Way before Instagram, before Yelp, before Prodigy, and even before your local BBS (Waveline 4 life!), there was the Community Memory Terminal. Gorgeous, isn't it? You can almost picture Dave Eggers and his kind trying to make it happen again. Alas, it won't for it is far too fetch. Nevertheless, this pre-Facebook public database is fascinating.

Wired has the details:

In the early 1970s, Efrem Lipkin, Mark Szpakowski and Lee Felsenstein set up a series of these terminals around San Francisco and Berkeley, providing access to an electronic bulletin board housed by a XDS-940 mainframe computer.

This started out as a social experiment to see if people would be willing to share via computer -- a kind of "information flea market," a "communication system which allows people to make contact with each other on the basis of mutually expressed interest," according to a brochure from the time.

What evolved was a proto-Facebook-Twitter-Yelp-Craigslist-esque database filled with searchable roommate-wanted and for-sale items ads, restaurant recommendations, and, well, status updates, complete with graphics and social commentary.

"This was really one of the very first attempts to give access to computers to ordinary people," says Marc Weber, the founding curator of the Internet History Program at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California.

We can only imagine what it was like to use such a clunky thing of beauty. As Boing Boing's Cory Doctorow reminisces, "I wrote half an unsuccessful novel about this thing when I was about 25, and it's never stopped haunting me."

Chicagoist knows what it's like to like the Cubs. But naming your kid Wrigley Fields? At least they can breathe a little easier now that Grossman's out and Griese's in. Maybe all that sports excitement is what caused them to forget basic facts about US history?

With the abrupt departure of LA's top transportation manager and more controversy over bicycle commuters, LAist is ready for the city's traffic to get moving again. What's not stuck in gridlock is Hollywood, who is already into their first week of the Fall TV season. Greg Grunberg of NBC's "Hereos" gave an interview, Phil Spector got away, the world saw Natalie Portman go nude on the internetz and more of your favorite novels are being made into terrible movies. If that wasn't enough, the harassing paparazzi are no friends to the regular citizens of Los Angeles. At least the people have about a million festivals to relax at this weekend. And if all else fails, the coolest lizard in the world will make you smile.

Torontoist checked out the Polaris Music Prize Gala that saw international superstar surpass local unknowns like The Arcade Fire to win the $20,000 prize. They ranked some local pizza joints (delicious!). They checked out yet another newspaper redesign, and yet another museum redesign. Oh, and they totally had a sweet virtual reality panorama of its Distillery District.

The first, and best, is Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple. Through interviews with former members and survivors of the Jim Jones cult, along with loads of archival footage, you get an eerie portrait of a good idea gone bad. In hindsight, it's hard to imagine how anyone could have fallen under the spell of Jim Jones, he of the questionable jet-black hair and sideburns, ever present sunglasses, tacky leisure suits and, more importantly, bombastic personality.

But by listening to some of the cult's members, you can understand how the Peoples Temple--which actually began in the 1950s--latched on to the dying hippie ideals of the 1960s and 70s, and the people who held on to those ideals; things like racial equality for all, caring for ones elders, and self-sustaining communities all sound like great ideas. But the church was being run by a lunatic, and it is incredibly sad and horrifying how many people lost their lives because they didn't realize how insane Jones was until it was way too late.

Slightly less engrossing is Summer of Love, which focuses on that historical summer of 1967 in San Francisco. Perhaps it's just because having grown up here, we've heard enough about the summer of love--and have stumbled over enough burnouts from said summer on Haight Street--that the nostalgia factor didn't really hit us. But the documentary did make us realize that while many consider the "Summer of Love" the beginning of the whole hippie thing, it was really the beginning of the end of it, and peace and love would never be the same again. Some of the summer's participants interviewed include Peter Coyote, Joel Selvin, Peter Berg, and Judy Goldhaft.

Jonestown airs Sunday the 26th at 8 p.m. on KRCB channel 22.

Summer of Love airs Sunday at 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. on KCSM channel 17.

Your next prize package? Passes to , which resident cineaste SFist Sara loved! Here's her review:

El Calentito is a nostalgic coming of age comedy about punk and fascism in 80’s Madrid. Calentito is what early Almodóvar would be if it were tidier (nostalgia does tidy) and watched girls kissing instead of boys. The themes are all there: oppressive Catholicism, tyrannical mothers, vice as choice, subversive sexuality. And virginity! Don’t forget the virgins.

El Calentito screens on Monday June 18 at 6:30 at the Castro. We'll announce a winner around 5 p.m. today.

Last Thursday night we squeezed into 330 Ritch to see Spoon, one of our favorite bands of all time. We'd just helped celebrate former SFist Eve's birthday at Tempest Bar and picked up our friend after her fire dancing class at Temple of Poi, and thankfully got to the venue just as Spoon hit the stage. Spoon were the consummate professionals as always, delivering a tight set without much banter or bullshit. We love them for playing a diverse set of songs from across their many releases. The opening riff of "Fitted Shirt" gave us a rush of excitement and nostalgia especially; such a great song about such an unlikely subject. The title of Spoon's new record has us puzzled, and hearing Britt's pronounce it like machine gun fire - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga - was interesting to hear, but, yeah, we still don't get it. Speaking of Spoon, we're headed to their (and our) old hometown of Austin this week for a sunny vacation. The bad news is that we picked a week with no less than four shows that we're crushed to miss: Chris Garneau at the Hemlock tonight, Arcade Fire at the Greek on Friday and Saturday, Laura Veirs at Cafe Du Nord on Tuesday and Client at Amoeba on Wednesday. Watch Chris Garneau's video for "Relief", off of Music For Tourists and then read this week's show recommendations below.

Tonight there's that must-see show at the Hemlock with Chris Garneau, Liam Carey and Laura Weinbach. As you saw from the video, singer-songwriter Garneau sings torch songs with a reserved passion (think Sufjan Stevens' quiet voice). This is a show we're dying to see, but we're on vacation in Austin, remember! Also tonight, our friends at The Bay Bridged present Social Studies, Tempo No Tempo and The Lovely Public at Rickshaw Stop. Popscene presents a record release party for the locals in Scissors For Lefty and Brakes Brakes Brakes at 330 Ritch. There's a note on the website that tells us Brakes Brakes Brakes was formerly known as The Brakes, and this just makes us laugh. Are there any "The" names that haven't been taken? The Bougainvilleas? The Dodecahedrons?

Wolfgang's Vault is one of those online stores where you can order your vintage rock t-shirts and other cool stuff. 'Cause you know, nothing says cool like wearing tees for bands you've never heard of. Anyways, all the stuff, posters and whatnot, mainly come from Bill Graham related events as the guy behind the vault bought all this stuff from BGP a few years ago. And as anyone has seen those things all over the Warfield or Fillmore, they are pretty darn cool.

Now Wolfgang's been getting a lot of attention for streaming a lot of old concerts online. We're talking Led Zeppelin at the Fillmore West in '69 old (which we're listening to right now). Or Springsteen in '73 old. There's also Floyd (from 1970), Fleetwood Mac (1975), Santana, Hendrix, Aerosmith, and on and on. It's your veritable Boneyard listeners wet dream. It's pretty cool and there’s some pretty awesome stuff and yes, we're pretty old but who doesn't like getting the Led out every once in awhile? And for those who like their nostalgia more recent, there's also a Cure concert in there as well as the Clash and a Flock of Seagulls. Yep, a Flock of Seagulls.

So why are we bringing this up? Because it was all free and done without anyone's permission and so the site just got sued by a whole bunch of bands for streaming the stuff for free and without anyone's permission. Or more like allegedly streaming it for the exact purpose of luring people to buy the paraphernalia . Because for bands like Santana or the Dead or the Doors, that would be selling out.

Which all sounds very high and mighty and thanks for thinking of us, the poor consumer, for keeping us from getting suckered into buying a vintage Blood, Sweat and Tears t-shirt, but we all know the moment the guy who runs Wolfgang's Vault starts kicking in about a penny for each listen, all of those extremely image-conscious bands will take their lawsuit and drop it faster then the President did the advice of the Iraq Study Group.

Long-standing live music venue, The Ivy Room, in Albany is also closing "as we know it." The current ownership relinquishes the premises in two weeks. Kimberly Chun and the Guardian have the details, scooping the East Bay Express on a story in its own hood. Snarky old us, we're waiting for the New Times/Village Voice Media owned Express's version in which we're told that The Ivy Room's closure is actually good for the Bay Area ... or is really all the fault of the invading white hipsters. White hipsters are the new terrorists.

Downtown Berkeley's Capoiera Arts Cafe is also in danger of closing. Its building is owned by non-profit traditional music organization, the Freight & Salvage which is planning on renovating the building and moving there from its current location on Addison Street, just off San Pablo and University Ave.

This just in and not published anywhere as of yet, Oakland's Auto3321 Gallery, one of the participants in the hipster invasion promoting Oakland Art Murmur, is also closing. They are being evicted by their landlord and prohibited from having public events from now until their move out date. They are on the look out for a new location.

SFist Sarah L, contributing.

In messaging that seems very tightly controlled by the Michael machine, GM and the filmmakers lead us through his initial success with Wham!, his solo career (which emerged nearly concurrently with his realization that he was, in his words, "a huge poofter"), and his (inevitable to anyone who has ever seen a famous person bio pic) struggles with fame, his record company, and the law.

Media trained nearly to a fault, even Michael's "spontaneous" self-effacement in the film's many interviews seems choreographed. Regardless of our feelings on Michael's calculated stubble, egotism, or collaborations with Elton john (shudder), there's something endearingly compelling about the man, but that charisma was left to stagnate in this doc. The opportunity to paint a deep and probing (shut up) portrait of the challenges of coming out -- and staying out -- in the public eye was squandered.

Sure, the walk down memory lane was a treat, as we recalled various Michael-tinged moments of our personal life (editing our middle school newspaper to "Careless Whisper", going to Derek Drockelman's house to watch the world premiere of the "I Want Your Sex" video, dancing to "Fastlove" at Bullwinkles). And, yes, we went home and blew a ton of dough downloading songs we haven't heard since the junior prom. But "ability to inspire nostalgia" ranks pretty far down on our list of documentary criteria. While we must say that we enjoyed ourselves through most of this film, it certainly evoked one more refrain from our adolescence: "Does Not Work Up To Potential."

He's gone now, but thoughts of earthquakes still run in our heads, and will soon invade our TV screens.
If you're like us, and prefer to partake in disaster nostalgia from the comfort of you own bed, the next two days will afford you ample opportunity.

Enter director Jeff Feuerzeig whose film “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” played at Sundance 2005 and won Feuerzeig the best direction award. SFist was lucky enough to catch the film at the San Francisco Independent Film Festival last year where it won the audience award for best documentary. Among many of the excellent rock biopics that have come out in recent years, “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” stands out because it portrays genius beset by mental illness and a form of self-destruction that you can’t blame on the musician. It is also one of the most touching films we’ve ever seen.

Henry Rosenthal, a San Francisco local, produced the film. “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” is being released this Friday, so make sure to check it out at one of the many area theaters it will be playing in. Henry submitted to the SFist interview process and provides insight into the film as well as tips for aspiring car jackers and nostalgia for lower bridge tolls.

Where can people see the film at?
The Devil and Daniel Johnston opens Bay Area wide on April 7 at the Lumiere in San Francisco, the Shattuck in Berkeley, the Aquarius Twin in Palo Alto, the Century Five in Pleasant Hill, the Marin Three in Sausalito, and the Camera Stadium 12 in San Jose.

What was the most surprising thing to you about Daniel Johnston?
I knew Daniel was creative, prolific, funny, unpredictable, and intense before I met him, but I was unprepared for his blinding brilliance that emerges in all sorts of ways. He uses his intelligence to manipulate a circus of activity around him for his own mysterious ends.

What's your favorite Daniel Johnston song?
“Speeding Motorcycle” recorded over the phone with Yo La Tengo during the famous WFMU broadcast. I could listen to it over and over again forever.

Daniel's life seems so tragic, and yet is music is hopeful-- why do you think this is?
The tragedy of Daniel’s life is the illness that afflicts him, but he has harnessed that illness to the extent he is able, and turned it into an incredible engine to drive his natural creativity and intelligence. I guess you could say he made lemonade for us all to enjoy.

What projects are you working on now?
Shepherding the release of The Devil and Daniel Johnston worldwide will occupy most of the next year, but I am also completing a documentary about Nollywood, the first digitally-based film industry in the world based in Nigeria and directed by Jamie Meltzer who made the incredible Off the Charts: The Song Poem Story.

Where's your favorite place to watch movies in the Bay Area?
The Dolby Laboratories screening room at 100 Potrero. Projection and sound don’t get better, and the seats are very comfy.

Maybe this is just stemming from a misplaced nostalgia for our fourth grade class, where everyone was required to buy the exact same edition of The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander, but we find something very appealing about the idea of the Library of Congress's One City One Book program.

The One City One Book program is a city-wide reading group program, where city librarians select a book and suggest that everyone in the city read it. To select random locations within the Gothamist family alone: New York read Chang Rae-Lee's Native Speaker in 2002. Chicago is reading The Ox-Bow Incident. DC read Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years. And Seattle kicked this entire trend off in 1998 by recommending Russell Banks's The Sweet Hereafter.

So San Francisco's librarians have picked local author Gus Lee's novel, China Boy, about an immigrant boy's harrowing experiences growing up in the Tenderloin in the 1950s. So pick it up -- and nod knowingly at the person sitting across from you on the MUNI reading the exact same book.

Diamond Nights are like The Darkness, without the piercing falsetto, Freddie Mercury unitards and campy excess. The Brooklyn four piece brought the rock to Cafe Du Nord on Sunday night to a full crowd of hipsters, leaving us to marvel at how San Franciscans are so consistently in-the-know about new music. NYC-based indie Kemado Records is the home to Diamond Nights' EP Once We Were Diamonds and forthcoming full length record, due out in August. Listen to an mp3 of "Destination Diamonds" here.

The set started with some technical difficulties, paralyzing singer Morgan Phalen into a singing-while-tuning-his-guitar stance, but once they worked out the kinks it was clear how tight they were as a band. The 'Nights don't indulge in the usual hard rock posturing (finger-pointing, high kicks) but their frontman at least looked the part, with his lanky frame and shoulder-length shag. Their sound conjures nostalgia for Thin Lizzy and even Judas Priest, leaning more toward good old-fashioned rock than metal. The heavy guitars veer from chugging Mr. Brownstone-esque licks to harmonizing leads. Phalen's voice is mostly working class rasp, reminiscent of Lizzy-leader Phil Lynott, with a few falsettos thrown in tastefully during choruses and hooks. These guys know that chops aren't just a way to wear your facial hair; they flexed their skills with a couple of proggy instrumental breakdowns complete with Journey-sounding keyboards and interlocking melodies.

Don't fret if you missed the big rock show -- "The Boys Are Back In Town" again at Cafe Du Nord on July 13th.

Image from the Diamond Nights website.