Slashdot Mirror
New Shoe Designed to Kick-Start Couch Potatoes
Terremoto writes "A student at west London's Brunel University has developed a shoe with a pedometer that controls the amount of time a TV will remain lit. If sufficient activity has not been achieved the TV remains uncooperative. The device is appropriately named, "Square-Eyes"."
And buy a pair... right after this show is over.
A use for the "feet" category!
until people remember the "tumble no heat" setting on their dryer while they're looking for the receipt to return the damn thing.
Immediately creating a kids' grey market of slipping allowances to other kids to wear these shoes on behalf of the targeted couch potato.
$5 per hour's worth of TV time, $15 during Sweeps Week.
Its hard enough to play slow stages on DDR. If you make the television shut off if he's not dancing fast enough, that's just cruel.
God spoke to me.
Or your computer! It could power the video card or something, so you have to exercise to get a decent fps.
I’m old enough to remember 16K of memory being described as “whopping”
Just last month I invented a TV that won't release the electronic lock on my shoe closet door until I've watched 6 hours of TV.
Daddy likey.
Authority questions you. Return the favor.
playing videogames with their friends.
You had friends?! Er, uh. I mean, yeah! I played video games with my friends all the time!
Authority questions you. Return the favor.
Just watch those kids scramble out of the house when I give them a good boot to the backside...
This is a neat idea and all, but I think they really have it backwords. Given the quality of most tv, how 'bout making it so that the TV won't turn off unless you have gotten enough proper excercise? Not only will this motivate people to exercise, but if they forget, then when the TV pops on, it's even more motivation to get some excercise by walking out of the room.
Famous Last Words: "hmm...wikipedia says it's edible"
This will make the child go into an infinite loop and the child will crash.
Does anyone else the running pad accessory for the NES? Came with a game that had you running in place and competing with your friends? I distinctly remember that it was more fun (and easier) to just kneel down on the floor and smack the sensors with your hands, rather than try to jog in place. I just see kids getting around this by shaking the shoe or otherwise triggering the pedometer to falsely increase their "mileage". Stated previously: cute, but stupid.
Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion.
another way for older brothers to torture their younger brothers! "Run up and down the stairs until I tell you to stop or I'll beat the crap out of you"
Why not get the real ultimate power?
... will have to be covered in foil!
To put a witty saying into 120 characters, jst rmv ll th vwls.
Clearly this will encourage illegal downloading of TV shows via BitTorrent; the MPAA won't like this.
Although, I guess these shoes will sound like a good option to irresponsible parents that haven't being able to teach their kids about good dieting and fitness habits already.
Terminating zombie children isn't unknown in the Unix world.
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
I've always liked the idea of rowing-machine handles in place of the space bar or enter key.... just posting on slashdot I'd look like Mr. Universe. Or, I'd stop posting on slasdot and feel better anyway.
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
How about if I attach these shoes to the alarm clock that runs away and hides?
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
That's not a "hack", that's a "workaround". Or in this case, perhaps that should be a "not workaround".
"Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
You see, in France, we have a saying. Ze allowance, she is like a shoe, no? A shoe which enforce ze TV restrictions. How can you say is not so, eh?
Please forgive me for zees post: I am but a lowly stereoteep.
this would never work on people who are constantly shaking their leg or something...
i'm a semi-hyper dude myself and once you get your leg going it's pretty easy to keep it that way for quite a long time without even realizing....i'd have it exploited in no time!
oh yeah and if you were like me as a kid you'd know how to hook up tvs/vcrs, stereos, etc, by the time you were around 6 or 7. Unplugging the damn thing wouldn't be too hard to do....
If you don't want someone to copy something, don't give it to anyone.
How many of the commenters here work out regularly?
{...reality is wrong, Dreams are for real...}
Maybe they do. Shoes have soles, after all.
(Ba-dum-ching!)
(I'm gonna be modded down for this... I just know it)
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
Yeah, but if you have a Pentium IV or a Geforce 6800 you'd better be one hell of an athlete already.
Computer Science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes. --E. W. Dijkstra
Should I sue them?
You will force your kids to then go to their FRIENDS house, where their parents don't force anyone to ride a damn bike to watch the weather channel or MTV.
Clearly, we must pass a law to for ALL televisions to be retrofitted with the bicycle generator as their sole source of power! Think of the children!
... an insensitive clog ?
Yeah, but if you have a Pentium IV or a Geforce 6800 you'd better be one hell of an athlete already.
At this point you might be better off running the computer from wall power and using the bike to run the 16 cooling fans.
I'vegotoneofthosekeyboards,itworksreallywelltoen forceexcersize.I'vebeenusingitforsixmonthsnowbutIh aven't lostanyweight.
BD Phone Home!
Shameless plug. Like you weren't expecting it.
Yeah, because too much TV makes you igneous!
Bring on the asteroid