Hel'n
10-20-2004, 06:53 PM
SAN JOSE, California Plenty of people love television, but apparently some have had enough of it.
.
A new key chain gadget that lets people turn off most televisions - including those in public places like airports and restaurants - is selling at a faster clip than it would take most people to surf the channels on their sets.
.
"I thought there would just be a trickle, but we are swamped," the inventor, Mitch Altman of San Francisco, said Tuesday. "I didn't know there were so many people who were into turning TV off."
.
Hundreds of orders for Altman's $14.99 TV-B-Gone gadget poured in Tuesday after the tiny remote control was announced in online media outlets. At times, the unexpected attention overloaded and crashed the Web site of Altman's company, Cornfield Electronics.
.
The keychain fob works like a universal remote control but one that only turns televisions on or off. With a zap of a button, the gizmo goes through a string of about 200 infrared codes that are used to control the power button on about 1,000 television models. Altman said the majority of televisions should react within 17 seconds.
.
Altman first got the idea for TV-B-Gone a decade ago, when he was out with friends at a restaurant and they found themselves all glued to the television instead of talking to each other.
.
The self-described geek started tinkering full-time on the project a few years ago with help from money he had earned from a company he co-founded, the data-storage maker 3ware.
.
Altman remembers spending most of his childhood unwittingly captivated by television, watching shows regardless of whether they were entertaining.
.
He quit as an adult and has not owned a television in 24 years.
.
He has tested the TV-B-Gone remote discreetly in many places, including in other countries, and - with the exception of Hong Kong - says he usually gets little to no reaction after the background television noise disappears.
.
But he said he would never dare kill the machines in places like sports bars, where televisions are expected to be on.
.
"I can be mischievous, but I'm not going to do anything malicious, and I don't want to make anyone's life more difficult," Altman said. "I just don't like TV, and I'd like people to think more about this powerful medium in their lives."
.
Altman does not contend that all television is bad. "There's just so little time in all of our lives," he said. "Why should we spend so much time on something we don't necessarily enjoy?"
.
So beware: Next time you're at a laundry or restaurant, the blaring television might just mysteriously turn off.
.SAN JOSE, California Plenty of people love television, but apparently some have had enough of it.
.
A new key chain gadget that lets people turn off most televisions - including those in public places like airports and restaurants - is selling at a faster clip than it would take most people to surf the channels on their sets.
.
"I thought there would just be a trickle, but we are swamped," the inventor, Mitch Altman of San Francisco, said Tuesday. "I didn't know there were so many people who were into turning TV off."
.
Hundreds of orders for Altman's $14.99 TV-B-Gone gadget poured in Tuesday after the tiny remote control was announced in online media outlets. At times, the unexpected attention overloaded and crashed the Web site of Altman's company, Cornfield Electronics.
.
The keychain fob works like a universal remote control but one that only turns televisions on or off. With a zap of a button, the gizmo goes through a string of about 200 infrared codes that are used to control the power button on about 1,000 television models. Altman said the majority of televisions should react within 17 seconds.
.
Altman first got the idea for TV-B-Gone a decade ago, when he was out with friends at a restaurant and they found themselves all glued to the television instead of talking to each other.
.
The self-described geek started tinkering full-time on the project a few years ago with help from money he had earned from a company he co-founded, the data-storage maker 3ware.
.
Altman remembers spending most of his childhood unwittingly captivated by television, watching shows regardless of whether they were entertaining.
.
He quit as an adult and has not owned a television in 24 years.
.
He has tested the TV-B-Gone remote discreetly in many places, including in other countries, and - with the exception of Hong Kong - says he usually gets little to no reaction after the background television noise disappears.
.
But he said he would never dare kill the machines in places like sports bars, where televisions are expected to be on.
.
"I can be mischievous, but I'm not going to do anything malicious, and I don't want to make anyone's life more difficult," Altman said. "I just don't like TV, and I'd like people to think more about this powerful medium in their lives."
.
Altman does not contend that all television is bad. "There's just so little time in all of our lives," he said. "Why should we spend so much time on something we don't necessarily enjoy?"
.
So beware: Next time you're at a laundry or restaurant, the blaring television might just mysteriously turn off.
.SAN JOSE, California Plenty of people love television, but apparently some have had enough of it.
.
A new key chain gadget that lets people turn off most televisions - including those in public places like airports and restaurants - is selling at a faster clip than it would take most people to surf the channels on their sets.
.
"I thought there would just be a trickle, but we are swamped," the inventor, Mitch Altman of San Francisco, said Tuesday. "I didn't know there were so many people who were into turning TV off."
.
Hundreds of orders for Altman's $14.99 TV-B-Gone gadget poured in Tuesday after the tiny remote control was announced in online media outlets. At times, the unexpected attention overloaded and crashed the Web site of Altman's company, Cornfield Electronics.
.
The keychain fob works like a universal remote control but one that only turns televisions on or off. With a zap of a button, the gizmo goes through a string of about 200 infrared codes that are used to control the power button on about 1,000 television models. Altman said the majority of televisions should react within 17 seconds.
.
Altman first got the idea for TV-B-Gone a decade ago, when he was out with friends at a restaurant and they found themselves all glued to the television instead of talking to each other.
.
The self-described geek started tinkering full-time on the project a few years ago with help from money he had earned from a company he co-founded, the data-storage maker 3ware.
.
Altman remembers spending most of his childhood unwittingly captivated by television, watching shows regardless of whether they were entertaining.
.
He quit as an adult and has not owned a television in 24 years.
.
He has tested the TV-B-Gone remote discreetly in many places, including in other countries, and - with the exception of Hong Kong - says he usually gets little to no reaction after the background television noise disappears.
.
But he said he would never dare kill the machines in places like sports bars, where televisions are expected to be on.
.
"I can be mischievous, but I'm not going to do anything malicious, and I don't want to make anyone's life more difficult," Altman said. "I just don't like TV, and I'd like people to think more about this powerful medium in their lives."
.
Altman does not contend that all television is bad. "There's just so little time in all of our lives," he said. "Why should we spend so much time on something we don't necessarily enjoy?"
.
So beware: Next time you're at a laundry or restaurant, the blaring television might just mysteriously turn off.
.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/10/20/business/tvoff.html
.
A new key chain gadget that lets people turn off most televisions - including those in public places like airports and restaurants - is selling at a faster clip than it would take most people to surf the channels on their sets.
.
"I thought there would just be a trickle, but we are swamped," the inventor, Mitch Altman of San Francisco, said Tuesday. "I didn't know there were so many people who were into turning TV off."
.
Hundreds of orders for Altman's $14.99 TV-B-Gone gadget poured in Tuesday after the tiny remote control was announced in online media outlets. At times, the unexpected attention overloaded and crashed the Web site of Altman's company, Cornfield Electronics.
.
The keychain fob works like a universal remote control but one that only turns televisions on or off. With a zap of a button, the gizmo goes through a string of about 200 infrared codes that are used to control the power button on about 1,000 television models. Altman said the majority of televisions should react within 17 seconds.
.
Altman first got the idea for TV-B-Gone a decade ago, when he was out with friends at a restaurant and they found themselves all glued to the television instead of talking to each other.
.
The self-described geek started tinkering full-time on the project a few years ago with help from money he had earned from a company he co-founded, the data-storage maker 3ware.
.
Altman remembers spending most of his childhood unwittingly captivated by television, watching shows regardless of whether they were entertaining.
.
He quit as an adult and has not owned a television in 24 years.
.
He has tested the TV-B-Gone remote discreetly in many places, including in other countries, and - with the exception of Hong Kong - says he usually gets little to no reaction after the background television noise disappears.
.
But he said he would never dare kill the machines in places like sports bars, where televisions are expected to be on.
.
"I can be mischievous, but I'm not going to do anything malicious, and I don't want to make anyone's life more difficult," Altman said. "I just don't like TV, and I'd like people to think more about this powerful medium in their lives."
.
Altman does not contend that all television is bad. "There's just so little time in all of our lives," he said. "Why should we spend so much time on something we don't necessarily enjoy?"
.
So beware: Next time you're at a laundry or restaurant, the blaring television might just mysteriously turn off.
.SAN JOSE, California Plenty of people love television, but apparently some have had enough of it.
.
A new key chain gadget that lets people turn off most televisions - including those in public places like airports and restaurants - is selling at a faster clip than it would take most people to surf the channels on their sets.
.
"I thought there would just be a trickle, but we are swamped," the inventor, Mitch Altman of San Francisco, said Tuesday. "I didn't know there were so many people who were into turning TV off."
.
Hundreds of orders for Altman's $14.99 TV-B-Gone gadget poured in Tuesday after the tiny remote control was announced in online media outlets. At times, the unexpected attention overloaded and crashed the Web site of Altman's company, Cornfield Electronics.
.
The keychain fob works like a universal remote control but one that only turns televisions on or off. With a zap of a button, the gizmo goes through a string of about 200 infrared codes that are used to control the power button on about 1,000 television models. Altman said the majority of televisions should react within 17 seconds.
.
Altman first got the idea for TV-B-Gone a decade ago, when he was out with friends at a restaurant and they found themselves all glued to the television instead of talking to each other.
.
The self-described geek started tinkering full-time on the project a few years ago with help from money he had earned from a company he co-founded, the data-storage maker 3ware.
.
Altman remembers spending most of his childhood unwittingly captivated by television, watching shows regardless of whether they were entertaining.
.
He quit as an adult and has not owned a television in 24 years.
.
He has tested the TV-B-Gone remote discreetly in many places, including in other countries, and - with the exception of Hong Kong - says he usually gets little to no reaction after the background television noise disappears.
.
But he said he would never dare kill the machines in places like sports bars, where televisions are expected to be on.
.
"I can be mischievous, but I'm not going to do anything malicious, and I don't want to make anyone's life more difficult," Altman said. "I just don't like TV, and I'd like people to think more about this powerful medium in their lives."
.
Altman does not contend that all television is bad. "There's just so little time in all of our lives," he said. "Why should we spend so much time on something we don't necessarily enjoy?"
.
So beware: Next time you're at a laundry or restaurant, the blaring television might just mysteriously turn off.
.SAN JOSE, California Plenty of people love television, but apparently some have had enough of it.
.
A new key chain gadget that lets people turn off most televisions - including those in public places like airports and restaurants - is selling at a faster clip than it would take most people to surf the channels on their sets.
.
"I thought there would just be a trickle, but we are swamped," the inventor, Mitch Altman of San Francisco, said Tuesday. "I didn't know there were so many people who were into turning TV off."
.
Hundreds of orders for Altman's $14.99 TV-B-Gone gadget poured in Tuesday after the tiny remote control was announced in online media outlets. At times, the unexpected attention overloaded and crashed the Web site of Altman's company, Cornfield Electronics.
.
The keychain fob works like a universal remote control but one that only turns televisions on or off. With a zap of a button, the gizmo goes through a string of about 200 infrared codes that are used to control the power button on about 1,000 television models. Altman said the majority of televisions should react within 17 seconds.
.
Altman first got the idea for TV-B-Gone a decade ago, when he was out with friends at a restaurant and they found themselves all glued to the television instead of talking to each other.
.
The self-described geek started tinkering full-time on the project a few years ago with help from money he had earned from a company he co-founded, the data-storage maker 3ware.
.
Altman remembers spending most of his childhood unwittingly captivated by television, watching shows regardless of whether they were entertaining.
.
He quit as an adult and has not owned a television in 24 years.
.
He has tested the TV-B-Gone remote discreetly in many places, including in other countries, and - with the exception of Hong Kong - says he usually gets little to no reaction after the background television noise disappears.
.
But he said he would never dare kill the machines in places like sports bars, where televisions are expected to be on.
.
"I can be mischievous, but I'm not going to do anything malicious, and I don't want to make anyone's life more difficult," Altman said. "I just don't like TV, and I'd like people to think more about this powerful medium in their lives."
.
Altman does not contend that all television is bad. "There's just so little time in all of our lives," he said. "Why should we spend so much time on something we don't necessarily enjoy?"
.
So beware: Next time you're at a laundry or restaurant, the blaring television might just mysteriously turn off.
.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/10/20/business/tvoff.html