TV Remote Inventor Dies

The man who invented the TV remote quietly passed away last Sunday. I didn't even know about the passing of Eugene Polley in Chicago until today when I saw the story in the Quincy Herald Whig. I probably would have seen the story Sunday when he passed if I weren't switching channels at the speed of light thanks to my new remote. In the early days, if you wanted to see what was on TV you actually got up from the couch and turned the dial. That all changed thanks to Mr. Polley when he patented the "Flash Matic" that came in a gun shape with a red handle to change the channels without getting up. This invention single-handedly has led to America's obesity problem. People since this invention could sit for hours without getting up thereby getting little or no exercise. His was a simple device. Now there are remotes that have so many buttons on them you probably could launch the space shuttle if you pushed the right ones. In any case, Mr. Polley passed away at the age of 96 Sunday and he left us with a device that every male in the world loves. We own Mr. Polley a great deal of gratitude.