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Pinball Machines Were Sneakier Than You Think
Gifts for Retro-holics Who Yearn for the Old Days
High-Def Digital Pinball Machine Doesn't Really "Get" Pinball
Atari's Lunar Lander, Made Real
Atari Wallet Is Awesome Until You Put it in Your Back Pocket
The Videophone as Imagined In 1910 Still Had Dancing Webcam Girls
Ben Heck's Latest Atari 800 Laptop Could Be His Best Yet
Before They Were Cool: Apple's Flamboyant Vintage T-Shirt Ad
The Ingenious and Absurd Converge, Dustily, at Burning Man
New Chumby Model Spotted, Looks Retro-Adorable

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maven2k
11/23/09

In reply to Pinball Machines Were Sneakier Than You Think

One more thing, we rent some space out to a friend of ours that rebuilds, repairs, and sells pinball machines, juke boxes and video games. Here's a pic of some of the machines he has. We have plenty of fun on breaks around here!
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Edited by maven2k at 11/23/09 2:12 PM maven2k was starred maven2k was unstarred

maven2k
11/23/09

In reply to Pinball Machines Were Sneakier Than You Think
I've always loved pinball. I still have the Gottlieb "wedge-head" Cowpoke machine that was the first one my dad ever bought. It takes dimes and it still is really fun to play. It's funny how people's tastes change and it just isn't popular any more.
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Odin
11/23/09

In reply to Gifts for Retro-holics Who Yearn for the Old Days
I'm a bit mixed about French presses. While they're generally better than a shitty coffee maker, a good one will beat it hands down. They just don't make as velvety smooth coffee as a good machine will. On the plus side though they're a hell of a lot cheaper.
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infmom
11/22/09

In reply to Pinball Machines Were Sneakier Than You Think
When I was in college, some friends of mine discovered (I can only imagine how) that if you picked up one corner of one of the pinball machines at the student union and dropped it at just the right velocity, it'd give you a free replay. Of course, there was very little leeway between "free game" and "tilt," but after enough practicing they could play the machine for free all night.
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ceilingFANBOY
11/21/09

In reply to Pinball Machines Were Sneakier Than You Think
How does the WGTTC problem exist? What benefit could a deaf dumb and blind kid get out of going to the cinema?
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madog
11/21/09

In reply to Pinball Machines Were Sneakier Than You Think
Back when my family had money, we had 2 arcades and a pinball machine. Pong, The Blob, and Evil Knevil(sp?). I thought it was the greatest thing ever when I was a kid until a family built a house across the street and had an indoor baseball court and a basement with about a dozen arcades (Moonwalker!).

We kept the pinball machine for decades, until my brother got married last year and had to make room. It wasn't until it it was gone that I really appreciated all those things in retrospect (though they weren't for me, I have 4 siblings).

Ah, those were the days.
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KassiaHaoe
11/21/09

@madog: What the hell?
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BlueToast
11/21/09

@madog: Indoor baseball court?
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ipodrulz
11/21/09

@madog: Recession? I know how you feel :(
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Yuri Dambyotch: don't need no stinkin' star
11/21/09

@KassiaHaoe: By 'arcades', I think he means 'video game consoles' such as Defender, Galaga, Pac-Man, Dragon's Lair, and Spy Hunter. I could be wrong though(I'm reeeal high right now), my friend Jim's parents owned an arcade around the corner from where we lived in Anaheim....we used to steal quarters all the time to buy ice cream and candy from Thrifty Drug store.
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RipRapRob
11/22/09

@madog: "Evel Knievel", an American motorcycle daredevil, had a lot of games (on different platforms - can we view 'pinball' a platform?) named after him, but I think most everybody pronounces his name "Evil" as you wrote it. I know we - me and my friends - did, when we were kids, and played a Evil/Evel Knievel gameon my C64.
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madog
11/22/09

@BlueToast: "BASKETBALL"! Yeah I see how that could have been confusing.

#tips
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madog
11/22/09

@ipodrulz: Not really. More of a: Grandpa sells family business from underneath his son, my father, who had been running it for 20 years then my father starting up a similar business and doing the same thing to me and my brothers. We got fired through a text message from our dad! I suppose it was due to the recession though. Times were slowing down.

You know, that old story.

I hope My children aren't doomed to the same fate.

#tips
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madog
11/22/09

@KassiaHaoe: Just the ramblings of an old man about a past long encased deep down inside his subconscious. The kind that usually end in a friendly fire shooting spree in Modern Warfare.

#tips
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Edited by madog at 11/22/09 10:27 PM madog was starred madog was unstarred

madog
11/22/09

@RipRapRob: +1 for info.

#tips
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madog
11/22/09

@Yuri Dambyotch: Yes. "standing game contraption" if you will. Not arcade in what some may think as a "business full of several standing game contraptions".

#tips
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Edited by madog at 11/22/09 10:24 PM madog was starred madog was unstarred

ipodrulz
11/22/09

@madog: Aww man. Sorry to hear. Things will look up!
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madog
11/23/09

@ipodrulz: Can't complain! Not like I'm on the street or anything. I have a computer with broadband access so I'm happy. Oh, and a healthy wife and daughter, but, you know.... broadband.

#tips
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Sticks Calhoun
11/21/09

In reply to Gifts for Retro-holics Who Yearn for the Old Days
There's also a song about being on the moon, called "The Fucking Moon" by the Evolution Control Committee, that's pretty much an audio version of the Onion article. [blip.fm]

They also did a couple amazing mashups of Herb Alpert and Public Enemy years ago. You can listen at [evolution-control.com]
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Kaiser-Machead
11/21/09

In reply to Gifts for Retro-holics Who Yearn for the Old Days
Oh Onion. An apocalyptic disaster that would make even Jesus Christ say "JESUS CHRIST!" can wreak havoc can occur, and I'd probably still chuckle at that article.
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Flying Jukebox
11/21/09

@Kaiser-Machead: wut?
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Kaiser-Machead
11/21/09

@Flying CDs: Yeah, I came back to this later on and realized my grammatical faux pas and it was too late.
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Flying Jukebox
11/21/09

@Kaiser-Machead: Now i feel bad about poking fun at your mistake..i replied before mentally removing the "can occur" part.
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Lizard_King
11/21/09

In reply to Gifts for Retro-holics Who Yearn for the Old Days
Aeropress, not french press (fancy cowboy coffee)
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Edited by Lizard_King at 11/21/09 12:40 PM Lizard_King was starred Lizard_King was unstarred

lpranal
11/21/09

@Lizard_King: perfect blend of old and new. 2nd favorite way to make coffee, after my wonderfully hacked espresso machine
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Lizard_King
11/21/09

@lpranal: geez, what the hell have you done there?

My favorite is the aeropress, just for simplicity. Crema from a $25 non-electric coffee maker - Brilliant! Second favorite is my Saeco machine with upgraded boiler, and a Make magazine inspired hydraulic tamper. It makes better coffee, but much bigger hassle to drag out and prepare.
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lpranal
11/22/09

@Lizard_King: $60 espresso machine w/ PID controller. First thing I go for is my aeropress (upside-down brew technique), espresso when I have the chance to take my time and do things properly. Definitely need to upgrade a conical burr grinder though- I had to modify my cheapo GE burr grinder to go fine enough
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Bluecold:Of volcanic temperament but soothed by a custard pie balsam.
11/22/09

@Lizard_King:
Nah, Olympia Express Cremina. Since 1967 they are considered to be the finest of the home lever espresso machines, and so by extent, home espresso machines.
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Lizard_King
11/22/09

@lpranal:
I got a 100yr old Arcade Burr grinder mounted on the wall. Just gotta get around to roasting my own beans.
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Lizard_King
11/22/09

@Bluecold:Of volcanic temperament but soothed by a custard pie balsam.:

I am sure. However, the Aeropress is more like a thoughtfully designed french press. Just as portable, simple and cheap. It's like French Press +.

I take mine camping, take it to work, use it at home, etc. It gets a workout.
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Segador
11/21/09

In reply to Gifts for Retro-holics Who Yearn for the Old Days
That Leica defines classic. The dollar figure, however, defines ridiculous. Unless it automatically forwards my photos to National Geographic for instant publication, nothing justifies that price.
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Weihovah
11/21/09

@Segador: it never fails... for every leica post, there's a commenter ranting about the price
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Segador
11/21/09

@Weihovah: I own an original Leica M4 that I paid far less for. They're fantastic cameras, but I doubt that this one takes photos that are $4500 better than a Nikon D90.
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Weihovah
11/21/09

@Segador: nice... can i borrow it? ;)

since that camera is from the 60s/70s, i bet if you adjust for inflation, you'll get a few comments here saying how overpriced it is. if you want to compare photos from a m7 to a d90, let's say a d90 has a useful life of 100,000 clicks (i think that's very conservative). as DPYu said, the m7 will last far more than 100,000 clicks but we'll use that for consistency. take the $4500 difference and divide by 100,000 clicks and you'll get a difference of 4.5 cents per photo (yea, there's film and development costs but that's a whole other debate). so are photos from a m7 $0.05 better than photos from a d90? that's not a difficult argument to make especially if you're printing larger than 5x7
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Edited by Weihovah at 11/21/09 5:24 PM Weihovah was starred Weihovah was unstarred

Segador
11/21/09

@Weihovah: I think I paid about $800 for the M4 a few years ago, and yeah, it still takes great pictures 40 years later. I attribute that to the lack of electronic systems to fail.

I'm not arguing, Leica makes amazing cameras that will probably still be taking great photos in 50 years.

My issue is that this Leica is a point-and shoot, targeted at amateurs. It doesn't have some of the options that an actual professional is going to want on a camera that he's using to do his job.

For me, it would be very hard to justify spending this much on an amateur camera, but I'm obviously not Leica's target demographic.

For very wealthy people who want the absolutely best amateur camera in the world, that will still take pictures after they run over it with their Range Rover, then yes, this is a great buy. :D

(I can't remember for sure, but I think Nikon guarantees their high-end D-line for around 300k clicks, at least for the shutter and mechanics.)
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Edited by Segador at 11/21/09 6:23 PM Segador was starred Segador was unstarred

DPYu
11/21/09

@Segador: I don't like the terms "professional" and "amateur" when describing photographers. All it says about someone is whether they make money from their photography. I think what's more important is what kind of photography a person is doing. Someone in a studio setting will benefit greatly from DSLR's, since the DSLR system is adaptable and flexible and digital post processing allow folks to get their photos just the way they want it. Whereas someone doing candid photography and street photography will want something discrete, and has no dependency on batteries ala the Leica M6/MP and other non-Leica mechanical rangefinders. Both of these groups of photographers can be considered professional, but they have entirely different needs/desires in a camera.
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Segador
11/21/09

@DPYu: Well stated.

As Dan said above, it's a fantastic "pro-sumer" camera for serious photo enthusiasts who can afford it. I can't, and my amateur photo skills don't justify the price. In any case, I highly doubt that there are many disappointed M7 owners.

Maybe I should have just said that in the beginning. =)
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Edited by Segador at 11/21/09 7:55 PM Segador was starred Segador was unstarred

Weihovah
11/21/09

@Segador: if it's 300k clicks, the difference per photo will be <2 cents (sorry, i'm studying for a finance test and i'm looking at everything as a math problem).

when my disposable income and photography skills are high enough, i'll get a leica and it'll definitely be worth it
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Duckspwn
11/21/09

In reply to Gifts for Retro-holics Who Yearn for the Old Days
Ahh yes, The Onion. The only 100% guaranteed source of laughter for me. Honestly, I don't know how they do it.
My first guess is they sold their souls to the devil for insane comedic talent. Any other theories?
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brobot - Beboptimus Prime
11/07/09

In reply to High-Def Digital Pinball Machine Doesn't Really "Get" Pinball
wait wait wait... this thing has been around for a while now. so what's up with the rumor shot for a picture? (pixelated, blurry, inconclusive.... I could go on). I guess it adds to the excitement!

what's a CHRISTMAS gram?! I want one!! #digitalpinball
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Lite: hates Illinois Nazis
11/06/09

In reply to High-Def Digital Pinball Machine Doesn't Really "Get" Pinball
And to be quite frank, $6k isn't much more than a brand new real pin. Only, that pin will have both the real flawed physics but only play one game...

Unless you have Shrek or Family guy, as it's the same damn pinball machine rebranded... #digitalpinball
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Lite: hates Illinois Nazis
11/06/09

In reply to High-Def Digital Pinball Machine Doesn't Really "Get" Pinball
Pinball machines, especially classic ones, are harder and harder to find. SO I will occasionally bust out pinmame to play.

But, I also have a full-size twilight-zone machine behind me.

I can honestly say that I have considered building a pinmame cabinet out of a 32" or so display. #digitalpinball
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maven2k
11/06/09

In reply to High-Def Digital Pinball Machine Doesn't Really "Get" Pinball
I LOVE pinball and probably always will. I've played digital pinball games just for the hell of it, but they just don't hold your attention or have the same feel as a "real" machine. Pretty much the same as a digital comic book (or the new ones with glossy paper for that matter). #digitalpinball
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