Kitchen automation

["Bill Kearney" <wkearney-99@hot-mail-com>]

> I'm still waiting for a laser remote. If I point the remote at the ceiling
> fan it should know that I want to control the fan and not the video
screen.
> Had I wanted to control the video screen, I would have pointed it there,
no?

I dislike the pointer idea.  I've used RF remotes for several years now and
would NEVER go back to plain IR.  Where do you point the remote when the TV
is at the front of the room, the light switches on the side and all the AV
gear is in a whole other room?  Using a pointer would require waving your
arms around like some wannabe Luke Skywalker in a light sabre fight, no
thanks.

I find a combination of stick-type and touchscreen remotes works best.  The
stick-type with hard buttons works great for watching TV.  You can handle
the ffwd/rewind, joystick/arrow and other program selecting functions all
from the comfort under a comfy blanket, all without having to look at a
screen.  But for the few times you want to do more, like setup the surround
sound effects, tweak screen settings or lighting and HVAC controls I'm
finding it's best to not try to jam all that into the stick-type remote.
Even with devices like a Harmony some tasks are just not well suited to
being crammed into device buttons or 'activity' modes.  This after YEARS of
trying to make that happen.

So if these 'side show' remotes can actually work /well/ with a desktop it
could get very interesting.  Not just from the standpoint of putting stupid
crap like static local listing schedules or advertising drek on it.  But
things like bookmarking while watching a program such that it knows WHAT
you're watching and WHEN in the program to make the mark.  Use that to, say,
pull up a webpage (later, or even on a different screen like your PC) about
that particular part of the show.

Anyway, bi-directional remotes than act more as triggering "do more" agents
for your desktop (or set top) box would be very clever.

-Bill Kearney