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Ignacio@lemmy.ml to Technology@lemmy.ml · 2 years ago

The buttons on Zenith’s original ‘clicker’ remote were a mechanical marvel

www.theverge.com

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The buttons on Zenith’s original ‘clicker’ remote were a mechanical marvel

www.theverge.com

Ignacio@lemmy.ml to Technology@lemmy.ml · 2 years ago
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  • cross-posted to:
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The buttons on Zenith’s original “clicker” remote were a mechanical marvel
www.theverge.com
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The Space Command fixed problems we still live with today.
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  • NightAuthor@beehaw.org
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    2 years ago

    Give me a Technology Connections (@[email protected]) video on it

    • mySFWaccount@lemmy.ca
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      2 years ago

      That was literally my first thought when I saw the article.

      • teacosts@lemmy.ml
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        2 years ago

        God, I love that man

        • Llcooljessie@lemm.ee
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          2 years ago

          “I’m about to talk about Christmas lights for an 70 minutes.”

          “Hell yeah, bro!”

          • Square Singer@feddit.de
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            2 years ago

            “This goofy fridge has a really clever design. It’s also kinda terrible.”

            63 minutes long, and still super enjoyable.

    • Square Singer@feddit.de
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      2 years ago

      Oh, I so want that!

  • Hot Saucerman@lemmy.ml
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    2 years ago

    I like the sounds of the tines! It’s basically just a tuning fork, so wild.

    • reverendz@lemmygrad.ml
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      2 years ago

      I’m old and still call the remote “the clicker”. My 7 year old wondered what the heck a clicker is.

      Cue old dad “back in my day, the remotes actually clicked” story.

      • Catweazle@social.vivaldi.net
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        2 years ago

        @reverendz @dingus, when I was young, I was the remote

  • MonsiuerPatEBrown@reddthat.com
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    1 year ago

    deleted by creator

    • SOB_Van_Owen@lemm.ee
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      2 years ago

      Yes! Those channel knobs were so easily broken. I thought we were the only ones turning channels with pair of vice-grips clamped on the nub.

  • SokathHisEyesOpen@lemmy.ml
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    2 years ago

    I had a Heathkit TV that used a variation of this design! If you held it really close to your ear then you could actually hear it emitting.

  • n2burns@lemmy.ca
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    2 years ago

    This was mentioned a couple of weeks ago on the Vergecast. I was wondering if someone was going to get assigned the article, and here it is!

  • agent_flounder@lemmy.ml
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    2 years ago

    That’s fancy. Our clicker only had two buttons for channel changing.

  • Prootje@kbin.social
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    2 years ago

    Never seen or heard from anyone using tape to mask their remotes. Is this really a thing?

    • sawdustprophet@midwest.social
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      2 years ago

      Never seen or heard from anyone using tape to mask their remotes. Is this really a thing?

      Not this exactly, but my grandparents had a guide taped to the backside of their remotes to make it easier to use.

      The tape strategy has some appeal, though, mainly in that I use maybe 5 buttons 95% of the time.

  • heluecht@pirati.ca
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    2 years ago

    @igalmarino In my childhood our remote worked by emitting electronically generated ultrasonic sounds. It looked like that one: kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/tel…

  • Llcooljessie@lemm.ee
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    2 years ago

    Those don’t take batteries and your click generates the electricity for the signal. Right? Like a wind up radio.

    • Hot Saucerman@lemmy.ml
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      2 years ago

      No, it’s a tuning fork that produces 4 seperate tones, one for each “button.” The TV had a microphone listening for tones and would respond accordingly. You didn’t actually have to point the remote at the TV, which later became a problem, as the mic on the TV was technically always listening for a tone.

      • Llcooljessie@lemm.ee
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        2 years ago

        Neat. I knew I could Cunningham Law this instead of doing research.

        • Hot Saucerman@lemmy.ml
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          2 years ago

          You can always count on fucking nerds to get excited about explaining something.

          • Llcooljessie@lemm.ee
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            2 years ago

            Cool. Now, where can we go to talk about CBB?

            • Hot Saucerman@lemmy.ml
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              2 years ago

              heynong.social? probably nowhere. or some weird earwolf forum.

        • indun@feddit.uk
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          2 years ago

          Unfortunately, you violated the law slightly by asking a question!

          Cunningham’s Law states “the best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; it’s to post the wrong answer.”

    • KᑌᔕᕼIᗩ@lemmy.ml
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      2 years ago

      Nope! It’s the sound that does the work. The TV has a microphone in it.

  • nanook@friendica.eskimo.com
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    2 years ago

    What I loved about these remotes is you could take out a set of car keys and shake them and watch the channel changer go berserk.

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