@GeekyNerdGuy: Why do I get the sense that this is less of a rhetorical suggestion and more of an experiential anecdote? ;^)

bosskev

What the hell is this article about? That thing is SUPER OLD. I'm 32 years old now and I used to play with that in a Dave and Busters when I was a kid.

The longer you hold on the more tickets it spits out.

Also, I always questioned whether the unit gave out electric shocks or just produced an ultra high frequency to the metal polls/handles.

JEmlay

I bet if you invited a bunch of goth chicks to your party they'd pose naked on this.

GeekyNerdGuy

Seems like something that would be in some CEO's office as a joke for his employees. "Please, Mr. Jones, have a seat and let's discuss this raise you've been asking for."

yougottabekidding

Seriously, who in their right mind would pay $1,000 for this?

bosskev

@92BuickLeSabre: I'd like to thank the Academy on behalf of 92BuickLeSabre......

Kaiser-Machead's Chips Ahoy!

Yep, I used to work at Dave & Busters through college (fixing video games FTW). We had it for as long as I can remember. It was always breaking. But that's also because retards would come in a abuse the hell out of the games.

stinkyboy

There has been one of these at Dave & Buster's in White Flint Mall in Bethesda, MD for at least 8 years, if not 10.

smcallah

@chipsndip: That's what I was thinking. One of these sits right at the entrance to the arcade in Dave & Buster's. I've actually used it everytime I've been there.

JaggedToaster

They had one of these at my nearest theme park, Thorpe Park, at least 10 years ago.

Better late than never.

alife_2008

@americandanger: Ouch. WTF? Why are you stabbing that thing in the dark. Crap. I think I'm bleeding. Wow. There's a lot of blood here.

I think I'm bleeding out. Jesus, there was so much more I wanted to do. I'm pretty sure you did this on purpose. And I was supposed to be a witness in an important trial here in Texas. Also, I'm a government official. Oh, you've got it coming to you now. At least I know that much. Oh God it doesn't even hurt any more. I don't feel anything.

I'm getting cold. So cold. Tell mama I love her.

*drops to the floor*

/ironic isn't it!

92BuickLeSabre

@Git Em SteveDave has a new Lego set: Yeah, but the hand grips would still be usefull.

Mr.SithNinja

But the real question. How large is the carbon footprint? Does it work with alternative energies? What is it's energy star rating? Is it E85 compliant?

Git Em SteveDave has a new Lego set

I guess you haven't been to an arcade recently... They've had these at the local Dave & Busters for about five years now. You hold onto the handles, and they "buzz" - it starts small, but increases in vibration speed and intensity. Toward the end you really feel like you can't let go. Nice reporting though - I like the bit about "teaching kids about execution". Quality journalism.

chipsndip

"I'm getting the Shocker Chair"

Yeah, sitdown and get two in the pink and one in the stink? But as a guy, that will HURT!

SigmundTheSeaMonster

@Mr.SithNinja: Yeah, the lack of a hole in the seat pretty much defined what kind of shocker they were talking about.

Git Em SteveDave has a new Lego set

When I saw "Shocker Chair" I was thinking it was going to be something else entirely..... But this looks like fun too...

Mr.SithNinja

Is that a coin slot? Not only is this crazy, but your friends will have to fork over their laundry money at your next party. Some friend.

Dreadfish

So I'm going to take a stab in the dark here and say that you're against the death penalty, then?

americandanger

what in the blue heck.

striggity

@92BuickLeSabre: Dude, I have lived in several major metropolitan areas and I will not have you besmirching the good name of Dave and Busters, where drinks flow as fast and furious as the Raptors in their Decade old Jurassic Park booth game.

Garrison Dean, King Awesome

@Toshie: They've got Old Sparky on display in Huntsville, but I think they frown on people attempting to strap in.

[www.roadsideamerica.com]

GeekyNerdGuy

@americandanger: I approve of the artfully-included word: "accidentally".

92BuickLeSabre

@92BuickLeSabre: Wow, I've never accidentally killed anyone online before... I gotta say it's way more fun than I thought it would be!

americandanger

@Everyone using the "OLD!" call-out.

Not only is it actually semi-officially ban-hammer-worthy (due to both it's irritatingness and lack of bringing-anything-to-the-table-ness), you're also calling Frooch out for something at Dave & Busters. Dave & Busters!

The guy is in his mid-20s and lives in New York City. He's not 45 and living in Houston. You might as well call him out for not knowing about something at The American Girl store.

"Seriously Frooch, you didn't know they made salon chairs for dolls? They've had these at The American Girl store for yeeeaaars!"

92BuickLeSabre

On the arcade version at least there was no electrical charge at all, just a high frequency vibration which made it a bit uncomfortable to hold on (think taking a bad hit on an aluminum bat...continuously) but nothing dangerous.

In Miami there used to be a police museum with an actual electric chair (never used supposedly) that your friends could strap you in. Most bizarre museum exhibit ever.

Toshie

I so want that for my work office. WOnder if its made out of real wood.

Somadis

have you never been to an arcade?

livinzlife

@DeadWriter: ...and certainly safer than riding a Carny.

*scratches at stupid crotch scabs*

92BuickLeSabre

A variant has been around in shadier carnivals. One walks up and thinks it's a "love" or "strength" test machine, the kind that test conductance through your body, but instead an current is run through your body as you stand. It isn't automated though, some carni has to be there to turn the dial. Really funny! Right up there with the "cover the spot" gaff" or the dime toss. Probably safer than carni rides though.

DeadWriter

I used to love those things at the Disneyland "Main Street" Arcade growing up. I was pretty sad when I saw that they got rid of it.

Froggmann

@DeadWriter: This one doesn't actually pass current through you. The handles just vibrate and make your hands (and arms if you keep holding on,) tingle. Then it gives you a printout showing how many "volts" you took.

I tried one in Vegas at the arcade in New York New York. I was hoping it actually produced some type of shock, but was disappointed.

Bender

@GeekyNerdGuy: Hehe, retired warden Jim Willet doesn't seem the type to put up with any tomfoolery.

The American Police Hall of Fame (now in Titusville) also has a real gas chamber along with some very graphic photos and displays of executions and execution stuff, but I don't think their chair had actually been used. Huntsville's Old Sparky was used 361 times?! Yikes.

Toshie

I remember this. There was one of these at the local arcade I used to go to. My brother and I would try to see who could stay on the longest. Good times. I would buy it for home use

MickyK

Hell, Dave and Busters would give it a little street cred if it weren't for the fact that they have these at Chuck-E-Cheese's too.

Yea, I'm 16 and I went to Chuck-E-Cheese's two weeks ago, wanna fight about it??

michaelwiggins

@michaelwiggins:
no need to fight man, enough people have already died here.
IMHO, chuck-E-Cheese kicks ass, i mean .25cs for everything + pizza?! awesome!

roflwaffles

@GeekyNerdGuy:
That just sounds hot. Now I just have to buy one and convince a few of my female friends to come over.

pliSkiNAKE

\\n/

Boognish

@92BuickLeSabre: hey whats wrong with Houston... I mean besides the obvious...

The Good Rev. Cordfucious the Black

Like everyone is saying, they're at Dave & Busters, the one in Times Square has one and it's shockingly fun to see how long you can last...

Trowble (XBL/PSN)

... They have those at Dave and Buster's locations. You just hold on to the handle and a slight shock (or vibration--i can't tell) is applied to the handle. Your arm just tingles afterward...

syosh

Welcome to the new breed of "interrogation chairs".

Hello_Newman

@The Good Rev. Cordfucious the Black: He's just busting our chops because he knows a death penalty post will attract all the Texans.

GeekyNerdGuy

I live in Texas. I'm too cheap to take my kid to the zoo every weekend; so I just take him to the weekly executions. I hear this week's theme is illegal immigrants :)

lefonceobscure

In an old penny arcade with victorian machines, I once had a go on an endurance machine which used real electric shocks. The sign said 'hold on to both knobs and turn to the right to test yourself'. I promptly grabbed both handles and without thinking about what it would so, twisted the knobs all the way to the right straight away and gave myself a pretty big shock.

abigsmurf

@chipsndip: Longer than five years, the one in Philly has had this machine since the 90's.

...oh, I see I'm only one of the many, many people calling him out on this...I'll just be quiet then.

GOKOR

"it's 100% certain that innocent people have been executed!"

sad but true... although how many innocent people do you suppose have been murdered by repeat offenders?

fightcopyright

These are not new. We've had them here in Tx longer than we've had lethal injection.

CW

This just seems horrible to me. Very bad tastes.

EditorinChief

@fightcopyright: Is this against or for the Blackstone Ratio? "better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer" If half the murderers who get let off kill only one person each (and thats a very conservative estimate of recidivsim [images.google.com] ),that's still five innocent (or not so innocent, who knows) lives and the hopefully temporary freedom of murderers to save one life. Fortunately it's all conjecture as this is an ideal that has more to do with the caution we take in the presumption of innocence.

That said, @GeekyNerdGuy: Just tell them it's a naked witch test:

"It were better that Ten Suspected [naked] Witches should escape, than that the Innocent [naked] Person should be Condemned [and get photographed]." -Increase Mather

Obviously that's what he meant.

Human Bomb