MetaChat - Household tip #137

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12 December 2006

Household tip #137 You can often mute the TV even if the remote is facing in entirely the wrong direction!

post by: By the Grace of God at: 17:25 | 8 comments

yeah, radio waves can reflect off of things or something.

posted by stynxno 12 December | 17:31

When I was a kid, this didn't work, but i discovered that if I pointed the remote at my braces and smiled, it would change the channel.

posted by Specklet 12 December | 17:32

But only when the batteries are fresh, I've found. Specklet - cool! I want to get some fake metal teeth so I can do that. James Bond prop shop, here I come!

posted by TheDonF 12 December | 17:34

Rather freakily the remote on my Wii works two floors above where the Wii is. (Don't ask why I know this)

posted by seanyboy 12 December | 17:58

Remotes work by emitting a beam of red light. If you're aiming at something the light can bounce off of (smooth wall, mirror) and hit the TV, it'll work!

posted by Miko 12 December | 18:32

I love doing that.

posted by occhiblu 12 December | 18:43

It works with the TiVo too, although if you have that little peanut-shaped TiVo remote upside down, it'll rewind when you think you're fast-forwarding, because the buttons are backwards from what you think they are.

posted by matildaben 12 December | 19:56

Rather freakily the remote on my Wii works two floors above where the Wii is.
Some remotes used radio waves rather than light waves, so they can work anywhere within range, where light beams must have line-of-sight (even if reflected)

posted by dg 12 December | 22:28

← Ever have one of those days || Tacos →

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