RIP Steve Kordek

Stern brought his passing to everyone’s attention last week. Arcades, video games, geeks, nerds, bowling alleys (or bowling centers according Chris Hardwick’s dad), convenience stores, airports, general stores and The Who all debt of gratitude to the man. I have seen earlier “pinball” machines in old movies/Bugs Bunny cartoons but I didn’t know how unplayable they used to be. They seemed to have more in common with pachinko or slot machines. It’s a good thing somebody listened to Kordek because pinball really exploded in the Seventies (maybe sooner) which gave birth to the cool arcades I grew up with, namely Aladdin’s Castle at White Oaks Mall in Springfield, IL.