Louis Koziarz
@koziarz.com
Embedded systems farmer. Ex WMS, PLD, Stern Pinball. Randomly posting wacky stuff I saved from my time in the coin-op business and most likely retold incorrectly.
CALL THE RIPCO BBS (312) 528-5020
CALL THE RIPCO BBS (312) 528-5020
For the tiny Venn diagram slice of "pinball players that listen to classical music radio", Peter was the voice of the Narrator in Tales of the Arabian Nights. Glad to see he's still working.
On Dec. 10, classical station 98.7 WFMT announced that Peter van de Graaff would take over its long-running program “Exploring Music” from its founding host, the conductor and composer Bill McGlaughlin, next year.
Shake-ups at classical station continue with exit of longtime WFMT host
A new host is taking over the station’s long-running “Exploring Music” program from founding host Bill McGlaughlin next year.
trib.al
December 20, 2025 at 9:40 PM
For the tiny Venn diagram slice of "pinball players that listen to classical music radio", Peter was the voice of the Narrator in Tales of the Arabian Nights. Glad to see he's still working.
not really funny
December 15, 2025 at 10:11 PM
not really funny
Reposted by Louis Koziarz
Just so I'm clear on this, computer memory has tripled in price because a bunch of it that hasn't been produced yet has been ordered to populate GPUs that aren't installed in data centers that aren't built yet in order to service a demand that doesn't exist to make profits that don't happen.
December 15, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Just so I'm clear on this, computer memory has tripled in price because a bunch of it that hasn't been produced yet has been ordered to populate GPUs that aren't installed in data centers that aren't built yet in order to service a demand that doesn't exist to make profits that don't happen.
I remember seeing this in the system code we were getting from Stern for SAM1. It was to help the factory staff read the test menus as they worked. 😉
YALL YOU CAN CHANGE THE FUCKING FAMILY GUY PINBALL MACHINE TO SPANISH JUST HOLD DOWN THE RIGHT PADDLE
December 12, 2025 at 5:12 AM
I remember seeing this in the system code we were getting from Stern for SAM1. It was to help the factory staff read the test menus as they worked. 😉
"HR" was Henry "Hank" Ross. He was one of United's lead design engineers in 1956 and would leave the company about two years later to start Midway Manufacturing with partner Marcine "Iggy" Wolverton.
www.replaymag.com/midway-bally...
videogamehistorian.wordpress.com/tag/midway-m...
www.replaymag.com/midway-bally...
videogamehistorian.wordpress.com/tag/midway-m...
December 11, 2025 at 6:22 PM
"HR" was Henry "Hank" Ross. He was one of United's lead design engineers in 1956 and would leave the company about two years later to start Midway Manufacturing with partner Marcine "Iggy" Wolverton.
www.replaymag.com/midway-bally...
videogamehistorian.wordpress.com/tag/midway-m...
www.replaymag.com/midway-bally...
videogamehistorian.wordpress.com/tag/midway-m...
Coin-op game programming, 70 years ago....
December 11, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Coin-op game programming, 70 years ago....
Reposted by Louis Koziarz
Pssstt... You want the good stuff?
512GB DDR5... Matched pairs...
Meet me around the corner...
512GB DDR5... Matched pairs...
Meet me around the corner...
a man wearing sunglasses and a trench coat has the words take a look above him
ALT: a man wearing sunglasses and a trench coat has the words take a look above him
media.tenor.com
December 10, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Pssstt... You want the good stuff?
512GB DDR5... Matched pairs...
Meet me around the corner...
512GB DDR5... Matched pairs...
Meet me around the corner...
Very special pinball artifacts from the box: early test sculptures and final mold shots for the Tales of the Arabian Nights genie toy.
December 6, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Very special pinball artifacts from the box: early test sculptures and final mold shots for the Tales of the Arabian Nights genie toy.
Congrats to @noobde.bsky.social for making MK the only gaming IP worthy of the Netflix merger deck. 😎
I also attended the full Netflix conference call discussing the proposed deal and the VAST majority of chatter was focused on film and television (and IP ownership).
This 'Business Overview' slide contained the only mention of WB's video game business.
This 'Business Overview' slide contained the only mention of WB's video game business.
December 5, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Congrats to @noobde.bsky.social for making MK the only gaming IP worthy of the Netflix merger deck. 😎
Every engineering organization, sooner or later, wants to start tracking time spent on projects to review and maintain costs.
Williams pinball was no exception. Did YOU fill out your timesheet this week? 🤔
Williams pinball was no exception. Did YOU fill out your timesheet this week? 🤔
December 2, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Every engineering organization, sooner or later, wants to start tracking time spent on projects to review and maintain costs.
Williams pinball was no exception. Did YOU fill out your timesheet this week? 🤔
Williams pinball was no exception. Did YOU fill out your timesheet this week? 🤔
OMG another pinball artifact: Placeholder Genie bash toy from Tales of the Arabian Nights. Used to test pose and position of the final sculpted toy.
Art by McMahon on xerox and colored pencil with butyrate cover.
Art by McMahon on xerox and colored pencil with butyrate cover.
December 1, 2025 at 11:06 PM
OMG another pinball artifact: Placeholder Genie bash toy from Tales of the Arabian Nights. Used to test pose and position of the final sculpted toy.
Art by McMahon on xerox and colored pencil with butyrate cover.
Art by McMahon on xerox and colored pencil with butyrate cover.
There's a G-File I wrote back in the BBS days that's archived on @textfiles.com, I wrote it exactly 40 years ago while bored at home during Thanksgiving break from high school. My first published work!
And, no, I'm not sharing the link. It's embarrassingly bad.
And, no, I'm not sharing the link. It's embarrassingly bad.
December 1, 2025 at 5:54 PM
There's a G-File I wrote back in the BBS days that's archived on @textfiles.com, I wrote it exactly 40 years ago while bored at home during Thanksgiving break from high school. My first published work!
And, no, I'm not sharing the link. It's embarrassingly bad.
And, no, I'm not sharing the link. It's embarrassingly bad.
Next random pinball artifact: A Pinball 2000 PUB card.
After the launch we got feedback that P2K's software update system was a bit exotic for most operators. It needed a laptop, serial cable, a network connection to download files, and some detailed instructions. Some found it confusing. (more)
After the launch we got feedback that P2K's software update system was a bit exotic for most operators. It needed a laptop, serial cable, a network connection to download files, and some detailed instructions. Some found it confusing. (more)
December 1, 2025 at 2:10 AM
Next random pinball artifact: A Pinball 2000 PUB card.
After the launch we got feedback that P2K's software update system was a bit exotic for most operators. It needed a laptop, serial cable, a network connection to download files, and some detailed instructions. Some found it confusing. (more)
After the launch we got feedback that P2K's software update system was a bit exotic for most operators. It needed a laptop, serial cable, a network connection to download files, and some detailed instructions. Some found it confusing. (more)
Random pinball artifacts incoming! I'm cleaning house and everything must go. Maybe a virtual garage sale?
November 29, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Random pinball artifacts incoming! I'm cleaning house and everything must go. Maybe a virtual garage sale?
The Williams pinball factory was in such a rough part of town, employees were given company issued switchblades.
November 28, 2025 at 7:55 PM
The Williams pinball factory was in such a rough part of town, employees were given company issued switchblades.
If you're a Williams/Bally/Midway pinball or video game buff, I highly recommend Ken's book. I wasn't privy to all of the history that went on in that shop, but his accounts are accurate and fair. It tells the story very well, including the bad times.
www.amazon.com/Pinballs-Pix...
www.amazon.com/Pinballs-Pix...
November 26, 2025 at 5:54 PM
If you're a Williams/Bally/Midway pinball or video game buff, I highly recommend Ken's book. I wasn't privy to all of the history that went on in that shop, but his accounts are accurate and fair. It tells the story very well, including the bad times.
www.amazon.com/Pinballs-Pix...
www.amazon.com/Pinballs-Pix...
Illinois Pin Ball, Part 0: (thanks @heyrocker.com for the reminder).
When pinball was laid off, employees were allowed to come back to the factory for a week or so to clean out their offices. We had decades of stuff that the company didn't want anymore, so we hauled it ALL off. (more)
When pinball was laid off, employees were allowed to come back to the factory for a week or so to clean out their offices. We had decades of stuff that the company didn't want anymore, so we hauled it ALL off. (more)
November 26, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Illinois Pin Ball, Part 0: (thanks @heyrocker.com for the reminder).
When pinball was laid off, employees were allowed to come back to the factory for a week or so to clean out their offices. We had decades of stuff that the company didn't want anymore, so we hauled it ALL off. (more)
When pinball was laid off, employees were allowed to come back to the factory for a week or so to clean out their offices. We had decades of stuff that the company didn't want anymore, so we hauled it ALL off. (more)
Illinois Pin Ball, part 6: In hindsight, it's now pretty clear that we ALL avoided disaster on many levels. A lot of us would have sunk time and money into a project that would go nowhere, or bankrupt us all. And Gene would have gone to the rest of you all to sell shares, which would be worthless.
November 25, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Illinois Pin Ball, part 6: In hindsight, it's now pretty clear that we ALL avoided disaster on many levels. A lot of us would have sunk time and money into a project that would go nowhere, or bankrupt us all. And Gene would have gone to the rest of you all to sell shares, which would be worthless.
Illinois Pin Ball, part 5: With the idea of the resurrected Williams now done, everyone went off in different directions. Dwight and Keith went to Stern, for example. Lawlor, Krutsch, and I decided to give PLD a try but he needed the winter to get ready.
November 25, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Illinois Pin Ball, part 5: With the idea of the resurrected Williams now done, everyone went off in different directions. Dwight and Keith went to Stern, for example. Lawlor, Krutsch, and I decided to give PLD a try but he needed the winter to get ready.
Illinois Pin Ball, part 4: We decided to proceed anyway and figure things out together. But by Thanksgiving most of it had fallen apart. Gene wanted control of the company, and we started getting bad vibes about it all. We all walked away by early December and it was over. Pat decided to start PLD.
November 25, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Illinois Pin Ball, part 4: We decided to proceed anyway and figure things out together. But by Thanksgiving most of it had fallen apart. Gene wanted control of the company, and we started getting bad vibes about it all. We all walked away by early December and it was over. Pat decided to start PLD.
Illinois Pin Ball, part 3. Gene believed that by recruiting a solid group of ex-WMS staff, the company could be revived. There would be some financial input from all of us, and then Gene would go out to the public and try to raise funds. From my notes, he was seriously mistaken on a lot of issues.
November 25, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Illinois Pin Ball, part 3. Gene believed that by recruiting a solid group of ex-WMS staff, the company could be revived. There would be some financial input from all of us, and then Gene would go out to the public and try to raise funds. From my notes, he was seriously mistaken on a lot of issues.
@flylanddesigns.bsky.social feel free to add this contribution to your art. 🤣 #pinballcats
November 14, 2025 at 6:12 PM
@flylanddesigns.bsky.social feel free to add this contribution to your art. 🤣 #pinballcats
The TOTAN artwork is pretty special to me but I don't mind this updated genie at all. Pretty badass. Just keep my cats on the backglass kthxbye.
Genie I drew for a Tales of the Arabian Nights pinball machine mod I worked on
#pinball #pinballmachine #pinballlife #pinballmachines #totan #talesofthearabiannights
#pinball #pinballmachine #pinballlife #pinballmachines #totan #talesofthearabiannights
November 12, 2025 at 6:22 PM
The TOTAN artwork is pretty special to me but I don't mind this updated genie at all. Pretty badass. Just keep my cats on the backglass kthxbye.
Reposted by Louis Koziarz
"I want you to understand what it is like to live in Chicago during this time." #democracy https://werd.io/i-want-you-to-understand-chicago/
I Want You to Understand Chicago
"I want you to understand what it is like to live in Chicago during this time."
werd.io
November 10, 2025 at 2:48 PM
"I want you to understand what it is like to live in Chicago during this time." #democracy https://werd.io/i-want-you-to-understand-chicago/
Reposted by Louis Koziarz
Unexpected meetings with deliberately vague titles (“Sync”, “Chat”, “Check-in”) are almost always bad news.
November 10, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Unexpected meetings with deliberately vague titles (“Sync”, “Chat”, “Check-in”) are almost always bad news.