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John Popadiuk
John A. Popadiuk Jr. is a Canadian pinball machine designer. He started work in the business at 19 for Bally in 1980, and later at WMS Gaming from 1989 to 2000. In 2017, he joined deeproot Tech as Exclusive Game Designer. He is credited as principal designer for many popular pinball machines from the 1990s including ''Theatre of Magic'', '' Tales of the Arabian Nights'', '' World Cup Soccer'', '' Star Wars Episode I'', and ''Cirqus Voltaire''. Background Early on, Popadiuk read Roger Sharpe's pinball book, and saw the name Norm Clarke, who was currently working at Bally at the time. Popadiuk wrote Clarke a letter, to which Clarke responded, "If you're ever in Chicago, drop me a line and we'll give you a tour." Two weeks later, Popadiuk flew to Chicago and got a tour of the new Bally factory in Bensenville. Clarke offered to drive Popadiuk back to the airport, but instead hired Popadiuk after he demanded a job. They hired him as a technician in engineering because he had experi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cirqus Voltaire
''Cirqus Voltaire'' is a 1997 pinball game, designed by John Popadiuk and released by Williams Electronics Games (under the '' Bally'' label). The theme involves the player performing many different marvels in order to join the circus. Some of the game's distinctive features include a neon light running along the right-hand ramp, a pop bumper that rises up from the middle of the playfield at certain times, and a magnet at the top of the left ramp that can catch balls and divert them into the locks. The most notable feature is the Ringmaster, a head that rises at certain times and taunts the player. Description It was the first Williams/Bally pinball machine missing a real replay-''knocker'', a device driven by a coil to produce a loud bang when hammering against the wood of the cabinet or backbox. Instead this sound effect was pre-recorded and played via the regular speakers. It was also the second machine (after Capcom'''Flipper Football'' released in 1996) to move the dot-mat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Waukesha, Wisconsin
Waukesha ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 71,158 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River adjacent to the Waukesha (village), Wisconsin, Village of Waukesha, it is the List of cities in Wisconsin, eighth-most populous city in Wisconsin. Waukesha is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. History The area that Waukesha now encompasses was first settled by European-Americans in 1834, with Morris D. Cutler as its first settler. When the first settlers arrived, there was nothing but dense virgin forest and wild prairie. The settlers laid out farms, constructed roads, erected government buildings and established post routes. The original founders of Waukesha consisted entirely of settlers from New England, particularly Connecticut, rural Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, as well some from upstate New York who were born to parent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1962 Births
The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – The office of Pope John XXIII announces the excommunication of Fidel Castro for preaching communism and interfering with Catholic churches in Cuba. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the worst Netherlands, Dutch rail disaster. * January 9 – Cuba and the Soviet Union sign a trade pact. * January 12 – The Indonesian Army confirms that it has begun operations in West Irian. * January 13 – People's Socialist Republic of Albania, Albania allies itself with the People's Republic of China. * January 15 ** Portugal abandons the United Nations General Assembly due to the debate over Angola. ** French designer Yves Saint Laurent (designer), Yves Saint Laurent launches Yves Saint Lau ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stern Pinball
Stern is the name of two different but related arcade gaming companies. Stern Electronics, Inc. manufactured arcade video games and pinball machines from 1977 until 1985, and was best known for '' Berzerk''. Stern Pinball, Inc., founded in 1986 as Data East Pinball, is a manufacturer of pinball machines in North America. Stern Electronics, Inc. Stern Electronics was formed when Sam and Gary Stern bought the financially troubled Chicago Coin in 1977. Sam had previously owned the amusements manufacturer Williams, purchasing half of the company in 1947 and selling it to the Seeburg Corporation in 1964. Gary had trained under his father at Williams, and from 1973-1977 the two ran the company. Stern Electronics, Inc. acquired their core inventory by purchasing Chicago Coin's assets at bankruptcy sales; as a separate company, they did not assume any of the debt Chicago Coin had amassed. The first two games made by Stern were ''Stampede'' and ''Rawhide'', both originally made by Ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
MakerBot
MakerBot Industries, LLC was an American desktop 3D printer manufacturer company headquartered in New York City. It was founded in January 2009 by Bre Pettis, Adam Mayer, and Zach "Hoeken" Smith to build on the early progress of the RepRap Project. It was acquired by Stratasys in June 2013. , MakerBot had sold over 100,000 desktop 3D printers worldwide. Between 2009 and 2019, the company released 7 generations of 3D printers, ending with the METHOD and METHOD X. It was at one point the leader of the desktop market with an important presence in the media, but its market share declined over the late 2010s. MakerBot also founded and operated Thingiverse, the largest online 3D printing community and file repository. In August 2022, the company completed a merger with its long-time competitor Ultimaker. The combined company is known as UltiMaker, but retains the MakerBot name for its Sketch line of education-focused 3D printers. History Smith was one of the founding members of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kiss (band)
Kiss (commonly styled as KISS) was an American rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1973 by Paul Stanley (vocals, rhythm guitar), Gene Simmons (vocals, bass guitar), Ace Frehley (lead guitar, vocals) and Peter Criss (drums, vocals). Known for their face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid-1970s with shock rock–style live performances which featured fire-breathing, blood-spitting, smoking guitars, shooting rockets, levitating drum kits and pyrotechnics. The band went through several lineup changes, with Stanley and Simmons remaining the only consistent members. The final lineup consisted of them, Tommy Thayer (lead guitar, vocals) and Eric Singer (drums, vocals). With their makeup and costumes, the band members took on the personas of comic book-style characters: the Starchild (Stanley), the Demon (Simmons), the Spaceman or Space Ace (Frehley), and the Catman (Criss). During the second half of the 1970s, Kiss became one of America's mos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kiss (pinball)
Kiss-themed pinball machines were produced by Bally in 1979 and Stern in 2015. There are also some pinball machine conversion kits, a Kiss pinball machine prototype and a '' Kiss pinball video game''. History In 1979 the first Kiss arcade pinball machine was produced by Bally, and stayed in circulation well into the 1980s. In 1978, Barry Imhoff declared, "there will be 20,000 Kiss machines.""Talent Forum Report: Merchandisers Plan Move For Battling Bootleggers," ''Billboard'' Vol. 90, No. 39 (Sep 30, 1978)48 17,000 produced Kiss pinball machines are confirmed. John Popadiuk produced a Kiss-themed pinball machine prototype in 2014 but the game never went in production. In 2015, Stern released a Kiss-themed pinball machine. In popular culture A Kiss pinball machine can be seen in the bar scene of the 1981 slasher film ''Friday the 13th Part 2'', in 1986's ''Psycho III,'' in the 1988 Swedish film '' Strul'', as well as in the television show ''Dallas'' as a part of the 20th e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zizzle
Zizzle was a company based in Bannockburn, Illinois, United States, that made many types of electronics and toys based on original concepts as well as movie licenses.Marriott, Michel. (2007-02-12"Powered by Toys: The Story Continues"''The New York Times'' Accessed on 2009-12-04. They are best known for a toy called "iZ". History The Zizzle company was founded in 2005 by Roger Shiffman, co-founder of Tiger Electronics, along with the marketing guru behind Furby, Marc Rosenberg. Shiffman credits his wife for the name of the company. The first toy released by the company was called "iZ", and received comparisons to the Furby.Cole, Wendy. (2005-08-07"Competition: Toyland's Savior?"''Time''. Accessed 2009-12-02. The company received licenses to produce toys for Disney's ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' franchise, and also for Nickelodeon's ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and ''Dora the Explorer'' cartoons.Levine, Greg. (2006-08-01"Shiffman's Zizzle Enjoys Exclusive Disney 'Pirates' License"''Fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pinball 2000
Pinball 2000 was the last pinball hardware and software platform developed by major pinball manufacturer Williams, and was used in the machines '' Revenge from Mars'' (under the brand name Bally) and '' Star Wars Episode I'' (under the brand name Williams) before Williams exited the pinball business on October 25, 1999. It is the successor to the Williams Pinball Controller platform. Unlike previous pinball machines, Pinball 2000 machines feature a computer monitor to display animations, scores, and other information. The player perceives this video to be integrated with the playfield, due to a mirrored playfield glass (utilizing an illusion called "Pepper's ghost") that reflects the monitor hung in the head of the machine. This allows the display of virtual game targets in the playfield's upper third that can be "hit" by the machine's physical steel ball. "Impacts" on these targets are detected by physical targets in the middle of the playfield, and by recognizing successful sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988. Despite soccer's relative lack of popularity in the host nation, the tournament was the most financially successful in World Cup history. It broke tournament records with overall attendance of 3,587,538 and an average of 68,991 per game, figures that stand unsurpassed as of 2022, despite the expansion of the competition from 24 to 32 teams starting with the 1998 World Cup. Brazil was crowned the winner after defeating Italy 3–2 in a penalty shootout at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, near Los Angeles, after the game had ended 0–0 after extra time. It was the first World Cup final to be decided on penalties. The victory made Brazil the first nation to win four World Cup titles. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World Cup Soccer (pinball)
''World Cup Soccer'' is a 1994 pinball machine designed by John Popadiuk and Larry DeMar and released by Midway Games. It is based on the 1994 FIFA World Cup, with gameplay mechanics largely centered around the sport. A digital version of the game is available in ''Pinball FX (2023 video game), Pinball FX'' and its variants. Gameplay The playfield's most prominent mechanic includes a Goal (sports), soccer goal defended by an articulating goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper and aided by a spinning soccer ball which awards the player 10 million points once scored. To re-light the goal, players must either light four rollover buttons in the center of the playfield or shoot into the free kick zone just below the goal, which shoots the ball directly into the goal after a flipper input. The main progression path for the game is through multi-ball jackpots, each of which representing a different city whose team the player must defeat. There are 15 ranks total, with Germany ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alice's Adventures In Wonderland
''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a girl named Alice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic creatures. It is seen as an example of the literary nonsense genre. The artist John Tenniel provided 42 wood-engraved illustrations for the book. It received positive reviews upon release and is now one of the best-known works of Victorian literature; its narrative, structure, characters and imagery have had a widespread influence on popular culture and literature, especially in the fantasy genre. It is credited as helping end an era of didacticism in children's literature, inaugurating an era in which writing for children aimed to "delight or entertain". The tale plays with logic, giving th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
