Few people have heard of it, yet John Blankenbaker's KENBAK-1 was the first commercially available personal computer.
Vintage Pachinko Machines
By James Grahame
Hammacher Schlemmer is offering vintage Pachinko machines ($299) that apparently once lived in the world-famous Ginza in Tokyo. Pachinko is a demented upright variation of a pinball/slot machine that fires hundreds of tiny steel balls through a maze of spinning wheels, bumpers, and bonus traps.
Pachinko parlors first appeared in Japan shortly after WWII. Players purchase a large number of steel balls that are inserted into the machine. Because gambling for money isn't allowed under Japanese law, winnings (in the form of more balls) can be exchanged for prizes. Kinda like Las Vegas except powered by ball bearings.
Refurbished vintage Pachinko game (Hammacher)
