Reaperman

Nope, nothing special. I just wanted a couple hundred tokens for pachislo, and/or to decouple the start and coin buttons on my mistercade. Ebay and even aliexpress tokens are real expensive compared to just getting them from the local arcade--but yes, there must be a source that's below $0.25 ea, I just haven't found one.

Also the 'token store' having both a Joust and a Cuis'n Blast had something to do with my choice of retailer. 😁

I got tokens from Smilemakers before -- they sell vending materials for dentists (kids toys, etc.), but they sell a line of vending machines for trinkets.

100 tokens for $22.49 -- it's a TINY bit less than 25 cents each.

https://www.smilemakers.com/vending-machine-tokens.html

I thought I got free shipping from them before -- right now, it looks like their ground shipping (flat rate? Might be based on the weight of tokens) is $12.72, so after tax it's more like 35 cents a token.  Drat.

Their shipping SCALES... 100 tokens is $12.72, but 500 tokens is just $20.  You're just about at 26 cents each at that point...

It does seem like your system is cheaper.  I'll have to keep that in mind as an option next time -- I have to get a vendor quote, so I can't go via that method, BUT...

The April Fools´ prank in the local newspaper this year is that dog owners have to deliver a DNA sample of their dog. The government will test the dog poo lying around, and if your dog is the source, you will receive a fine of almost $1000.

Well at least us Atari fans can be happy about that new Jaguar Mini coming out finally!  

HMmmmmm,...IMHO the best prank around here would be, if some Awesome Homebrew Godz from right here on AtariAge got together and tracked down Hard Work,  then (behind the scenes) actually completed his Knight Rider game!  Then they could release it on April 1st!

@jd_1138 Watch the subaru "autos," most of them are CVTs now. 🤢 The Mazda 3 Turbo is did come back a couple years ago, and is AWD now, also more refined and 'grown up' than the mazdaspeed.  I considered it, but did not want to participate in current new car pricing scheme. Also it costs what a new miata rf does and I would probably just buy that.

Sounds fun, is it a manual?  Getting harder and harder to keep driving a manual these days!

How is it mechanically?  It's so risky buying a used car of that age that was designed to be beat to hell by the youngins!

All the Mazdaspeed 3's are manual. I got sick of getting disappointed by untrue/mistaken 'manual' filters and started searching for cars that only came in standard. 😁 It's a -heavy- manual though, no chance that clutch is slipping... Divetrain seems sound. One owner, oddly female(?) or more likely some kid's mom..., lengthy repair history in carfax, cv joints and suspension recently refreshed. But the springs on EVERY SINGLE door handle are gone, so they rattle, and the lock/unlock actuator for the driver door is getting week. (I have to toggle it a few times).  Should still last a few more years.

OK, total left-field choice: Saturn Sky.  Choosing this one because I like the styling better than on the Pontiac Solstice.

From what I understand, there's a lot that can be done with them performance-wise.  They are unicorn-ish, but at least have the benefit of the GM parts bin.  0-60's around 5 seconds out of the box with the Red Line versions, IIRC.

You might use my friend's technique.  If possible,  don't be in a hurry (I assume you have a different car also?)...Then (kind of what you're already doing) pick not one, but a set of models you might want...Then without worrying too much about model year, just look for LOWEST Mileage,... and BEST Deal.

Yep I'd run far away from a Porsche unless you're wealthy enough for repairs/parts and at that point I'd get a 911.  

That Mazdaspeed 3 ought to be a great vehicle for you. If you end up not liking it and selling it, maybe check out those Subaru and Toyota RWD sports cars. Also the Subaru Impreza. I am probably going to get the base Impreza hatchback next year when I have to turn in my Hyundai Venue (leased). The Imprezas start at $19,500 and even have a MT standard with CVT optional.

Also another out of left-field suggestion might be a Dodge Charger/Chrysler 300 -- Hemi powered ones. Maybe firm up the suspension and do some vinyl graphics. Or perhaps a Ford Crown Victoria or Mercury Grand Marquis. Those 4.6 V8s are pretty fast. Can get cream puff ones for like $5k with 50k miles owned by grandmas. If they have the right rims and adjusted suspension they can look nice. Especially burgundy or white ones with blacked out trim and rims.

What. The. Hell?!?!

I had no idea there was ever another movie after the first one.  Hell, when the first one came out, and I showed my buddies the trailer, I could NOT convince them that this was a real movie and not just a fake trailer. 

I was such a huge FP fan that I made a stop in the FP on a road trip through California about 8-10 years ago just so I could take a picture with the sign and see the town. 

So they've been making more FP movies after the first one?!?!  How did I not know about this?!

Buckle up, because the FP's plot rabbithole goes super deep after the first one. The casual mention of booze mines in the first FP really get elaborated on in the second one. Then they introduce religion, and time travel. 🤣 Also that 'TRO family tree gets much more confusing--he may or may not have had children with a half sister. It's a little vague. 

BTW here is the cheatsheet I made for the folks watching with me last night:

I love the Stunt Mode on Dreamcast!  It's my Favorite thing on that whole system!!

RUSH!  RUSH!

Doin' time. Doin' time on the ROCK!

My sincere sympathies.

My Father passed this month back in 2008. Losing him was hard and dealing with everything else (e.g. cancelling his cell phone, collecting life insurance payments, transferring title to the car, etc.) was a very significant time sink. It is especially hard when you live at a distance.  

My condolences.  My own father passed away back in November 2018.

You have my sympathies and condolences.  Went through the same thing in 2019, so understand what it's like.  Wishing the best for you and your family during this time.

It probably hadn't had a real calibration since it was installed in 1989, so it's looking quite nice. It's cooling and has just a bit of heatsink work left.

BUT, I'm calling victory on this one, and I'm going to start hoarding flybacks for it.

In the words of Shao Khan, "Excellent!"

Perhaps the insurance company mixed up Miata with Maserati and thought even if it was rebuilt, it still is valuable enough to repair.

Here's a link to a post on the car, from the car thread. Links don't work from the little status viewer, though.

I know a junkyard owner who has a few Satellites, Chargers, Dusters a Dart, Firebird, Torino, a B-body Barracuda, and a Cordoba in St. Helena.

I can tell you that COVID sucks, though nowhere as bad as it was back in 2020.

Oh man! Sorry to hear that Reaper. Please let us know if you need anything. Will be here to help you bro. 

I would help around your house, but I live all the way in Slidell.

That sucks, and you have my sympathies.

Just remember that the answer is always Miata 

I'm pretty confused.  Did someone see it happen?  Have you called your insurance and what did they say?

Of course people saw it happen. There were 6-8 cars involved, during rush hour, on the only river bridge in the city, while traffic was stopped. but this is the 2020's not some kind of detective movie, so we're lucky the police even showed up. I did go through my insurance's online form, and sent some additional pictures today. 

Ohhh...Yes...Dockable!

I'd like a little dock for the Retroid Pocket 3+, please. I farted away several hours on Playstation oldies like Bushido Blade and Tekken 3 last night. 

I came across a box of half a dozen mac laptop drives in my adventures, and while I see a bunch of system folders, I haven't yet seen where users kept their stuff.

User-related files are generally stored in your home directory, which would be "/Users/Username" on the drive you installed macOS on.  macOS creates several folders in this directory by default, including Documents, Desktop, Downloads, Library, and others, and some apps will default to saving files in one of those subdirectories. 

/Users/ is empty (so far) on these. Shoot. Probably spares for a reimage operation, and not the massive bitcoin trove I'd hoped for. 😂 

We have to help you Reaper. From one Neo-Geo buff, to another. 

Sorry to hear it.   Hopefully it can be fixed or at least your other one is compatible.

@Reaperman I found some monitor repair videos:

https://www.youtube.com/@mikesamateurarcademonitorr6856

https://www.youtube.com/@arcaderepairtips

You can thank me later.

Hooray, it's Mardi Gras at AtariAge! What are you going to show for some virtual beads? I'll go first...

Thanks.

Well,  I can't top that!  

It's more fun playing the naked versions at the bar, when even the girls in the group want to start helping. 

Photo Y2k 2 gets pretty bare. I age-restricted my main 1hr vid on its 'Adult mode,' but did this shorter vid, since the algorithm punishes age-restricted content.

A shopping cart system would also be nice--so I only have to d-pad my password in once...

Maybe there's not enough digital games because of a virtual chip shortage.... </sarcasm>

So the wishlist drama continues, as clearing even just the items I've already purchased from this wishlist is a hassle, as after a few, it starts me over at the beginning of the list.

Ugh I loved the fact that Xbox 360 had custom soundtracks. I always played Burnout Paradise using Burnout Revenge as the soundtrack.

Awesome game, but yeah, you need the right music.