I don't think the industry is getting dumber.

I remember learning a lot from 1980s computer books with jokes and cartoons when I was older than 10, for example http://wiki.c2.com/?ThinkingForth , or the Fortran colouring book.

I'm not sure I'd've got on with ones where all the text is in cartoons, though. Too hard to scan, perhaps.

It was best when the cartoons were doing double service as diagrams showing what was going on inside the computer.