2010 election when it were the other way around, including the presidency.
- A new Animal Crossing game comes out. Easily the most exciting event of the year, we will see the new Animal Crossing game. Other than 2014 and 2018, we seen the series get catered to within the last couple of years, with Happy Home Designer and amiibo Festival launching in 2015, the Welcome amiibo update patching in 2016, and Pocket Camp showing up in the App Store. But we want more than that. We want a new Animal Crossing game. When this game comes out, I’ll be ready to make new towns. I had many ideas for the next Animal Crossing game, as I mentioned My Idea Book. Unfortunately, not all of them will be in the game, but I can easily predict some of them. It’s also worth mentioning that this site will get more popular again, as the community will rebound. The TBT Marketplace will stimulate, there will be more people participating in events, and there will be more site staff members. I plan on signing up for moderatorship next time applications open. I know a lot about Animal Crossing and this forum (including its history). Last time I signed up for that position, I really wasn’t ready, even when I claim to be. But now I am ready.
- In addition to a new Animal Crossing game coming out, there will be a new Pokémon game. It’s not just the start of a new generation, but it’s also the first new generation on the Nintendo Switch. The Switch is a very popular console, and Pokémon is one of the big three Nintendo franchises. I wonder how much this new game will sell. We’re also a generation or two away from getting to the 1000th Pokémon species. Right now, if you count every form of Pokémon, we’re not even at 1,000 yet. But there’s been over 100 since the first generation.
- Another related note on the Nintendo Switch. It will outsell the Nintendo 64 in 2019. Within just one year, the Switch outsold the Wii U, a failed console. After 18 months, it outsold the GameCube (and this is not to include Smash Ultimate or Pokémon Let’s Go). The Nintendo 64 is next to be outsold. I’ll be surprised if it outsold the SNES this year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it outsold the Nintendo 64.
- The last of the 90’s classics will turn 20 years old. Many films, TV shows, games, and songs have turned 20 this whole decade. The remaining ones to turn 20 are released in the year 1999. Examples include the last of the Disney Renaissance films (Tarzan), The Phantom Menace, All Star (that song in Shrek), SpongeBob, Super Smash Bros, and the first Pokémon movie (worldwide).
- The last of the World War I related events will be 100 years out. By now, all of World War I was 100 years away, but the Treaty of Versailles was in 1919. In 2019, that event would be 100 years out.
- The Affordable Healthcare Act (also known as Obamacare) may actually be out of the Constitution. The Republicans may have no legislative hope of repealing the healthcare law (in fact, their promises of repealing it costed their control of the House of Representatives), but they have control of the Senate, which is in charge of confirming Supreme Court justices. And Obamacare is heading back to the Supreme Court. Since the filibuster rule no longer applies to Supreme Court picks, and the Senate has a pro-life majority, one liberal seat going vacant would decimate all of Obamacare. In addition, the Individual Mandate (which many people believe Obamacare can’t survive without) will no longer apply in 2019, thanks to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
- Older books will enter the public domain. The US Copyright Act allows the author and his/her family keep the copyrights to a work of media up to 75 years since the publication. But in 1998, all works between 1923 and 1977 had the copyright extension to 95 years. Starting this year, the copyrights will expire, putting these books in the public domain.
