WSJ Article...
Mike
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703882304575465613526210330.html?mod=ITP_TEST
In Short Supply: Pinball Wizards Who Can Fix Old Machines
They Weren't Meant to Last and Digital Took Over; For Most, 'Game
Over'
Sep. 7, 2010
Brian Hanifin
at least the 5th time I have seen this posted. :)
It is a good read though. :)
Mike W. from NJ
But good article for the most part. Any positive press about Pinball
is good press.
Anybody know if this showed up in print also?
pinnut
its in print
David Marston
Not only is it in today's print edition, but it starts on the front page!
--
................David Marston at MV
OB_ONE
now put death warrants on a lot of machines out there where people who
don't know how to fix them will junk them or haul them to the next
bonfire. And 99% of machine owners out there have never heard of
Pinball Classifieds so they could at least sell them broken. With a
little effort, this article could have at minimum mentioned the
plethora of self help webpages out there for the novice. I use this
forum when I'm in a jam. RGP has been a Godsend for me helping
troubleshoot some of the more difficult repairs that I encounter.
Unfortunately, I read this article almost a day after it came out, so
it was too late to send a letter to the Ed. I probably still will
though.
OB_ONE
Sir, your article on pinball machines (09-07-10) and the lack of
available technicians to repair them has done a huge disservice to the
pinball community and has likely sealed a death sentence for many
machines. With the advent of the internet, there are a plethora of
resources available for the private owner to repair a machine himself.
I self taught myself the art of repair and upkeep of these awesome
examples of Americana, and with little effort the private owner can do
the same. Utilizing a search engine, try "recgroupspinball" and
"Mr.pinballclassifieds". Those are two excellent sources for starters
and hopefully will keep many machines from ending up curbside or in
backyard bonfires.
pinnut
nice thought, but you severely underestimate the ability of most
people to even hold a screwdriver correctly. you have to have an
inclination for hands on work, and there are way more people that dont
have it, than do have it. i've seen it first hand my whole life. there
are also plenty of pin owners who might have the natural inclination,
but for reasons of their own dont want to invest the time to learn to
repair machines well enough to buy up the broken ones. the fact that
people who can barely screw in a light bulb own pins helps
tremendously to keep the hobby alive. there isnt enough room in the
basements of only people capable of there own repairs to house all the
machines that still exist. people form opinions from their own
experiences , and i'm pretty sure at the WSJ, and in that authors
world, there arent too many people who will be learning pinball repair
any time soon.
Kwisatz
I agree.(but I think you mean't "overestimate")
pinnut
overestimate . corrected :)
Dan Q very much
> I agree.(but I think you mean't "overestimate")
Sirckus
Sweet.
Kwisatz
> On Sep 9, 8:32 am, Kwisatz <s.ang...@comcast.net> wrote:> I agree.(but I think you mean't "overestimate")
>
> I think you meant "meant." :)
Thanks, Didn't think it looked right. Hit send anyway.
pinnut
> I didn't know that I could repair locomotives!
>
> Sweet.
the guy got that all wrong. he asked me what my craft( machinist) did
on the RR, and i told him mostly working on the locomotives. i then
told him i work in the equipment division, we work on all the
equipment they use to work on the locos and cars. its giant lifts,
turntables, cranes, 600 ton presses,all kinds of large machines. that
equipment has limit switches, optos, solenoids, plungers, and all
sorts of stuff, like pinball does. i made a correction in the comments
section.
Sirckus
It's all good... I work in software so I understand how the words out
of one's mouth can be completely transformed once they enter someone
else's ear and are attempted to be written.
I think I'm still going to try and fix a train though.
Lloyd Olson
"Sirckus" <crazyi...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:f983cfe1-323d-49b2...@f26g2000vbm.googlegroups.com...
David Marston
>the same. Utilizing a search engine, try "recgroupspinball" and...
That should be rec.GAMES.pinball
mgk
comments got cleared out
The Hammer
efd007c9-2059-4e9d...@g10g2000vbc.googlegroups.com, Sirckus
at crazyi...@gmail.com wrote on 9/9/10 7:21 AM:
> I didn't know that I could repair locomotives!
>
> Sweet.
Lionel.
Find out about the beautiful Oregon South Coast at
VisitOregonSouthCoast.com
http://www.visitoregonsouthcoast.com/
OB_ONE
correction though of course after I had sent it I reread it. We all
make mistakes...
@ Pinnut, definitely agree with you. I won't get into it here, but I
work as an industrial automation mechanic and see examples every day
of people putting tools in their hands and making adjustments to
machinery and royally screwing something up because they don't know a
screwdriver from a paper clip. However, the main reason in my letter
to the ed. was that A: hopefully they would print it (they did not)
and B: that if they did, it would give pause to someone who was
getting bitched at by their wife to get the frat rooms old machine out
of her basement/garage unless it gets fixed.
Dan Q very much
You inadvertently made it EASIER to find. Try actually typing
"recgroupspinball" into Google, and you'll only get TWO results!
(Well, maybe 3 now!) Your post, and rgp!
Whereas entering "recgamespinball" returns 1.3 million! (rgp is the
top result, though...) :)