We're working on a new forum package for Ars, but it's hard to find time for it sometimes with everything else we're working on. It's a small team.

The discussion is mostly on the front page now, our article comments are extremely lively. But hopefully we can bring some life back to the forum side, we'll see. More modern software would help at least some for sure.

None of it is remotely connected to Condé Nast, and more just the rise of social media murdering forums. That's what hurt us. Lots of people moved to Facebook (ugh). The only forums that have really survived are those that have really narrow focuses. Pinside is a good example of course, and Robin has done fabulous work with how he's wrangled bbPress into such a great package. That helps a ton.

Didn't hear from my printer today, so I'm assuming shipping early next week. The speaker panels and cards are already on their way I think.

After this is done I might need to take another Pinside break, little disappointed in some things as of late here. Probably best to just fade away. Nice to talk to people for a bit though, still a lot of good people here.

Every hobby has jerks and stupid people. I tune out plenty, and those that are too loudly stupid I add to my ignore list. But Pinside has some really deeply rooted issues that I can't ignore. There's a lot of hate here, and I'm not a fan. Frankly I don't need it in my life. I'm tired of adding people to that list.

It shows up in a lot of ways. The criticisms of games and ideas that turn personal fast. The constant need to tear things down. Just negative energy after negative energy.

I wrote about how the fighting game community and pinball are different here: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/backbox-podcast-let-s-talk-about-diversity#post-5705478

My point was when we're playing we're all on the same ground. But when we're a community, hanging out, shooting the shit, doing all of the stuff outside the game, the differences really appear. The FGC's diversity really shines at moments like this, when there's a conversation that needs to happen about how we come together. Pinside tries to pretend it's not happening.

That Backbox podcast thread I linked? Got locked right away because people were being shitty. And frankly a couple were letting their racist side show, let's not pretend otherwise. The Pinside response was to lock the thread right away, hand out some thread ejects a few hours afterwards, and then sit on it for a bit. Then Robin re-opened it with that post approval mode, where nothing shows up without review first.

Took hours for my post to be seen by a mod and appear. Which in and of itself is fine, they're not sitting there just waiting 24/7 to read my post. But let's be real about what that means, it's a conversation killer. That thread was buried alive instead of shot, but the end result will be the same soon enough.

So what does that mean, really? Look who's on that podcast:

Juana Summers (Baltimore Belles + Chimes, IFPA)
Jessica Kent (Belles + Chimes Chicago)
Josh Sharpe (IFPA)
Steven Bowden (Fun With Bonus + Deeproot)
Jack Danger (Deadflip)
Lauren Gray (host)

You're telling me those people discussing an issue inside of pinball is too hot and controversial for Pinside to handle? I have a problem with that. I don't care if you don't agree with them, but if we can't have even the most somewhat polite discussion then maybe there's not a lot of point in hanging out here.

Yeah, you're right about that for sure. I gave up Twitter for the new year, which has been a bit of a ritual for me for a couple years now, just a mental break for a month or two. This time I haven't gone back. I miss friends there, and it's how I kept up with news on fighting game and retro arcade stuff, but the tradeoffs right now are too much. I can't deal with with the constant anxiety, even when I'm not sucked into arguments or BS directly.

I'm not looking to talk politics on Pinside. I have some 20,000 posts here, pretty sure I've never gotten into the mud over anything really. Called someone out for being sexist or something, but if you want to know what I think about Trump you gotta just guess. Plenty of people here manage to slip in their thoughts a lot more explicitly, that's for sure.

But when it comes to community I'm passionate, and I stand for what I believe in. It shouldn't be political to discuss how to make pinball more welcoming for more people. If you make it such you're an asshole I don't want to be around. But beyond that, Pinside has let those assholes decide what we can talk about. And I'm not cool with that. This is the right time to be having that conversation, and the wrong time to take the stand that we can't.

I'm Iceman levels of drunk right now and I still won't tell you what I really think. And you know I've got the essays on deck too.

Just emailed the list, finally taking payments. Translites have been reprinted and passed inspection and are shipping to me tomorrow, I got the speaker panels and instruction cards today.

I have a couple extras still, and I'll probably get some dropouts when I ask for the money, I always do.

IMG_0878 (resized).jpg

Should be fine, I almost always have extras just from how the process works. I have boxes of them I haven't opened yet, haven't counted to check.

The bulk of people have paid up already, you guys are nice and responsive, thanks. I just got the boxes today from Uline, while I'm waiting for the translites I can start taping them together. Not my favorite job, not gonna lie, I've taped so many of these damn things over the years.

But I'll get on it anyways so I'm ready to get everything out next week. Translites come on Monday according to UPS, but who knows what time. I'll pack up as soon as I'm able.

In theory I'm utterly sold out of this run, someone claimed my last extra.

I still have 7 people who haven't paid up or contacted me about there being an issue. If you're someone who doesn't want it anymore please just tell me instead of silently ignoring the payment email. It's not a problem, I can handle it, just don't leave me hanging.

UPS just sent me an update, translites are out for delivery, I should have them by mid afternoon in theory.

My printer told me the other day he's working on a plan to keep the last two printers running. So while I can't predict the future it seems like at least for now the danger of not being able to do these might be low. See how it goes.

Thanks!

Still waiting on those people who haven't responded, dunno what's up with them. I'm not gonna hold your spot if you don't reply to me though. Then it's first come first served for what's left.

I'm working my way through packing, got a stack of boxes beginning to pile up in my office. Will do some more tonight.

Over. People surprised me, I wasn't really expecting this much interest at this point. I'm grateful for the support though.

I'll be honest, it kinda makes me want to do a new project, but we'll see.

Emailed you just now. These last 5 flakes are officially being cut loose. I'll have 3 left after darkknight and you if you still want it.

Haha, I know, I know. Star Trek is just hard now, I gotta respect Stern's wishes.

Someone told me they got their package today, I didn't look up where they are, gotta be in CA though, that was really fast with the holiday weekend, I only dropped them off on Friday. I'm seeing a note about delays on the USPS website because of covid, see how the rest of the country does with getting them over the next few days.

Got another few to drop off, and then I'm down to my last two.

Wow, Vermont, go USPS, they hustled them out. It's always a little nerve wracking sending things out, I do start to relax when I hear about them arriving safely.

I've been doing this for a long time. It's pretty rare that things get damaged in transit. Definitely happens, but not often enough to be a concern.

I'm a fan of the USPS service honestly. Look how fast they got things out even with the holiday weekend and pandemic.

I just use cool white LEDs in mine, I don't like colored lights. The only 'trick' I use is for my flashers I use the extendable LEDs that are on little flexible arms so I can aim them at the parts I want to light up more precisely.

But the fun of modding is to do whatever feels right to you, so don't feel like you gotta stick with "my way".

I have exactly one package left unclaimed. After this I dunno what will happen.

It seems like for the time being my printer is keeping the big printers going, so I'm hopeful I can still do translites in the future, but hard to say. I'm happy to collect names for another potential run after this last package is gone, but my feeling is it will be a while before there's enough to do it given the success of this one. At some point it all has to end.

Thanks everyone for the support over the years!

In the meantime I'm trying to poke at a stalled project to see if I have any fire for it. I kinda want to get it going again, but it's hard to get creative traction. People's enthusiasm in this thread has been helpful though, appreciate you guys.