GADGET: SILENCING THE IDIOT BOX

By N'gai Croal | NEWSWEEK
From the magazine issue dated Nov 1, 2004
 

Email To A Friend

Please fill in the following information and we'll email this link.

Separate multiple addresses with commas

SPONSORED BY
 

America has a love-hate relationship with television. HBO and the Discovery Channel, mostly good; reality TV and cable news, often bad. But no matter which shows people watch, everyone agrees that television is becoming more pervasive. Anywhere you go--a restaurant, bar, airport, etc.--a TV can be found. Now San Francisco engineer Mitch Altman--who compares TVs in public places to secondhand smoke--has what some might call a vigilante solution to the problem: TV-B-Gone, a $14.99 infrared gadget that can remotely shut off about 1,000 models of TV sets. The device has struck a nerve; Altman's initial stock sold out in just two days.

© 2004

Label

Newsweek Top Stories
NEWSWEEK's 20/10
NEWSWEEK's 20/10

Our decade-in-review project recalls the highs and lows of the last 10 years.

Obama's Promises
Obama's Promises

Is the new president fulfilling his campaign pledges? Or falling short?

The Decade in 7 Minutes
The Decade in 7 Minutes

Video: A fast-paced review of the best and worst moments. Don't blink.

Accidental Celebrities
Accidental Celebrities

From Levi Johnston to Elian Gonzalez, these people never expected to be in the spotlight.

Discuss

Sponsored by
 
The Greediest People of All Time
From Bernard Madoff to AIG, Wall Street has reinvented excess. But the Masters of the Universe didn't invent greed. A look at the despots, robber barons and others who made our shortlist.
Are We All Socialists Now?
Photos: What About Us?
What CEOs Got Away With
The Rich Behaving Badly
The Biggest Economic Blunders
Blog: The Wealth of Nations
 
 
PHOTOS
Wall Street's problems have captured the attention of Congress, the White House and the media. But on the country's Main Streets ordinary folks are wondering if anyone is paying attention to them. A look at how Americans are coping with the economic crisis.
Photos: Kicked Out, America's Housing Crisis
Photos: What CEOs Got Away With
Photos: Recession-Proof Jobs
The Economy: How Worried Should You Be?
For the latest coverage, click here.