A view of my remote corner

Although it's not often watched, there is a television in our bedroom. We tend to use the radio in the mini hifi audio system much more, but I've always thought a TV could come in useful if either of us became bedridden for a period.  When we found ourselves with a spare VCR recorder and DVD player, we hooked those up as well.  Then our son organised for us one of those little boxes so that we could receive digital TV.

As a result, there is this remote corner in the bedroom.

Also in the line-up are a couple of phone hand-pieces and the control unit for the air-conditioner.  Just about eveything is remotely controlled these days.

My old faithful clock-radio in the background has no remote control unit, but I would never give it up.  Whenever I sneak open one eye during the night, its glowing red numerals always let me know precisely what time it is.

BUT...  I'd like a dollar for every time I've tried to change the radio volume with my telephone... or switch off the television with the aircon controls.

As for using all of the buttons available on each of these gadgets ...  I am the more knowledgeable one in the household, but the extent of that knowledge is pretty well limited to 'off', and 'on', or for volume / temperature variations, 'up' and 'down'.  When an appliance accidentally becomes detuned, we just wait patiently for the aforesaid son to visit and put things right.

Sadly, I was born a couple of decades too late to take advantage of a lot of this new technology.  They don't seem to make any low-tech stuff any more, so we all end up buying equipment with features that will never be used.

Comments

[elsewhere]

Bloody oath! And I thought I was bad with four remote controls in the living room.

[Tjilpi]

And soon you'll have another grandchild who, in a couple of years time, will conveniently re-arrange your re-mo-cons and place them in places you'll find months later, or turn the temp up to 36C in mid-summer.

[Alice]

It would be lovely to have a techo offspring. We seemed to have missed out, consequently the VCR that we bought 3 years ago is still only tuned to 2 channels, try as we might to tune in the rest. So we only very occasionally watch a video and never record anything. I guess we'll have to get someone with a little more nous than us to fix it sometime, but we never seem to think of it. Your son is not planning a trip to Canberra, is he?

[kerrin]

As my other half just shakes his head at my lack of techno know how, my granddaughter set up my mobile phone for me hence my ring tone is the Batman theme. Which is a good thing as it is very recognisable and I always know when its my phone ringing in shopping centres.

[Val]

What an array of remotes! My husband and I can barely manage the TV and video remotes, although I have finely stopped saying "What's wrong with getting out of the chair to change etc etc?" Fortunately we have Techie Son still living at home as a convenient Mr Fixit, if you can survive the snide comments about our ineptitude. However, I am the resident champ at the mini computer which controls the heating (very important in Melbourne now!).

And Jude I couldn't agree more about the comforting glow of the clock radio readout in the middle of the night, especially if it's 1:11 or 2:22 or 3:33 etc. That's a weird thing I was going to put into a "100 things about me" list like you had a while back, but never got around to.

[kattbanjo]

Do all of them have the backs on them? None of mine do thanks to the children dropping and stepping on them. I personally hate the glow of our alarm clock. I can see it through my eyelids. My husband keeps our alarm set to mariachi music at top volume because it's the only way he'll get out of bed. Of course, I have a panic attack at 5:30 every morning when it goes off. He refuses to change it so every morning he hits the alarm and I hit him. You would think after years of this our routine would change, but sadly, no .....
Cat

[Jude]

Yes, Cat - they all still have their backs on, although we are forever having to open them to change the batteries.

Alarm clocks never worry me these days. Now in retirement I mostly manage to schedule my life so that there are no early risings. Right through my working life I never managed to come to terms with that sickening feeling of being woken by an alarm. When necessary the clock was set to 'radio' - and a program of classical music.