Out of Control

Photo courtesy of Thinkstock.com

The other evening my husband stumbled onto a household dilemma. He aimed the remote to the television but there was no movement, just the same talking head on CNN complaining about this or that. What followed next amused me: lots of slapping the energy bar-sized remote against his palm, some fidgeting with the controls, and even a dissection of its back panel to test the batteries. Allan is not the type who can land on one station and be content for the evening, thus it was an early night for him.

The quandary did not end there. He contacted the company that makes our television, spoke to techie friends for advice and even budgeted time the following day to go to the hardware store to fetch new batteries. Nothing worked.

I could not help but recall the days of my youth, when there were only 13 channels that were changed by the interaction of human touch to the television dial. Yes, you had to get up out of your seat! In the later hours, programs would be replaced by a block of colored strips that aired to a sound that could deafen an animal. Ignorance is bliss, as this system worked.

We haven’t yet left the warmer months in which watching television while summer activities beckon should be an anathema. While the warm weather lasts, test it out—see what would happen if you went without a television and what would be missed.

By Jacqueline deMontravel