Tech heads and gadget freaks are abuzz this week over TV-B-Gone, a "universal remote controller" with only one button, and only one purpose: to turn televisions off.
While it's been bouncing around for a while, the firestorm didn't start until Wired News wrote about it yesterday. The Slashdot folks went bonkers. Now the debate is spreading fast. Not surprisingly, the TV-B-Gone site itself is gone quite a bit, overwhelmed with the traffic.
So. Is it just a goofy gadget for mostly harmless pranking, a social statement against the ills of a TV-saturated culture (like the inventor says), or (like laser pointers in movie theaters) yet another way for people to be annoying?
Turning off Oprah in an unattended laundromat is one thing. Turning off all TVs in a sports bar during game seven? You better run for your life, pal.
While it's been bouncing around for a while, the firestorm didn't start until Wired News wrote about it yesterday. The Slashdot folks went bonkers. Now the debate is spreading fast. Not surprisingly, the TV-B-Gone site itself is gone quite a bit, overwhelmed with the traffic.
So. Is it just a goofy gadget for mostly harmless pranking, a social statement against the ills of a TV-saturated culture (like the inventor says), or (like laser pointers in movie theaters) yet another way for people to be annoying?
Turning off Oprah in an unattended laundromat is one thing. Turning off all TVs in a sports bar during game seven? You better run for your life, pal.
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