Cool Tech

TV-B-Gone

I really want one of these TV-B-Gone remote controls! What does it do? Nothing but turn TV's off -- it sends 209 IR turn off commands to TVs within range and can turn off an entire wall of TVs at once:

The European model, which uses different codes from the American-Asian one, was field-tested at EuroDisney, where anti-TV activist and computer programmer David Burke was waiting with his 6-year-old daughter to get on a ride called Honey I Shrunk the Kids. A wall of TVs in the waiting room showed a loop of constant Kodak ads. Burke had prototypes in his bag and made a bank of screens go off with one click.

I hate TV's as background noise and one of these puppies would be endless amounts of fun -- I'd love to use it in airports and bars where TVs often times present a great nuisance -- at least to me. Great social hacking tool!

Posted by Mayhem at October 19, 2004 01:32 PM