virus by remote

Is it really the time of the year when our remote thingymajigs appear to have caught influenza? Apparently, several remotes in our house have somehow stopped working and please do not blame the China made batteries I used to energize the controls. The remote for my room’s wall fan does not perform even if my thumb’s nail has already made a slight indention on the “on” button. The number eight key on my own tv remote inside my dad’s room (at times I sleepover at my dad’s area just to accompany him – separate beds, separate remotes) has refused to do its job (now you could probably surmise which cable channels could be favorites). At the den, the original tv remote won’t work except for the volume switch. Well, that’s ok. Thank goodness, there is still the cable box remote just when you need it most – yeah, during PBB and PDA days.

It may sometimes be unnoticeable yet the simple act of employing some advances in technology does transform your simple actions into a gargantuan of lifestyle changes. A case in point would be my decision to change airconditioning for my room some years ago when remotes for window types were not yet so much in fashion. I thought it would be cool to just shut off the aircon by remote when the room was cold enough. Apparently, I saw a way to economize on electricity rates without even getting up. The problem was I still had to get out of bed to switch on the electric fan – and that isn’t cool. Of course the immediate remedy was to get another electric fan with remote just not to interrupt my indolent resting habit.

This techno kind of domino effect reminds me of the time I bought my first car during the 90s when I just started my real estate career. At that time I wanted to stave off for a long period an upgrade of my music format from the old cassette tapes to cds, but the Mazda unit I was about to purchase had a cd changer as a come on. Darn, I bought the car, and a plethora of cds. Then I realized it would be a pity if I could enjoy the cds only inside my car. In an instant I bought a laser disc machine (the 90s!) which could read as well cds. Of course the new equipment was most satisfying when employed as a movie machine. But then I found out that my 14 inch television was not good enough for the visual delight that a laserdisc could offer. So I had everything, including a brand new 21 inch television (with of course, a working remote), a maxed out BPI credit card, and several months of amortization for the car to boot.

I still have no clue what ails the remotes in our home. I showed them to at least two different repair shops, but they either seemed to have given up on them or had tried to fix them somewhat but several days later, the remotes just expired the same. But what I do recognize is that technology can overtake your life - fever pitch. If you are not cautious enough, you can be so needy of even the smallest convenience or pleasure afforded to you by such gizmos. And losing your equilibrium is a psychological possibility. So buyer beware because this malady can be infectious.