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Inventor Open Sources "TV-B-Gone," and Why
ptorrone writes "Inventor Mitch Altman explains why he open-sourced his TV-B-Gone kit, the original stealth keychain fob for defeating TVs in public places. The title of the article is 'Patent-B-Gone' and perhaps the most interesting fact is that Mitch's brother is a patent attorney, but he still decided to release an open source hardware version of the TV-B-Gone, with pretty impressive results."
I don't mind if a bar owner wants to put on a TV in his bar. That doesn't bother me. However, where I live (Orange County, Florida), there are television sets (with sound) in the following places that need not have them, and they are there for no other purpose than to show an announcement that could be served with a poster and no sound:
There is NO REASON for this.
Have you heard about the discrete IR blocker they generally use in these stores? I believe it is marketed as "Black Tape". But don't be fooled. It isn't authentically black :)
I record my sleeptalking
Something the tvbgone users need to realize... those are IR lights. When you press the button and look at the front you don't see anything, or will see a VERY faint dim red flicker, and think oh no one will see that!
But then take it into someplace like walmart with 200 security cameras all over the place. Think back, look at the youtube video, how bright the lights show up on the recording. It's like the white strobe on a fire alarm. Digital cameras are VERY sensitive to IR light, and it shows up bright white. As if that's not bad enough, it's strobing.
Same thing at wal-mart. Nobody on the floor will know you are doing it, but EVERY person in the security room will immediately see the TVBG light up like a white beacon on any camera pointed your way, of which at a wal mart is a good dozen or more at any given time. You'll have about 20 seconds before one of their security personnel to get a call on their radio from the security room and is standing beside you and in a bad mood. The guard may not know what to look for and won't see the light, so the people in the room will tell them to get rid of you. If the guard sees a camera in your hand, there's his excuse.
The field tester that ran into walmart problems was lucky that they didn't realize what he was doing, and kicked him out for filming. (the ppl in the room probably thought the camera was causing the flashing on their monitors) That won't last. They'll be a good deal more unfriendly if they realize there's actual malice intended rather than possibly innocent filming.
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
I'm an electrician and I've wired a Walmart when it was being built. I can assure you that only ~10% of those black domes contain cameras. It is true that the electronics department has cameras, but the one I worked on only had 2 covering the whole section.
Posted AC because I'm probably not supposed to tell people that.
Television is more than just a box with noise and motion. The programs and especially the commercials are developed in a way that they draw the attention. They are called "programs" for a reason. They program the viewer to pay attention. Most of the programming takes place on a subconscious level and has to do with alternating the volume levels (a simple example of that is that the commercials are always louder than the shows) and also with the frequency that the images are displayed and changed. You may be able to tune it out but the vast majority of the population cannot. You probably have a form of ADHD that allows you to become hyper concentrated. It is definitely an asset, but decidely outside of the "norm". Television programming is way more intrusive than normal conversations.