Thursday, February 18, 2010

Has this been thought all the way through?

Like a hyperevolved descendant of The Clapper, the devices will let television viewers navigate menus and control volume by moving their arms in a predefined patterns.
Sit real still when your team scores that come-from-behind game-tying touchdown, or you'll suddenly find yourself watching This Old House reruns with the volume turned to eleven and you'll have to do the Macarena really quick to get back in time for the extra point.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Didn't I read about this in HHGTG? What is so wrong with a wireless mouse, or a trackball integreated into the remote?

Jim

B_L said...

You would have to set it to rarely used movements like the boogiedown finger-shake and "the worm".

Stranger said...

It's better than a flashlight, at any rate.

Stranger

Anonymous said...

This seems like a fine idea without any means of abuse.

Let's see, new TV's are already web enabled, so two way communication is a given.

Add in a camera that the viewer needs to be in front of to control that communication device masquerading as a TV, and how far are we away from folks watching other folks watch TV?

Anonymous said...

No, the logical next step is to converge clapper technology with the Wii, then then you can help the avatars on your team actually score that come-from-behind score.

Who really needs all those over-pumped, over-hyped, over-paid flesh and bones douchebags on the field anyway?

Al Terego

Dominique said...

*This must be done!* I want to see a poorly thought out version of this device implemented, to be the bane of over-enthusiastic sports fans everywhere.

Word Verfication - meatua. There's a joke in there somewhere, but reaching around to find it might be unwise.

Joanna said...

That mental image -- I LOL'd and LOL'd.

Could this be classified as "hand-wavey" science?

Jeff the Baptist said...

"Didn't I read about this in HHGTG?"

Yes you did. Adams said that space radios were so advanced that you channels by waving your hands in the direct of the components, saying a brief prayer, and then staying very still once you found something you liked.

/rick said...

Hmm, Kabuki-controlled TV? Hai!

Anonymous said...

100% snark!

I was already LOL and then I got to the Makarena! I laughed til I cried!

monkeyfan said...

I sure hope that we'll be able to record our own presets.

...Although I'd be torn between whether I'd program a bird flip to change the channel to Fox or turn the TeeVee off....And dear god please don't let them hard-wire nutsack scratches.

wv: ingpitch

Newspeak for an Ingsoc ad campaign.

markm said...

Aside from the practicalities, a camera-equipped TV is just too 1984-ish for my taste.