October 19, 2004

• So much more portable than an anvil!
• I bought one. It seems I can't set foot outside the door without a tv blaring somewhere: bars, restaurants, laundromats, gas pumps, even other people's cars. And as much as I dislike it I...can't...look...away from the bright shiny thing flickering in the corner.
• I want one of these for malfunctioning car alarms that go off every time there's a rainstorm/noise/sneeze. And for cellphone rings, because it's just not that amazing anymore to hear "Bootylicious" coming from the inside of someone else's backpack.
• I'm a convert. Since I moved here, I have steadfastly refused to buy a TV (notwithstanding the fact that a TV license is 121 quid!). And the free time just adds up! I've been taking walks in the park, going online, and reading more books.
• excellent. What's the URL for Bushbgone.com? oh.
• Ooh, and we could make one for people who wear too much cologne or perfume! Oh, and we could make one for people who talk too loud! And we could make one for people who order curry in a restaurant, because curry stinks. We could make one for people who drive orange cars, cause that's stupid. And we could make one for people who wear bow ties, or for people who put political signs up on their lawn, or for people who stand in line a few hours/days/weeks early for a movie or concert. If we're really clever, we can make one to divert people's web sites away from LiveJournals, since they're just a bunch of whiners anyways. And don't get me started on people who listen to the "Rock and/or Roll." And just in case you hadn't noticed, there was a hidden bit of sarcasm in the above paragraph. Can you find it?
• Sweet! This is just what I needed to finish out my "Activist Asshole" Halloween costume!
• Nobody likes preachy, self-righteous assholes. Well, maybe other preachy, self-righteous assholes. But that's about it. Turn off a TV I'm watching and I'll "emancipate" the lips right off yer face.
• Can you find it? I can, and now I can see that I was just being too subtle in my earlier comment. But, maybe less sarcastically, I wonder if there's a device akin to a radar-jammer you can buy for your TV to fight this device. Other than just a piece of duct tape over the IR receiver on the TV itself, which is perhaps a bit too much brute force.
• You might have been, el_hombre, but I just wanted to make sure the point was made with the precision subtlety of about 10 kicks to the groin. It was mostly the "second-hand smoke" thing from the source article that set me off, really.
• Oh, and because most remote controls work off of infrared light, there's really no good way to block it short of your low-tech solution. However, that solution will work awfully well, so I don't think you should discard it.
• It will also turn any tv on, for those of you who can't get enough.
• OK, well I'm downstairs to a nice public place for lunch while I watch a bit of educational TV
• Oh hell everyone, lighten up. Who cares if they can turn your tv on or off. I love the tube, but I can live without it if others don't wanna watch. If I really want to watch tv, I watch it at home, not when I am having a drink (except at sports bars) or going out to dinner. It get's obnoxious then. I even get tv shoved in my face while waiting in line at the grocery store! Get your tv fix at home for god's sake.
• Do they make one of these for anger?
• "Anger"? I can't stop laughing! I think this is invention is brilliant. It is meant as a novelty or practical joke, isn't it?
• Everytime I've been subjected to some TV blaring away, tuned to an inane infotainment/soap/crap program, while in a waiting room, I've thought of using my programmable remote or setting up my old palm as a remote, and switch over to the Simpsons, or just turn it off, undetected. But the remote is way too bulky to lug around and my old palm is gathering dust in some drawer somewhere in my place. So, I just read the decade-old magazines or doze off.
• yeah this is supposed to be funny. But people who are so proud of not watching tv have always bugged me. If that's your choice, fine. But don't think not doing something makes you intelligent. To me it's the same thing as exclaiming with pride "I never read books" or "I never pick up a newspaper." And yeah, reality shows suck, but the irony is, in total, there is probably more good stuff on TV than ever before. I mean- I have like 6 Discovery channels!
• See, the problem is not whether you want to watch TV or not. The problem is that the device is for times when you want to turn off a TV in a public place. However, the FAQ points out that there are two good alternatives: leave, or ask whomever is controlling the TV to turn the thing off. If you have already made sure that everyone is okay with turning the TV off, why would you need the little sneaky remote? Sure, there'll be the occasional situation where you're stuck in a room, with nobody tending the TV, and you have no way of reaching it, because it's well out of reach. But seriously, how often will that happen, and how many people want to buy the thing for that situation? In a non-sarcastic manner, I will say that it basically comes down to the age-old battle between "I have a right to do this," and "I have a right not to be exposed to you doing this." If exceptions to personal freedom are going to be made for one thing, such as television, does that mean that I get to pick something that annoys me about you and tell you not to do it? Yes, the device is just a stupid example of this, but it's just the latest in a line of them. And no, el hombre it's not just a joke. Responding to the accusation that it sounded like unaccountable power, Burke said, "You've heard about the battle for eyeballs. They're your eyeballs. You should not have your consciousness constantly invaded. Television people are getting better and better at finding ways of roping us into TV where we can't get away." Frankly, I watch my own TV when I get home, and I use my TiVO to make sure I watch exactly what I want, without all of the waste television that is a blight on non-TiVO life. I'm not a big fan of TV when I'm out and about, but some people are, and "TV Activists" annoy me.
• And no, el hombre it's not just a joke. For public TVs, the IR port is simply not meant to be secure. This is usually not a problem, but if it becomes one, I'm sure someone will put out a TV or aftermarket gizmo that replaces IR remotes with something like radio, encoded/tagged IR signals, SMS via cellphone for all I know, or anything else that isn't so easily faked out. (Taking off my serious hat. It looks like this: ^)
• My only TV pet peeve are the viewing screens pasted on the ceilings of SUVs (have they ever heard of seatback screens like on airlines??) You're in a world of hurt when one of those is dazzling in front of you during a long-distance night drive.
• Sure, there'll be the occasional situation where you're stuck in a room, with nobody tending the TV, and you have no way of reaching it, because it's well out of reach. But seriously, how often will that happen, and how many people want to buy the thing for that situation? That's exactly why I bought it. I'm not interested in playing pranks or being the annoying anti-TV activist. But I'm genuinely bothered by TVs blaring informercials in my face when I'm standing alone at the gas pump, or trying to do my laundry, or waiting for the mechanic to finish with my car. I can't just ignore it, there's no one to ask to turn it off, and I'm trapped there.
• This reminds me of the French cellphone jamming thread a while back. The irony to me is that these people try to come off as champions of courtesy, yet they seem to have forgotten the basics of living in a society. i.e., if someone bothers you on his phone in the movie theatre, why not lean over and say politely "could you please keep it down?", as people have done for years when someone was talking. Why look for a technological solution when good old courtesy would usually do the trick? (OK, maybe you can't have TVs turned off in waiting rooms etc, but step outside, bring a book, headphones, whatever)
• Then I fully support your purchase of the device, Cali. I'm sure, he wrote with a tinge of self-deprecating humor, that you feel far better about your purchase now. ;) For the cell-phone jamming, well...I'm not opposed, if you own a building, to construct it in such a way that broadcast waves such as cell-phones can't enter certain rooms. I think that's your right, as a building owner, to allow or disallow such things. However, if it's a device that another movie-goer owns, because he doesn't want his neighbor talking on the phone, that would annoy me. I didn't read the latest french cellphone jamming thread, but I've seen both styles in the past. Sandspider: Moral compass for a new generation.
• I got to admit that I like the anarchistic streak to this.
• holy crap it made the NPR news tonight. THAT was fast.
• Good times. Yeah. ...
• Drjimmy-- i don't know if you've tried being polite to people talking on cell phones or just talking in a movie theater recently, but they don't take it too well. I believe the usual response i've heard is "Fuck off"
• I have to admit I have never asked anyone to be quiet in a movie theatre, I usually just tolerate it. I havent ever actually heard anyone TALKING on the phone during a movie- they ring occasionally, but people dont answer. And nowadays we have that commercial with the Indians hunting buffalo before every movie (at least here in L.A.) My point was more that people have always been rude, technology or no technology- cell phones aren't causing rudeness, it's just a part of society.
• Huh. Websitebgone. Was there like a movie or something there? Because boom, 5 gigs of bandwidth a day exceeded... I personally suck at watching television these days. Setting myself on a schedule to watch x show at y time takes a real concerted effort. Once you get out of the habit it is hard to make yourself sit in front of a box at regimented times.
• I know it's all trendy to say "haha, stupid TV, this guy's awesome 'cause he's taking away people's addictions." But I wonder how many of the people who think this is just a fabulous idea would react differently if his crusade was more to the religious right than to the more-intellectual-than-thou left. If he was marketing these as a way to turn off televisions because of the sexualization of America and the immorality of homosexuality on our television sets...would you feel the same way? If someone turned off a TV in a bar because it was "endorsing homsexuality" instead of "endorsing consumerism," would your opinion be different? If so, shut the hell up. I think a lot of people are only supporting this as long as it's used exactly in their specific, anti-corporate way. But why? If the government, or - as I've just said - someone from the religious right tried to control your television viewing or that of average Americans, you'd be upset. And rightfully so. So why is it any better just because this guy supposedly carries an anti-corporate message? He still feels like he knows best, and can be a good daddy for all our adult American citizens.
• This is pretty much up there with people who go around with scissors cutting the ends off of people's cigarettes. No one hates smoking more than I do, but that's just an invitation for someone to kick your ass.
• If the government, or - as I've just said - someone from the religious right tried to control your television viewing or that of average Americans, you'd be upset. And rightfully so. The FCC fined Fox quite a few thousand dollars for showing a breast during the superbowl. It seems like the government is already controlling television viewing.
• Wasn't it CBS?
• An simple off switch seems a bit crude. How about a remote volume control and just TURN THE FUCKING THING DOWN thank you
• musingmelpomene: That's a good point, and an excellent way to get at the heart of the subject. I don't like the idea of one that is designed only to work on episodes of will and grace, PBS or what-have-you, but I don't mind a general-purpose one marketed to "stop immorality." Why? Mostly because tv-immorality is crap-- it's sex used to sell shit, sex used for the same purposes of marketing as everything else. Not much sympathy from me. Even if the tv were spreading the gospel of "gays are a-ok" to the children of the bible belt, that would still be damned propaganda. In any case, I don't really think it's a question of controlling others' viewing habits. Sure, you can be a jerk, and turn it off every time the people watching turn it back on, but sooner or later you'll get socked and rightly so. This is more casual, for when people who don't care look at the box to kill time and avoid thought and action. God knows I've done that often enough.
• It requires a minimum of mental discipline to ignore a TV set in a bar or laundromat. This device comes across as something designed to annoy others and impose your will, rather than anything truly helpful. Perhaps what the world needs is a remote to turn on "consideration of others".
• Being a humble pleb, I much prefer to indulge my misanthropy by using a house brick to interrupt someone's viewing pleasure.
• It requires a minimum of mental discipline to ignore a TV set in a bar or laundromat. This is not true for everyone. It all depends on the sensitivity and quality of integration of one's visual and auditory senses. TV can be profoundly disorganizing for some people-- for example, those like my son with autism spectrum disorders, or for some people with seizure disorders. I am not as sensitive as my son, but I am senstive enough auditorily that if a TV is turned to sufficent volume (well within the limits of what most people find a good listening range), I cannot ignore a TV, and cannot concentrate much on anything else. Eventually, I become irritable, disorganized, my ears hurt, and I get a headache. Furthermore, some of these symptoms last even after the TV is off. So if I'm trapped in a public space with a TV (like my son's pediatrician's office, or the emergency room), I'm pretty much doomed to an afternoon of irritability, poor concentration, and headache. And even if I ask politely, receptionists often won't or aren't allowed to turn the TV off. Many doctor's offices now have a health infotainment channel on constantly that they are paid to leave on, for example. I'd pay big bucks for this item (even bigger bucks for one that just turned the volume down). I empathize with your boredom waiting in public spaces with no TV, but believe me, having the TV off is not going to be as painful for you as having it on is for me.
• krebs cycle, if your son was allergic to peanuts instead of having an autistic spectrum disorder, would you expect everyone around you in public places never to eat peanuts? Or would you be a decent human being and not force your kid's problems on people without them, by going to places where there was a minimal risk of peanut encounters?
• I'm really surprised at the reaction to this. I'm like krebs cycle in that I can't just tune it out, though for me it's the flicking light more than the sound. Still, I saw this as a simple way to eliminate what I thought was a common annoyance. Kind of like equipping people with fly swatters, or shutting the window when a car alarm goes off. The idea that I might be stomping on someone's personal liberties by turning off a public tv seems a little silly to me. It's not their tv, they didn't turn it on or choose the program, and they're free to turn it back on anytime they want.
• But it's not your TV either.
• Or would you be a decent human being and not force your kid's problems on people without them, by going to places where there was a minimal risk of [insert offensive substance]? musingmelpomene, excuse me, but my example of where this really bugs me is in medical offices and emergency rooms. How am I supposed to avoid taking my autistic son to medical offices and emergency rooms? As for the peanut analogy, three classrooms in my son's public school are peanut-free (the kids eat two snacks a day in the classroom), because kids in the classes have peanut allergies. He happens to have ended up in one of them, and I happily abide by this limitation despite the fact that my son has failure to thrive because of his autism and only eats two protein-source foods, cheese and peanut butter. He can have peanut butter at home. And you can watch TV at home, and in bars, and at the gas pump, and the laundromat, etc., etc., and even at the doctor's office when my son and I aren't there. How does it hurt you to turn it off when we are there?
• Sorry - does the TV bug Krebs or Krebs Jr? (he asks respectfully)
• I mean - I dig from your comment that TV is not so cool for the little krebs (in addition to the big version)? This is so, yes? Do tell more I pray (if you can).
• Overly loud TV makes krebs jr hyper and excitable, and increases his self-stimulatory behaviors-- particularly vocalizing constantly. This actually doesn't bother him at all; he likes being hyper, excitable, and making both communicative and noncommunicative noises constantly. But it drives mommy-krebs absolutely crazy. However, the TV actually affects me much more than it affects him. He's somewhat hyper, excitable, and a noise-maker anyway. But I try to be calm, attentive, and not too irritable most of the time, and loud TV just destroys that for me. If I'm alone, I can deal. But when I'm with krebs jr I really need to not be irritable and nasty. Nevertheless, I'm not saying no one should ever watch TV around me. I don't mind TV in bars and restaraunts. I know its part of the entertainment experience there, and musingmelpome is right in that context. I can always pick a quieter restaraunt next time. What drives me crazy is TV in settings where I am essentially a captive audience, and what drives me especially crazy is TV in settings where I'm a captive audience, my son and I both have to be there, its playing something no-one in their right mind would want to watch anyway, like paid infotainment programming, and the situation is stressful in nature even without the TV. Doctors offices are the prime example of this. Another place I think that remote could be useful is at the gas pump, where they sometimes have little TVs installed in the pump itself so you have to watch advertisements while you pump your gas. Sure, I can go somewhere else in that context, but does anybody actually want to watch ads while they pump their gas, or would I being doing a favor for everybody by turning the dang things off?
• Btw, musingmelpomene, it sure would be convenient to be able to park in those first few spaces right next to the front door of all the stores in the country. Why should a few physically handicapped people be allowed to inconvenience me by getting those parking spaces reserved to them by law? If they were "decent human beings", they'd roll their chairs a few extra feet or have someone drive them to the store so they could be dropped off at the door, right?
• I like this krebs jr fellow - what with his hyperactivity, self-stimulatory behaviors and vocalisations. Sounds quite the little autistic cutie (although possibly a handful at times)!
• I don't think many people would object to the use of this device for medical purposes. It's probably rather shocking to most that this device could have a medical purpose, but on becoming aware, I'd expect most to suport this use of it. I think this argument revolves around non-medical use of the device. I don't suppose you take your kid to the sports bar often. I'd expect that in an effort to cater for your son, you're careful to not take him to places that'd upset him when it's avoidable. wish the link worked so I could get some first-hand info about the device
• The primary purpose of this device is to be a jerk. If you have a medical aversion to TV, then that's an excellent reason to ask the others in the room if they'd mind if you turned it off (or down). Other than that, if it's not your TV...keep your hands (and infra-red devices) off of it.