1 00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:04,080 Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, it's your old pal Josh. And for this 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:07,880 Speaker 1: week's s Y s K Selects, I've chosen How Pinball 3 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:10,880 Speaker 1: Works one of my all time favorite episodes and it 4 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:14,520 Speaker 1: was recorded in September of two thousand fourteen, which seems 5 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:17,480 Speaker 1: like just yesterday, doesn't it well at any rate? This 6 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:24,560 Speaker 1: episode has it all weird history, electro dynamics, the tilt sign, everything, 7 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:31,320 Speaker 1: So I hope you enjoy it in good health. Welcome 8 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:40,880 Speaker 1: to Stuff you Should Know from House Stuff Works dot com. Hey, 9 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:43,600 Speaker 1: and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark with Charles W. 10 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: Chuck Bryant, Do Do Do, and there's Jerry T Do 11 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:49,879 Speaker 1: and this is Stuff you Should Know the podcast. What 12 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:55,040 Speaker 1: is that the news? Oh? Yeah, I thought you're making 13 00:00:55,080 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 1: pinball pings and no bells and whistles. No, it sounds 14 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 1: like Vegas, Vegas like one big pinball machine. It is 15 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: that you've been to walk through those casinos? Yeah, you 16 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 1: just made my neck muscles tight. Man. I hate Vegas. 17 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:14,960 Speaker 1: I like Vegas. Yeah I wouldn't. I wouldn't. I don't 18 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 1: want to live in Vegas or like go to Vegas 19 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 1: every weekend or anything like that. Going to Vegas once 20 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:24,720 Speaker 1: a year once every couple of years. That's fine with me. Yeah, 21 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 1: not for me. I mean I've been a bunch and 22 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:30,600 Speaker 1: I'm just I'm done. Oh you're done with Vegas. That's 23 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 1: what you're saying that I don't see any reason to 24 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:35,200 Speaker 1: go back. I guarantee somebody you want to see, we'll 25 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:37,560 Speaker 1: have some sort of residency out there, and you will 26 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 1: be back in Vegas when I'm like sixty. Yeah, like 27 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:45,559 Speaker 1: pavement will have a residence valleys. That's exactly I think. 28 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: What's going to happen. Well, then you'll find me in 29 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 1: living in Vegas, my friend. There you go. Yeah, see, 30 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:52,560 Speaker 1: I got your back on the Vegas train. But that 31 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: sound yeah, it's like a million pinball machines that take 32 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 1: your money. Yeah, faster than pinball machines. Yeah, And that 33 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: was an early worry about pinball. Actually, as we will 34 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:05,880 Speaker 1: soon see, because I say chuckle, let's dive right into 35 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 1: the history of pinballs. So pinball machines actually find their 36 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:16,320 Speaker 1: lineage back in the nineteenth century. There were um things 37 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:20,440 Speaker 1: called or what were they. I want to say bagat machines, 38 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:25,640 Speaker 1: but that's not correct. The bagate table, yes, the bagatel table, 39 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:30,080 Speaker 1: thank you. Um they were basically a cross between pool 40 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:33,359 Speaker 1: and pinball, use a pool queue and everything, and they 41 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 1: sucked and nobody liked them. I think it looks pretty cool, 42 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:40,320 Speaker 1: does it. It looks and boring to me. Well, I 43 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:45,800 Speaker 1: mean it's if you're used to modern gaming, is not 44 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:48,760 Speaker 1: gonna thrill you. But I thought the look kind of neat. 45 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:51,680 Speaker 1: So the Bagatel table was there. It was in place, 46 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:55,279 Speaker 1: and in the eighteen thirties a guy named monte Redgrave 47 00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:59,079 Speaker 1: came along, like, you can't not say that guy's name 48 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:02,600 Speaker 1: like that. Um. He came along and said, you know what, 49 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 1: people just invented a spring. How did you say his name? Again, 50 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:12,959 Speaker 1: Montague Red like he's on lad on um um and uh. 51 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:16,799 Speaker 1: He came along and said, somebody invented a spring recently. 52 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 1: I'm gonna add it to this Bagatel table. Yeah, make 53 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 1: it less sucky. And then all of a sudden we 54 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:26,880 Speaker 1: have the the what did he call it, the ball shooter, 55 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:30,239 Speaker 1: which makes sense, that's what you'd call it. And now 56 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 1: we had the first introduced mechanism of pinballs. Things are 57 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:37,680 Speaker 1: starting to take shape a little bit here. Yeah, but 58 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:39,680 Speaker 1: you didn't stick a coin in the game. What you 59 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 1: would do is kind of like pool tables these days 60 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 1: at a bar, you would go up to the keeper 61 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:47,440 Speaker 1: of the balls and say, here's some money, give me 62 00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 1: my balls, and let me go play the game on 63 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:54,560 Speaker 1: the bag of tell table. Yeah, And he would go, 64 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 1: you know it sucks, don't you And you would say, yes, 65 00:03:57,760 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: but it's the eighteen thirties. Yeah, And if I play 66 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:03,200 Speaker 1: really well, then I can win free drinks and cigarettes. 67 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:06,839 Speaker 1: And they said, exactly, can you see a little twelve 68 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:09,400 Speaker 1: year old winning cigarettes and then going back to play 69 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 1: more bagatel? Sure, So this is the way it went 70 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:18,120 Speaker 1: for many decades. People were miserable until the nineteen thirties, 71 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:23,119 Speaker 1: and there was this enormous explosion of innovation in pool 72 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:28,560 Speaker 1: table re um in the thirties, Like just almost everything 73 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:30,599 Speaker 1: that you think of when you think of a pool 74 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:34,000 Speaker 1: to a pool um. We've been saying, we've been saying 75 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:37,039 Speaker 1: pool table just for the last like minute. Why didn't 76 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:39,599 Speaker 1: you correct me? I thought you were talking about bull tave, 77 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:42,560 Speaker 1: I'm talking about pinball anyway. In the thirties, there was 78 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:48,359 Speaker 1: a huge explosion in pinball. Pinball, yeah, and um, everything 79 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:50,359 Speaker 1: that you think of when when you think of a 80 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:53,760 Speaker 1: pinball machine, almost all of it came about in the thirties, 81 00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:58,640 Speaker 1: coin operation, the back glass, the thing that has like 82 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:01,880 Speaker 1: kiss or q hef neuron it or something like that 83 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:06,160 Speaker 1: stands up off of the playing field, the table um 84 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:11,920 Speaker 1: electric well, I guess an electric current running through it. Yeah, 85 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:20,560 Speaker 1: legs um, the tilt mechanism. Bumpers yeah, uh sounds yeah, 86 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:25,479 Speaker 1: score keeping, and then bumpers. Of course I think I 87 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:27,960 Speaker 1: said bumpers, did I not? I don't know, maybe, but bumpers. 88 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:31,359 Speaker 1: And then most of all, most importantly, chuck was the 89 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:35,000 Speaker 1: thirties led to a huge surge in popularity because you 90 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:37,760 Speaker 1: had the Great Depression and pinballs were cheap entertainment that 91 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:40,320 Speaker 1: were wide, widely available. You notice the one thing we 92 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:45,279 Speaker 1: didn't say though and all that innovation flippers, because still 93 00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:51,640 Speaker 1: up until nineteen seven, you just bumped the thing to 94 00:05:51,760 --> 00:05:55,279 Speaker 1: make the ball move. Yeah, there were no flippers, which 95 00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:59,839 Speaker 1: seems very counterintuitive to pinball. And the flippers really changed. 96 00:05:59,880 --> 00:06:04,760 Speaker 1: They fundamentally changed pinball, not just in the way you play, 97 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:08,360 Speaker 1: but in pinball is a game, because before flippers, it 98 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:10,520 Speaker 1: was a game of chance. It was the same thing 99 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:15,960 Speaker 1: as playing like um high low, basically like you had 100 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:20,920 Speaker 1: no way really of manipulating the movement of the ball. 101 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:23,320 Speaker 1: Well you shake them, sheen, you could without tilting. I 102 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:25,240 Speaker 1: mean that's what you did. Yeah, that was how you 103 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:29,159 Speaker 1: did it. Even still it the amount of skill it 104 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:33,800 Speaker 1: took was minute compared to the skill that could be used. 105 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:37,039 Speaker 1: Once flippers were introduced, pinball wizardry and it became a 106 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:40,400 Speaker 1: game of skill um. And then but before that, the 107 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:43,120 Speaker 1: like I said, things were popular. Get this um. In 108 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:45,560 Speaker 1: the early thirties, there were a hundred and forty five 109 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:50,120 Speaker 1: companies making pinball machines, and the field became so competitive 110 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:54,680 Speaker 1: and ruthless that by the mid thirties, like five years later, 111 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:58,440 Speaker 1: there were fourteen. Yeah, and most of those were based 112 00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:01,279 Speaker 1: in Chicago, which became sort of the pinball capital of 113 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:04,000 Speaker 1: the world. And I've never been there, but I bet 114 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:07,000 Speaker 1: you anything, Chicago still has a lot of a lot 115 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:10,240 Speaker 1: more pinball machines than elsewhere, you know. I was trying 116 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:13,520 Speaker 1: to think of like this, researching this made me want 117 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:16,400 Speaker 1: to go play pinball, like researching sushi. Maybe we want 118 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:18,720 Speaker 1: to go eat sushi. And I was thinking, like, I 119 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 1: have no idea where to go to play pinball, you know, 120 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:23,080 Speaker 1: And we'll go to my brother's house. Does he have one? 121 00:07:23,120 --> 00:07:26,520 Speaker 1: He's got three oh, I love your brother even more now, dude. 122 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:28,520 Speaker 1: He built a whole game room, of course, because that's 123 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:30,680 Speaker 1: what my brother does. What does he have he has? 124 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:33,640 Speaker 1: Uh F he has a Tomcat F fourteen, which is 125 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:36,040 Speaker 1: the rip off of Top Gun. I've seen that one. 126 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:37,320 Speaker 1: He said. There's a lot. There were a lot of 127 00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:40,080 Speaker 1: rip off games for a while, of movies and actual 128 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:43,520 Speaker 1: movie time games. Uh. He has black Hole, but not 129 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: the movie, just another rip off game. I would love that. Uh. 130 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:50,400 Speaker 1: And those are both kind of old school. And then 131 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:54,000 Speaker 1: he has a Jurassic Park, which is uh. I think 132 00:07:54,120 --> 00:07:55,800 Speaker 1: didn't they have like a t Rex that comes down 133 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:59,160 Speaker 1: and like eat your ball? I can't remember, I feel 134 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:01,640 Speaker 1: like all three of them. But yeah, and he also 135 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:05,960 Speaker 1: kicked this. He took an old um video game like 136 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:09,760 Speaker 1: stand up video game console and removed all the guts, 137 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:15,120 Speaker 1: got a computer screen and um computer and hooked it 138 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:17,120 Speaker 1: up in there too, where you can play all the 139 00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:19,200 Speaker 1: old school games, you know those programs they have now, 140 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:23,240 Speaker 1: and change the screen vertically so it just looks like 141 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:26,240 Speaker 1: a regular arcade game. And you can go up and 142 00:08:26,240 --> 00:08:31,119 Speaker 1: play Frogger and Space Invaders and Scott Bite Me Over 143 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 1: and it's all free. That's so awesome. Man, he's like, um, 144 00:08:36,040 --> 00:08:38,720 Speaker 1: Ricky Schroeder and silver spoons or something. But growing up 145 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:41,320 Speaker 1: yeah pretty much. Um. And I think the reason why 146 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:44,200 Speaker 1: I don't play more pinball over there is because, um, 147 00:08:44,320 --> 00:08:47,920 Speaker 1: we're always playing ping pong. Yeah that's a game of skill, 148 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:50,400 Speaker 1: and I love ping pong. But I'll try and get 149 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:52,320 Speaker 1: in a pinball game. Man. I want to play some 150 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:55,160 Speaker 1: pinball so bad. Let's just go out to Roswell dude, Okay, 151 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:57,840 Speaker 1: do it right now. Uh. And I if I if 152 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:01,520 Speaker 1: I collected post, it would definitely be mid mid seventies 153 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:04,959 Speaker 1: and mid eighties from me. I would think, yeah, you know, 154 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:06,920 Speaker 1: all the bells and whistles and all that, the new 155 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:11,120 Speaker 1: fangled bells and whistles. They're fine, that's cool, but I like, uh, 156 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:14,360 Speaker 1: not so old that it's like electro mechanical, but not 157 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:17,760 Speaker 1: so new that it's like nothing, but like, um, plasma 158 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:20,360 Speaker 1: screens and stuff like that. Well we're in the middle. Sure, 159 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:25,120 Speaker 1: I'm the same way. My favorite game of all time 160 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:29,319 Speaker 1: pinball wise, Um, favorite game ever, gallagha. But a favorite 161 00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:33,360 Speaker 1: game pinball wise was Adams Family Pinball. And then I 162 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:35,720 Speaker 1: learned in this article that is the top selling game 163 00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:39,640 Speaker 1: of all time from Yeah, I think it was either 164 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:42,920 Speaker 1: Bally or Williams put that one out and they sold 165 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:46,440 Speaker 1: more than twenty thousand units of it. Dude, it's awesome 166 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:48,320 Speaker 1: and it didn't surprise me, and like, I have no 167 00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:50,840 Speaker 1: affinity for the Adams Family, but it's the best pinball 168 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:52,800 Speaker 1: game I've ever played. And when I saw it was 169 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:54,079 Speaker 1: number one, I was like, well, of course it is, 170 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:56,839 Speaker 1: because it's the best one. You don't like the Adams Family, No, 171 00:09:56,960 --> 00:09:58,439 Speaker 1: I mean I like it fine, but I don't. I 172 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:01,120 Speaker 1: didn't play it because of the movie. I played it 173 00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:03,719 Speaker 1: because it was an awesome pinball game. And they had 174 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:06,439 Speaker 1: one at them all, not them all the bowling alley 175 00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:09,120 Speaker 1: near me and Athens Bowling Alley. That's where I could 176 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:13,960 Speaker 1: probably go find a pinball machine. Huh yeah, maybe or 177 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:18,440 Speaker 1: maybe not. Sadly, I'm starting a quest, all right, um 178 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:20,880 Speaker 1: so telling you let's go to my brother's house because 179 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:26,400 Speaker 1: we can have a scotch okay. Uh So. Anyway, is 180 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:30,560 Speaker 1: when they finally invented the flipper. D Gottlieb Company introduced 181 00:10:30,559 --> 00:10:34,040 Speaker 1: a game called Humpty Dumpty, and that was where what 182 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:39,080 Speaker 1: most people say the first modern game came about. It 183 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:41,640 Speaker 1: took at the lower flippers, all the innovations of the 184 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:44,439 Speaker 1: thirties and out of flippers and boom you got pinball, 185 00:10:44,679 --> 00:10:49,400 Speaker 1: not pool table pinball pretty much, although the flippers weren't 186 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:53,160 Speaker 1: the same. It was the nineteen fifties the same person 187 00:10:53,320 --> 00:10:55,600 Speaker 1: and came up with spot bowler and that was the 188 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:58,920 Speaker 1: first modern arrangement of flippers, right, and they were longer 189 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:03,079 Speaker 1: with that introduction or else a little later on. The 190 00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:08,319 Speaker 1: first flippers they introduced were um, they were shorter, yeah, 191 00:11:08,360 --> 00:11:11,240 Speaker 1: and they didn't face this They faced in reverse of 192 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:14,319 Speaker 1: the way they face now, which is weird. It was 193 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:18,600 Speaker 1: like they were working it out, yeah, beta pretty much. 194 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:23,240 Speaker 1: So it's funny that they introduced flippers in seven because seven. 195 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:26,480 Speaker 1: By the time flippers came around, pinball was illegal and 196 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:29,760 Speaker 1: most of the major cities in the United States, um, 197 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:33,040 Speaker 1: and had been for several years. I never I think 198 00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:35,840 Speaker 1: I had heard this once and forgotten it, but pinball 199 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:40,080 Speaker 1: was totally outlawed because they equated it to gambling because 200 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:42,520 Speaker 1: it was not a game of skill, which and I 201 00:11:42,559 --> 00:11:47,920 Speaker 1: guess because you've got prizes. Yeah. Um. Mayor Lea guardia Um, 202 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:50,760 Speaker 1: who you will remember from the Burlesque podcast, was a 203 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:54,520 Speaker 1: bit of a moralist. Although he was a wet politician, 204 00:11:54,559 --> 00:11:58,920 Speaker 1: he was in favor of repealing prohibition. He hated pinball, 205 00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:02,360 Speaker 1: hated it. He he thought it was a mafia racket. 206 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:05,600 Speaker 1: He thought that it robbed the quote pockets of school children. 207 00:12:05,679 --> 00:12:07,680 Speaker 1: The forms of nickels and dimes came to them as 208 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:11,560 Speaker 1: lunch money. And he got an outlawed in New York. 209 00:12:11,679 --> 00:12:15,400 Speaker 1: And once it was outlawed, he ordered like really dramatic raids. Yeah, 210 00:12:15,480 --> 00:12:17,640 Speaker 1: right after Pearl Harbor, he said, you know what we 211 00:12:17,679 --> 00:12:20,440 Speaker 1: need to do. The Japanese have just bombed us. We 212 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:22,839 Speaker 1: need to get rid of these pinball machines. And so 213 00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:26,800 Speaker 1: let's go round them up, uh, like in a raid style. 214 00:12:26,960 --> 00:12:29,840 Speaker 1: Let's smash him with sledgehammers. Let's dump them in the river. 215 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:32,920 Speaker 1: What they did, they dumped them in the river after 216 00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:35,719 Speaker 1: they smashed. That's a very New York nineteen forties thing 217 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:39,000 Speaker 1: to do, exactly. I bet you they're still pinball machines 218 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:41,200 Speaker 1: down there, if anyone's brave enough to get into the 219 00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:45,160 Speaker 1: East River. I don't think they are. Now we should 220 00:12:45,160 --> 00:12:48,840 Speaker 1: say also give a shout out to popular mechanics who, um, 221 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:53,000 Speaker 1: we're working off in part really awesome article. They came 222 00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:57,600 Speaker 1: up with eleven things you didn't know about pinball history. Um. So, 223 00:12:57,679 --> 00:13:02,000 Speaker 1: from the forties until the mid nineteen seventies, if you 224 00:13:02,080 --> 00:13:04,840 Speaker 1: wanted to play pinball in New York City and Chicago 225 00:13:04,880 --> 00:13:09,520 Speaker 1: and l A most cities in the US, it was illegal. Um. 226 00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:12,959 Speaker 1: You had to go to a pornography shop basically and 227 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:17,840 Speaker 1: go behind the curtain and play pinball. Is that weird? 228 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:21,120 Speaker 1: It's the weirdest thing we've ever said on this show. 229 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:24,560 Speaker 1: Until the mid seventies, and like there were still raids 230 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:28,680 Speaker 1: and pinball operators. A little five year old chuck, Yeah, 231 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:30,680 Speaker 1: I would have been dropped off at a porn shop 232 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:34,000 Speaker 1: to play pinball, which I'm sure your parents would have 233 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:36,960 Speaker 1: been happy to do. Well they did, and I played pinball. 234 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:39,920 Speaker 1: I didn't look at nudy people. Did you really know? 235 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:42,800 Speaker 1: I was gonna say, Man, you just blew my mind. No, no, no, 236 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:48,040 Speaker 1: And get this, The city of Oakland, Oakland, CALIFORNIAWN, just 237 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:52,960 Speaker 1: this past July overturned an eighty year ban on pinball. 238 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:58,600 Speaker 1: Free the pinballers. Yeah, good for them. Yeah, so pinball's 239 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:03,160 Speaker 1: band people are still playing it like crazy. Um. And 240 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:06,960 Speaker 1: apparently the manufacturers realized this as well, because they're still 241 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:10,559 Speaker 1: innovating and adding and making new games and machines and 242 00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:13,400 Speaker 1: all sorts of stuff. Yeah. Well this is after World 243 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:15,760 Speaker 1: War Two, that where things really slowed down, obviously because 244 00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:18,520 Speaker 1: of the war effort. Pinball was big. Dent was put 245 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:21,680 Speaker 1: in pinball manufacturing too, Yeah, like everything else. And then 246 00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:24,360 Speaker 1: after the Fishies it took off again, and it also 247 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:28,200 Speaker 1: became um kind of a symbol of rebellious youth. And 248 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:32,160 Speaker 1: this popular Mechanics article points out, like the Fonds played 249 00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:35,360 Speaker 1: a lot of pinball. I never considered that from Tommy 250 00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:39,440 Speaker 1: Um from the Who's Tommy the Pinball Wizard? And Tommy 251 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:45,200 Speaker 1: both kind of rebellious like stick it in your ear LaGuardia. Yeah. 252 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:47,040 Speaker 1: I mean it seems silly now to think about that, 253 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:50,040 Speaker 1: But when Tommy came out, it was illegal, so pinball 254 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:53,040 Speaker 1: was sort of uh yeah, I guess it was just 255 00:14:53,080 --> 00:14:56,400 Speaker 1: the rebels. Yeah, you're anti authoritarian if you played pinball, 256 00:14:56,560 --> 00:14:58,360 Speaker 1: it was just an image of it. Yeah. And then 257 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:02,880 Speaker 1: the great Simpsons quote Sideshow Bob said television is ruined 258 00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:06,640 Speaker 1: more young minds than pinball and syphilis combined. That one 259 00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:08,080 Speaker 1: flew right over my head when I heard it the 260 00:15:08,120 --> 00:15:12,000 Speaker 1: first time. I just thought, oh, that's silly pinball, but 261 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:15,120 Speaker 1: I didn't think about like moral turpitude. Yeah. I didn't 262 00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:18,080 Speaker 1: get that one either, but I do now. So luckily, 263 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:22,320 Speaker 1: pinball was still widely available, albeit in the backs of 264 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:26,560 Speaker 1: pornography shops. UM. And the reason we say luckily is 265 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:30,040 Speaker 1: because somewhere along the way, a young man I think 266 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:32,760 Speaker 1: in his early twenties named Roger Sharpe, who is a 267 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:39,280 Speaker 1: magazine editor, UM, was called upon to save the pinball world. 268 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:43,520 Speaker 1: At a New York City council meeting. Yeah, they finally said, hey, 269 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:46,280 Speaker 1: city council, can we get a hearing on pinball machines? 270 00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:48,440 Speaker 1: You guys are being ridict because it's a bicentennial of 271 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:52,120 Speaker 1: this country and we need pinball. It's as American as 272 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:57,400 Speaker 1: America gets as pornography. So they said, sure, we'll have 273 00:15:57,440 --> 00:16:00,560 Speaker 1: a hearing. Because their intent was to prove that it 274 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:02,280 Speaker 1: was a game of skill and not chance, which was 275 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:04,960 Speaker 1: the whole rub in the first place. He brought in 276 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:07,560 Speaker 1: there a pinball wizard, game of chance is gambling. Sure, 277 00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:10,400 Speaker 1: LaGuardia had a point, well sort of. I still don't 278 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:13,560 Speaker 1: get it, but this law was obsolete because they added flippers, 279 00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:14,880 Speaker 1: and now it was a game of skill, but the 280 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:18,040 Speaker 1: law was still around basically, so they brought in their 281 00:16:18,040 --> 00:16:22,280 Speaker 1: pinball wizard Sharp and Um. They brought two machines because 282 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:24,240 Speaker 1: if one broke down, they wanted to have a backup, 283 00:16:24,840 --> 00:16:27,480 Speaker 1: and some jerk councilman, when he went to play the game, 284 00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:29,240 Speaker 1: said no, no, no, no no, why don't you play 285 00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:32,040 Speaker 1: the other game, the backup one? Yeah, the backup game. 286 00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:34,440 Speaker 1: And Sharp started sweating because he was like, oh, I'm 287 00:16:34,480 --> 00:16:36,600 Speaker 1: not very good at that game. Yeah, he never played 288 00:16:36,600 --> 00:16:38,480 Speaker 1: it before. I'm a master at this one. But he 289 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:40,680 Speaker 1: was a pinball wizard, so I believed in him. Yeah, 290 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:43,960 Speaker 1: I didn't know what happened. Did you? Did you see 291 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:47,880 Speaker 1: the the documentary special Winlet No, Oh my god, it 292 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:52,440 Speaker 1: has footage of this. It's amazing and amazing documentary. All 293 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:55,560 Speaker 1: about pinball. I mean all about pinball is not so 294 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:58,200 Speaker 1: awesome documentary. I think it's one called Tilt as well. 295 00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:01,480 Speaker 1: There is that's about a specific in history and pinball. 296 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:03,760 Speaker 1: I haven't seen that one, but it sounds pretty good too. 297 00:17:04,080 --> 00:17:08,000 Speaker 1: But see Special when Let amazing, um n C Tilt two. 298 00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:11,760 Speaker 1: It's what's the deal? So, um, Roger Sharp's playing, he's 299 00:17:11,800 --> 00:17:15,200 Speaker 1: not really impressing anybody, and things are kind of going bad, 300 00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:19,240 Speaker 1: and he decides to do a Babe Ruth call. He 301 00:17:19,359 --> 00:17:21,880 Speaker 1: pulls back the plunger and before he releases it, he goes, 302 00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:25,320 Speaker 1: I'm going up the middle aisle here. Yeah, And just 303 00:17:25,359 --> 00:17:27,680 Speaker 1: so you know, if you've never seen a pinball game, 304 00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:30,199 Speaker 1: you you pull the plunger, it shoots the ball up 305 00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:32,960 Speaker 1: the right hand side through a trough and then it 306 00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:35,600 Speaker 1: spits it out at the top. And what he was 307 00:17:35,640 --> 00:17:37,399 Speaker 1: trying to prove is where I'm going to spit it 308 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:39,560 Speaker 1: out and where it's going to start its descent back 309 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:42,360 Speaker 1: to me. It's going to be in a very specific 310 00:17:42,359 --> 00:17:44,760 Speaker 1: place in the center of the board, not on the left, 311 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:47,840 Speaker 1: not on the right, right up the middle. And um, 312 00:17:47,960 --> 00:17:51,720 Speaker 1: he did it. And apparently right afterwards the city council 313 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:55,000 Speaker 1: was like, okay, we'll repeal it, like it's obviously a 314 00:17:55,040 --> 00:18:00,359 Speaker 1: game of skill, like Roger Sharp single handedly, well double 315 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:05,360 Speaker 1: handedly because he was using the flippers, um, save pinball 316 00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:10,399 Speaker 1: from illegality. I wonder if they said, yeah, fine, good lord, 317 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:14,040 Speaker 1: just it's legal. Get the machines out of here, get 318 00:18:14,040 --> 00:18:16,000 Speaker 1: this loser out of here. But he is not a 319 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:19,560 Speaker 1: loser because he is currently still the number five hundred 320 00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:22,560 Speaker 1: and thirty six ranked player in the world. I'm surprised. 321 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:24,639 Speaker 1: I thought he went on to be I think at 322 00:18:24,680 --> 00:18:26,359 Speaker 1: the time he was number one, which is why they 323 00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:29,960 Speaker 1: chose him. He probably was, but he's been falling ever since. Man, 324 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:33,719 Speaker 1: that's another thing in special win let Man. There are 325 00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:37,160 Speaker 1: some like really good pinball players. Well, I've got the list. 326 00:18:37,800 --> 00:18:39,840 Speaker 1: I'll quickly go with the top five. Number one in 327 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:44,760 Speaker 1: the world as of today, two thousand, fourteen August whatever 328 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:49,080 Speaker 1: it is. Keith Lwyn of the USA is number one. 329 00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:52,960 Speaker 1: U s a Urian Ingle Brixton of Sweden's number two. 330 00:18:53,119 --> 00:18:59,399 Speaker 1: Swede dimn Zack Sharp recognize that name that sounds vaguely 331 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:02,359 Speaker 1: familiar Roger's son. Yeah, he's the number three player in 332 00:19:02,359 --> 00:19:07,880 Speaker 1: the world. That's awesome. Number four Danielle Celestino AXIARTI what 333 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:13,000 Speaker 1: was that? He's Italian, he's before. Jorgan Home is also Swedish. 334 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:15,639 Speaker 1: He's number five. There's a Canadian at six, a Sweet 335 00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:18,480 Speaker 1: at seven. Than eight through twenty save one are all 336 00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:23,000 Speaker 1: Americans and number twenties Josh Sharp. So his sons followed 337 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:25,399 Speaker 1: in his footsteps. That's great and are both top twenty 338 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:29,639 Speaker 1: ranks players. And I bet Josh is soups jealous Zack. 339 00:19:30,359 --> 00:19:33,600 Speaker 1: Maybe maybe Josh is also He's like, I want to 340 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:36,679 Speaker 1: be a veterinarian, so I'm paying more attention to that 341 00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:40,560 Speaker 1: kind of thing. Maybe so. Um So pinball was saved 342 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:45,840 Speaker 1: by Roger Sharp and um pinballs just kept going on 343 00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:48,840 Speaker 1: and on. Apparently it had its golden day age. Um. 344 00:19:48,880 --> 00:19:52,639 Speaker 1: It's widely believed between nineteen fifty eight, but it was 345 00:19:52,680 --> 00:19:55,080 Speaker 1: also huge in the seventies, huge in the eighties, and 346 00:19:55,080 --> 00:19:58,080 Speaker 1: then video games came along and all of a sudden, 347 00:19:58,119 --> 00:20:01,879 Speaker 1: pinball was like uh, and it started to decline and 348 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:04,800 Speaker 1: decline and decline and decline and all I think we 349 00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:10,359 Speaker 1: were down to maybe five major pinball machine producers, and 350 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:15,399 Speaker 1: by major, I mean the only ones um by Minora, 351 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:17,760 Speaker 1: because I mean, it's all it takes a lot of 352 00:20:18,080 --> 00:20:22,720 Speaker 1: time and effort to manufacture a functioning pinball game. Yeah. So, 353 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:28,160 Speaker 1: um by the nineties there were just a couple left. 354 00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:31,040 Speaker 1: Everybody was selling off their pinball divisions, and there was 355 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:34,639 Speaker 1: a company called Bally Williams, which were former competitors that 356 00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:38,760 Speaker 1: emerged and this is what the documentary Tilt is about. 357 00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:42,000 Speaker 1: They went to their pinball division and said, hey, you guys, 358 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:45,679 Speaker 1: are great in the pinball world, but the pinball world sucks. 359 00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:48,040 Speaker 1: We want more money out of you guys. What are 360 00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:51,720 Speaker 1: you gonna do that pinball? Yes, they came up with 361 00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:53,840 Speaker 1: Pinball two thousand. They said, we will give you a 362 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:59,000 Speaker 1: chance to save yourselves. Figure out what will revive pinball 363 00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:02,320 Speaker 1: for tree, and they came up with Pinball two thousand. Yeah. 364 00:21:02,359 --> 00:21:06,240 Speaker 1: It's basically a hybrid of video gaming and pinball, where 365 00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:08,520 Speaker 1: you have a kind of a standard pinball set up, 366 00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:12,440 Speaker 1: but a video screen that's interactive. Yeah, as the back 367 00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:15,719 Speaker 1: um backdrop no on the playing field too, so like 368 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:19,920 Speaker 1: holograms pop up on the on the playing board and 369 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:22,880 Speaker 1: like run away from the ball and interact with the ball. Yeah, 370 00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:25,040 Speaker 1: it stinks though, and no one liked it. Have you 371 00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:27,840 Speaker 1: played it? I haven't played it, but I saw videos 372 00:21:27,840 --> 00:21:29,720 Speaker 1: of it and it didn't look like fun, and no 373 00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:32,640 Speaker 1: one liked it. So the thing is is, like this 374 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:34,960 Speaker 1: one article I read pointed out like it wasn't given 375 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:37,000 Speaker 1: a chance to flourish, Like the idea was great, and 376 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:38,960 Speaker 1: the fact that they pulled it off successfully it was 377 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:42,399 Speaker 1: really something. Well, they built only two games, right, and 378 00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:45,600 Speaker 1: I think each one had a few thousand production run. 379 00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:49,200 Speaker 1: Um but there was Star Wars episode one, which here's 380 00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:52,399 Speaker 1: my theory the reason Pinball two thousand went nowhere charge 381 00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:56,920 Speaker 1: our biggs. Yeah, that the other one was revenge from 382 00:21:56,960 --> 00:22:01,480 Speaker 1: Mars and um you can still find those you was today. Um. 383 00:22:01,640 --> 00:22:05,160 Speaker 1: But despite the fact that Pinball two thousand was created, 384 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:09,720 Speaker 1: it was it was okay as far as successes go. Um. 385 00:22:10,520 --> 00:22:16,320 Speaker 1: Bally Williams pulled the plug, which left one company Stern. Uh. 386 00:22:16,359 --> 00:22:21,960 Speaker 1: There's a guy named Michael Stern, I believe, who inherited 387 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:26,600 Speaker 1: his father's business and um became the only people making 388 00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:32,119 Speaker 1: pinball machines in the world. No. Yeah, man, had we 389 00:22:32,240 --> 00:22:36,720 Speaker 1: been have we been recording this two years ago, we 390 00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:40,480 Speaker 1: would have basically been saying, like, pinball's dead, it's on 391 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:43,639 Speaker 1: its last leg. There's one company making it. They've started 392 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:47,080 Speaker 1: to lay off their designers because of the economic crisis. 393 00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:50,080 Speaker 1: Some of those designers went on, some of the Stern 394 00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:53,800 Speaker 1: vets went on and founded a company called Jersey Jack, 395 00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:57,080 Speaker 1: and for the first time in many many years, there 396 00:22:57,080 --> 00:23:01,800 Speaker 1: are more than one pinball manufacture. There's two, right, But 397 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:04,480 Speaker 1: the competition has caused Stern to go back and rehire 398 00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:06,119 Speaker 1: some of the people they laid off come up with 399 00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:11,000 Speaker 1: new designs, and um they are. There's a pinball renaissance 400 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:16,520 Speaker 1: and nascent pinball renaissance just beginning to bud that could happen. Well, 401 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:20,480 Speaker 1: pinball is definitely a sort of an end thing now. Um, 402 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:23,640 Speaker 1: if you're super cool and you have some money, then 403 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:25,800 Speaker 1: you might have a pinball machine in your house like 404 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:32,320 Speaker 1: my brother. Um it is Apparently Stern's ratio of home 405 00:23:32,359 --> 00:23:36,560 Speaker 1: sales to commercial sales has risen from thirty five percent 406 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:40,120 Speaker 1: to sixty of their total sales. So the market now 407 00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:44,320 Speaker 1: isn't for arcades, because what are those. The market is 408 00:23:44,400 --> 00:23:47,439 Speaker 1: for the person who has enough money to buy a 409 00:23:47,440 --> 00:23:50,879 Speaker 1: pinball machine. Yeah, you don't have to. Well, yeah, if 410 00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:52,919 Speaker 1: you want a new one, it's gonna cost you. But 411 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:56,400 Speaker 1: if you want like a vintage one, it's I mean 412 00:23:57,000 --> 00:24:00,560 Speaker 1: it's hundred still. I mean that's a decent out of money. 413 00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:03,280 Speaker 1: But the high like the Adams family one's less than 414 00:24:03,359 --> 00:24:05,960 Speaker 1: five thousand. Man, that's the one that you need in 415 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:08,800 Speaker 1: the house. Yeah. So, um, I think my brother actually 416 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:12,080 Speaker 1: refurbished his. I think I think I'm right. I think 417 00:24:12,080 --> 00:24:14,359 Speaker 1: they weren't even working and he was able to fix 418 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:17,119 Speaker 1: them very neat. Yeah. Um, yeah, I imagine you can 419 00:24:17,119 --> 00:24:20,000 Speaker 1: get them for way less because these are like fully refurbished, 420 00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:25,400 Speaker 1: like polished, ready to go one um, and a lot 421 00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:28,280 Speaker 1: of them are starting to come from overseas because the 422 00:24:28,359 --> 00:24:33,520 Speaker 1: demand in vintage collectors um items are like is rising 423 00:24:33,560 --> 00:24:36,280 Speaker 1: so much that like seventy of them come from overseas. 424 00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:39,080 Speaker 1: They're re importing them back to America. Well, and it's 425 00:24:39,119 --> 00:24:41,280 Speaker 1: big in Europe because I mean, as evidence from that 426 00:24:41,359 --> 00:24:45,360 Speaker 1: top ten, uh two or three of them are European Swedes. Swedes, 427 00:24:45,359 --> 00:24:48,800 Speaker 1: look at them. So we'll get into how pinball actually 428 00:24:48,800 --> 00:24:56,000 Speaker 1: works right after this. All right, so we've talked a 429 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:58,240 Speaker 1: lot about the history of pinball, which is way more 430 00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:02,280 Speaker 1: interesting than I thought it would be. But um, we 431 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:05,400 Speaker 1: haven't talked about the game because I assume everybody has 432 00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:09,160 Speaker 1: played pinball, But if you haven't, we're gonna break it down. Yeah, 433 00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:11,200 Speaker 1: and it's actually it's pretty simple if you really think 434 00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:15,040 Speaker 1: about it. There's two real components to the game. Now. 435 00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:17,720 Speaker 1: Ever since time before, you seven flippers in the ball. 436 00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:23,560 Speaker 1: Uh yeah, everything else is just kind of ornamentation or whatever. 437 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:27,280 Speaker 1: But to play pinball, you need flippers and a ball 438 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:31,560 Speaker 1: because the point of pinball is to score points using 439 00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:34,760 Speaker 1: the ball bouncing off of obstacles and all that stuff, 440 00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:36,800 Speaker 1: and then to prevent the ball from going down the 441 00:25:36,840 --> 00:25:39,880 Speaker 1: drain using the flippers. That's right there, you got flippers 442 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:42,359 Speaker 1: in the ball. That's right. You've got your flippers. UM, 443 00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:44,720 Speaker 1: typically at the bottom of the playfield, which is what 444 00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:48,000 Speaker 1: it's called, directly above the drain on both sides. UM. 445 00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:49,920 Speaker 1: A lot of games you'll see now have other flippers 446 00:25:50,680 --> 00:25:53,439 Speaker 1: on the upper right and upper left that also do 447 00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:58,199 Speaker 1: fun things, um, like flip the ball. But you know 448 00:25:58,280 --> 00:25:59,640 Speaker 1: a lot of times the ones at the top will 449 00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:01,800 Speaker 1: flip it into the very special chamber where you can 450 00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:03,879 Speaker 1: score tons of points. We'll get to the scoring here 451 00:26:03,880 --> 00:26:06,560 Speaker 1: in a minute. UM. And you basically want to propel 452 00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:09,520 Speaker 1: the ball up with your little plunger and then all 453 00:26:09,560 --> 00:26:11,880 Speaker 1: the bumpers and ramps are there to score your points. 454 00:26:12,720 --> 00:26:15,240 Speaker 1: And um, it makes a lot of noise, it's a 455 00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:19,280 Speaker 1: lot of fun, and that's pin ball. Yeah, I mean, 456 00:26:19,320 --> 00:26:22,000 Speaker 1: that's it for me. This article on how stuff works 457 00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:24,840 Speaker 1: pointed out like you know, when you're talking about scoring, 458 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:28,240 Speaker 1: which we'll talk about later, that's like doesn't mean anything 459 00:26:28,280 --> 00:26:31,000 Speaker 1: to people who are playing pinball, most of us, because 460 00:26:31,040 --> 00:26:32,640 Speaker 1: I'm just trying to keep the ball from going down 461 00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:36,840 Speaker 1: the train. Sure, um, but the way that pinball's arranged, 462 00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:39,639 Speaker 1: as you get better and better at it, you'll learn that, Um, 463 00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:43,159 Speaker 1: there are all sorts of combinations and tricks and stuff 464 00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:46,360 Speaker 1: that you can do to really score some points. We'll 465 00:26:46,359 --> 00:26:48,600 Speaker 1: get to that later on, I get ahead of myself. 466 00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:51,439 Speaker 1: That's right. The ball itself, if you want to just 467 00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:55,120 Speaker 1: talk hardware, it's one and one sixteen inches in diameter. 468 00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:59,080 Speaker 1: It's steel in a ways, about two point eight ounces, 469 00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:02,400 Speaker 1: and and can reach speeds up the ninety miles an hour. 470 00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:04,560 Speaker 1: When you see that thing shoot out of a one 471 00:27:04,560 --> 00:27:07,760 Speaker 1: of the little chambers that will come back at you, 472 00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:12,320 Speaker 1: it's going really fast, and that is um. Sometimes it 473 00:27:12,359 --> 00:27:15,640 Speaker 1: will use magnets underneath the table too, because since it's 474 00:27:15,680 --> 00:27:17,760 Speaker 1: a steel ball, you'll sometimes see a game that has 475 00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:20,639 Speaker 1: like a like a spinning disk, like a vortex in 476 00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:23,000 Speaker 1: the center of the table that will start at any 477 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:25,760 Speaker 1: given moment and it can catch your ball and keep 478 00:27:25,800 --> 00:27:28,320 Speaker 1: your ball there with its magnet just sort of spinning 479 00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:31,000 Speaker 1: in place, which is no good or it could be 480 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:33,960 Speaker 1: super good, depending on what you're after. Uh. Sometimes though, 481 00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:36,080 Speaker 1: they do use a ceramic pin ball called a power ball, 482 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:41,399 Speaker 1: and it is lighter and faster and immune to magnets. 483 00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:43,600 Speaker 1: So a lot of times when you'll have multi ball 484 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:46,320 Speaker 1: going on, some of those other balls are ceramic, and 485 00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:49,439 Speaker 1: that's when things get crazy. So as the ball is 486 00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:52,879 Speaker 1: going around the table, um, it's hitting the bumper, as 487 00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:57,680 Speaker 1: it's hitting the targets, and they're sending messages to the um. Well, 488 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:01,600 Speaker 1: if it's post seventy six game, to the motherboard that's 489 00:28:01,680 --> 00:28:04,200 Speaker 1: keeping track of your score and all that jazz. Yeah, 490 00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:07,440 Speaker 1: and you've only got the three balls. That's that's a game, yes, 491 00:28:08,119 --> 00:28:11,200 Speaker 1: but there are circumstances where you can get more, which 492 00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:15,280 Speaker 1: will tell later. So, Chuck, there's also another component you 493 00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:17,800 Speaker 1: don't have to have to play pinball, but all pinball 494 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:20,760 Speaker 1: games have it now. It's called the black box. And 495 00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:23,600 Speaker 1: if you look at a pinball table, you've got the 496 00:28:23,640 --> 00:28:27,560 Speaker 1: field right, yeah, the playfield, which is the board that 497 00:28:27,600 --> 00:28:29,199 Speaker 1: has all of the bumpers and the stuff and the 498 00:28:29,200 --> 00:28:31,720 Speaker 1: flippers and everything on it, and then at a right 499 00:28:31,760 --> 00:28:34,160 Speaker 1: angle to that, coming off of it, you've got what's 500 00:28:34,160 --> 00:28:37,080 Speaker 1: called the back glass. And connecting the two is called 501 00:28:37,119 --> 00:28:39,040 Speaker 1: the black box. And this is where all of your 502 00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:43,080 Speaker 1: electronics and your solid state stuff goes. Yeah, your back 503 00:28:43,120 --> 00:28:45,320 Speaker 1: glass is not only going to have your scoreboard and 504 00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:49,040 Speaker 1: your information. Like they'll say things like aim for the 505 00:28:49,160 --> 00:28:52,120 Speaker 1: aim for the canyon. You know, they'll give you hints 506 00:28:52,160 --> 00:28:55,160 Speaker 1: and little tricks along the way. Look Out for the 507 00:28:55,200 --> 00:28:58,520 Speaker 1: t rex look out for the t rex um. But 508 00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:01,760 Speaker 1: it's also to the bad classes where like, if you're 509 00:29:01,760 --> 00:29:05,720 Speaker 1: walking through your arcade, that's where you're gonna see. That's 510 00:29:05,720 --> 00:29:07,920 Speaker 1: where your attention is going to go. So that's where 511 00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:10,240 Speaker 1: you see the Playboy models on both sides of you, 512 00:29:10,360 --> 00:29:14,200 Speaker 1: Hefner or kiss looking cool. So it's it's sort of 513 00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:18,440 Speaker 1: an advertisement. Hey, come put your quarters into me. It's shiny, 514 00:29:18,560 --> 00:29:22,880 Speaker 1: it's colorful. They's been money designing those things, and uh 515 00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:25,640 Speaker 1: a lot of those have become art. Now they'll remove 516 00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:27,560 Speaker 1: them and frame them and hang up on the wall, 517 00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:30,440 Speaker 1: which would be wicked cool, I think it would be. 518 00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:35,680 Speaker 1: But I'd rather have the actual pinball game. Yeah sure. Um. So, 519 00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:39,600 Speaker 1: like I said, back in the seventies, they they introduced 520 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:44,080 Speaker 1: solid state electronics. Prior to that, all pinball machines were 521 00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:47,000 Speaker 1: electro mechanical, And at first, when I was researching this, 522 00:29:47,080 --> 00:29:49,400 Speaker 1: I thought like, well, okay, so solid state took over 523 00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:52,960 Speaker 1: everything that's not the case solid state took over. Basically, 524 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:57,080 Speaker 1: the back class everything else is still electro mechanical, or 525 00:29:57,120 --> 00:30:00,000 Speaker 1: it was up until the very very very recent times, 526 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:03,480 Speaker 1: although they still might be electro mechanical. So, um, when 527 00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:06,280 Speaker 1: you hit a bumper with your ball and it makes 528 00:30:06,280 --> 00:30:09,320 Speaker 1: it like bounce and vibrate and you get some points, 529 00:30:09,640 --> 00:30:12,880 Speaker 1: that's because you set an electrical impulse using an electro 530 00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:19,440 Speaker 1: mechanical assembly to the motherboard, the solid state motherboard that's 531 00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:23,200 Speaker 1: keeping score. So the motherboard is now keeping score. It's um. 532 00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:25,440 Speaker 1: Now they can use digital sounds, so they could add 533 00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:27,880 Speaker 1: speakers to the back glass and all the stuff, but 534 00:30:27,960 --> 00:30:32,960 Speaker 1: the actual function of the the pinball machine while you're 535 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:36,840 Speaker 1: playing is still electro mechanical. Yeah, it's old school. Uh. 536 00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:38,960 Speaker 1: And there's about a half a mile of wiring in 537 00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:42,040 Speaker 1: each one. And um, if you come over to my brothers, 538 00:30:42,040 --> 00:30:44,200 Speaker 1: he will show you the guts. That's he has his 539 00:30:44,320 --> 00:30:47,520 Speaker 1: rigged where you can pull down the back backglass look 540 00:30:47,600 --> 00:30:49,640 Speaker 1: under the hood. Yeah, basically, and you know it just 541 00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:51,960 Speaker 1: looks like a huge mess of wires and half a 542 00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:56,880 Speaker 1: mile's a lot. It's pretty crazy. Um does he wear 543 00:30:56,920 --> 00:30:59,880 Speaker 1: like a chain wallet when he works on his pinball machine? 544 00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:03,600 Speaker 1: Don't know. Maybe. Uh So the playfield itself, which is 545 00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:05,760 Speaker 1: what everything is on, is tilted at about six to 546 00:31:05,800 --> 00:31:08,920 Speaker 1: seven degrees towards you, and it is made of wood. 547 00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:11,680 Speaker 1: And it's also very old school. You know, so at 548 00:31:11,680 --> 00:31:15,320 Speaker 1: some point someone makes this like a wood base like cornhole, 549 00:31:15,960 --> 00:31:17,880 Speaker 1: and it's got holes drilled in it, and it's got 550 00:31:17,880 --> 00:31:20,560 Speaker 1: stuff painted on it and a bunch of layers of 551 00:31:20,600 --> 00:31:22,960 Speaker 1: finish to keep it, you know, to protect it and 552 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:25,200 Speaker 1: to make that ball go. Yeah, but I mean that's 553 00:31:25,200 --> 00:31:28,120 Speaker 1: basically it. It's pretty simple. Yes, some of the very 554 00:31:28,160 --> 00:31:31,080 Speaker 1: newer ones, um, I guess from the twenty one century 555 00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:37,080 Speaker 1: replaced the wood playing field with um uh, plasma screens 556 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:44,600 Speaker 1: or LCD screens. Yeah, but you know, kids today no thanks, um. 557 00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:47,959 Speaker 1: But other than that, it's like screws and glue and wood. 558 00:31:48,640 --> 00:31:53,880 Speaker 1: It's just it's fairly old school and and still like entertaining. 559 00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:57,000 Speaker 1: Pinball's challenging. That's why you hate pinball two thousand. Huh 560 00:31:57,320 --> 00:32:01,480 Speaker 1: it was newfangled, Yeah totally. Hey, let's take something awesome 561 00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:04,880 Speaker 1: and make it new for everybody. Like I hate that. 562 00:32:05,680 --> 00:32:08,240 Speaker 1: You know, it's like taking some classic drink, Like you're 563 00:32:08,240 --> 00:32:12,600 Speaker 1: a cocktail guy saying let's add you know, let's add 564 00:32:12,640 --> 00:32:17,400 Speaker 1: some some new oxygen eated something to the Manhattan. You're like, no, 565 00:32:17,680 --> 00:32:24,280 Speaker 1: Manhattan's perfect. I don't know oxygen neated something that is. Hey, 566 00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:26,880 Speaker 1: every like some things are perfect the way they are, 567 00:32:26,920 --> 00:32:29,280 Speaker 1: and I think pinball is one of them. So, Chuck, 568 00:32:29,320 --> 00:32:31,880 Speaker 1: you approached the pinball machine, you put your quarters in 569 00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:36,800 Speaker 1: and everything um and you either so you press the 570 00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:39,480 Speaker 1: start button or well, once you press the start button, 571 00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:42,400 Speaker 1: a ball should fall into the launch lane, which is 572 00:32:42,560 --> 00:32:44,920 Speaker 1: the at the back of the launch lane is the plunger. 573 00:32:45,600 --> 00:32:48,600 Speaker 1: In some of the newer games, there's a solenoid which 574 00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:51,160 Speaker 1: shoots it for you. Yeah, I see other things like 575 00:32:51,200 --> 00:32:53,560 Speaker 1: a like a gun handle, trigger and stuff instead of 576 00:32:53,560 --> 00:32:56,440 Speaker 1: the plunger. Very clever, but again I'm into the like 577 00:32:56,440 --> 00:33:01,840 Speaker 1: the um One way or another, you're going to launch 578 00:33:01,880 --> 00:33:04,320 Speaker 1: the ball. The advantage of a solenoid that launches it 579 00:33:04,400 --> 00:33:06,720 Speaker 1: for your with the press of a button is that 580 00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:09,040 Speaker 1: if you are playing a game and you're pretty good 581 00:33:09,600 --> 00:33:12,040 Speaker 1: and the pinball machine decides it wants to see what 582 00:33:12,160 --> 00:33:14,920 Speaker 1: kind of a wizard you are, it will send more 583 00:33:14,960 --> 00:33:18,560 Speaker 1: balls into action. The way it does that these days 584 00:33:18,880 --> 00:33:23,000 Speaker 1: is by using a solenoid in olden days before the solenoid, 585 00:33:23,120 --> 00:33:26,240 Speaker 1: say the eighties. Um, it's a little man inside. Well, 586 00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:28,719 Speaker 1: you had to pull the plunger back yourself, and that 587 00:33:28,760 --> 00:33:30,240 Speaker 1: meant you had to take your finger off of a 588 00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:33,440 Speaker 1: flipper button. Man, hey man, you better be quick. I 589 00:33:33,520 --> 00:33:36,600 Speaker 1: kind of forgot about that, or you're dead. That's why solenoids, 590 00:33:36,640 --> 00:33:40,160 Speaker 1: that's the advantage they have. Yeah, I'll take that. Umu 591 00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:45,080 Speaker 1: advancement that passes my bar. The solenoid is good. So 592 00:33:45,160 --> 00:34:00,880 Speaker 1: let's talk about actual pinball play after this message, Chuck, Okay, 593 00:34:00,920 --> 00:34:03,320 Speaker 1: scoring in pinball, like you said earlier, if you're a 594 00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:06,479 Speaker 1: regular shmo like us, we're just trying to keep that 595 00:34:06,520 --> 00:34:09,880 Speaker 1: ball on the table. But if you are a pinball wizard, 596 00:34:10,320 --> 00:34:12,720 Speaker 1: then that means you know the game within the game 597 00:34:13,200 --> 00:34:17,560 Speaker 1: and all the combination shots that you're specifically trying to 598 00:34:17,680 --> 00:34:20,640 Speaker 1: hit in order to rack up the big, big big points. 599 00:34:20,680 --> 00:34:22,120 Speaker 1: This is nuts to me. I have to tell you, 600 00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:25,560 Speaker 1: I didn't even know that this existed until Yeah, I knew. 601 00:34:25,600 --> 00:34:28,040 Speaker 1: I just you know, like, that's how poor my pinball 602 00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:30,759 Speaker 1: playing is. Now. I'm I'm not any good either, But 603 00:34:30,880 --> 00:34:34,399 Speaker 1: you you is your brother good? So you've seen him. Yeah, 604 00:34:34,440 --> 00:34:37,680 Speaker 1: he's better than me. So they used this um in 605 00:34:37,880 --> 00:34:40,160 Speaker 1: this article to use the example of a game called 606 00:34:40,239 --> 00:34:45,799 Speaker 1: high Roller Pinball. Yeah, and basically imagine this. While you're 607 00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:50,239 Speaker 1: playing high Roller, Um, you basically want to knock out 608 00:34:50,360 --> 00:34:54,960 Speaker 1: some icons that are associated with poker. Once you've hit 609 00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:57,319 Speaker 1: all the icons with the ball or something like that, 610 00:34:57,400 --> 00:34:59,440 Speaker 1: so there are tiles that you knock down or whatever. 611 00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:03,440 Speaker 1: When you've hit them all, you've unlocked a game within 612 00:35:03,480 --> 00:35:07,160 Speaker 1: a game. Yeah, and I think it starts with poker, 613 00:35:07,480 --> 00:35:09,839 Speaker 1: and all of a sudden you're playing pinball while you're 614 00:35:09,840 --> 00:35:13,680 Speaker 1: also playing poker on the back class. Yeah, so like 615 00:35:13,680 --> 00:35:15,680 Speaker 1: you're trying to hit a specific thing that will give 616 00:35:15,719 --> 00:35:18,800 Speaker 1: you a specific card and a poker hand, let's say, 617 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:21,960 Speaker 1: and like you have to be you know, you have 618 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:23,759 Speaker 1: to You're trying to do this with your flipper. It's 619 00:35:23,760 --> 00:35:25,440 Speaker 1: a game of skill, like we said, right, But at 620 00:35:25,440 --> 00:35:28,520 Speaker 1: the same time, you're still playing your pinball game too, right, Well, 621 00:35:28,600 --> 00:35:31,520 Speaker 1: I mean it's part of the game. So like you know, 622 00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:33,239 Speaker 1: you'll know you've got the cards up on the back 623 00:35:33,280 --> 00:35:35,000 Speaker 1: glass and we'll say, all right, I gotta hit that 624 00:35:35,040 --> 00:35:39,080 Speaker 1: bumper to get a king. I'm aiming for that king 625 00:35:39,200 --> 00:35:41,960 Speaker 1: the whole time, Okay, so if your brain hasn't melted yet, 626 00:35:42,200 --> 00:35:46,120 Speaker 1: prepare for the finish. Once poker has done, there's like 627 00:35:46,239 --> 00:35:49,279 Speaker 1: four or five other casino games that you play after that, 628 00:35:49,920 --> 00:35:53,480 Speaker 1: and you play them in succession, and and as you 629 00:35:53,520 --> 00:35:57,000 Speaker 1: win them, you get closer and closer to this um 630 00:35:57,200 --> 00:36:00,680 Speaker 1: special play mode called Casino Friends at that's what it's 631 00:36:00,719 --> 00:36:04,080 Speaker 1: called in the high Roller Machine. Yeah, that's after you've 632 00:36:04,080 --> 00:36:07,279 Speaker 1: won all the game the poker games, right, yeah not 633 00:36:07,520 --> 00:36:11,480 Speaker 1: but yeah, all the games, and so you're playing Casino Frenzy, 634 00:36:11,560 --> 00:36:14,440 Speaker 1: and that's what's called a Wizard Award, where it's like, Okay, 635 00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:18,239 Speaker 1: this kid's good. Now we're gonna really let them or 636 00:36:18,320 --> 00:36:22,799 Speaker 1: her up their points by playing a special round. And 637 00:36:22,840 --> 00:36:25,000 Speaker 1: all of a sudden, the field is like flooded with 638 00:36:25,080 --> 00:36:28,600 Speaker 1: balls and every bumper you hit is worth like hundreds 639 00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:32,879 Speaker 1: of thousands of points and it's just scary and terrifying. Yeah, 640 00:36:32,960 --> 00:36:37,319 Speaker 1: multi ball is stressful for a guy like me. Same here, man, 641 00:36:37,360 --> 00:36:39,440 Speaker 1: I just try and keep you know what happens to 642 00:36:39,440 --> 00:36:41,560 Speaker 1: me and multi ball is I'll usually lose them all 643 00:36:41,600 --> 00:36:43,719 Speaker 1: pretty quickly. Like I can't even hold onto the one 644 00:36:43,960 --> 00:36:46,279 Speaker 1: because it just it stimulates me too much. I'm like, 645 00:36:46,320 --> 00:36:48,759 Speaker 1: what what happened me too, and I'm like, as long 646 00:36:48,800 --> 00:36:52,120 Speaker 1: as I've got one, I'm break even. But with um, 647 00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:57,440 Speaker 1: with Wizard Award functions, um, that's when you start to 648 00:36:57,480 --> 00:37:00,960 Speaker 1: earn even more points. But imagine having like three four 649 00:37:01,040 --> 00:37:04,400 Speaker 1: or five balls on the field and the computer in 650 00:37:04,440 --> 00:37:07,640 Speaker 1: the machine is telling you, like, hit this combination and 651 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:11,200 Speaker 1: we'll give you like twenty million points. And um, if 652 00:37:11,200 --> 00:37:15,319 Speaker 1: you're even in Wizard Award ball, you're a pretty good 653 00:37:15,320 --> 00:37:18,040 Speaker 1: pinball player, I would imagine for sure. And that's just 654 00:37:18,080 --> 00:37:20,480 Speaker 1: the high roller game. But most games have a couple 655 00:37:20,520 --> 00:37:22,640 Speaker 1: of games within the game that you should look out for, 656 00:37:23,440 --> 00:37:25,600 Speaker 1: and um, that's how you get your free game. If 657 00:37:25,680 --> 00:37:29,680 Speaker 1: you've ever uh locked up or been super good and 658 00:37:29,760 --> 00:37:32,560 Speaker 1: gotten um, you know, they'll tell you on the backglass 659 00:37:32,600 --> 00:37:36,640 Speaker 1: how much you have to have like replay value thirty million, um. 660 00:37:36,680 --> 00:37:38,360 Speaker 1: And that's what you're shooting for because you want to 661 00:37:38,400 --> 00:37:40,920 Speaker 1: get that free game, not just because it's a quarter 662 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:43,960 Speaker 1: or whatever, but because it's like a big award. You know. 663 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:46,640 Speaker 1: It's like entering your name on the in the top 664 00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:50,640 Speaker 1: ten in Galica, right yeah, Um, so I didn't understand this. 665 00:37:50,960 --> 00:37:53,680 Speaker 1: When you get a free game, is that like three 666 00:37:53,719 --> 00:37:57,280 Speaker 1: free balls or one extra ball. I think it's three. 667 00:37:57,320 --> 00:37:59,200 Speaker 1: I think it's a full free game. That would make sense. 668 00:37:59,200 --> 00:38:02,640 Speaker 1: That's why they kin keeps taling. It doesn't like reset, right. Yeah, 669 00:38:02,800 --> 00:38:05,319 Speaker 1: you can also fall backwards into a free game with 670 00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:07,600 Speaker 1: something called match where I had never heard of this. 671 00:38:07,680 --> 00:38:09,719 Speaker 1: Every once a while, the computer will just flash like 672 00:38:09,800 --> 00:38:14,839 Speaker 1: a random number between what zero, zero and ninety. I think, yeah, 673 00:38:14,960 --> 00:38:18,280 Speaker 1: multiple of ten and um, if the last two digits 674 00:38:18,280 --> 00:38:20,960 Speaker 1: of your score at that moment happened to match that number, 675 00:38:20,960 --> 00:38:22,799 Speaker 1: then you win a free game. It's like a little 676 00:38:22,840 --> 00:38:25,239 Speaker 1: lotto game. And I think I've gotten a free game 677 00:38:25,280 --> 00:38:27,680 Speaker 1: that way, because I remember getting free games before. But 678 00:38:27,800 --> 00:38:29,640 Speaker 1: being like, how did I get a free game? I 679 00:38:29,719 --> 00:38:32,480 Speaker 1: must I must have hit the match you like just 680 00:38:32,520 --> 00:38:37,000 Speaker 1: turned into Christopher walking in the dead zone. I saw 681 00:38:37,040 --> 00:38:39,479 Speaker 1: that not too long ago. That holds up, Yeah, it does. Um. 682 00:38:39,520 --> 00:38:41,719 Speaker 1: But as far as replay goes, it says that most 683 00:38:41,760 --> 00:38:43,400 Speaker 1: machines are set so you have to be in the 684 00:38:43,440 --> 00:38:47,440 Speaker 1: top ten percent to get a replay, and you can 685 00:38:47,480 --> 00:38:50,319 Speaker 1: get a second replay, but they have it max out 686 00:38:50,360 --> 00:38:53,880 Speaker 1: at a hundred and fifty of the first, so a 687 00:38:53,920 --> 00:38:57,200 Speaker 1: double replay is tough. Yeah, I mean you're Tommy at 688 00:38:57,200 --> 00:39:01,040 Speaker 1: that point or your last name is sharp yeah, I um. 689 00:39:01,120 --> 00:39:06,440 Speaker 1: And then tilt chuck, you know. Tilt it's synonymous with pinball. 690 00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:11,080 Speaker 1: Tilt is where you are being well, basically where you've 691 00:39:11,120 --> 00:39:15,080 Speaker 1: been punishing the machine and the machine says enough, hands off, man, 692 00:39:15,640 --> 00:39:19,680 Speaker 1: And basically, like we were saying early pinball machines, um, 693 00:39:19,719 --> 00:39:22,080 Speaker 1: the only way you can manipulate them before the flippers 694 00:39:22,400 --> 00:39:24,600 Speaker 1: was to move the machine gonn bump it. So the 695 00:39:24,640 --> 00:39:27,279 Speaker 1: tilt mechanism has been in place to prevent people from 696 00:39:27,320 --> 00:39:32,040 Speaker 1: overly cheating by tilting the machine by It's really old 697 00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:34,799 Speaker 1: timey contraption and I guess it's still in use. It's 698 00:39:34,840 --> 00:39:36,960 Speaker 1: pretty funny how old school it is. Basically, they have 699 00:39:37,040 --> 00:39:41,360 Speaker 1: like I guess, like a copper copper wire with a 700 00:39:41,400 --> 00:39:43,719 Speaker 1: circle on the end, a ring on the end, and 701 00:39:43,840 --> 00:39:46,520 Speaker 1: dangling in the ring but not touching. It is like 702 00:39:46,600 --> 00:39:50,719 Speaker 1: a metal ballast, right, and it's connected to the machine. 703 00:39:51,360 --> 00:39:54,800 Speaker 1: So as long as the ballast is just swinging around 704 00:39:54,840 --> 00:39:57,640 Speaker 1: freely within the ring, you can tilt as much as 705 00:39:57,640 --> 00:39:59,920 Speaker 1: you like. And a skilled player knows how to till 706 00:40:00,200 --> 00:40:02,880 Speaker 1: without getting caught, right, it's part of the game. Yeah, 707 00:40:03,080 --> 00:40:06,960 Speaker 1: But once you tilt too far and the metal ballast 708 00:40:07,040 --> 00:40:11,880 Speaker 1: touches the copper ring, a current is formed and all 709 00:40:11,920 --> 00:40:14,560 Speaker 1: of a sudden, it sends that to the motherboard, and 710 00:40:14,600 --> 00:40:17,799 Speaker 1: the motherboard says, tilt. This is your first warning, and 711 00:40:17,840 --> 00:40:20,359 Speaker 1: apparently most modern games give you two warnings, and then 712 00:40:20,600 --> 00:40:24,000 Speaker 1: the flippers stop working and you lose your ball. Yeah, 713 00:40:24,080 --> 00:40:27,480 Speaker 1: and that's just losing one ball. If you really get upset, 714 00:40:27,880 --> 00:40:29,799 Speaker 1: if your ball is stuck, or if you're just having 715 00:40:29,800 --> 00:40:32,360 Speaker 1: a bad day at the office and you pick up 716 00:40:32,440 --> 00:40:35,960 Speaker 1: the front of the machine and slam it down, that's 717 00:40:35,960 --> 00:40:38,040 Speaker 1: called a slam tilt. And they have these little leaf 718 00:40:38,120 --> 00:40:41,000 Speaker 1: switches inside the machine for that, and if they touch 719 00:40:41,040 --> 00:40:44,600 Speaker 1: each other, that means you have really taken things too far, 720 00:40:45,200 --> 00:40:49,799 Speaker 1: and that is shut it down. No game, not worth 721 00:40:49,800 --> 00:40:52,560 Speaker 1: taking your ball. They're saying, leave the machine. You're not 722 00:40:52,600 --> 00:40:57,560 Speaker 1: gonna win any cigarettes doing that exactly. And that's the Uh, 723 00:40:57,800 --> 00:41:00,839 Speaker 1: that's the slam tilt. That's pinball. Maybe, Yeah, I got 724 00:41:00,840 --> 00:41:03,239 Speaker 1: nothing else. I don't either. This is very exciting. I'm 725 00:41:03,280 --> 00:41:05,080 Speaker 1: glad we finally did it. It's been on my list 726 00:41:05,200 --> 00:41:09,040 Speaker 1: forever ever since I found out it was illegal. You're like, oh, 727 00:41:09,120 --> 00:41:10,680 Speaker 1: I gotta get into that. But that was like a 728 00:41:10,719 --> 00:41:12,879 Speaker 1: couple of years ago. I feel like, wow, yeah, when 729 00:41:12,880 --> 00:41:17,359 Speaker 1: I saw a special winlet nice man, everybody go see that? 730 00:41:17,480 --> 00:41:20,120 Speaker 1: Is that on the old Netflix? I believe it is tilt, 731 00:41:20,200 --> 00:41:23,399 Speaker 1: definitely is. I think special Winlet might be to add 732 00:41:23,440 --> 00:41:25,799 Speaker 1: that to the former queue, which they had to change 733 00:41:25,840 --> 00:41:28,640 Speaker 1: because Americans are dumb what they call it now it's 734 00:41:28,640 --> 00:41:31,960 Speaker 1: not called a list because people are like, what's a queue? Really? 735 00:41:32,560 --> 00:41:35,000 Speaker 1: Was it spelled like that? I hadn't noticed that they 736 00:41:35,040 --> 00:41:37,480 Speaker 1: did that. Oh my goodness, Yeah, I've heard. That's the reason. 737 00:41:37,520 --> 00:41:39,520 Speaker 1: It makes sense to me. I can't verify that though. 738 00:41:40,160 --> 00:41:42,080 Speaker 1: Uh well, if you want to learn more about pinball, 739 00:41:42,160 --> 00:41:44,640 Speaker 1: go check out special win Let. Go check out Tilt. 740 00:41:44,719 --> 00:41:48,800 Speaker 1: Check out the popular Mechanics article we mentioned eleven things 741 00:41:48,880 --> 00:41:52,120 Speaker 1: you didn't know about pinball history. It's pretty awesome. And 742 00:41:52,200 --> 00:41:55,479 Speaker 1: of course, check out the article on how stuff works 743 00:41:55,520 --> 00:41:57,440 Speaker 1: dot Com. Go to the search bar and type in 744 00:41:57,560 --> 00:41:59,759 Speaker 1: pinball and it will bring up this article. Since I 745 00:41:59,800 --> 00:42:04,239 Speaker 1: said search parts time for listener mail. Yeah, this is 746 00:42:04,320 --> 00:42:08,440 Speaker 1: via Facebook. Actually, um in regards to our more Gelon's podcast, 747 00:42:08,680 --> 00:42:13,080 Speaker 1: because one of our is it funny? I think it's 748 00:42:13,120 --> 00:42:16,759 Speaker 1: more gallons. But you are literally the only person on 749 00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:21,160 Speaker 1: the planet that calls it that fine um Tyler Murphy 750 00:42:21,320 --> 00:42:25,080 Speaker 1: are one of the generals and the stuff you should 751 00:42:25,120 --> 00:42:30,800 Speaker 1: know army and Facebook and email friend uh pinged, I 752 00:42:30,840 --> 00:42:32,800 Speaker 1: guess a doctor friend of his name Chris Wells, and 753 00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:34,759 Speaker 1: I was like, hey, dude, check this out. Do you 754 00:42:34,800 --> 00:42:36,919 Speaker 1: know anything about this? And so he commented on there 755 00:42:37,200 --> 00:42:38,879 Speaker 1: and I was like, hey, this is a listener mail. 756 00:42:38,960 --> 00:42:41,279 Speaker 1: Can I use it? And he said yes. So he 757 00:42:41,320 --> 00:42:43,640 Speaker 1: says he's only come across it twice. In both cases 758 00:42:43,640 --> 00:42:46,200 Speaker 1: they brought stuff in telling me it was eggs and 759 00:42:46,239 --> 00:42:49,600 Speaker 1: bugs along with my med technologists reviewed under a microscope 760 00:42:49,640 --> 00:42:52,839 Speaker 1: and it was mainly lent and hair follicles. One had 761 00:42:52,920 --> 00:42:55,560 Speaker 1: some insight that it was not an actual infection and 762 00:42:55,600 --> 00:42:58,440 Speaker 1: felt relieved. The other was very upset that I suggested otherwise, 763 00:42:58,760 --> 00:43:00,440 Speaker 1: So he kind of got both ends of this spectrum. 764 00:43:01,040 --> 00:43:04,040 Speaker 1: I would never treat um with an antiseptic I'm sorry, 765 00:43:04,040 --> 00:43:06,480 Speaker 1: anti parasitic med if I didn't think it was a 766 00:43:06,480 --> 00:43:09,120 Speaker 1: real infection. The risk of causing harm versus fixing anything 767 00:43:09,800 --> 00:43:12,480 Speaker 1: is too high. Any PARASITGA meads can have all kinds 768 00:43:12,520 --> 00:43:15,320 Speaker 1: of unwanted effects, from kidney and liver impairment to lowering 769 00:43:15,320 --> 00:43:19,920 Speaker 1: the threshold for seizure to potentially being carcinogenic themselves. For 770 00:43:19,960 --> 00:43:22,960 Speaker 1: every case of monsters inside me on TLC that goes 771 00:43:23,000 --> 00:43:26,400 Speaker 1: undiscovered and later is found to truly have a parasitic infection, 772 00:43:26,440 --> 00:43:29,000 Speaker 1: there are many more where there is no physical evidence 773 00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:31,640 Speaker 1: of infection because they're simply not one. Uh. You feel 774 00:43:31,640 --> 00:43:33,840 Speaker 1: really crappy as a physician though, when you have to 775 00:43:33,880 --> 00:43:35,960 Speaker 1: tell someone that everything they brought into your office is 776 00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:38,600 Speaker 1: all dust and lent, that there is no physical evidence 777 00:43:38,640 --> 00:43:40,960 Speaker 1: for their ailments. The most important thing for a clinician 778 00:43:40,960 --> 00:43:43,480 Speaker 1: to remember is that even if this is all in 779 00:43:43,520 --> 00:43:45,719 Speaker 1: their head or imagine or however you want to word it, 780 00:43:45,960 --> 00:43:48,640 Speaker 1: the patient is still experiencing it, which is what we 781 00:43:48,719 --> 00:43:51,000 Speaker 1: pointed out. So you need to try and treat the 782 00:43:51,040 --> 00:43:54,640 Speaker 1: root cause, whether it be with continued reassurance and second 783 00:43:54,680 --> 00:43:59,520 Speaker 1: opinion within reason or cognitive behavioral therapy or other means. 784 00:44:00,320 --> 00:44:03,680 Speaker 1: And that is Chris Wells via our buddy Tyler Murphy. Cool, 785 00:44:03,760 --> 00:44:06,080 Speaker 1: thanks guys who Tyler is a teacher and in the 786 00:44:06,120 --> 00:44:11,640 Speaker 1: summertime he works at the Big put put Chain Putt Putt. No, 787 00:44:11,800 --> 00:44:14,440 Speaker 1: that's that's like the Big Adventure Land or what I 788 00:44:14,440 --> 00:44:17,560 Speaker 1: can't remember what it's called. Hire pirates Cove? Is that 789 00:44:17,600 --> 00:44:20,240 Speaker 1: a chain? I don't know. It sounds like a chain anyway, 790 00:44:20,239 --> 00:44:22,120 Speaker 1: that's what he does. Since it sounds like fun, It's like, man, 791 00:44:22,160 --> 00:44:25,879 Speaker 1: I could totally do that job. Summer would be fun. Yeah. Well, 792 00:44:25,920 --> 00:44:28,759 Speaker 1: thank you very much you guys in uh, anyone else 793 00:44:28,800 --> 00:44:33,080 Speaker 1: out there who has any further clarification on any episode 794 00:44:33,120 --> 00:44:35,160 Speaker 1: we've ever done. We want to hear from you. You 795 00:44:35,200 --> 00:44:38,040 Speaker 1: can tweet to us at s Y s K podcast. 796 00:44:38,160 --> 00:44:40,200 Speaker 1: You can join us on Facebook dot com, slash Stuff 797 00:44:40,200 --> 00:44:42,239 Speaker 1: you Should Know. You can send us an email to 798 00:44:42,440 --> 00:44:45,600 Speaker 1: Stuff Podcast at Discovery dot com, and, as always good 799 00:44:45,680 --> 00:44:47,520 Speaker 1: check us out at our home on the web, Stuff 800 00:44:47,560 --> 00:44:54,719 Speaker 1: you Should Know dot com for more on this and 801 00:44:54,800 --> 00:44:57,359 Speaker 1: thousands of other topics. Does It how Stuff Works dot 802 00:44:57,400 --> 00:45:05,040 Speaker 1: com