The Strangest Computer Manual Ever Written

In the early 1980s, when the Apple II came out, a company called Franklin made a knock-off version of the same computer. It was a pretty blatant copy, which Apple wasn%u2019t happy about, but the law wasn%u2019t clear yet on whether operating systems could be protected by copyright. Apple eventually sued Franklin, and the court ruled that operating systems could in fact be protected. That put an end to Franklin computers.

It’s dark and funny and unlike anything else

How San Franciscans use their libraries is shifting dramatically

How San Franciscans use their libraries is shifting dramatically

In lieu of borrowing physical books and other items, residents could check out digital materials, including eBooks, streaming content and digital newspapers and magazines. As a result, digital circulation during these months rose by at least 40%. December 2020 recorded the library’s highest monthly digital circulation of over 555,000 — a 50% increase from the previous December.

Musicians Wage War Against Evil Robots

Musicians Wage War Against Evil Robots

After the release of The Jazz Singer in 1927, all bets were off for live musicians who played in movie theaters. Thanks to synchronized sound, the use of live musicians was unnecessary — and perhaps a larger sin, old-fashioned. In 1930 the American Federation of Musicians formed a new organization called the Music Defense League and launched a scathing ad campaign to fight the advance of this terrible menace known as recorded sound.