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Floppy disks turn out to be the greatest TV remote for kids

blog.smartere.dk

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Re: Floppy disks turn out to be the greatest TV remote for kids

#341

Post by spuz »

brabel wrote: post #203
tantalor wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My biggest gripe is how terribly slow it is to navigate UI on a TV. The latency between user input and the UI responding can be upwards of 10-20 seconds. Just incredibly user hostile.

I had a 75-inch TV I inherited, it was on the higher end and the TV UI was supper snappy. Then, I broke it accidentally and got only 1/4 of the money from insurance. Because I barely watch TV, I thought I would just buy a TV of the same size, but on the lower end... both TVs were Samsung anyway. What a huge difference. The image quality is a little worse, barely noticeable after you get used to it. But the UI is agon…

> The higher end TV, needless to say, didn't do that

Actually it is very much needed to say that. Manufacturers get away with crappy unbearably slow UIs even on expensive TVs because it's not something that gets enough consideration by reviewers or indeed buyers.

Re: Floppy disks turn out to be the greatest TV remote for kids

#342

Post by usrnm »

johnisgood wrote: post #337
ori_b wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe a second lag Even a second lag is insane. I don't understand how people tolerate that.

They do not know any better, I suppose. Reading these threads just makes me wonder: if you guys have so many problems, why do you not torrent?

Torrenting is easy, but what are you goung to do with the torrented files then? Without additional external hardware you probably won't be able to play your downloaded files on your large TV, and most people prefer a laggy simple route over having to do more work. I do torrent from time to time, but the hassle associated with the whole process really highlights why streaming apps took over.

Re: Floppy disks turn out to be the greatest TV remote for kids

#343

Post by poisonborz »

nazgul17 wrote: post #289
palmotea wrote: post #32

There are some off-the-shelf products that work similarly in the audio space: https://us.yotoplay.com/ https://us.tonies.com/ I had plans to build something that for the TV, but having kids means I never had the time. And honestly, that might not have been such a bad thing since it made setting limits easier. I was able to teach my kid to turn the TV off when she was fairly young (and pause more recently), which seem…

Is there anything like this but for music selection? I mean, for adults. Say I want to have a dozen "albums" on my coffee table (NFC, QR, whatever), and insert one in a box to listen to them. Like an Audio CD, but without the risk of running, leveraging Spotify, or my MP3 connection. Something like in the OP, but using something less prone to stop working than a floppy disk (I was there, I remember).

You can also buy ready-made PhonieBoxes on some marketplace sites.

Re: Floppy disks turn out to be the greatest TV remote for kids

#344

Post by goku12 »

golem14 wrote: post #324
tete wrote: post #3

> Modern TVs are very poorly suited for kids. They require using complicated remotes or mobile phones, and navigating apps that continually try to lure you into watching something else than you intended to. I'd argue that's not too different for grown-ups. ;)

I argue that most kids are far better at using complicated remotes and mobile phones / apps than most adults. This has been true for a long time. Programming VCRs was a dark art reserved only for teens in the 80s, and I have no doubt the Romans had similar issues :)

This kid is only 3. I doubt that he is old enough to navigate the complex on-screen menus, while taking the delays and other puzzling behaviors into account. This is not to say that young kids are stupid. But the modern device interfaces often feel like a pile of random hacks, rather than something based on the sane and well established design principles that were formulated on the basis of experience and human psychology.

Re: Floppy disks turn out to be the greatest TV remote for kids

#345

Post by sgt »

01100011 wrote: post #273
peteey wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Generally agreed. Though, Daniel Tiger and Paw Patrol should be judged differently. Paw Patrol is mindless and addictive. If you desperately need a distraction, PBS shows are less bad. A few moments of pacification may be worth not disturbing the other airline travelers. Daniel Tiger may be helpful to parents too. Interacting with children is not intuitive. Techniques from PBS shows have helped me. For example, singi…

Some commenters either: 1. Do not have children. 2. Have a strong support network. 3. Have their partner or professional handle most aspects of child raising and have a warped understanding of dealing with a precocious and active toddler. It's great that some folks have kids that like books and keep themselves busy. It's not so great that their parents think that is the reality most parents enjoy.

Sometimes you literally have to give them something in order for you to get something done. We keep screen time to max 30 minutes a day though for our 5 year old.

Re: Floppy disks turn out to be the greatest TV remote for kids

#346

Post by p2detar »

rspoerri wrote: post #72

My 3 year old watched TV for the first time for 2 minutes in her life (it was hard hiding it from her in an airplane on an overhead screen) and I can tell that TV is generally bad for kids at that age.

In some European countries like Germany, there are recommendations by institutions like the Federal Center for the "Protection of Children and Young People from Harmful Media (BzKJ)" about TV time or screen time in general [0]:

  - 0 to 3 years: Ideally, no screen time at all. If media is used, then only in very short intervals and not every day.
  - 4 to 5 years: Up to half an hour of screen time per day.
  - 6 to 9 years: Up to one hour of screen time per day.
  - For older children aged 10 and above, it is advisable to agree on a weekly time allowance.
0 - https://familienportal.de/familienportal/lebenslagen/kinder-...

Re: Floppy disks turn out to be the greatest TV remote for kids

#347

Post by n4r9 »

mock-possum wrote: post #147
asielen wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I won't argue that it is a universal truth but it has played out the same for my kids and my friends groups kids. They treat it like a drug and lose all emotional regulation. I don't believe all screen time is bad, but it is something you have to teach them to regulate and 3 year olds and younger are just bad at regulating emotion in general. Teaching them to do this is just part of parenting. One of the most importa…

Hard disagree with ‘great to be bored’ - being bored is one of the worst possible feelings, that you’re wasting your time doing nothing when there is almost certainly something you would rather be doing. As a child I used to hate the feeling of boredom, knowing that I could be doing something I wanted to do. As an adult I am hardly ever bored, and it’s a strict improvement, never have I ever found myself wishing I co…

Learning to sit with your thoughts for a while is a good life skill.

Re: Floppy disks turn out to be the greatest TV remote for kids

#348

Post by throwawayffffas »

tantalor wrote: post #24
tete wrote: post #3

> Modern TVs are very poorly suited for kids. They require using complicated remotes or mobile phones, and navigating apps that continually try to lure you into watching something else than you intended to. I'd argue that's not too different for grown-ups. ;)

My biggest gripe is how terribly slow it is to navigate UI on a TV. The latency between user input and the UI responding can be upwards of 10-20 seconds. Just incredibly user hostile.

Do you remember analog TVs? Switching channels was a sub second affair.

Re: Floppy disks turn out to be the greatest TV remote for kids

#349

Post by sethammons »

doubled112 wrote: post #76
SoftTalker wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

QR codes on cards would work as well, if I'm understanding what this project is. The floppy disk approach has some nostalgia maybe but seems quite fragile. I quickly learned to never let my kids handle CDs/DVDs (one of the worst physical media designs ever; they are totally unprotected) as they would quickly become damaged and unplayable. Floppy disks are at least sort of protected but the same idea applies.

I still have a large number of working CDs from when I, myself, was a kid. DVDs too but they were later and more durable. I’ve always wondered what people are doing to them? Maybe I just got lucky. Maybe I was just careful with them. Maybe I don’t remember the ones that failed. I don’t think kids are less careful now, although being screamed at for making the CD or record skip was probably a deterrent.

My little kids loved to slide discs on the ground like they were cleaning a mess with a rag. We lost many movies this way.

Re: Floppy disks turn out to be the greatest TV remote for kids

#350

Post by vee-kay »

jliptzin wrote: post #245
brabel wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a 75-inch TV I inherited, it was on the higher end and the TV UI was supper snappy. Then, I broke it accidentally and got only 1/4 of the money from insurance. Because I barely watch TV, I thought I would just buy a TV of the same size, but on the lower end... both TVs were Samsung anyway. What a huge difference. The image quality is a little worse, barely noticeable after you get used to it. But the UI is agon…

Plug a new chromecast into one of the HDMI ports and use that and only that and weld the setting shut so that you never have to deal with the TV’s default UI ever again.

I use an Amazon FireTV Stick on my old non-smart LG TV. And the advantage is that the FireTV has a simple cute little remote control device. There is a nifty Setting in the Amazon FireTV UI to allow its remote to turn on/off the TV too.

So it's been a long time since I had to wrestle with the TV's built-in OS.

I just use the pleasant UI of the FireTV Stick to watch Netflix, Prime, Disney+, etc. on that decade+ old TV. That FireTV becomes sluggish if I keep multiple apps open, so I have learnt to exit out of an app before switching to the new one.

I may get a new FireTV stick this year, rather than splurging for a new TV, since the old TV is still doing well.

As the Americans say: If it ain't broken, don't fix it.

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