I 100% disagree that there aren't strong similarities with the JPop and SkitB fiascos, but this isn't the appropriate venue for the discussion imo, nor do I fancy wading into the Star Citizen issue - I avoided 99% of the JPop and SkitB stuff and I care less about SC.

What I will leave it at: The one glaring issue with all of these pre-order/crowdfund businesses is a complete lack of transparancy and/or honesty when things veer off the rails or go 'not according to plan'. When people start calling out these crowdfunded companies to hear about the financials, the deviation in plan, an update on delivery, ANYTING really - and they hear nothing but "never mind" - that is a problem. The only rebuttal CIG mustered (to my knowledge) so far on the latest Star Citizen drama amounts to "stfu or we'll sue you" and if the only defense they have is "Derek Smart is a douche" it won't take me long to believe they are dismissing the actual claims and concerns and are instead trying to discredit and deflect blame. I can tell you with 100% certainty that this behavior doesn't fly with shareholders who are funding the company, so why should it be ok with crowdfunding customers?

All these companies have to do is prove these claims wrong and the whiners will be silenced - it should be easy to do if the claims are false.

All the evidence suggests it was self-pity, if he really was close. I'm definitely not listening again, unless someone knows the exact point. I didn't want to listen in the first place, and believe the pinball community should freeze JPop out, not give him a respectable forum. But I too listened to the train wreck on a slow day.

Anyway, the way he came across to me was glib and apathetic. It was especially obvious when he talked about "Reaching out to the community... no one helped..." This very much came across as saying, "Hey, I tried to reach out, but you guys let me down, what do you expect would happen?" "There's even guys that could solve it with a stroke of a pen or phone call." Yeah, he wants more money. He's got a victim complex. As others pointed out, something is off in him, whether it's diagnosable or not. Any psychologists out there to do a profile? Surely it's something to do with narcissism.

Any semblance of sympathy, sorrow, or remorse came across as some coached words he was reiterating and completely lacked sincerity, as when he mentions "taking responsibility".

Is JPop a soulless zombie? Did he sell his soul in exchange for his early successful work, and now he's just an emotionless, conscienceless automaton? Why doesn't he get it?

I hope he cries himself to sleep every night for the foreseeable future. I don't feel bad about thinking that either, and he didn't steal a dime from me.

He isn't some astronomical level of genius that has been consumed by his mind and unable to function. He is like millions of other smart/creative failures. That's not where I really find fault with him, those jokers are a dime a dozen.

He chose to deceive and lie to keep the charade going, instead of doing the right thing. He pissed away years of goodwill and did damage that can't be undone. He took an opportunity that I and many others would give a body part to have, and he pissed it away. Knowingly at some point!

Yet, he still refuses to tell anyone that he is sorry in a meaningful way. Until he is willing to go through whatever emotional trauma he has coming his way, his brain will never unfuck itself.

The part I can't wrap my mind around (well I sort of can, he chose to refuse help or shunned those that could help and has absolutely no business sense).. Chuck Emery has never designed a professional pinball, never manufactured one in his life, yet here him and his wife are both doing just fine supporting themselves, shipping pinballs every week (and donating to charity). John "designed" 3 of the top pinballs Bally ever made, and yet he couldn't finish 3 of his own designs. And I don't think it was just running out of funds, anyone can design a good playing flipping whitewood in their basement, seems like his Magic Girl layout didn't even play real well, likely because he designed it in solidworks and didn't test. As ben said, John pushed the (make a flipping prototype out of foamcore), yet it seemed like John only used foamcore to layout playfield art, we didn't see flipping machines until it was cut from real wood.

Again, I reach out to any pinball podcaster out there, please get some of John's ex-coworkers on the show to get their side of how things ran back in the late 80's and early 90's at Bally Williams, I don't think a clear and complete story has ever really been told.

We all clicked this box when we signed up right?

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Rule number one: be nice!

It's really simple, when you're on the Pinside, we expect you to be respectful to others.

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Whats your point?

Is this off topic? you sir just broke a rule and I believe your account should be suspended. Please use the moderators feedback threads for this kinda stuff

Start a poll to get your answer. I'll vote if you start one.

wait here sir, I'm just gonna run over to a couple other threads collect the pitch forks and be right back.......please standby

just got back seems all the fun guys with pitch forks have disappeared

Apologies sir, I just couldn't remember if clicking that box was optional when we signed up.

I knew once this thread hit 360 pages it would turn around.

Are you suggesting that I be attacked in this thread as well?

oh shit... I better get dressed.....

Exactly what I was going to say lol.

Is John Popadiuk still playing professor with his pinball production classes???

I don't think he was suggesting that at all, not by any means. He was just trying to make a joke.

Ultimately, this thread is a massive dumpster fire. It has some real anger in here and everyone is coping with it differently. JPop is basically scum, until he appologizes for his actions (I mean, really appologizes and takes some real responsibility and admits he took money in his personal salary knowing he couldn't build the machines) I don't think you'll garner much support for people being nice about the situation.

If you are bothered by this thread, I'd suggest you drain it. You suggesting to people to be nice to JPop is like telling zombies "you don't really need to eat brains, here have some fresh leafy salad" while your brains are hanging out.

I'm kinda of offended by the "trying" to make a joke

personal attack by a moderator!

Ok, thanks for the clarity! This coming from a moderator helps me understand the exception to the rules.

I have a friend who is out $20k cash to jpop (who is a registered pinside user), however I still respect the rules to which I signed up for.

image.jpg

(regrets, I've had a few)

Thank you for respecting the rules. Sorry to hear about your friend.

You sound like a nice guy, you are probably unaware that JPop has blamed Pinside for his inability to keep stealing money from people. He's also too big of a coward to communicate with his "fans"/"sponsors"/"customers" or whatever he calls those people like your friend who gave him money.

JPop knows me. If he has an issue with something I have said in this thread he can contact me.

Anyway, I'd again respectfully suggest you drain the thread and move on. If you expect me (or any other moderator here) to start banning people for complaining about what JPop did to them (and keeps trying to do to new people with AIW) it just isn't going to happen. I owe JPop nothing, he is sleazy.

The above is my personal opinion.

Mine has been bead blasted and is in prime, not sure if I should go with Silverglaze or Plum Crazy Purple.
Leaning towards the purple though, I think John would like that better.

No time for losers cuz we are the champions of the pinball world.

help-help-im-being-repressed-motivational-590x389.jpg

In believe he was quoting 'Old Blue Eyes'. Close, but not Queen. Mr. 68 must be an old guy like me.

The Regret: Death’s Door Vodka or Gin, Lime Juice,
Rosemary – Served on the rocks.

That would be some kookoo voodoo baby.

Well, actually, CIG has responded to each accusation on their website. I wouldn't call it proof (how can you 100% defend against an attack of racism? Anything you do would be seen as pandering), but they have responded.

In any case, itt is innocent until proven guilty not the other way around. It is really easy to throw around baseless (or even better) partial truths on the interwebz as facts. A lot of people will believe them as facts. They are on the interwebz, it must be true. Then it gets posted to a few more places, people similar to you who admittedly don't really know much about it believe that there is some big problem that SC should come clean about. All because one guy and several "anonymous" people say it is true.

I guess it is what it is at this point. If I were in their situation and had nothing to hide I would open up the books to an independent auditor. I doubt that would calm the witchunt atmosphere right now, I am sure there would be accusations thrown around that the auditor was not independent, etc.

Jpop's updated his website again, new front page, which links to the C2C interview for some reason. How can he pretend to be running a business but link to a 2 hour monologue of how screwed up everything is?

http://pinballinventor.org/

He also has a press page with the Adobe videos and some other stuff.

I have to wonder if this is all for the legal defense.... just digging in about how this is not a scam, but a failed business.

I will repeat my guess that he will show up next week until the SHAME chants start.

"SHAME chants?"

Is that where the sycophants circle around him and ask for his autograph? And other people ALMOST go over and talk to him and then post stalker photos on Pinside and complain about the outrage?

I have faith that this won't happen at expo.

I just hope someone films the mental breakdown.

Tell you what. If I see him there, I promise I'll go up and ask him how he sleeps at night knowing he stole a million dollars from people. That's a promise.

EDIT: never mind - added nothing but off-topic debate

You know, based on everything we know of him and how he thinks, it will be easy for him to dismiss the "stole" and brush off the whole thing talking about all the work he did, blah blah blah. I think the gut punch comment should be more like:

How do you sleep at night when you paid yourself hundreds of thousands of dollars in salary and delivered nothing to those people?

Hard to defend that statement.

I'll definitely do that instead.

That's how you collaborate, John!

I like people chanting Shame at him game of thrones style till he leaves.

Someone needs to ring a bell each time as well.

Let's let him keep his clothes on though...

JPop will eventually be 6 feet under and this thread will still be going.

Thanks for that image!

In 25 years PPS will remake Monster Bash and it will be JPop in the coffin: "Blah, Blah...so I took your money and didn't make your game...Blah!!"