I'm expecting to enact something like this once we are ready to reopen:

1. All staff and guests must wear a mask.
2. No gloves allowed, but everyone must wash their hands before entering and upon exiting.
3. Windows will be open and fresh air circulated as much as possible.
4. Limited maximum admissions.
5. Cannot play a game adjacent to anyone. Must have at least one empty game in between.
6. Temperature might be taken at the main building entrance (not done by us).
7. Anyone coughing or obviously not feeling well will not be admitted.

I really don't see any other way to do it... and I might have missed something as-is. Just trying to figure this all out and maximize safety.

One big problem is mask availability. Supply chain is nowhere near where it needs to be.

So far our plan is that masks will be required, but gloves will not be allowed.

Point being, aside from the horrid tactile sensation, gloves are crazy-effective germ-spreaders because they are never washed. Think about dat.

We will require every guest to wash their hands BEFORE entering as well as UPON EXITING... that way the germs don’t make it in or out very well. And if they keep the masks on, no touching the face either.

Which is why we also won’t be selling drinks or popcorn. We don’t want anyone touching their faces or removing their masks right now.

House rules. Take it or leave it.

Americans don’t like being told what to do, but compromise means occasionally taking one for the team.

If it’s for the greater good, that’s how we roll.

People want assurances of their safety.

Which is more important? Protecting our guests with a little extra hassle, or upholding someone’s right to remain filthy and endanger themselves and others?

If the latter is someone’s persuasion, we don’t need their business right now.

Gotcha. Luckily we aren't Wal-Mart.

Roanoke is a small town. It won't be a problem here. Our citizens and guests are generally very polite and friendly and will be happy to have something fun to do. I doubt they'd risk future non-admittance by staging some sort of weird lazy "germ protest" at our exit.

People who steamroll their way through life around here tend to rack up a poor reputation fairly quickly. Goes with the territory.

Austin might be a different story. Much bigger population & lots of college kids. Inevitably higher odds you'll run into some folks who haven't shaken their entitlement mentality.

Best way to deal with troublemakers is proactively (and nicely). We state our house rules at the door before admittance. Gives us an out if we need it... "We warned ya!".

Only had to throw out one person thus far, and he knew he wasn't supposed to be here anyway.

I’m in the process of determining the minimum number of open pins between players.

One empty pin isn’t maintaining a six-foot distance.

Two creates serious utilization problems.

I’m lucky that my location has multiple windows. I’m going to use fans to create a wind tunnel. Although it may result in higher humidity and temperatures, it will guarantee a high level of fresh airflow... which may allow a one machine distance rule to be practical.

Most businesses won’t have exterior windows, so I predict standalone UV + fan purifiers will become a hot item. Haven’t researched the market for these yet, but there might be a shortage if it makes the difference between being able to open and protect customers versus staying closed and not being trusted.

Masks and that “UV glow“ + airflow will be trusted signposts for the foreseeable future. I expect to see new ad campaigns soon... “99.9% UV clean for your protection!” or some such.

Customers will not return until they are assured of their safety. Has to be real, not merely lip service.

Plastic partitions are an interesting idea, but a bit too “medical”. Might make the room look like an ICU. They’d only protect you from a side-sneeze or heavy breathing... and each would require a dedicated fan to keep the airflow moving.

Since maximum attendance will be an issue regardless, I think maintaining at least one empty game in between would accomplish the same goal without the spookiness.

I predict pinball (for now) will only succeed within controlled environments with hand-washing and airflow protection upon entry and exit. No one will want to drop money into “unprotected” machines randomly sitting alone on location. Visitors want to be assured they are stepping into a controlled zone for their fun.

It’s actually worse for barcades/breweries because it is risky for people to be touching glassware/food to their lips while playing bare-handed. I won’t be allowing any eating or drinking within our “shared touch zone” for this reason... only before or after entry.

This will cut into our concession sales a good bit, but there’s no alternative. Consumption means no masks and things touching your lips/face. Whereas sharing touch means masking up and high airflow/purification.

No in-between.

Barcades and breweries should plan to zone off their games and require hand washing at entry/exit. I don’t think consumption and shared touch can be safely mixed. Fingers on masks, masks being removed/put back on, won’t work. Has to be either/or.

Echoing what Gov. Cuomo said... there may be a risk admitting people coming from high-infection zones looking for escapism.

Should this be a concern? If so, what would the solution be? "Please present your DL. All zipcodes beyond 100 miles will not be admitted at this time."

Fun fun fun :/

Location, population density, and nearby competition matter when it comes to sustaining memberships.

You might make more money if you charge less! Think Netflix: Guests will keep it active even though they rarely use it due to the low price. Whereas if you have a big ask up front, few will pay, and even fewer will renew.

Our sponsorships might be the lowest of any pinball venue on the planet: $12.50/month individual, $18.50/month family (two adults, up to four kids max age 17).

Priced out for a year, that means a family of five would have to visit the museum four times in a year to break even (compared with single admission tickets).

HERE'S THE MATH: Does a typical family visit every three months without fail? NO. Maybe once or twice per year.

Aha! Trickle-charge your way to success.

True, some people will be heavy repeat visitors, but some will hardly use it at all. Doesn't matter. The price is low enough that everyone gets to be a supporter of the museum and receive special thanks, exclusive sponsors-only parties, and random gift swag... and will more likely want to keep supporting you rather than figure out how to abuse the system.

Furthermore, if you sell concessions, more people in the building = more food and drink sales.

HOWEVER - NOW THAT COVID19 IS A FACTOR MY WHOLE BUSINESS MODEL IS ADAPTING.

I hate "play for time" models... but it might be possible to create two-hour play brackets: 1pm-3pm, 3pm-5pm, etc. It would prevent overcrowding or selling out, people could plan their arrival without clogging up the hallways, everyone clears out at the same time... no tapping players on the shoulder, Vegas style, "Hey mac, you just played your last hand"... ugh. Don't do that to your customers.

Appreciate sharing your shopping list, Pooky. Would not recommend the ozone generator. Potentially harmful and won't be effective against coronavirus.

Also recommend checking out the Coway AP-1216L: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KGR2EUU

The vertical plastic sheeting trend is awful. It traps airflow and makes the restaurant/arcade look like an ICU.

The answer will be certified air filtration and high fresh airflow. Like ERV units on steroids. Perhaps with ducting and fans everywhere.

Restaurants and bars are in a much trickier situation because you can’t eat and drink with a mask on. Real tough.

It’s gonna be rough for a lot of businesses. Worse also because a lot of folks understandably aren’t going down without a fight... which will mean business as usual for a couple of weeks before the second wave hits.

Buckle up. Many infection curves have not yet peaked. If we open at the crest with every state and business doing things their own way... we’ll easily go over 100k deaths by summer, if not enter a whole new much darker paradigm as with the Spanish Flu. The second summer wave was by far the worst.

Masks on, high CFM constant fresh airflow or certified air purification, no gloves, no eating or drinking in the touch zone, wash hands before and after entry.

Not a pretty recipe, but it’ll be about as safe as it gets for the moment.

My opinion = creating a plastic air booth around each game is worse than none at all... because if you are waiting to play a popular game and the person ahead of you has COVID, you’ll be stepping right into their private little exhale chamber.

Fresh airflow and filtration you can hear, see, and feel will be a really big deal when it comes to customer confidence and actually having an impact on the virus.

I won't turn machines off or take them out of rotation. Instead, every guest will be informed of the distance rule: Keep two machines apart from one another (six feet) at all times.

People would rather hang around and wait for a game they like versus "guaranteed zero access" during their stay. Also, a 66% powered-down arcade is just sad.

Our admission policy will only allow 10 (or so) people during each two-hour time slot. Enough space for everyone to maneuver.

Now, if a couple or family arrives, they won't have to distance from each other... only the other guests. Bit of an honor system thing here, but I don't see a way around it. I'm not going to ask people who live together to keep their distance in addition to the whole mask/handwashing rigamarole.

Avoiding "safety theater"... exactly. Should we duct tape all player 2 buttons & guns & joysticks? Turn off or remove half of the games?

I don't think so. It's an arcade. Unless the business model changes (which basically means any business where things are touched), it is what it is.

Fresh airflow, masks, and sanitizing hands in/out of the 'touch zone' will be the standard many businesses will end up following.

If that doesn't work, perhaps the business can't work. :/

Will everyone be required to wear a mask?

Not trying to nag... just raising awareness of the fact that the biggest COVID transmission risk is sharing breathing space without a mask.

Especially true in rooms without continuous fresh airflow from outdoors and/or without active filtration specifically rated for SARS/virus removal.

Which would be most everywhere right now. :/

It is a weakest link situation. One infected person in a room without a mask substantially increases the risk for everyone else... even if they have masks on. Unless they have a full-face respirator/N95 equipped which they most likely will not.

With the risk of asymptomatic transmission and delayed onset by up to two weeks... can anyone truly be safe if masks are not mandatory for everyone?

Another caveat: Masks and respirators with vents (exhaust ports) do nothing to filter exhaled air. Beware.

We won’t allow the use of vented masks or respirators.

“Unless everyone is wearing a mask, nobody is.”

I was wondering if this chart had any street-level corroboration. Guess so. :/

69851C6B-ABB5-49AF-85C8-7FA0BBAC8A08 (resized).jpeg

Edit: Plan is being refined and improved by the day.

True. Temperature guns aren’t a catch-all... but at least they flag that variable at the door.

Goal: Make it nigh-impossible to catch COVID using every reasonable means possible.

Edit: Plan is being refined and improved daily. Too much to discuss for the moment.

Only anecdotal evidence from cases of proven transmission, but in every case stagnant shared air was the culprit.

The Chinese restaurant, the two choir groups, the sports arenas... what did they have in common? Lots of rebreathing.

It doesn’t seem like rocket science to draw this conclusion. Especially with the skepticism of mask usage riding so high. Truth be told, common masks don’t filter virus particles and only slow the spread of COVID... not stop it.

Fresh airflow is the big broom. We should use it.

I hate operating in the dark. Our administration and media should be doing a lot more to help us with mitigation strategies instead of pointing out casualties and wishful thinking about going back to normal.

I expect in the near-ish future we may even see green stickers on business windows... “USDAC Certified 5x Airflow” (a new Department of Air Circulation?)

I’m anticipating we will be included in Phase II. Dates haven’t been established yet, but I’m staying tuned. Will update our website when the time comes.

I’m working on an amusing safety video w/a touch of Ren & Stimpy humor.

Laughter is still the best medicine.

I nominate Air Man as head of the USDAC!

43BC95E7-5D0B-440B-B112-3A9CE8EF0CAE (resized).jpeg

“Free society” is always a matter of interpretation. It’s not a slippery slope. We always have to balance the pros and cons.

Pure freedom is anarchy. Doesn’t work out well for most folks.

Anyway... back to the discussion... anyone open yet or opening soon?

I am having custom masks made for all of our organizations in this style:

DC72CAC4-2750-4E2D-8EB1-E8206F58D81F (resized).jpeg

84BB6035-0A71-4022-AA60-825A22782E44 (resized).jpeg

This is important for building trust and showing that you are taking this seriously.

1E0CA96F-D0E5-4B4F-B754-E7B7A4AD946A (resized).jpeg

Actually our logo looks pretty cool on these! I’m glad we will be able to convey a sense of competency and back it up with a virus mitigation strategy that works.

We’re still waiting on the official word on Phase Two businesses... but we’re standing at the ready nonetheless.

BF26ACD9-4A40-40A6-8606-88FEBA03FE35 (resized).jpeg

*gasp* Musee Mechanique is in trouble. Please donate and share if you can.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/musee-mecanique

Yep... can't believe we aren't in Phase 2 when small rooms with sweaty people violently inhaling and exhaling made the cut.

The science does not follow.

Regardless, we are now as safe as any indoor place can possibly be. Masks for everyone, sanitizer, limited attendance, and six exterior shuttered fans around the perimeter will ensure continuous one-way airflow which is the primary COVID risk factor by far.

Fingers crossed. I worry as the numbers continue to spike, we won't get to Phase 3 at all. Or, that we open for a week before everything closes again like in South Korea. One infected person spread it to 50 others in a single bar. Again, airflow airflow airflow.

Agreed with Pooks... science is not driving this, but payola certainly seems to be. Gyms should be Phase 10 based upon the amount of indoor huffing and puffing and sweating. I mean, dude, come on.

Exterior air baffles going in this week. Dual-fan with aluminum shutters and smoke-checked for airflow certainty. We'll probably be the safest joint in the state. I won't subject my guests and employees to preventable risks, period.

baffle (resized).jpg

Doot de doo...

4DB4E173-560F-47D3-B117-96FA34E10C6B (resized).jpeg

Of course, an arcade is probably more like a bowling alley than a library... but still! Way below gyms.

Pardon... this is a stupid list. A lot of it depends upon airflow which isn’t being taken under consideration. *facemaskpalm*

Shields up!

9868916E-0CDF-40D3-9684-989EE5E15A6E (resized).jpeg

00A97E29-B1E7-47D4-8B4A-7D37AC420A20 (resized).jpeg

(the clamps are temporary... getting better ones ASAP)

We will be opening July 1st.

I’m having the same suspicions. :/

Nevertheless, the safeguards continue. Today... smoke checks from every standing location. Auxiliary fans will be deployed to break up any dead air spots.

B70A3597-6C02-46F5-BE2C-5C1A3EB79794 (resized).jpeg

The awful truth: It is better to be in a space with no masks and fresh airflow than wearing masks with no airflow.

People may be wearing masks incorrectly, but they can't control the air flowing around them and out the window.

I sound like a broken record, but for f**k's sake, not enough guidance is being provided to our people or business entities... and we're really paying for it.

Let's beat this. Like, lift a finger and seriously crush this crap. We have to do it.

We considered it. The market square is just outside our front door.

But... sunlight, rain, birds, stuff, eh. Desperate times, desperate ideas.

True, but only if the air is recirculated air.

Also, amount of viral exposure matters too. Sitting next to someone who sneezes is worse if the air isn't moving around very much.

Worst case would be following an infected person into a plastic booth or queue where the air has been trapped. A lot of businesses are building these stagnant air chambers without knowing what's really going on.

I have a six-fan, three baffle, one-way airflow vacuum from inside to outside. Each corner of the room has one installed. Supplementary fans break up air pockets to keep everything moving along. Basically, there is nowhere for the air to pool up and redistribute... and when it does move... it's getting blown outside.

Combine that with masks, and it'll be about as safe as an indoor space can be, short of some as-yet unknown high-capacity UV/filtration/virus-destroying system.

Yes, an even more ideal solution would be individual air ducts above every patron. Which is not logistically possible within any business I can think of.

Have you seen the videos depicting how quickly a cough distributes microparticles within a room (or an airplane cabin)? The cloud does not remain within a neat little six-foot area. It gets churned up very quickly with people walking by, drafts, the cough/sneeze itself, etc.

The problem remains a problem: Infected people spread particles.

True, blowing those particles around makes them spread more quickly, but at a much lower concentration rate due to dispersal. If they're heading for an exit path, all the better. This is a good thing. Likely the difference between one person catching it vs. an entire roomful.

Here is a fun (if complicated) tool provided for free by our tax money: FaTIMA (Fate and Transport of Indoor Microbiological Aerosols)

https://pages.nist.gov/CONTAM-apps/webapps/FaTIMA/

A preliminary run of our space combined with the airflow plan looks pretty darn good. 4800 CFM exhaust = 288,000 cubic feet per hour. Divided by 36,000 total cubic volume represents 8x total room air exchanges per hour.

Official building code only requires businesses to maintain one air exchange per hour. New Covid guidelines are recommending three. Right now, ours is nearly three times that new recommendation.

As such, over 92% of particles go out the door during a typical two hour visit with one constant source and one intermittent burst source. Not bad.

fate (resized).png

Your point about sideways airflow isn't falling upon deaf ears. I'll adjust the auxiliary fans toward the ceiling and then across/down to the exit baffles. This should add even more safety. Of course, we'll verify it.

*claps*

Cheers to innovating for safety! Now if only we could get bars and restaurants to implement something like that...

We've had a steady trickle come in since opening on the 1st. Only a fraction of normal capacity during high tourism season (maybe 20% at best), but nonetheless encouraging to see the lights and hear the bells again.

Limiting to 12 attendees per two-hour session inside the museum. Masks required. Two-machine distancing required. Hand sanitizing required at entry and exit. Daily sanitizing of all touchable surfaces (staff equipment and phones too). Plexi ticket screen for front desk. 4800CFM exhaust fan baffle system doing its job with at least 8x indoor airflow turnover per hour. Building is doing temperature checks at the main entrances. No eating or drinking allowed inside.

I don't blame people for staying at home. Nevertheless we are remaining vigilant and making it as difficult as possible for the virus to get in here or spread to others.

Just have to hang on and get the worst of this behind us... fight on!

pinhand (resized).png

(yes, this sculpture is just down the street)

Partitions make great sneeze guards, but poor virus cloud guards.

Breeze it out, or breathe it in.

Without smoke checks, you may not be certain airflow is moving evenly.

Even with tornado-level airflow if you have cross-currents coming from overhead AC systems and unusual nooks and crannies it could create air loops which feel breezy but only end up recirculating the air.

Smoke checks also help with optimizing fan placement. I didn’t “need” them considering our 4800CFM rating and relatively small interior volume, but nevertheless it helped fine-tune the system. So why not use it?

Usually it is best for the air to flow through the room like an arrow than an octopus. At least that was true in our case.

Regardless, very glad you’re putting some muscle into clearing your indoor air. It’s a must.

Dang... only heard heaps of praise for Lyons and was hoping to pay a visit someday. :/

17 years is a good run. I only wish the shutdown was on your own terms vs. the pandemic. 2020 sucks.

We’re nowhere near our usual summer blowout attendance levels, but we’re keeping the lights on and the guests safe and happy.

Today was busy enough to announce a socially-distanced competition. The winner got a free game on our Safecracker which dispenses custom RPM souvenir tokens (alas, they came within two spaces of the vault).

So far, so good.

0378F719-FDAC-4E8D-B983-20D765536D86 (resized).jpeg

Appreciate the updates Pook... all we can do is hang tuff and be serious about safety until things improve.

I went to a local bowling alley this evening to celebrate a friend's birthday. I brought a full P100 respirator instead of my RPM mask, because I suspected there would be poor airflow, a lot of people inside, a lot of those people not wearing masks, and the rest of the people not wearing them properly.

Which turned out to be exactly how it was.

Lots of signs: Masks Required. Lots of nag screens on every bowling screen: Masks Required. All ignored.

I saw plexi panels around the cash register and bottles of hand sanitizer on various tables.

Did not believe any type of air exchange system was in place.

Not good enough. Do everything right, or don't do it at all.

Excellent work Pooks. The "airflow knowledge" is finally trickling out and you're doing all you can to protect your guests FOR REAL vs. "safety theater". Will be to your credit as we progress through this horrid year and beyond.

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/07/why-arent-we-talking-more-about-airborne-transmission/614737/

I'm very lucky in the sense that RPM is located within a large downtown building with mask requirements enforced at the main entrances. By the time any guests arrive at my museum (on the second floor), they have no excuse not to be masked up. Cuts way down on the enforcement though occasionally I will politely nag individuals who let it slip.

Zero tolerance here. Play safe or not at all. Our guests WANT a safe environment they can trust. How horrible would it be if someone died because "following the rules was, like, such a bummer!"

Did I mention 2020 sucks? 2020 so seriously sucks.

New Wired article: Cheap air mitigation tech seems legit! MERV13 + rubber bands + fan = worth a shot.

7F4670DE-0E69-4A90-AC72-83B3153490C7 (resized).jpeg

WSLS 10 was here this morning... at 4:30am! Way early, but we covered pinball, arcade games, and our shutter fan system. Then, back to bed!

https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2020/08/20/having-fun-while-staying-safe-at-roanoke-pinball-museum-and-starcade/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=snd&utm_content=wsls10

Kudos for leading the charge. Indeed, everyone should be paying attention to the room they are in and the amount of air turnover per hour... if any is being done at all!

I am now giving masks to guests who are not wearing "qualified gear". Neck gaiters and bandanas and thin homemade fabric = not a mask.

Also have to remind people to keep their noses covered. This is getting to be more of an issue lately.

"Do it right, or don't do it at all"

No, the *virus* is annoying. We are trying to stay in business and protect our guests.

Play more pinball. Wear a mask.

Seems the “neck gaiter” issue -MAY- not be as critical as once believed. I’ve been sent a few conflicting articles. Still sorting out the data & sticking with masks until the science settles out.

Science has a tendency to piss off those with lazy minds... because dealing with constant change is hard, and hard often loses to simplicity regardless of the truth.

Hence, the perpetual need to fight for what’s right. Applause to all of you who do just that.

I'm glad this is finally getting traction. A bit late, unfortunately... but better late than never.

Paul was quick to get on the bandwagon too. All arcade operators need to consider this. Customers want to know they are being protected and specifically how this is being done.

I'll be giving this topic a revisit during my panel at Pinball EXPO (virtual edition) next month. It'll cover RPM, "Nic's North American Pinball Tour", what's next, etc.

F00A5749-0C6E-48C9-9EA8-C93A17B7E6EC (resized).jpeg

Governor Northam stopped by our building today. Had an opportunity to briefly talk about our ventilation strategy.

It’s catching on, slowly but surely.

Anyway, back to business. August was notably better than July. But I don’t see enough mask adherence across the city in general... which is worrisome.

"stable bad"... yep. Heard that. We're squeaking by, but boy do I miss the momentum we had. It was getting really good.

Today Explained nailed it (We need to talk about ventilation): https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/today-explained/e/77424831

Generally only UVC lamps will do that, and only at the right intensity. Home units typically can't do this. Some also generate ozone which must be ventilated.

Too many variables and not enough data. We need proven products which are safe and widely available. Just not there yet.

For now, ventilate indoor air, filter the room with MERV13 filtration, mask up, and keep things clean. It'll knock down Covid dramatically as well as flu & other respiratory pathogens.

We've already gone over this. Lung transplants are considered "recovered". As are people with long-term lingering conditions, lung scarring, heart damage, etc.

We don't have all of the data on this disease yet.

Broad brush "dead or not dead" statistics are not the kind of assurances most Americans want right now. But hey... we could use this opportunity to detour into the psychology of what makes state lotteries such financial cash cows despite the overwhelmingly negative odds.

Yet, people play by the millions anyway. We freedom-loving, high-hoping Americans just want what we want. Perhaps a bit too much.

Agreed though - I'd like to see more consistency in the way the restrictions have been imposed. We have enough scientific knowledge at this point to certify rooms for minimum levels of airflow and filtration at the very least. Don't shut down businesses which are legitimately keeping people safe and insisting upon mask use.

*SPIT TAKE*

4” MERV13 filter bungee-corded to a box fan (and seal edges with tape) will do a lot of good for not much $$$.

Can deploy several indoors and still be well under $200.

Update: September is typically a weak month, but it -really- sucked this month. Nevertheless pushing ahead with tourneys and party promos and the usual fixin's.

We are now in the business of selling machines, fixing client-owned machines, rebuilding them, and giving them a warranty. Roanoke Pinball Museum, Repair, and Factory Outlet.

BTW D&B was incredible in the 80's. Waitstaff bar service & ashtrays at each game. This was before the ticket-redemption craze. Was like a VIP room in Vegas.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/10/02/science.abf0521

Short and to the point. It's all about airflow and filtration.

2020 has been a dog year, and this is how the dogs are reacting to it...

We are wheaty as hell.

How's bookings at the Oasis?

So glad to hear that & can’t wait to get mine up and running. Maybe by next fall.

Attic renovation is MASSIVE.

Our custom shutter fan ventilation array works well in Virginia temperate weather, but on the really cold days it will have to be seen whether the HVAC can keep up. Summer was A-OK.

Normally, one would use a HRV (heat recovery ventilator) system to bring in fresh air while simultaneously exhausting stale air. The system preserves the heat during the transfer, which saves the energy of reheating the incoming air.

However, I am uncertain if preserving the heat also preserves the covid during the exchange process. Which would defeat the purpose.

An interesting option is the Air King QuFresh. Only brings in outside air which is within suitable parameters, but on especially cold/humid days it wouldn't turn on at all. Think of it more like a low-cost auxiliary to other solutions (MERV13 filters, brute force shutter fans, etc). I'm going to put one in my house as a simple background air refresher.

Wear a mask (correctly) = protect the economy. Simple as that.

Did I share the link about the "cube fan"? Basically you make a four-sided box of filters on the intake side instead of attaching one filter directly to the fan.

Behold... the "filter cube"

https://www.texairfilters.com/a-variation-on-the-box-fan-with-merv-13-filter-air-cleaner/

Filters would last longer, so that's a plus. Could be outfitted to higher-output fans for more filtration or run at higher speeds.

What the hell is this? "Sitting air" is somehow safer than "standing air"?!?

New regulations hit Virginia today.

Public and private gatherings 25 people max. Was previously 250.

Ages 6 and up masks required indoors. Previously 11 and up required.

Violations are now Class One misdemeanors. Up to 12 months in jail, fine up to $2,500, or both.

Establishments selling alcohol must cut everyone off by 10pm.

Looks like we dodged a bullet with this one; we can remain open through the holidays. We've been maintaining a 15-person limit which is below the threshold and have long since ceased all concession sales & special event nights with alcoholic drinks.

If people had simply masked up from the get-go, we wouldn't be where we are today. :/

The issue is indoor ventilation and filtration. Or rather, the lack of it. That's the #1 culprit. Still not being dealt with on a national level.

You're likely safer in a well-ventilated room with no mask, than a non-ventilated one with a mask. Both is best of course.

We can require mask use, but if businesses aren't handling the indoor air issue, masks won't be enough.

A vaccine might make all of this moot in a year or two, but regardless, indoor air quality has long been ignored. Let's deal with it now. Besides, it could be an issue again when a new breathable superbug shows up.

Ventilation and filtration is also good for knocking down the other stuff... colds, flu, pollution, carbon dioxide levels, offgassing, etc.

In the meantime, get an Air King QuFresh installed in your house! Brings in fresh air whenever it is within acceptable humidity/temp range. Cheap and effective upgrade.

Geez... preschool-8th grade air is safe but high school/college air is not?

Sounds like some of our local representatives are really grabbing at straws with this. They're still not getting it. We can't go bowling in a giant venue, but we can go to the corner gym where sweaty people in close proximity will be violently inhaling and exhaling??!!??

Why are we not following the science? Science always wins. Always has. Always will. Science is reality.

So, why not this?

1) Masks required indoors. Always.

2) Masks required outdoors in crowds/close proximity group activities. Otherwise recommended but not mandatory.

3) If indoor business has sufficient ventilation and/or extensive MERV13 filtration, exempt them from shutdown as long as masks stay on at all times and physical distancing/maximum capacity limits followed.

4) If masks cannot stay on at all times (like bars and restaurants), only allow them to remain open if they meet strong ventilation/filtration standards or can eat outside. Otherwise do pickup service only.

5) Essential/critical businesses exempt (of course).

Does it need to be any more complicated than this? Oh, and don't even think about going to the gym unless it is very, very heavily ventilated. Most are not. Beware.

Damn man. Sorry to hear that. Stay hydrated, all the good stuff, and keep us posted.

Unbelieveable loss for the entire hobby. Competitive play was driving up participation and new players. Replay was the Olympics of pinball.

With the loss of our flagship show... we’ll have to hang on and champion other venues and events.

Vegas PHOF and TPF are now top of my mind in terms of their ability to entice and recruit new players. They must not fall.

TPF will almost certainly be delayed until 2022 but they can hang on. PHOF might actually do very well if a vaccine rolls out before grand opening.

BYO shows like TPF and GOG and NWPAS etc. should survive. Replay on the other hand was sitting on a gigantic inventory all their own... wasn’t able to share the burden across the hobby. :/

Man, this really sucks. I’m just glad I got to be there and try Pinburgh at least once.

Got new charcoal grey and indigo tees in stock... want one? S, M, L, XL, 2XL in American Apparel tri-blend softness.

DD9A6774-2738-45A5-9821-E914D26771FF (resized).jpeg

Cue Queen... “I’m having such a good time, I’m having a ball. Don’t stop me now! If you wanna have a good time, just gimme a call!”

No website e-commerce yet, but I can pop ‘em in the mail and do PayPal or whatever you like.

Can also hook you up with my merchandiser if you’d like. We used to do pinball projects together... he’s as detail oriented with graphics as I am with the pinball electricals & mechanicals.

Meanwhile... hoo boy. Gettin’ real bad.

https://aatishb.com/covidtrends/?scale=linear

North Dakota is now the most dangerous place for Covid-19... IN THE WORLD.

Do we know of any pinball venues still open up there?

We have been encouraging his creativity. He's certainly running with it.

I can’t sell concessions in good faith right now, so I’ve been making up the difference with merch. Good merch. As a smaller museum we focus upon maxing out quality... we don’t have the floor space of huge venues.

Hats turned out really darn good.

0C0A85BF-C299-468A-A3CF-FD59BDE9CDEC (resized).jpeg

Should be doable. I’ll send you a PM.

We don’t yet have an online shopping cart system, but anyone who wants some of our merch just fire me a PM... thx!

Right now this is what we have in stock. Which other style were you looking at? Send me a link and I'll see if we can get a different style made.

Thanks for the feedback. Will run it by my merchandiser and see if he's got something good.

Heck yeah, Oasis! I only wish mine was ready to go. Getting close... massive attic transformation.

Years ago I was shocked to learn approximately 80% of D&B's revenue was due to ticket redemption. Basically, legal gambling + skill games.

Whip up a little economic uncertainty on people and they go absolutely bananas. Use this to your advantage, folks. People love it.

I don't solicit donations for the museum. Instead, I do drawings & give out prizes for completing certain challenges.

Gameify your whole brand, not just your games. See my avatar for reference.

Not yet. Hundreds of tabs open & constantly researching things like theme park economics and covid externalities. Hoping I'll have time to sit down and publish more video content later this year.

Best TLDR advice: Invent crazy new fun opportunities for people to win nice things (ideally with your branding on it). Take their pics & use as social media promotional content. Install a PA system and announce random challenges. I have a Safecracker machine loaded with custom minted RPM tokens... can't buy them, have to win them. Winners get posted on social media. And so forth. Keep your place alive and crackling with energy, random chance, unexpected twists and turns.

More ideas: Build a gigantic Plinko machine with your logo on the puck. Every donation = one try. Also give every admission ticket one free try to get them started. Prizes can be branded coozies, stickers, bottle openers, mugs, tees, etc. Don't do lame things like a prize wheel. Invent something using pinball physics... that's the core of this hobby: Balls whizzing around hitting things.

I wonder what the legalities of this would be. We can give away beer, but you can't legally win beer. But if you win a token with no cash value and exchange it for a beer... hmmmmm.

Oy vey, Pooks.

We may get funding since we are actually a much larger arts & science foundation of which RPM is only a part. This was a big factor in my decision to move here after the pinball tour.

I may not have as much control as I would otherwise if I ran my own business... but the upside is the umbrella effect of a shared mission bringing people downtown to revitalize the area. When catastrophes happen like with COVID-19, the impact is shared rather than being a single knockout blow.

We will not only survive but grow to a whole new level after this is over. Count on it.

Pinball & arcades have never had a strong lobbying presence and have thus been frequent whipping boys for political sake or chronically overlooked when favors are given. It’s not right. Family amusement is a cornerstone of middle-class civic engagement... and too often taken for granted until it is gone.

Funny how the public moves in & out like the tide. We are also enjoying an unexpected boom in attendance and bookings this month. May be our best yet since reopening last July.

It's odd because the covid statistics are worse than ever and the new "super infectious" variant is only just starting to wreak havoc. My guess is that a lot of people are now totally fed up with being kept indoors and just want some semblance of normalcy back no matter what. Which I can certainly identify with. I am BEYOND TIRED of this virus... but am nevertheless staying as vigilant as ever. In fact, even moreso. Am now stacking a KN95 under my cloth mask.

C'mon vaccines... c'mon virus counts... start going down, dammit!

If you are a non-profit, you are allowed to hold raffles for fundraisers. However, the rules are strict and differ depending upon the state the business is located in.

Do the homework. Don’t wing it. Governments have no sense of humor about running illegal gambling operations.

Update: January was better, and February might be better still. The public is restless to get out and do things.

Under the newest guidelines we can allow up to 25 people indoors at a time, but we have voluntarily limited the maximum to 15 since our reopening last July. However, now that we've been selling out lately, we have raised the limit to 20.

I also traded 3 of our rebuilt but not very popular EM's (Hi-Deal, Jungle Queen, Sheriff) and 4 nice projects (Air Aces, Space Mission, Flip Flop, Miss-O) for a Black Knight Sword of Rage Premium. Always gotta keep things new and interesting for visitors. Stand still... and be left behind!

Change isn't this mysterious malevolent thing coming to rob us of the present. Change IS the present.

bksor (resized).jpg

According to the FaTIMA modeler, we are somewhere close to 8.5x ACH with all fans running. I also have interior fans targeting dead air spots/recirculating areas. By the time May rolls around, the system will have been in place for a year... wow. But I still see people around town afraid of sharing ball point pens while their masks are hanging loosely under their noses... arggghhhhh. We are still not getting it right as a nation. So not getting it.

FaTIMA link: https://www.nist.gov/services-resources/software/fatima

Smoke checks at every game is the only way to prove the system works. Rigorously test every place a visitor might stand or sit... no way around it.

Luckily, my venue is under 3500 sqft., so it isn't too difficult to test. I still want to rent a high-capacity fog machine and see how quickly it dissipates. Just for fun.

Last weekend was the best we've seen since the shutdown. This weekend is also proving equally strong. Not bad for February!

If we didn't have to maintain maximum occupancy limits, we'd be about where we were pre-covid. This is good news. It may mean a blowout summer season.

Nevertheless, I am seeing increased levels of mask non-compliance. Having to nag the guests more frequently as of late. SHIELDS UP, FOLKS. We're almost there for crying out loud. Don't screw it up.

That NYT interactive article is GREAT. A must-see. I'm going to repost on my FB and elsewhere.

Have also added a CO2 sensor to see what's what. Thanks again, @PinChatt! Excellent suggestion.

The CO2 gizmo arrived a few days ago. Useful tool & highly recommended. Thank you again, Chattanooga Dave!

Preliminary findings: In my house, indoor air worsens dramatically without ventilation! If 420ppm (uncalibrated) is the outdoor reading, empty indoor rooms read 540. In the room I am working at my desk: 675. Working out: 800+. This is *with* fans moving air and doors open to other areas of the house!!!

Sleeping in my corner bedroom with no fan, levels reached 800 with the door open! Holy frijoles! Indoor air is freakin' TERRIBLE. I don't even have any pets, kids, etc... it's just me in this 2500+ sqft house from 1925 which is hardly airtight... geez.

No wonder so many people working from home are falling asleep during meetings, etc. This has been a real eye-opener.

I'm very pleased with the results at the museum. Very, very pleased. Front desk remains around 480ppm due to the constant inflow. Inside, the levels never exceed 530 at multiple test points even with as many as 20 people present with masks. I wonder how many more I'd need to move the needle?

I know it is working because it is sensitive as heck. If I blow at it from six feet away, once, it'll temporarily spike the levels by 40ppm.

Key takeaway: Pay attention to the ppm level -->>with respect to how many people are inside<<--.

Lotta people + large room + 550ppm reading = good ventilation.

Few people + large room + 550ppm reading = not good.

It's all about how well the space is maintaining its CO2 count -->>relative to total attendance<<--.

More importantly, MY HOUSE NEEDS REMEDIATION for my own well-being! To fix this, I'm getting an Air King QuFresh mechanical ventilator installed. At $300-ish, it is far less expensive than a full-on ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator).

The QuFresh basically turns your house into a positive pressure system, unlike running your bathroom fan 24x7 with negative pressure. It can be programmed to only pump air indoors when the air "falls within favorable criteria" which you can set yourself.

Too humid? Not humid enough? Too hot? Too cold? It'll basically stop running during those times. Otherwise... whoosh! It's a basic low-tech way to get more fresh air indoors without the expense and maintenance costs of an ERV (runs all the time).

Learning is fun!

On a further note, the mask-below-the-nose-nagging reached a new level. People are letting their guards down or just don't care.

I don't have that luxury.

Yah, I'm a bit OCD about my hobbies and interests. On the upside, it helps me function like an early warning system (canary in the coal mine). On the downside, it can lead to anxiety, excessive browser/Excel tabs, obsessive attention to detail, and the occasional diarrhea-text-dump of a Pinside reply.

Ah, life. An endless series of tradeoffs. Luckily, I know how I'm wired and when to knock it off... usually. :p

It's sad how that chart refers to outdoor CO2 being within the range of 250-400ppm. Global ppm hasn't remained between 250-275 since before the Industrial Age. Nowadays the global average is over 400 and rising steadily. Imagine if getting a breath of fresh air in the future never gets better than a stuffy living room... horrible.

Although 800ppm is nothing to freak out about, I'm considering the fact that I don't live with any pets or other people and live in an older house which is hardly airtight. Even with the door open and hallway fan spinning, that seems high enough to warrant some remediation. I'm also thinking of post-covid times of having guests over and wanting their experience to be as good as it can be. Fresh air helps me sleep and feel better and there are other aspects not being measured such as airborne dust and outgassing of all sorts from household items, plastics, furniture, carpet, fragrances, etc.

So, I guess it seems like a good time to do something about it. I do feel better after opening a window. Would be nice to have that feeling more or less consistently throughout the day.

As you mentioned, it's a wonderful tool for testing indoor ventilation. Now I'm curious to surreptitiously test other businesses...

I was a bar owner/partner from 2005-2009. I now run a pinball museum. I've personally visited many dozens of them across the USA as well.

Key question: Will you be a bar with pins, or a pinball arcade with drinks? The business models are similar but not quite the same.

Bars are louder, messier, target the 21-26 crowd (often to the exclusion of all other age groups), make a crapload more money, and you'll have to fight more battles internally and externally. You'll want fewer pins and more EZ-maintenance profit games.

Pinball arcades are family-friendly, event-friendly, won't make as much money (some barely break even). You'll want a good variety of pins and will do more maintenance overall.

Other hybrids exist, but these are the Main Two Roads into the industry. Choose carefully.