In 1984, Nasta produced a line of portable Muppet radios under their "Power-Tronic" label. The Kermit AM radio, depicting Kermit dressed in a tuxedo, came with a carrying strap.
And the Miss Piggy AM Radio & Headset came with a belt clip so it could be worn while exercising. The image of Piggy in her workout gear was likely a reference to her 1982 album, Miss Piggy's Aerobique Exercise Workout Album.
"The California state government has passed a landmark law that obligates technology companies to provide parts and manuals for repairing smartphones for seven years after their market release.
Senate Bill 244 passed 65-0 in the Assembly, and 38-0 in the Senate, and made California, the seat of so much of American technological hardware and software, the third state in the union to pass this so-called “right to repair” legislation.
On a more granular level, the bill guarantees consumers’ rights to replacement parts for three years’ time in the case of devices costing between $50 and $99, and seven years in the case of devices costing more than $100, with the bill retroactively affecting devices made and sold in 2021.
Similar laws have been passed in Minnesota and New York, but none with such a long-term period as California.
“Accessible, affordable, widely available repair benefits everyone,” said Kyle Wiens, the CEO of advocacy group iFixit, in a statement. “We’re especially thrilled to see this bill pass in the state where iFixit is headquartered, which also happens to be Big Tech’s backyard. Since Right to Repair can pass here, expect it to be on its way to a backyard near you.” ...
One of the reasons Wiens is cheering this on is because large manufacturers, from John Deere to Apple, have previously lobbied heavily against right-to-repair legislation for two reasons. One, it allows them to corner the repair and maintenance markets, and two, it [allegedly] protects their intellectual property and trade secrets from knock-offs or competition.
However, a byproduct of the difficulty of repairing modern electronics is that most people just throw them away.
...Wien added in the statement that he believes the California bill is a watershed that will cause a landslide of this legislation to come in the near future."
Y'all still boycotting, right? Still following the BDS movement, right? You still remember that Boycotts are for life, right?? You read that the Israeli Zionist Occupation is connected to other ongoing genocides, e.g. in Congo, right???
Quality controller Rezső Nyuszi on the production line at the Videoton factory, Budapest, 1979. From the Budapest Municipal Photography Company archive.