Remote control puts out fire

An elderly woman in Zurich called firefighters to report that her television set was burning.

When authorities arrived, they saw no signs of fire or smoke. What they did see was that the TV was tuned to a German station that aired the constant image of a fireplace in the early morning hours.

"The fire was extinguished with the press of a button," police said in a statement.

[via AP]

On the minimum wage hike

"Each semester I ask my principles-of-economics students if they think that I would rejoice if Uncle Sam passed a minimum-salary statute for economists, mandating that every economist hired be paid at least $300,000 annually. I then explain that my more talented and accomplished colleagues, such as Tyler Cowen, Gordon Tullock, and Walter Williams, would surely benefit. I, in contrast, would lose my job."

Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University

http://www.cafehayek.com/
http://marketcorrection.powerblogs.com/

Robber Uses Two Remote Controls to Build a ‘Gun’

I've heard of robbers using toy guns to commit crimes before, but this one is new.

Stephen Luke was catching a taxi ride to San Mateo, Calif, when he reportedly put a metal object to the driver’s head. He apologized for robbing him and fled with his duffel bag and cell phone. Authorities later found that the supposed gun was actually two remote controls taped together.

Luke was sentenced to six years prison.

If you had to fake a gun with two universal remotes, what would you use?

[via San Mateo Daily Journal]

Check out some more remote control-related crimes.

CE Pro sexy editor?

We're just wrapping up our annual reader survey for CE Pro.

The open-ended question, "What do you like most about CE Pro?" always brings out the jokesters who like it because it's free.

But one respondent said, "that sexy editor."

Jason Knott?

Woo hoo! Dunk Jeremy, not Julie

Jeremy Burkhardt has surpassed yours truly in the EHX virtual dunkathon.

Have you voted? If not, the poll is top right on this blog. I'm thinking David Goldenberg needs some more votes.

Candi, the USB Pole Dancer

Act fast. Candi, the USB Pole Dancer, is on sale now at Woot! Just $9.99 + $5 shipping.

Features:

• Powered directly from the USB port on your computer and possibly entertain you any time of day or night
• 30 second dance track
• Multi-colored disco lights, recreate an authentic night club atmosphere
• As music plays, the dancer spins around the pole, moving up and down as she spins
• Connect an MP3 player and she will dance to your favorite music
• No batteries or software required

In the box:

• USB Pole Dancer

CE Pro: This week in Haiku

Is Pet Fire Safety
How you protect yourself if
Your cat should combust?

More Vudu rumors
Is Mitsubishi buying?
No, just a promo

Will staffers leave if
You open your kimono?
Some dealers think so

More...

Another Hallmark Moment: National Pet Fire Safety Day

July 15 is the day for all of us to learn more about "pet proofing the home, developing pet-friendly escape routes and alerting rescuers of your pet's presence with 'window clings'"

ADT and the American Kennel Club provide some useful tips on how to protect your four-legged loved ones (which, by the way, completely ignores your slithering loved ones, swimming loved ones, creepy-crawling loved ones, etc.).

Here's one little nugget:

Practice Escape Routes with Pets - Keep collars and leashes at the ready in case you have to evacuate quickly with your pet or firefighters need to rescue your pet.

Check out more of them here.

Mitsubishi/Vudu: Nothing more than a summer promo

A lot of bloggers are making a big deal about Mitsubishi's summer promotion: buy a Mits HDTV, get a Vudu box free -- plus $50 in your Vudu video-on-demand (VOD) account.

A Mits spokesperson told me, "It's just a promotion."

I'm thinking Vudu is giving the boxes to Mits for free, in exchange for the promotion. Vudu needs to do something to boost sales of its content before the studios back out.

In any case, it would make a nice complement to a 1080p TV.

SpeakerCraft and its Fluffy Spider FancyPants

39 Cent Stamp, you are too much

I was biting my tongue writing an article about SpeakerCraft and its new media server partner Fluffy Spider Technologies.

I quipped about the Fluffy name and then erased it, added it, erased it.

Then came Fluffy's UI platform: FancyPants.

Surely, I had to say something about that?!

In the end, I left the story personality-free. So the big question is: Can SpeakerCraft pull off "Media Center products" as the press release reveals?

(Who votes that Jeremy Burkhardt wears fancy pants if we ever get him in the EHX virtual dunking booth? LMFPO!)

My integrator gets Crestron Gold designation

I must know how to pick 'em.

Drew Wiatrak of Sensation Design Group worked on my Crestron system -- the "Retrofit from Hell" -- almost five years ago.

Now he's one of only 15 integrators invited to qualify for Crestron's new designation of Gold level master programmer. And he passed -- not all of them did.

He says he put about 100 hours into the two-part test in which he and his cohorts had to create programs for two different tasks.

Drew thinks he is the only Gold programmer in Minnesota.

Way to go, Drew.

CE industry mourns the loss of Chuck Kittelson

CE Pro’s Bob Archer presents a Distributed Audio Award
to Chuck Kittelson in 2002, when the audio exec
was with Audio Design Associates (ADA)

Audio guru Chuck Kittelson was a sales and marketing executive for leading brands including Atlantic Technology, ADA, Parasound and a/d/s/.

He died of an apparent heart attack over the weekend at the age of 64.

Feel free to share your memories in this CEPro.com article.

CE Pro: This Week in Haiku (3)

Bad economy
And yet, Control4 raises
Seventeen million

H.A. systems still
For middle-aged geeks, writes Ross
Has anything changed?

Onerous survey
From Microsoft Hohm yields this:
Buy Energy Star

More ...

On communism

Well, if the Economist provided bylines, I'd credit the author for these gems ...

Well, I never!

Is 'orifice' really a dirty word?

My own Web site bleeped me, I kid you not.

I was trying to post a story about Crestron's new patent on a whole-house humidifier, and CEPro.com wouldn't let me use the word "orifice" as in a "a precision orifice [that] gives unexpected and desirable results that are directly applicable to residential humidification."

That's just prude.

Reminds me of when I tried to boast about my academic credentials on CEPro.com, and it came out like this: magna ### laude.

Action Figure: David A. Goldenberg

Convicted of corporate espionage, the former AMX VP will have a tough go against the Randy Klein action figure.

Thanks, 39 Cent Stamp

The official EHX dunking thread

We've already got a poll going -- see it at the top of the right-hand sidebar.

If we had a dunking booth at EHX, who would you pay (for charity of course) to dunk?

Feel free to add your write-in candidates in the comments below.

Job advice from an industry veteran and convicted spy

David A. Goldenberg will be needing his own advice.

The former AMX VP, on 3-years probation for intercepting emails from a Crestron rep, has a blog called Job Search Advice and Tips.

There, he gabs about social networking, job hunting, cover letters and such.

In one of his posts, he addresses the touch issue of age -- should you mention it, avoid the subject, hide it? He says nothing, however, about how to address felony convictions like corporate espionage in a cover letter or resume.

From CE Pro's This Week in Haiku:

David Goldenberg
Avoids jail, gets probation
And psych counseling

New Sonos controller

Automated Home unearthed this image of the forthcoming CR200 controller from Sonos.

The Web page promoting the little gem has been taken down for now, but the capacitive touchscreen was listed for $349 -- less if purchased with a bundle.

We'll take the free press

Thank you, CEA Smartbrief for linking to our story on the sameness of home automation after 15 years. But there are a few issues with CEA's blurb, for example, CEBus, LonWorks, ZigBee and Z-wave are not companies...

ZigBee, Z-Wave battle for home-automation standards crown
Fifteen years ago, two companies named CEBus and LonWorks were in a competitive race to come up with an overriding home-automation standard. According to this opinion piece, a clear winner never emerged and today that battle is still being fought, only by two new firms named ZigBee and Z-Wave. CEPro.com

CE Pro: Today in Haiku

Seventeen point three
Million for Control4 funds
Smart energy stuff

Favorite A/V company names

Who isn't tired of company names that include some combination of audio, video, interiors and other tired terms in the home technology industry?

Here are a few of my favorite integrator brands:

Supercalibrations (White Bear Lake, Minn.)
Goosebumps (McMurray, Penn.)
Wow Factor (Pace, Fla.)
John the Alarm Guy (Lenexa, Kansas)
Sure Lock Homes (Burnsville, Minn.) -- OK a little corny but still...
Wireless Home (Naples, Fla.) -- and they just acquired the url

Crappy wireless transmitters?

Don't quite know how I stumbled across this one, but it appears to be a place to hide your wireless transmitters.

Officially, it's the Dakota Alert BH-1-UF (DK-BH-1-UF) Birdhouse unassembled kit, sold by ASIHome for $10 plus shipping.

So what if a bird really does nest there? That would make for a pretty crappy transmitter.