h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A remote control as an idea is great. I sit accross the room and control stuff.

This isn't the case though, we spend five minutes walking around the room in question, trying to find the remote control.

Another thing is, there is a remote control for everything these days. The problem of finding a remote control is compounded by the numberous decoy remote controls that operate other pieces of equipment.

Problems do not stop when the correct control is found. Does anybody know what all the buttons do on their remote control(s)? I don't.

The final straw for me is when I have taken the batteries out of the required remote to put in my personal stereo (yes, I know I shouldn't) and have to walk to the shops to get some more batteries.

Maybe the remote control should be advertised as an exercise aid??

I just wanted to add a note to the effect that not only are remote controls aggravating and energy-consuming, but also stupid (rather like many small dogs). The most idiotic function I have turned up so far on a remote was an 'eject' button on a video controller - yeah great, but unless, like Matilda, you've mastered telekinesis, how're you supposed, from your comfy position on the sofa, to do anything about the video now poking out like an insolent tongue from the machine? You can't even change your mind and put it back in (unless you throw the remote at the tape, knocking it back in, whereupon you have no way of making it play... and so it goes on). Just another of those handy little things designed to seem really helpful, only to then piss you off and waste your time.

With the one we have the eject button is simply pressing the stop button twice. So besides not having a use for it, if we accidently push the stop button twice we have to walk over to the video and put the tape back in. Yup, excercise.

I find a very long stick helps to push things back in.
And while we are on the subject, when I am playing music on my CDplayer, if I want to leave the room, I press 'pause' and leave it on my bed, but when I come back to my room, the remote is on my bed, and so I can't have music instantly. The obvious solution to this, is to take the remote with me, when I go to get a cup of tea. The only problem with this, is that I have to go right up to the machine, and aim it at the sensor to get it to work. yet another example of technology not helping lazy people like me.

Just an other case of people negating the sense of things just because of their own limitations. Not knowing what to do with an eject button on a remote control is a personal problem, not a problem of the butto being there. My highly priced stereo system looks like new (a plus if I want to sell it some day) because I almost never touch its front.

The worst thing is that with remotes coming with everything you no longer have the set up etc buttons on the appliance which can be a real bugger if you lose the remote

even more irritating is when they are sat on or in some way activated indirectly - "DOH! i was recording that!"