the.com/universal remote
One remote to rule them all, and eight buttons you'll never press.
means A single handheld controller programmed or designed to operate multiple electronic devices — TV, cable box, sound system — instead of juggling separate remotes for each.
from A straightforward compound: 'universal,' from Latin universalis meaning 'of or belonging to all,' plus 'remote,' shorthand for 'remote control,' itself from 'remote' (Latin remotus, 'far off') describing control exercised from a distance. The device appeared as TVs and home electronics multiplied in the home, each with its own clicker; 'universal remote' simply named the dream of collapsing them into one — a dream the eight mystery buttons never quite fulfilled.
- setup ritual
- Requires a code lookup you'll lose immediately
- true purpose
- Gets lost faster than the remotes it replaced
- irony
- Still needs the original remote to program it
- best feature
- One power button that sometimes turns on everything