Snider-man #1 Posted February 5, 2002 That's right. Today, Feb. 5, is the birthday of the founder of Atari. Today's his 59th birthday. Just wanted to let you all know that this board and our very hobby owes a bit of thanks to the man. Happy Birthday Nolan! Snider-man Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cassidy Nolen #2 Posted February 5, 2002 If I could meet one famous person on the planet, it would be Nolan. He is awesome. I think he should be Bill Gates, but instead he is just remembered as the guy who should have been. I wonder if he knows how many people love him? He (and Ralph) are the fathers, dreamers, and creators of so much of our digital world. Happy Birthday Nolan. May you have many, many more. Cassidy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Callipygous #3 Posted February 5, 2002 Happy Bday Nolan! I'm sure he is on AtariAge. Speaking of birthdays: Is anything planned for the VCS itself? After all, October 2002 will mark 25 years of the vcs/2600 existence. A silver anniversary(!). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Albert #4 Posted February 5, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Mario's Other Brother: Happy Bday Nolan! I'm sure he is on AtariAge. Speaking of birthdays: Is anything planned for the VCS itself? After all, October 2002 will mark 25 years of the vcs/2600 existence. A silver anniversary(!). We have no evidence that Nolan has visited the site, although it certainly would be cool if he did. As for the 25th Anniversary of the 2600, we'll have to do something special. ..Al Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ubersaurus #5 Posted February 5, 2002 Maybe I'll paint one of my atari's silver as for Nolan, he is truly one of the 4 greats of gamedom. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
t.skid #6 Posted February 5, 2002 Well, Happy Birthday from Italy Nolan! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
liveinabin #7 Posted February 6, 2002 Happy Birthday, sir! You done good. I dont know, I wonder how interested he IS in Atari. I mean, yeah - he was the genesis of the whole thing, but he's also a businessman, and he moved on pretty early. I'm not having a go or anything, I just don't know how interested he is any more. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Atari-Jess #8 Posted February 6, 2002 Yeah, ive thought about it myself. Just cause one creates something loved by millions does not me he still loves it after it almost killing him. (if you read about it it says the stress was horrid on him) If he does manage to get here and read this I dont think we could ever thank him enough for his wonderfull invention (that goes for Baer too i suppose) Thanks Mr. Bushnell where ever you wander off to on the internet. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popeal #9 Posted February 6, 2002 I always wondered why Atari was the best - the founder was an Aquarius, just like me (my birthday is on the 6th!)! Nolan, if you're reading this somehow, thanks for all the childhood fun, and the continued fun that I still enjoy with Atari! Al Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jahfish #10 Posted February 6, 2002 happy b-day nolan!!! we love you more than your kids do! btw. i heard from curt vendel that there is a special meeting this year for all the old employees in california (?). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ATARIPITBULL #11 Posted February 7, 2002 What can I say but Happy birth day to the man who made my child hood so much fun. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AtariDude #12 Posted February 7, 2002 Happy Birthday Nolan! I wish you all the best and thanks for creating Atari and all the wonderful memories! Best of luck with uWink! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mos6507 #13 Posted February 7, 2002 Atari was his only big success in business and he lost control of it in the sale to Warner. You can bet Atari means a lot to him. He's tried to capture lightning in a bottle again ever since, from Axlon to Sente and so on. His current company is somewhat of an attempt to recreate the early days of Atari--it's a variation of a coinop company. Uwink I just wish the games were more action oriented... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rhindle The Red #14 Posted February 7, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Glenn Saunders: Atari was his only big success in business Ummmm.....Pizza Time Theater? My friends, you have seen this incident based on sworn testimony. Can you prove that it didn't happen? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Albert #15 Posted February 7, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Rhindle The Red: Ummmm..... Pizza Time Theater True, these have been around a long time and I'd have to call this a successful business venture since they still exist. Does Nolan Bushnell still have an interest in these or did he sell out long ago? ..Al Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mos6507 #16 Posted February 8, 2002 CEC History If you believe this history, Nolan used the profits to seed his other startups which, combined with the overall downturn in the coinop business, led to the insolvency of the company. Only after it was bought out by his major competitor did the company stabilize. Nolan got a reputation for starting new companies and losing interest after a while and abandoning them when they still needed him. Atari was the first, although he was mostly a figurehead in the end as Chairman. The thrill for him is the startup phase, not the growing pains and ultimate corporate beaurocracy that follows. So some of his better ideas may have withered on the vine when he got distracted by the excitement of new projects. uWink is his attempt to discipline himself by keeping himself exclusively engaged with a company for the long-term. BTW, uWink (not so coincidentally) owns the re-appropriated intellectual property assets of Nolan's previous failed startup, PlayNet. PlayNet ended in a very messy manner as far as the participants getting out from under the various creditors... In parts of Stella at 20 you can see the Atari veterans tinkering with a PlayNet terminal in the background. [ 02-08-2002: Message edited by: Glenn Saunders ] Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Albert #17 Posted February 8, 2002 So he left the company all the way back in 1983? I like this excerpt from the history: quote1997 (winter) - Chuck E. Cheese is officially announced to be a mouse, and not a rat. ..Al Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
liveinabin #18 Posted February 8, 2002 What the hell was chuck e cheese anyway, as far as I understand it was a restaurant, yeah? but what kind (I figure cheese may be involved) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Albert #19 Posted February 8, 2002 quote: Originally posted by liveinabin: What the hell was chuck e cheese anyway, as far as I understand it was a restaurant, yeah? but what kind (I figure cheese may be involved) They're a big chain of restaurants that serve (mainly) pizza and have a large area devoted to all manner of coin-operated amusements. I haven't been to one in a long time, but wasn't terribly impressed back then. I have no idea what they're like now. I think the idea was to mix arcades and restaurants, as a place where the whole family could have dinner and play some games together. Judging by the ads I see on TV, this is still how they push it. ..Al Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lemmi #20 Posted February 8, 2002 It was a Pizza Restaurant With Video Games, that took Tokens And they had Mechanical puppets up on a stage singing and telling jokes I loved that place as a youngster All tho i never had a birthday party there Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slapdash #21 Posted February 8, 2002 Lemmi: you should reorder your post: quote: It was a Pizza Restaurant With Video Games, that took Tokens Now it can go in the haiku thread too! Nicely done... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lemmi #22 Posted February 8, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Russ Perry Jr: Lemmi: you should reorder your post: Now it can go in the haiku thread too! Nicely done... ROFL and i wasn't even trying to do that Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
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