R.I.P The Inventor of One of Greatest Gadgets Ever

I don't know about you but I'm at the point in my life where there are certain things I can't imagine living without.  There was a time of course when I lived without many things that I enjoy now.

The Tv remote was one such thing that I didn't always enjoy.  I remember, nostalgically, watching our family black and white Tv with rabbit ears that had 2 channels that were viewable.

Nothing else came in much to my dismay but what did I know?  There was no cable in my world back then or even a remote control to change channels.

Now I can easily imagine only getting a couple of channels since that's all I watch anyway but not having a remote control?  Inconceivable!

So I'd like to pay homage to the inventor of the Tv remote control, Eugene J. Polley who passed away May 20 in Downers Grove, Illinois at the ripe old age of 96.  He was working for Zenith when he came up with the "Flash-Matic" remote control, the world's first wireless TV remote, introduced in 1955.

It used a flashlight-like device to activate photo cells on the television set to turn the knob and change channels.  Sheer brilliance if you ask me and if it prevents me from getting my butt up off the couch to change channels to actually find something worth watching on TV, then I'm all for it!  Well done Eugene, you will be remembered every time I point and hit the channel buttons.