I was watching a show last night within which I saw a former NFL player  in his man cave watching TV.  Seated within his palatial home in his leather theater seat, he was indulging in what few women can understand: channel surfing.  I was taken aback that he had approximately four, count ’em, four different remote controls on the arm of his chair. I cannot sit idly by while this atrocity is occurring all over America! The potential hazard of carpal tunnel syndrome within the digits due to remote control overuse. THIS potential malady cannot be ignored any longer!

Enter, stage left, a pic of one of Logitech’s universal remote control units. There are other manufacturers, of course, but my first universal was Logitech and I’m sticking with them.  These units will reduce unnecessary visits to the ER or walk-in clinics during the upcoming College Football season.  They are extremely simple to setup for your particular entertainment components and come in a variety of different models and prices. I’ve used one of these jewels for years and I have saved many minutes of my life from all of the mundane tasks of the multi-remote lifestyle. Literally: MINUTES of my life have been saved.

My system has the following components: TV, BluRay DVD, HDMI Switch, Game Console, TiVo, Cable Set-top Box and a Surround Sound. There are unique configurations for all of these activities.  For example, to watch TiVo, all of the applicable units must be switched to the “on” position, seatbelt on my chair fastened, tray tables stowed, unnecessary units powered to the “off” position, TV set to HDMI input 1, HDMI switch to Input 1, and surround sound to Video. If, while watching TiVo, I want to watch a DVD, I need to: check seatbelt, turn the TiVo off, turn DVD on, the TV has to be  set to HDMI input 4, the HDMI switch changed to Input 2 while the surround sound stays the same (thanks to a multi-port HDMI switch that also provides for optical sound input – oh you’ve got to have one). Can you imagine all of the different remotes I would need to touch to do this?  It boggles the mind… But, I touch one button on the remote and presto, everything is changed by the magic of the universal remote!

With the escalation of health care costs in the US, we could all use a break from having to go to a health-care provider for something so preventable as Remote Control Digit Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (RCDCTS). Get a universal remote and channel-surf safe, my friends!

By the way: WAR EAGLE, go Auburn!