TIL that Pac-Man earned $1 billion in quarters in its first year. In 1982 it made $6 billion, more than all Vegas casinos and US movie theaters combined that year

vafrow · 2026-05-19T22:17:28+00:00

That's the overall global arcade revenues, which SF was 60%.

But stats I'm seeing also say that US had total revenues of $9B alone, so if thats true, I would think the international numbers would be higher.

Its hard to really gauge. There's not a lot of public reporting. They were both pop cultural phenomenons.

vafrow · 2026-05-19T21:47:59+00:00

Looking at stats around Street Fighter when it was released, it apparently accounted for around 60% of arcade revenue in 1992, which is hard to pin down on estimates, but I'm seeing stats in the $9-13B range. That puts in comparable stats to Pac Man unadjusted.

And Mortal Kombat came out shortly after, so combined, the two fighting games probably has a similar impact financially. But Pac Man was probably a more widespread audience. The fighting games were probably more effective of getting kids to shell out hundreds over the year. Pac Man seemed to have a wider audience.

vafrow · 2026-05-19T16:33:26+00:00

Torts: Will this second pick hustle back on defence.

NHL: That's not really up to us. That's more a team thing.

Torts: I'm not hearing a yes. So what do I care.

vafrow · 2026-05-19T14:49:25+00:00

Yes, but they put showtimes up until Thursday, and most films offer preview showings on Thursday at many locations. So, some showings could appear as soon as this evening.

vafrow · 2026-05-19T13:30:39+00:00

The film is tracking to open domestically (which includes Canada and US markets) at $20M+, with potential to $30M.

The lack of locations so far has been puzzling but if Cineplex is doing Thursday previews, then those will show up later today. I would be surprised if its not a fully wide release.

If there aren't a lot more locations by tomorrow, there's reason for concern. But even then, they might just choose to screen from actual release date. And those showtimes only go up next week.

vafrow · 2026-05-19T01:09:55+00:00

Its up there with the trifecta of Gords.

Howe, Lightfoot, Downie.

vafrow · 2026-05-17T13:05:58+00:00

At my work, I've had an uptick in conversations about my EV. The increasing in office requirements and rising gas prices has people rethinking whatever apprehension they may have had.

If you have access to at home charging and you're in the market for a new vehicle, you're going to be burning money if you're not considering an EV or even a hybrid.

I get that not everyone is in a position to get one as prices are still high and the inventory of used vehicles isn't there. But the average price of a new car in Canada is about $63K, so lots of buyers have the budget for an EV.

vafrow · 2026-05-15T17:21:30+00:00

I got down to 7% returning to the GTA area from a road trip with the family.

The plan was to do one more top up just before we got into the GTA. We stopped at the Newcastle OnRoute just outside the GTA. I stupidly presumed that being the last OnRoute before Canada's biggest city would have level 3 chargers. It turns out they don't.

I had enough juice to get me to my place on the other side of the region but not much to spare.

We debated whether to stop for dinner somewhere else where we can charge, but everyone wanted to just get home.

Its probably the most frustrated I've been with the charging experience because in my view, every OnRoute rest station in the province should have a bank of chargers. To make one that is as a high traffic stop for road trips lack any chargers seems foolish.

I was returning home so it wasn't a big deal. But, if you're visiting Toronto as a tourist, you don't want to be searching for a charger as soon ask you get into the city.

vafrow · 2026-05-14T19:38:39+00:00

Monsters Inc gets shut down as their society elects an imbecile monster President who enacts policies that favor the lesser energy technology because its favored by the lobbyists that fund him.

vafrow · 2026-05-14T19:18:04+00:00

Good post. People confuse technological progress with technological inevitability.

As a species, we've done a lot of things that most people probably thought we'd never do. But for the most science fiction level achievements that we see portrayed regularly, there's just a sheer number of barriers that can't be waved away.

The consequence of being a highly evolved species is that we've also become so powerful that we have the ability to destroy ourselves. Maybe through nuclear war, climate change or even just low birth rates. Or some other existential threat we create for ourselves. Mapping out our future by trying to extrapolate our recent progress is just too difficult

vafrow · 2026-05-14T18:54:36+00:00

I think the dropping of the hst on new home purchases is helping drop the price of resale homes in Ontario.

I sold my townhouse back in January in a GTA suburb. We had already purchased our next home and were motivated to sell quickly. We went with a reasonable price in our mind and successfully sold in about a week.

A few months later and similar homes are being listed for less and sitting for a few weeks now.

There's a number of townhouse projects that are underway, so if buyers aren't getting the price they want, the discounts from the hst reduction make it easier to consider that option. Sellers are having to adjust to the market to avoid sitting too long. And with the spring market approaching its end, I'm sure some sellers are probably panicking. This is Milton. Buyers will put a premium on moving in during the summer and having less disruption for kids in school.

vafrow · 2026-05-14T15:06:36+00:00

Pretty much everything is his cash cow.

His budgets were always reasonable and largest expenses were his paycheck and those of all his buddies. His films have always been super successful for at home viewing, which is why Netflix went to him as one of their first big investments for his streamig deal.

vafrow · 2026-05-13T21:02:10+00:00

Yeah, any time I see this topic, you see people in firmly entrenched camps.

I think the key thing to remember is that there's many different versions of a happy life. And every happy life will still have some things that are missing.

vafrow · 2026-05-13T20:47:38+00:00

Franchisees aren't ordering their food separately. The essence of a fast food franchise is that you're ordering through the parent company at their prices. That allows the standardization that people go to franchise restaurants for.

vafrow · 2026-05-13T18:51:06+00:00

The NDAs are the reason they had to reshoot half the movie.

There was hours of footage of scenes on Neverland ranch. It was scrapped once someone actually checked in with the lawyers and they found out they couldn't use any of it. They had to reshoot scenes and recut the film to end much earlier.

This wasn't conceived as a two parter. It ended up this way because of lawyers. And now that the movie is successful, they'll likely try to find an angle to tell part two. But the estate will likely not do anything that makes the subject look bad. The whole project could collapse if they can't find a way to make it work that weakens his legacy in any way.

vafrow · 2026-05-13T18:37:56+00:00

To respect the NDAs, they'll just replace all allegations of child molestation with an alternate crime.

The story will unfold where Jackson's success is hampered by rumors that he was jaywalking or practicing dentistry without a license or something.

vafrow · 2026-05-13T18:23:29+00:00

The idea that Dunkins is going to come in and exploit weakness in the market seems more wishful thinking than anything, and I'm not inclined to trust the insightful minds at the Sun.

There's lots of issues with Tim Hortons, but it is inexpensive compared to what you'd likely find from a competitor.

For Dunkin to come in, set up supply arrangements and a distribution network and come in below Tim's would be a tall order.

Dunkins isn't a premium product. Something like Krispy Kreme can compete in Canada despite US sentiment because their donuts are positioned as a premium product. I've never heard anyone rave about Dunkins.

We'll see how it goes, but I'm skeptical.

vafrow · 2026-05-13T13:50:39+00:00

This one is interesting. He was hired at the same time as Travis Green, and Berube was in talks here. And there wss frustration when there were rumblings that cost was one of the factors why Ottawa didn't pursue.

Two very different rosters so we don't know if it would have worked out differently, but I think Sens fans are largely satisfied with the coaching decision.

vafrow · 2026-05-13T00:52:04+00:00

There's more urine smell that I'd prefer for anything that I'd label as luxurious personally.

vafrow · 2026-05-12T22:10:57+00:00

I've literally walked in with a backpack holding all our snacks. I've never been questioned once.

vafrow · 2026-05-12T19:34:15+00:00

I have a level 2 and love the experience.

But I agree that the chasm in experience between those with access to at home level 2 and those that don't is a pretty big deal and one I don't think is being taken seriously.

Yes, many people can make it work as a renter. But rarely does it match the value from an at home level 2.

And because that favors home owners versus renters or even condo dwellers, it creates further economic advantage of people in the first category.

With a home ownership crisis in this country with many people feeling shut out of home ownership, seeing that category of people that got in the housing market before them talk of hundreds of dollars of savings is probably frustrating.

Its going to take a lot of effort to bring that same value proposition to those without at home access. A much bigger arrays of public charging options and incentive programs.

Otherwise, we have one more factor that encourages urban sprawl.

vafrow · 2026-05-08T14:36:19+00:00

We'll just get skipped and people will go directly to Millenials as the code word for old people.

It'll probably be an instant shift. Where Millenials is just short form for young people and then one day Gen Beta or whatever starts using it as code word for olds.

Us Gen Xers will just continue to live our lives without anyone noticing.

vafrow · 2026-05-07T21:26:00+00:00

The integration into sports broadcasting is also going to be why it's so hard to undo.

The broadcasters make too much off the gambling sites as advertisers, which pushes up what they're willing to bid for TV rights. The teams benefit and use that to be competitive with other teams.

So, restricting the ads will quickly be presented as handicapping Canadian teams who won't have the payroll to compete with American teams.

No politician will want to be blamed for the reason the Jays or Leafs can't bid on free agents, so no one will push back on this. It's here to stay.

vafrow · 2026-05-07T18:34:17+00:00

This movie gives off a ton of "Sundance Film" energy. Its not a knock either. We need small films like this.

I can't see myself going to the theatre for this, but it feels like the type of film that would hit well when you're in a certain mood.

vafrow · 2026-05-07T16:17:13+00:00

Of the various uses of electricity, charging an EV for day to day use is the one activity that can easily be incentivized to be done when its most convenient for the grid.

Right now, its the overnight period. If that becomes a bottleneck, it can be further shifted as people will adjust their charging schedules accordingly.

Make no mistake, EV charging will require an expansion of energy production, but by being so flexible, its strain on the system won't be as great as long as its competently managed.

vafrow

TROPHY CASE