Now, nearly two decades and many computer operating systems later, with Mr. Friedman's conviction for an attempt to have a politically connected firm bribe its way into city contracts faded from memory, the city is going ahead once again with plans to buy hand-held computers to issue tickets.
For those who would rather it contracted and faded, figuring out its nature should be a priority.
In 1992 Prince announced a new $100m deal with Warner Bros, but the shine faded when he found that the contract deprived him of ownership of his master recordings.
He's not a natural dancer: there's no liquidity to his body, which often moves in tight, contracted sequences that are faded copies of the routines his background team is executing.
Eventually Barney faded from the strip, and the title contracted to Snuffy Smith.
Crawford works hard and seems to genuinely care, but his poor performance at the start of a $142 million contract underscores that the golden era has faded.
Some L.S.S.I. customers have ended their contracts, while in other places, opposition has faded with time.
No matter how many number retirement ceremonies we throw, it doesn't change the fact that the New York Yankees are bloated with ill-conceived, long-term contracts, inexplicably garnished with no-trade clauses to aging, faded stars from another decade.
It was always the intention, from the founding of ICANN, for that contract to fade away as the internet community developed oversight mechanisms that could replace NTIA's role.
