Robert Adler has His Power Button Pushed for the Last Time

I try to remember the first "remote control" that I remember seeing and it probably was the one my grandfather had on his old Zenith console television, and it had the loudest "click" I have ever heard. There were two buttons on it - one that turned the channel to the "left" (down in numbers) and one that turned it up on numbers. It weight probably the same as a small baby, and could have been included in the classic entertainment version of clue as a murder weapon. Nonetheless, it was the initiation of a completely new era in entertainment. I am very happy to have my Logitech Harmony remote that controls each and every piece of equipment I have inside of my theater and it really does show that things have come a long way. My thanks to Robert Adler and his creative thinking. We would have a completely different world without it. Do YOU remember your first Remote Control? Tell us about it here or over at the 2GuysTalking Television Review Blogs now! --Mike2Guys

TV remote control's co-inventor dies

Source: AP

Boise, Idaho: Hit the mute button for a moment of silence: The co-inventor of the TV remote, Robert Adler, has died.

Adler, who won an Emmy Award along with fellow engineer Eugene Polley for the device, died on Thursday of heart failure at a Boise nursing home at 93, Zenith Electronics Corp said on Friday.

In his six-decade career with Zenith, Adler was a prolific inventor, earning more than 180 US patents. He was best known for his 1956 Zenith Space Command remote control, which helped make TV a truly sedentary pastime.

"People ask me all the time - 'Don't you feel guilty for it?' And I say that's ridiculous," he once said about his invention that stopped people from getting up from their couch in front of their TV.

Hungry for Information: What to Do in Case of a Workplace Shooting

Rarely does a day go by that I am not hunting for some new, often extraneous information, based on whatever I might hear on the radio, in the news, via conversation with coworkers, etc. Google is clearly worn out on all of my systems both at home and my workplace, but strangely, with the news turning more violent, I have to wonder: am I the only one not finding even a thin line of detail in regard to what to do if I find myself in a workplace shooting situation?

You've probably never really taken a moment to think about it, but with the escalating events being detailed at length via news coverage, on every online news channel, and dialoged to death on television stations I find it almost incredulous as to why there is very little in the way of information available - no guidelines, no common sense tricks/tips that might help save your life - nothing really. I think this might be an ongoing discussion with myself, as I think of tips and information that might just help me, your coworkers and even you live through a situation that few think of but clearly even fewer think about with any regularity.

Help me dialog what I'm thinking in the comment section below and help me forge an information center that can eventually help build the best defense information clearing house for workplace shootings.

- The Sound of a Gunshot: How many people really know what a gunshot sounds like? While the question may be strange, I really do wonder if people think that gunshots sound like they do in hollywood. In truth, gunshots often, especially at a distance, sound like loud firecrackers. Depending on your workplace (it's size, ceiling height, how secluded offices are, etc) you may hear nothing, you may hear that collectively strange popping of firecrackers when rounds are pulled off, but ask yourself: would you know gunfire if you heard it?

- Are You a Target? Something I think that is sadly missing in today's business is a sense of self-awareness in a company. There are so many people that I deal with on a daily basis, both via/in my workplace and in businesses that I have dealings with that are so care-free in regard to what other people think of them - it truly sometimes boggles the mind. People try to corral the reasoning of people that partake in events like this and to think that if someone had a grudge, a complaint, a personal problem (you insert the issue that "drives" people to workplace shootings) that your actions, words, and "perceived authority" would some how save you - wow - would you be on a list of people to "take care of" today? For those that wish to tout authoritative labels, or "not care what other people think about be because _______" in general, a harsh day may just be on the platter for you, isn't it? This, including many other common-sensical things regarding coworker treatment is something I think is almost completely lost today in the business realm, and it's one of the staples that I build this listing with.

Awareness of Exits in the Building: While everyone will think of being a hero at times when hearing about things like this, I think the vast majority of people would/should bail from an environment involving a workplace shooting. Do you know where the most direct "Why the hell am I not outta' here" exit is in relation to your workstation? Do you think about that same question as your working your "route" doing tasks during the day? If you aren't you should. Knowing how to quickly evacuate out of the building from where you are currently could mean the difference between you getting out alive, and not getting out at all.

Do You Sit in Proximity of a "Target": I think that this is the one that probably bothers the most people, yet it's something I think very few people consider. In tandem with you, yourself being a perceived target, are you in proximity or "on the way/in the bee-line" to someone that is of the nature we refer to above as "a target?" The first thing I think of when I get to this line of thinking is the previous point about nearest and most convienent exit.

Chime in below, and be sure to tune in as I visit this posting often to round out my compilation of thoughts, ideas and tips to help you prepare for, initiate action during and live through a workplace shooting.

STAR WARS Wafts Mikeward...

Today I had the pleasure of inserting yet another category into another project I started called the 2GuysTalking Television Review Blogs and I have to tell you - it really was very exciting.

Long have I been a science fiction fan, which can often be traced back to the stories sheathed in a galaxy far, far away. The initial STAR WARS offerings for me were really so much more than just movies, but a launching platform for imagination, a foundation of solid, industry-credible storytelling, and the seed for creative thinking overall. I had hoped for much more from the second series of three movies and while the third provided me with much satisfaction, there was still a void: a passed-over sense of completion that I can't quite explain.

When I went to STAR WARS Celebration III now almost 2 years ago, I felt that sense of wonderment again as we were introduced to the next step of evolution for the STAR WARS franchise - a live-action and animated series were on their way, and folks - the first reports are coming back in those regards and I am thirsty for more. Check out the 2GuysTalking Television Review Blogs Website entry I just made now to read more about the upcoming animated series and stay tuned for more as the reports, details and rumors trickle in. It's another taste of the future, and folks - I'm hungry.

Not-so Superbowl...

While the quality of the game - shrug, can be said to have been one that moved, I can't recall a game in recent memory that had so many stupid turnovers.

While I have enough fodder that would make a great football-based entry, the focal point of this article is clear - unlike the main camera view during the entire recent Superbowl experience on CBS.

How is it, that every single other camera used during the evening had a rag, paper towel, eyeglass wipe or a sleeve to clean it off, yet the one main camera, that had probably 75% of the coverage was so hazy that I can now understand what those with glaucoma probably experience.

Even the "flying camera" hovering just a few feet above the players heads had a clearer picture and it flew around during the entire game while it was literaly pouring during each quarter.

What are YOUR thoughts on this? It's clear that many were watching it, and with good reason, but isn't the quality of the actual coverage at least as important as the quality of the game? Put your thoughts here and be sure to tell your friends to chime in too!

The Alpha Female Article...

Rarely do I read an article, that both engages me but repels me.

While checking Email this morning I got a link to this article from a friend I grew up with who is the man at the end of this article - the SECOND man for an "Apha Female" who loves his job, staying home with the kids, that he's been doing for going on 6 years after a life of being "another breadwinner" in his family.

What do YOU think about his article? Is she a thoughtless workaholic, or someone that needs something that she'll never really be able to find.

A couple of points that float to the top in the article:

-- "...almost a year since we'd made love." Huh? I guess it's because I have a completely different configuration in my marriage with my outstanding wife Gloria, but wow - I'm trying to think of the longest period of time we've ever "not made love" and if it ever approached a month, I'd be wondering what the hell is going on. That to me sounds like there's way more involved with making/finding time for the important things to stay healthy, than the husband being a loafing ass.

-- "...bringing a couple of glasses of wine and a book of poetry" as a prelude to lovemaking. If I may be so bold: While there are many times that it's great to "have the stage set" and be involved in a romantic-novel-esque situation when preparing to knocketh boots, it can't be that everytime. Seems to me that instead of her waiting to have the wine and book brought to the alter of "it's time to prepare for lovemaking" she should have thrown away the book, put the cork back in the white, and have some sit-down time with her "beta male" long before he ever gave up on their relationship. It's my opinion of course, but it's also my opinion that there shouldn't ever be a rift/toomuchwork/no time to not have sex with your wife, the mother of your children, the one who's "heart captured yours" for more than a year.

Read the article for yourself and be sure to chime back in here - I've love to hear what your perspectives are on something like this.

The Alpha Female: http://lifestyle.msn.com/relationships/couplesandmarriage/
articlemc.aspx?cp-documentid=2134246&GT1=9108