I ran across this and couldn't resist posting about it ... A guy in California has invented a keychain gizmo -- you click the button and it will turn off any remote-controlled TV. It works because he's programmed it with the "off" codes for every known type of remote.
This could come in handy in restaurants, airports, waiting rooms and other public spaces. Reclaim quiet reading space from the yackety idiot box!
Of course, civility would demand that you get the consent of your neighbors before punching the button. I image it might be tempting to secretly punch it and then say, "Oh darn, the TV must have broke!" But that wouldn't be very nice, would it?
This device confirms my suspicion that TV as a genre is in decline. The vaunted computer -- the networked computer, to be exact -- is displacing TV as the primary means of communication, entertainment, and recreation. In the way that TV eclipsed radio in generations past, TV won't go away entirely. It will remain important in many respects, but TV seems to losing its "top dog" status, at least at this moment. As a reader, I can't say I'm overly sad about that. I love the way computers are reaffirming the importance of the writing and reading.
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