It works when I pick up my phone first thing in the morning to check the time. But other parts of the day, I wonder why the TV volume won’t work only to realize that I’m holding the cable control.

When I want to play Super Mario, I keep clicking for the Wii to switch on, I find myself holding a different game controller.

And when I’m trying to play some stereo music, I find myself holding the air-conditioner remote control.

Technology is supposed to simplify life — but I find myself spending more time sitting down sorting my confusion.

Gone were the days where one sat on a stool in front of the TV flipping through channels. Or when you asked someone passing by “Can you change that channel for me please?” And pressing that funky square button to adjust the static.

And, yes, we did bang on the TV back in the day.

Do that now, and you will regret it.

Did you ever make someone stand beside the TV because it’s only then and there that the screen clears up (especially when that person is touching the antenna)?

I once drew a classic telephone on the board once and my ESL students, all middle school, had absolutely no clue what I just draw.  “Why is the shape funny?”  I also drew an 80′s TV because that’s the way I’ve been drawing a TV ever since.  They couldn’t understand what the circles on the side were, nor did they get the purpose of that “V thing” on top of the “box”.

When I played Nintendo back in 1988, there was only the classic buttons “Up-up-down-down -left-right-left-right-B-A-B -A-Select-Start”.

Air-conditioner buttons were pressed only once (On and Off) with the exception of High and Low (and the initial Fan stage).

Heck, even our electric fan has a remote control!

Before we know it, our smart phones will be able to switch our lights on and off from wherever we are and maybe even open gates, too (though I wouldn’t be surprised if there is already an app for these somewhere)

*****