Hasty Briefsbeta

I taught my neighbor to keep the volume down

4 days ago
  • #neighbor
  • #humor
  • #technology
  • The author had to switch to Dish Network when moving to a new apartment and discovered DVR for an additional $5/month.
  • Received two set-top boxes with three remotes—two IR and one RF (radio frequency).
  • RF remote allowed control without line-of-sight, but interference became an issue when a neighbor also got an RF remote.
  • Both remotes operated on the same frequency, causing the author's and neighbor's devices to respond to each other.
  • The author initially tried to resolve the issue amicably but was rebuffed by the neighbor.
  • Instead, the author used the RF remote to condition the neighbor to keep the TV volume low by turning it off when too loud.
  • Over time, the neighbor unconsciously learned to keep the volume below a certain threshold.
  • The story humorously highlights unintended consequences of technology and Pavlovian conditioning in neighborly relations.