In the misty dark days before Al Gore invented the Internet and music CDs roamed in great herds across the landscape, there was a quaint-though-popular technology called "records." Records consisted of vinyl or ceramic discs of varying sizes and capacities (typical were 7- and 12-inch sizes) which features grooved on one or both sides. By spinning the discs at pre-defined rates (typical were 33.3 and 45—occasionally 78—revolutions per minute) and inserting a stylus or "needle" in the groove, it was possible to produce an audio signal and—wow!—listen to music!
