LOCATION OF "ANY" KEY FINALLY REVEALED
Have you ever been working on
your computer and run into the brick wall, "Press any key to
continue?" You hunt up and down your keyboard, and you just can't find that
darn "Any" key. Well, despair no longer. THE UNCOVEROR will tell you
where it is! You know that long key at the middle, and bottom with nothing on
it? You may have heard it referred to as the space bar, because it leaves a
space when you are typing. That is the "Any" key!
It does not have the word written on it due to a dispute with its inventor, Typewriters International of Toledo. The company has been out of business for many years now, but its former CEO, Milton Crane, refuses to let go of his patent and copyright. We spoke with him about the subject, and here is what he had to say.
"TiT Invented so much of the typewriter and computer keyboard technology that people take for granted, but the big boys, especially IBM and Royal, Ripped us off! The IBM Selectric was a lousy typewriter compared to the TiT Hummer! The Hummer produced better type quality, faster response, and a wider variety of typefaces the the IBM Selectric, or any other typewriter. Typewriters International of Toledo even made a manual typewriter that never jammed, the TiT Swinger. Nothing Royal made could come close. If it weren't for the dirty pool the big boys played in the market place, there would have been Hummers and Swingers on every desk!"
Mr. Crane told us that many of his inventions could not be protected, Such as putting "Enter", and a backward arrow instead of "Return" on the computer keyboard, But he has gone to great trouble and expense to make sure his rights to the "Any" key do not lapse. "There is just no way the big boys will be able to make "Any" keys as long as I can do anything about it! I will enforce my copyright and patent until I die, then hopefully my heirs will continue to as well. It will always be the exclusive property of Typewriters International of Toledo."
He told us that if computer users wish to take a magic marker, and write "Any" on the space bar, he doesn't have a problem with that.
Another big mystery has finally been solved by THE UNCOVEROR.