This lady calls me for a service call at work. She was referred to me by another industry guy who had said that he was sending me a client that was out of his territory and that I now owed him 20 bucks. LoL.

The first thing I ask the potential client is for the name of the machine, and even though she has had it for over 30 years she has to go downstairs to find it. She finally says that the name of the machine is North Lake. She must have been looking at the apron, so ok. (That's the burb in Illinois where the Gottlieb factory was for a good long time). I then decide to make her look to the backbox explaining in French that this is where the player's points are shown.

"Do the numbers turn when you start a game or light up like your alarm clock when you turn the machine on ? I asked.

(Both early solid state and late electromechanical games have "digital" scoring, so I stay away from that term in order to make a clear distinction between the two technologies. Hell, clarity is the path to inner peace.)

She said that the numbers turn when the bells ring. OK, that's good. Now that I have her attention on the backbox I ask her to look at the colourful drawing on the glass and again ask her to tell me what the machine is called. I assure her that the name is there, usually written in a stylish font. She answers, "Gottlieb" - OK, we know that by now, so I start to give up and ask her what the drawing on the backglass depicts and hope to get lucky from memory. What are the people in the colourful glass doing ? She said that they are playing pool.

Out of some stupid instinct I ask if one of the guys playing pool is wearing yellow pants.

She exclaims "OUI!!"

This lady calls me for a service call at work. She was referred to me by another industry guy who had said that he was sending me a client that was out of his territory and that I now owed him 20 bucks. LoL.

The first thing I ask the potential client is for the name of the machine, and even though she has had it for over 30 years she has to go downstairs to find it. She finally says that the name of the machine is North Lake. She must have been looking at the apron, so ok. (That's the burb in Illinois where the Gottlieb factory was for a good long time). I then decide to make her look to the backbox explaining in French that this is where the player's points are shown.

"Do the numbers turn when you start a game or light up like your alarm clock when you turn the machine on ? I asked.

(Both early solid state and late electromechanical games have "digital" scoring, so I stay away from that term in order to make a clear distinction between the two technologies. Hell, clarity is the path to inner peace.)

She said that the numbers turn when the bells ring. OK, that's good. Now that I have her attention on the backbox I ask her to look at the colourful drawing on the glass and again ask her to tell me what the machine is called. I assure her that the name is there, usually written in a stylish font. She answers, "Gottlieb" - OK, we know that by now, so I start to give up and ask her what the drawing on the backglass depicts and hope to get lucky from memory. What are the people in the colourful glass doing ? She said that they are playing pool.

Out of some stupid instinct I ask if one of the guys playing pool is wearing yellow pants.

She exclaims "OUI!!"